''South Central'' is an American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

series that aired on the Fox network from April 5, 1994 to June 7, 1994. It was cancelled following its first season, after ten episodes aired.

Synopsis

The series was set in 1990's

South Central Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

, and dealt with the lives of an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

family, the Moseleys, and issues such as gang violence, drugs, dating, sex, school, and unemployment. Joan Moseley (

Tina Lifford Tina may refer to: People * Tina (given name), people and fictional characters with the given name ''Tina'' Places *Tina, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran *Tina, Tunisia, a town in Sfax Governorate, Tunisia *Tina, Guadalcanal, Solomon ...

) is a divorced mother, raising three children with no assistance from her ex-husband. Her oldest son Marcus having been murdered years earlier by a gang member, Joan's financial situation becomes complicated after she is laid off. Her remaining children include Andre (

Larenz Tate Larenz Tate (born September 8, 1975) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as O-Dog in ''Menace II Society'' and as Councilman Rashad Tate in ''Power''. Tate's other films and television series include the fil ...

), Tasha ( Tasha Scott), and foster son Deion Carter (Keith Mbulo). Rounding out the cast of characters are Joan's friend "Sweets" ( Paula Kelly) and Andre's

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

Dr. Ray McHenry (

Ken Page Ken Page (born January 20, 1954) is an American actor and singer. Page created the role of "Ken" in the original Broadway production of '' Ain't Misbehavin, and played the role of " Old Deuteronomy" in both the original Broadway and filmed st ...

). ''South Central'' featured many guest stars including Jennifer Lopez,

Shar Jackson Sharisse Jackson (born August 31, 1976) is an American actress and singer, best known for playing Niecy Jackson on the UPN sitcom ''Moesha''. She was crowned the winner of MTV reality show ''Celebrity Rap Superstar'' in 2007. Early life Jackson ...

, and Maia Campbell. The series, which was produced on a smaller budget than most sitcoms, was popular among critics for what was perceived as a realistic and sometimes dark portrayal of urban life.

Cancellation

The show aired on Tuesday evenings following '' Roc''. Due to the decline in ratings of the entire night of programming, Fox cancelled all the shows on that night (as well as Thursday comedies '' The Sinbad Show'' and ''

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...

''). The cancellation of the series, all of which had predominantly black casts, prompted Jesse Jackson to call for a boycott of the network for perceived

institutional racism Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization. It manifests as discrimination in areas such as criminal justice, employment, housing, health ...

. Fox maintained that the series was low rated and the decision to cancel was not racially motivated. Series creator Ralph Farquhar would later co-create the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

sitcom '' Moesha'', along with Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The series (a more traditional sitcom) was set in Leimert Park, a middle-class neighborhood near View Park-Windsor Hills Los Angeles.

Lamont Bentley Artimus Lamont Gardison Bentley (October 25, 1973 – January 19, 2005) was an American actor and rapper best known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on the UPN sitcom ''Moesha'' and the spin-off ''The Parkers''. Bentley was also known for his ro ...

and

were members of the cast.

Cast

Main

— Joan Mosely *

— Andre Mosely * Tasha Scott — Tasha Mosely *Keith Mbulo — Deion Carter

Recurring

— Rashad * Paula Kelly — Sweets *

— Dr. Ray McHenry * Michael Beach - Isaiah Washington *

Earl Billings Earl William Billings (born July 4, 1945) is an American actor, best known as Rob in the television series ''What's Happening!!''. Life and career Billings was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Willie Mae Billings. He has gained recognition ...

— Mayo Bonner * Maia Campbell — Nicole *

— Shanelle * Jennifer Lopez — Lucille *

Clifton Powell Clifton Powell (born March 16, 1956) is an American actor who primarily plays supporting roles in films, such as in ''Ray'' (2004), for which he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture nomination. Care ...

— Bobby Deavers *

Malinda Williams Melinda is a feminine given name. Etymology The modern name ''Melinda'' is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa (μέλισσα) meanin ...

— Candi

Episodes

Syndication

Episodes of ''South Central'' aired in the United States on TV One.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:South Central (Tv Series) 1994 American television series debuts 1994 American television series endings 1990s American black sitcoms 1990s American sitcoms English-language television shows Fox Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television shows set in Los Angeles