When people talk about or debate what is the best black television show in network history, the decision will never be unanimous because the list is so daunting, and depending on the times, the show's relevance diminishes.
There were shows like Julia starring Diahann Carroll as the first black actress to star on a network television show. And who can forget about The Cosby Show that spent five consecutive seasons at number one tying the record with All In The Family?
So here is the list of the top 10 best black TV shows of all-time, according to IMDb.
Martin (1992 - 1997) 7.4
Wassup? The question that was on the minds of anyone watching sitcoms from 1992 to 1997. Martin Lawrence came upon the scene like a wrecking ball in his hit comedy series about the comedy woes of four friends living in Detroit. Martin made fans cry from laughter and was the talk at the water cooler in the office the next day.
The hilarity of characters such as Shanaynay and Jerome are permanently enshrined in the sitcom archives of television.
Kenan & Kel (1996 - 2000) 7.8
Starring SNL's longest-running cast member Kenan Thompson along with Kel Mitchell, Kenan & Kel is about two best friends in Chicago, but they always seem to get in each other's way. Kenan's quick rich schemes always got the two friends in trouble and Kel's catchphrase, "Aww, here it goes!" was a favorite.
The show aired on Nickelodeon for four seasons and won the "Favorite TV Show" award in 1998 at The Kid's Choice Awards and had guest appearances, from Britney Spears to basketball player Ron Harper.
Sanford and Son (1972 - 1977) 7.9
"You big dummy." For five years on NBC's hit sitcom, Sanford and Son, this is the affectionate phrase Fred G. Sanford (Redd Foxx) referred to his 30 something-year-old son, Lamont (Demond Wilson).
The godfather of African-American sitcoms, Sanford and Son changed the landscape of television as viewers tuned in weekly to see the comedy mishaps in southern Los Angeles. From his unusual stroll to grabbing his heart and exclaiming to his dead wife, " I'm coming to join you honey”, the show was ahead of its time.
Soul Train (1971 - 2006) 7.9
Soul Train, the hippest show on television where fans learned the latest dance moves and watch their favorite R & B, soul, dance/pop and hip hop singers and groups every Saturday afternoon.
Don Cornelius, the master of ceremonies (both executive producer and host) led this dance train for over twenty years; the show lasting for 35 years. With over 1100 episodes, Soul Train influenced the music culture for many generations.
Soul Train introduced America to the "Soul Train Scramble Board" and “The Soul Train Line".
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996) 7.9
"Now this is a story all about how my life got flip-turned upside down, and I like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air." This is the intro of an NBC show that knocked down the door and slammed into our households every week and shot its star into the stratosphere of fame about a Philadelphia teen, Will Smith, who was sent to live in Bel Air to keep him out of trouble.
In Living Color (1990 - 2006) 8.1
What does a guy who starred in the movie Pet Detective and became one of Hollywood's most sought after actors of all-time; an actor whose portrayal of Ray Charles in the movie Ray won him an Academy Award for Best Actor; and an actress who was nominated for two Grammy Awards and one of the most popular celebrities today, Jennifer Lopez have in common? They all made their start on the hit sketch comedy series, In Living Color.
Created by Keenan Ivory Wayans, In Living Color held the ratings hostage, with such controversial sketches as "Men on Film" and "Fire Marshall Bill". Wayans's unapologetic approach to humor made the show "must watch" television for years, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series in 1990.
Power (2014 - 2020) 8.2
One of the best crime action dramas series over the past ten years took audiences by surprise when it premiered on June 7, 2014. With a charismatic intro song featuring Curtis "50 cents" Jackson, who is also the executive producer of the show, Power became Starz top series and one cable television’s most-watched shows.
Power stars Omari Hardwick as James "Ghost" St. Patrick, drug kingpin trying to make it legitimate as a businessman. The only problem is that his partner Tommy (Joseph Sikora) and wife Tasha (Naturi Naughton) seems to flourish in the life of drugs and money and the woman he is in love with is the FBI attorney Angela Valdez (Lela Loren).
A guilty pleasure of sorts, Power seemed to touch on something many viewers were craving. A series that is raw and uncompromising of the images portrayed.
The Boondocks (2004 - 2015) 8.3
The Boondocks created by Aaron McGruder was not your Saturday morning cartoon. Yes, it was on The Cartoon Network, but it was on its late-night programming for mature audiences, Adult Swim.
Huey and Riley Freeman (voiced by Academy Award-winning actress Regina King) and along with their grandfather (voiced by John Witherspoon) are a black family who moved away from the city out into the suburbs, where they are culturally challenged with new ideologies
The Boondocks tackles issues regarding Jesus, President Reagan, and Martin Luther King, Jr. As Ebonie Ledbetter wrote in The Famuan, "Despite constant criticism and attempts at censorship, McGruder is the voice of those who are sometimes silenced-criticizing the Bush administration, the war in Iraq, black leaders and even BET."
Atlanta (2016 - ) 8.6
The critically acclaimed television series, Atlanta is about college a drop-out named Earn portrayed by the show's creator Donald Glover who is trying to make a career in the rap industry as a manager of his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry).
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The show has received two Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy), and Best Actor in Television Series (Musical or Comedy) for Glover. Also, Donald Glover won Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. The first-ever awarded to an African-American.
Chappelle's Show (2003-2006) 8.7
There will never be a show like it. And it will go down as one of the best shows in television history. Chappelle's Show did what In Living Color in the 1990s did but on a grander scale. Always challenging what is "politically correct" or socially acceptable, David Chappelle created a show that made audiences laugh out loud of the ludicrous nature of some of the issues or topics it tackled, but also made viewers contemplate on the serious nature of its subject matter.
From characters involving Rick James, Clayton Bigsby (The Black Klansman), and Tyrone Biggums to famous sketches like "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories" there was no social or political issue Chappelle would not examine. Despite his constant fight with censors, he found a way to touch the minds and tickle the funny bones of millions of viewers.