And on August 22nd, 1993,Living Singlepremiered on FOX.
Quite the coincidence, isnt it?
Despite this,Friendscontinued to rise in general popularity, whileLiving Singleonly maintained popularity with Black and Latinx viewers.
Image by Zanda Rice
As Yvette Lee Bowser has revealed,Living Singlewas partially inspired by her personal life.
This fact automatically brings more depth to the characters she created.
Each subsequent season shows the main ensemble characters grow and mature in ways that make sense.
They made mistakes, they learned, they grew.
The same cannot necessarily be said forFriends.
Their friendship is the anchor of the show.
Regine Hunter is a shallow self-proclaimed diva who is obsessed with fashion and good-looking rich men.
Synclaire James is Khadijahs bright-eyed cousin who moves to the big city to live and work with her atFlavor.
Maxine Shaw (Erika Alexander) is the man-eating, no-nonsense lawyer of the group.
Thankfully, this was avoided, as her character quickly became iconic to viewers.
Right, and Max who is for the most part established.
They each have their flaws and, over time, audiences watch them acknowledge and learn from these flaws.
Carson, and Overton Wakefield Jones, played byJohn Henton.
Overton, while seeming like a simpleton, often becomes the voice of reason for the group.
The relationships between the group of friends are clearly defined.
Image via Fox
Khadijah and Regine see Kyle and Overton as brothers.
Synclaire and Overton are “couple goals,” period.
It was easy to do, and it was certainly somethingFriendsdid constantly.
Image via NBC
The show isrampant with homophobia, gender stereotypes, fatphobia, and transphobia.
As far as we know, the entire main cast ofFriendsidentify as heterosexual.
Khadijah beats a drag queen at a basketball arcade game and reads her while doing so.
Image via Fox
But overall, this episode shows thatthe gay communityis a safe and welcoming space.
One exemplary episode is Season 3’s “Woman to Woman.”
Maxs close friend is in town to get married, so the girls plan a bachelorette party.
Image via NBC
But the point is, I wish you would have given me the chance to rise to the occasion.
The immediate acceptance, without a barrage of offensive jokes, is something to be commended.
They each manage to attract very handsome men who appreciate them as they are.
These comedy shows left us laughing until they were unfortunately canned.
And then they createdFriendsand gave them everything.
And he said,Living Single.
And then he createdFriends.
Ultimately, both shows are classics loved by their fans.
Viewers can watch and reach their own conclusions.
Llving Singleis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
Watch on Max
