Acknowledgments xi
Preface: Why Black Professionalisms, Why TV and Why Now? 1
Introduction: Defining Black-Collar Professionalisms 7
Part I-Black Love: Families and Friendships
Battling Impostor Syndrome: Authenticity, Urban Realities and the Black Bourgeoisie in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
LaToya T. Brackett 26
ABC's Black-ish: A Critical Analysis of the Black Professional Parent
Mia L. Anderson 38
Black Brotherhood, Professionalism and Entrepreneurship as Depicted in Martin, The Wayans Bros. and Malcolm & Eddie
David Stamps 47
I'm glad I got my girls: Black Women, Working, Friending and Seeking Love in Fox's Living Single
LaToya T. Brackett 57
Part II-Publicly Figured Characters
Tackling Stereotypes: Portrayals of Black NFL Athletes on The CW's The Game and HBO's Ballers
Darnel Degand 70
#IamMaryJane: Blackness, Womanhood and Professionalism in BET's Being Mary Jane
Malika T. Butler and Kristal Moore Clemons 80
Capital Codes and Money Moves: The Ironies of Professionalism in Empire
Natalie J. Graham 89
Part III-Medical Professionals
Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy and My Year of Saying Yes to Everything
Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham 100
Sapphires with Stethoscopes: Black Women Practicing Medicine on Television
Phokeng Motsoasele Dailey 110
The Curious Case of the Black Male Doctor: Character Actualization and Moderate Blackness of ER's Peter Benton
LaToya T. Brackett 121
Part IV-Educators and the Educated
Anti-Blackness and Colorblindness in Post-Cosby Sitcoms: Likeable Black Teachers, Exceptional Black Students but/and Everybody Hates Chris
Amir Asim Gilmore 134
Dear White People: It truly is A Different World: Representations of Black Male Faculty in Television Series
Dominick N. Quinney 146
Part V-Policing and Politics
Not So Black and White: Race, Police and Double Standards in The Shield
Saravanan Mani 156
Mammies, Jemimas, Jezebels and Sapphires: Deconstructing Representations of Black Women Coroners on Crime Dramas
Tammie Jenkins 165
Black Woman: High-Powered but Not Balanced in Shondaland
Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham and Eleda Mbinjama 174
Part VI-New Television
Awkward and Black: Redefining Representations of Black Women on The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and Insecure
Regina M. Duthely 186
Behind Their Masks: Complex Black Superheroes on the Small Screen
Christopher Alanye Covington 195
About the Contributors 205
Index 209