Despite Obamas, no new black TV family

Dennis Haysbert stars in ''The Unit.''

HOLLYWOOD - Four years ago, fresh off his star-making keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama challenged the television industry to live up to its responsibility as the country's "most powerful media" and accurately reflect the population of the United States. "TV ought to reflect the reality of America's diversity and should do so with pride and dignity, not with stereotypes," he told the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

But as Obama prepares to move into the White House next month, he and his family will be hard pressed to find blacks like them represented on any of the major networks - ABC, NBC, CBS, or Fox.

In fact, not only will they have great difficulty locating any black family in a leading role on the networks, they also will see it's nearly impossible to find a scripted comedy or drama that features a young person of color in a central role.

Although prime-time network slates are packed with more than a dozen comedies and dramas revolving around family life or involve characters who are related, almost all of them have predominantly white casts. A black family has not anchored a network series since "The Bernie Mac Show" left Fox in 2006.

The subject is an uncomfortable one for the networks; most high-ranking network executives and diversity managers declined to talk about the issue.

The only black family regularly on prime-time network television is on CBS's "The Unit," where Dennis Haysbert (who played a US president on Fox's thriller "24") plays the leader of an elite special ops force. And although an increasing number of blacks and other minorities have scored regular series roles, those performers are largely relegated to supporting or minor parts.

Although the development season is in full gear, there does not appear to be a series on the horizon that would take up the cultural torch of the groundbreaking comedy "The Cosby Show." The only black family that would anchor an upcoming major series is on an animated show - "Cleveland," a spinoff of Fox's "Family Guy."

Paula Madison, executive vice president and chief diversity officer for NBC Universal, predicted that the television landscape will undergo a dynamic change: "Obama in the White House will expand and broaden the conversation about diversity in ways we don't even recognize. I see him as an African-American who is more global in perspective and experience. His experience is different than most African-Americans', and that will force a different kind of conversation."

Some prominent black creative forces behind comedies that featured black families see a tougher road ahead. They say Obama's presidency might present even stiffer challenges for the black creative community.

Ali LeRoi, executive producer of the CW's "Everybody Hates Chris," about a black family in the 1980s, said that although family shows inspired by the comedy of Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, and others have been mainstream hits, they're seen as "anomalies" by network executives.

Some writers and producers who have pitched series to the four major networks featuring black families say they have met repeated resistance from executives who claim shows centered on black people will not attract mainstream audiences.

"I've pitched these projects with main black characters and have been told, 'We just can't see that,' or, 'No one will watch that,' " said Felicia D. Henderson, creator of "Soul Food," which ran on Showtime for five seasons.

Part of the challenge will be creating dramas, comedies, and characters that - like "The Cosby Show" - will draw large audiences across the board.

"I hate to say it's our own fault," said Henderson. "As black producers and writers got their own shows, the visions and premises became hipper and cooler. It became more specific. There was nothing left for general audiences."