Are there riches in niches?

“Brothers,’’ a sitcom which launched Friday, focuses on the sibling squabbles that ensue when a retired NFL player (Michael Strahan) comes home to help run the family restaurant with his brother and parents. “The Cleveland Show’’ which premieres tonight at 8:30, is a spinoff of the popular animated series “Family Guy.’’ It follows Cleveland Brown as he leaves Rhode Island with his son to live with his new wife and her two kids in Stoolbend, Va. “The Wanda Sykes Show,’’ which premieres Nov. 7, is a weekly late-night talker headlined by the outspoken comic and actress.

This trio of shows share at least one element: they all star African-Americans - even if one of them is animated and voiced by a white man.

“It’s not a coincidence’’ that they’re all airing this fall, says Kevin Reilly, entertainment president for the network. “We need some African-American people on this network. It’s an underserved audience, these are great talents, and for me it’s only the beginning.’’

For those who remember the early years of the Fox network, this outreach to black viewers may sound familiar. Shows such as “Martin,’’ “Roc,’’ “Living Single,’’ and “In Living Color’’ helped build the Fox brand in the ’90s.

But over time the network’s programming became increasingly white. Upstart networks the WB and UPN followed the same pattern, catering to the black audience at first. Then, on the WB, for example, “The Wayans Bros.’’ gave way to “Gilmore Girls.’’

Twenty-five years to the month since the debut of “The Cosby Show,’’ there remain few black or black-led shows on prime-time television. Ensemble shows are more diverse, but the few African-American focused programs that dot the TV landscape now pop up on niche cable networks like BET and TBS.

“There’s a void there,’’’ says Brad Adgate, senior research analyst for Horizon Media, “and I think Fox is trying to fill it this fall.’’

John Ridley, executive producer of “The Wanda Sykes Show,’’ got his start in the business as a writer on “Martin,’’ which starred stand-up comic Martin Lawrence and aired for five seasons.

“I’m very happy that they’re coming back to it,’’ he says. “People of color get to look at the dial and go, ‘Oh there’s actually shows, and they’re completely different shows.’ ’’

He points to the success of ABC’s “Ugly Betty’’ as the kind of smart move Fox may be trying to duplicate. “It was one of the few shows that was programmed for Hispanics and had Hispanic leads. If you’re Hispanic you get to go ‘Oh here’s a show I can watch.’ And surprise, surprise, they have a big audience.’’

“Brothers’’ star Daryl “Chill’’ Mitchell, who plays Strahan’s snarky, wheelchair-bound sibling, chalks up the black show boomlet to the changing of the guard in Hollywood - at Fox, but also beyond.

“It’s a younger, more hip executive pool of people now,’’ says the actor, who previously appeared in supporting roles on the shows “Ed’’ and “Veronica’s Closet.’’ “They’re all really starting to see that . . . this is a bigger world, and it’s more than just white people. . . . That’s what it’s all about - allowing a group to tell their story.’’

And, of course, hopefully profit from that story, says Mitchell’s costar CCH Pounder.

The Emmy-nominated star of “The Shield’’ believes the slow death of black programming on broadcast TV was a kick in the pants for black creative types.

“It was just like in music when people got independent and went and did their own thing, and then the big boys realized, ‘Wait a minute, they’re making some ducats over there all by themselves! Let’s go back,’ ’’ she says of networks like BET and TV One.

The TV landscape, however, has changed considerably since the days of “Cosby.’’ Fox may now be one of the big four networks, but what counts as a network hit is far more modest now that cable produces so much programming of its own. In many ways, Fox may once again be happy with niche audiences, given how heated the battle for viewers has become.

“The old divisions between network and cable are just completely blurred now, so [Fox is] competing with everyone,’’ says Kristal Brent Zook, associate professor of journalism at Hofstra University and author of the book “Color By Fox: The Fox Network and the Revolution in Black Television’’ (Oxford, 1999).

Today BET is the number one network with black viewers. “If BET can capture so many black households, [and] people are paying a premium for it and are still looking to free television too, why shouldn’t [Fox] compete?’’ Zook adds.

Of course just because a show features African-Americans doesn’t necessarily mean African-Americans will tune in. But reaching out to them is not a gamble from an advertising standpoint, says Adgate, the media analyst. “It’s a safe bet,’’ he says. “Fish where the fish are.’’

Raw numbers bear this out. According to a 2008 Nielsen report, African-Americans watch an average of more than 46 hours of TV a week, versus 33 hours for the total US viewership.

A smash hit like “Cosby’’ proved that a family of color could have universal appeal, and helped pave the way for less high profile, but still successful shows like “Family Matters’’ and “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper’’ that were staples of the ABC TGIF lineup in the ’90s.

Reilly, for one, doesn’t want the network’s slate to have narrow appeal. “Many shows have diverse characters, and yet somehow a lot of shows became exclusively African-American shows,’’ he says. “Where are the true crossover shows?’’

The most interesting test case for Fox will likely be “The Cleveland Show,’’ which sits in a can’t-miss slot between “The Simpsons’’ and “Family Guy.’’ The series will likely do well with young male viewers of all races, says Adgate.

But will other black viewers watch what is now one of the only shows featuring a black family on any network?

Cast members have already had to answer critics who questioned why white actor Mike Henry voices Cleveland.

At a press event in Los Angeles, his black co-star Kevin Michael Richardson pointed out that he plays Cleveland’s white neighbor Lester.

One thing he didn’t mention: that Arianna Huffington plays a bear.

Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com