There are many different situation comedies that could be used to represent the African American stereotypes that are prevalent not only in sitcoms but in television in general. Community on the National Broadcasting Channel (NBC) is a great representation of those stereotypes.
Synopsis
Community is a somewhat new show but it plays on old tried and true formulas that have made other sitcoms very successful. The show is based around a community college called Greendale. The main character, Jeff Winger, played by Joel Mchale, is a lawyer who gets caught for lying about having a formal law degree so he has to go to community college to get his degree and go back to his lawyer ways. The show is based around Wingers Spanish study group which consists of many different characters including Troy and Shirley, the two African American characters. Other characters include Pierce, who is played by Chevy Chase, Brita, played by Gillian Jacobs, and Danny Pudi as Abed. The actors gel together very well and that in turn makes the show very funny because the characters played by those actors are very real and genuine. Community goes through the daily life on the campus of the college and the happenings between the different characters.
Examples of Stereotypes
Shirley and Troy, the two African American characters on Community are two perfect examples of the stereotypes that were created from The Coon and The Mammy characters. Shirley is a single mother of two who is going back to community college because she had to wait to raise her children. She is a very happy person who likes it when everyone else is doing well and in a good mood. Shirley is a mother and a very headstrong woman but she is also very "sweet, jolly, and good-tempered"(Bogle 9). Bogle describes The Mammy but there is a more specific version of The Mammy and that is what is known as the Aunt Jemima. Aunt Jemima's are blessed with religion and as said before, sweet, jolly, and good-tempered. The stereotypes of Aunt Jemima are what it seems the character of Shirley is modeled after, even though the show is on television some 80 years after the Aunt Jemima stereotype was created.
Shirley
This first clip from Community is a clip in which Shirley is throwing a Christmas party for the study group but she later finds out that almost everyone in the group is a part of a different religion, even ones that are fabricated. One of the most obvious points of the Mammy and aunt jemima stereotypes would be the reference to religion. The Mammy and Aunt Jemima both are deeply breed into religion from their early years, almost always Christianity. Shirley is no different. She is a very religious person, shown by the clip, and even though she does not support her classmates and their religions she takes on the motherly role and tries to do right for the whole group. This motherly role is a staple for the Mammy and Aunt Jemima stereotypes.
Troy
The Coon stereotype Bogle describes is exemplified perfectly by the character Troy from Community. The simple and carefree script written by NBC has Troy saying very moronic things that make him look not only quite dumb but also feed into the stereotype. The stereotype is based off of a young man trying to be liked by everyone around him. In this clip Troy thinks Annie is in love with him because he thinks that pretty much everyone is in love with him. He is shown as very self-centered and this is another one of the many characteristics of the Coon stereotype.
The Coon was a "crazy, lazy, subhuman creature" which is a great description of Troy. Although he is on the football team and is a star athlete, Troy is lazy and very crazy, as depicted in this clip. The Coon gets very excited and likes making people laugh, no matter how dumb or obnoxious it makes him look. This clip is a wonderful representation of that exact ideal.
African American Stereotypes portrayed by Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live
Synopsis
30 Rock is a situation comedy on the National Broadcasting Network (NBC) that was created in 2006 by Tina Fey, one of the lead characters in the show. The show is based around a fake, live comedy television show. The Main characters, Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey, Jack Donaghy played by Alec Baldwin, Tracy Jordan played by Tracy Morgan, Jenna Maroney played by Jane Krakowski, and Kenneth Parcell played by Jack McBrayer are very close and make the show very funny. The show Even though the comedy in the show is based around the made up sketch comedy program all the characters work for, a lot of the comedy is about race, gender, or sexual orientation. Even though it may not be the focus of the show, race plays a large role in the overall humor of the program.
Examples of Stereotypes
One of the main characters on 30 Rock is played by Tracy Morgan who is a very hilarious African American comedian. Tracy Jordan not only plays a character that has The Coon stereotype on 30 Rock, but he plays that same character in most of the roles in which he is cast. When Tracy was on the live skit show Saturday Night Live he was cast as the fool in many roles. On 30 Rock he is a bumbling idiot who is only successful because he acts in very immature movies.
The Coon stereotype is a very easy sort of character to pick out of a television show and it is especially simple in sitcoms that contain African Americans. Tracy Jordan in this clip from 30 Rock seems to be the epitome of the Coon stereotype Bogle describes in his novel. Tracy is walking the streets of New York asking ridiculous questions making himself look like a fool. The Coon will make himself look like a fool all day, as long as he knows he will get a laugh for it.
Saturday Night Live
Before Tracy Morgan was on 30 Rock he had been on Saturday Night Live several times. When Tracy Morgan was originally on Saturday Night Live he was a very charismatic fool who did not care about what other people thought about him or his characters. When he came back as a host the characters he played did not change at all.
This clip is an example of the Coon stereotype that Bogle describes in many ways. First, Tracy Morgan plays a convict which is always a stereotypical African American character but the script and what he is supposed to say is very ridiculous. Also, Tracy is doing the classic Coon interpretation by making not only his partner look like a fool but also himself in the process.
African American Stereotypes in Community
There are many different situation comedies that could be used to represent the African American stereotypes that are prevalent not only in sitcoms but in television in general. Community on the National Broadcasting Channel (NBC) is a great representation of those stereotypes.
Synopsis
Community is a somewhat new show but it plays on old tried and true formulas that have made other sitcoms very successful. The show is based around a community college called Greendale. The main character, Jeff Winger, played by Joel Mchale, is a lawyer who gets caught for lying about having a formal law degree so he has to go to community college to get his degree and go back to his lawyer ways. The show is based around Wingers Spanish study group which consists of many different characters including Troy and Shirley, the two African American characters. Other characters include Pierce, who is played by Chevy Chase, Brita, played by Gillian Jacobs, and Danny Pudi as Abed. The actors gel together very well and that in turn makes the show very funny because the characters played by those actors are very real and genuine. Community goes through the daily life on the campus of the college and the happenings between the different characters.Examples of Stereotypes
Shirley and Troy, the two African American characters on Community are two perfect examples of the stereotypes that were created from The Coon and The Mammy characters. Shirley is a single mother of two who is going back to community college because she had to wait to raise her children. She is a very happy person who likes it when everyone else is doing well and in a good mood. Shirley is a mother and a very headstrong woman but she is also very "sweet, jolly, and good-tempered"(Bogle 9). Bogle describes The Mammy but there is a more specific version of The Mammy and that is what is known as the Aunt Jemima. Aunt Jemima's are blessed with religion and as said before, sweet, jolly, and good-tempered. The stereotypes of Aunt Jemima are what it seems the character of Shirley is modeled after, even though the show is on television some 80 years after the Aunt Jemima stereotype was created.Shirley
This first clip from Community is a clip in which Shirley is throwing a Christmas party for the study group but she later finds out that almost everyone in the group is a part of a different religion, even ones that are fabricated. One of the most obvious points of the Mammy and aunt jemima stereotypes would be the reference to religion. The Mammy and Aunt Jemima both are deeply breed into religion from their early years, almost always Christianity. Shirley is no different. She is a very religious person, shown by the clip, and even though she does not support her classmates and their religions she takes on the motherly role and tries to do right for the whole group. This motherly role is a staple for the Mammy and Aunt Jemima stereotypes.
TroyThe Coon stereotype Bogle describes is exemplified perfectly by the character Troy from Community. The simple and carefree script written by NBC has Troy saying very moronic things that make him look not only quite dumb but also feed into the stereotype. The stereotype is based off of a young man trying to be liked by everyone around him. In this clip Troy thinks Annie is in love with him because he thinks that pretty much everyone is in love with him. He is shown as very self-centered and this is another one of the many characteristics of the Coon stereotype.
The Coon was a "crazy, lazy, subhuman creature" which is a great description of Troy. Although he is on the football team and is a star athlete, Troy is lazy and very crazy, as depicted in this clip. The Coon gets very excited and likes making people laugh, no matter how dumb or obnoxious it makes him look. This clip is a wonderful representation of that exact ideal.
African American Stereotypes portrayed by Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live
Synopsis
30 Rock is a situation comedy on the National Broadcasting Network (NBC) that was created in 2006 by Tina Fey, one of the lead characters in the show. The show is based around a fake, live comedy television show. The Main characters, Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey, Jack Donaghy played by Alec Baldwin, Tracy Jordan played by Tracy Morgan, Jenna Maroney played by Jane Krakowski, and Kenneth Parcell played by Jack McBrayer are very close and make the show very funny. The show Even though the comedy in the show is based around the made up sketch comedy program all the characters work for, a lot of the comedy is about race, gender, or sexual orientation. Even though it may not be the focus of the show, race plays a large role in the overall humor of the program.
Examples of Stereotypes
One of the main characters on 30 Rock is played by Tracy Morgan who is a very hilarious African American comedian. Tracy Jordan not only plays a character that has The Coon stereotype on 30 Rock, but he plays that same character in most of the roles in which he is cast. When Tracy was on the live skit show Saturday Night Live he was cast as the fool in many roles. On 30 Rock he is a bumbling idiot who is only successful because he acts in very immature movies.The Coon stereotype is a very easy sort of character to pick out of a television show and it is especially simple in sitcoms that contain African Americans. Tracy Jordan in this clip from 30 Rock seems to be the epitome of the Coon stereotype Bogle describes in his novel. Tracy is walking the streets of New York asking ridiculous questions making himself look like a fool. The Coon will make himself look like a fool all day, as long as he knows he will get a laugh for it.
Saturday Night Live
Before Tracy Morgan was on 30 Rock he had been on Saturday Night Live several times. When Tracy Morgan was originally on Saturday Night Live he was a very charismatic fool who did not care about what other people thought about him or his characters. When he came back as a host the characters he played did not change at all.
This clip is an example of the Coon stereotype that Bogle describes in many ways. First, Tracy Morgan plays a convict which is always a stereotypical African American character but the script and what he is supposed to say is very ridiculous. Also, Tracy is doing the classic Coon interpretation by making not only his partner look like a fool but also himself in the process.
Links
Home Page - Stereotypes in Television SitcomsComparison of African American Stereotypes in Community and 30 Rock
Viewer Analysis of African American Stereotypes in Television
Citations
Bogle, Donald. Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: an Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films. New York: Continuum, 1989. Print.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/62446/saturday-night-live-scared-straight
http://www.hulu.com/watch/102582/30-rock-normal
http://www.hulu.com/watch/109676/community-highlight-reel-1
http://www.hulu.com/watch/125967/community-cut-of-the-t-bone-steak
http://www.hulu.com/watch/113574/community-multi-religion-christmas-party