2009 Black History Month: Favorite Black TV Characters (#1)

By: Luke Florence

My Favorite Black TV Characters

#1 - February 28th - Will Smith - "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

Was there ever any doubt? Come on, you have to admit, when you learned that I was making a list of my favorite black TV characters you had to know Will Smith was going to be #1. It's a no-brainer. He beat out the likes of Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Bernie Mac, and The Rock. Smith is very much deserving of this high honor.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air lasted just six seasons, the same number as The Cosby Show. But, in that short period of time, The Fresh Prince somehow made a lasting impact on myself and countless others. It's one of those shows that I will continue to watch and laugh with until it's all said and done.

Carlton was highlighted a little more than two weeks ago, but make no mistake, this was always Will Smith's show. He was the main character. He was the heart and soul of this hilarious sitcom. He made it all possible.

It's crazy to think back to 1990 and remember that Will Smith was almost bankrupt before The Fresh Prince came out. It's crazy because nearly two decades later, Will now makes $20 million+ for each movie he is in. And that figure might be on the low side. So, when Will's career is over, you can look back to this series as to when it started to get really good for Will Smith.

I wanted so badly as a child to act just like Will Smith in the Fresh Prince. He was the utmost definition of cool. Maybe I didn't want to wear the ridiculous clothes Will wore, but I wanted to imitate his hip demeanor. Will always was quick to crack a joke, usually at Carlton or his Uncle Phil's expense. But, he was always the first to help out all of his cousins, which usually resulted in laugh-out-loud situations.

It's easy to say that Will Smith the person is just like The Fresh Prince, and that it required almost no acting. But, as the show progressed, it touched on a variety of themes that were not funny in any sense of the word. From racism to abandoning fathers, Will had to show an ability to broaden his acting skills, which he did flawlessly. You could simply tell from watching this show that Will was destined for greatness.

Can I see anyone topping Will Smith for the top spot on this list? To be quite honest, no I don't. First and foremost, there just aren't that many good black TV shows going right now. Secondly, it's hard to match - let alone top - everything that Will brought to the table. The combination of his strong acting skills, top-notch sense of humor, and his quick wit will be a daunting task to compete with.

Like I said at the top, this one is a no-brainer. Will Smith is my favorite black TV character of all-time.

And just like that, we're done. An entire month has past before us, black history month to boot. We started with Rev Run and ended with Will Smith. In between we saw stand-up comics, athletes turned broadcasters and even a smoke monster. It was my tribute to Barnes for Black History Month, and I thank him for incorporating me and my list the past 28 days. It was a very rewarding experience putting this list together, unveiling it one day at a time, and anxiously anticipating Barnes' daily response.

So, where do we go from here? Terrific question. The thought was that I would spend some time compiling my favorite movies of all-time. But, it didn't happen. I didn't even start. So for now, we are going to focus on producing more podcasts with columns sporadically appearing.

Again, thank you to Barnes, and thanks to all of you for following along. It is my hope that you experienced some laughs, relived some childhood memories, and maybe even were introduced to a show/person you were not aware of.

I will leave you with a quote from an African proverb, "God gives nothing to those who keep their arms crossed."

Until we meet again, "read it, roll it, hole it."