This was an informative read, but felt pretty dry. I found myself skimming and put it down several times. Interesting for the tv history or for big fans of the show.

This book is a must-read! The author does a fantastic context laying out the influences and tensions of creating television that is edgy and truthful about the Black experience yet still has to play to a white establishment audience. Richard Pryor's television show was an inspiration but ultimately got censored and cancelled by the networks. Keenen Ivory Wayans along with his siblings created a show that only lasted for a few seasons under his creative control but is still memorable today. I remember watching the show and can still remember sketches and characters from the early 1990's. This book does a great job walking through all of the key characters. One new fact I did not know - David Alan Grier's character, Calhoun Tubbs was based on a famous guy in Ann Arbor - Shakey Jake. This book also lists out all of the sketches that have now been deleted (or rather "cancelled"). When viewing some of these sketches now with today's lenses, some may take offense at the characterization, stereotypes or cultural norms. But the author makes a great point that historical context matters. Characters like Wanda and Men on Film were embraced by my friends in the gay community at that time. Keenen Ivory Wayans has been recently interviewed about this and says if he made the series today he would have more inclusive representation by other groups (Latino, LGBTQ+) etc. This book is finally giving acknowledgement and credit to the Black creative talent and the influences they have had on current television programs. As a side note, Jim Carrey does not come off well in this book when he tried to take control of the show. I highly recommend this book.

In living color was one of the biggest shows when I was a teenager and we got so many great sayings from that show and it really affected pop-culture in a humongous way it gave us the Wayan brothers David Chapelle and so many others every week my whole family couldn’t wait till Sunday to watch in living color in the fly girls which for those of you who don’t know it’s weird J Lo started… Love her. This is a great iconic show that gave us so much with lots of LOL moments I loved it and feel so privileged that I got to read the book no the origin story that I only thought I knew . This is a definite five star read and they must for any kid growing up in the early 90s because if you were there then you definitely remember. I received this book from NetGalley and Ramen in Littlefield but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Rowman & Littlefield for an advance copy of this book about a tv show that was before its time, but launched many careers in Hollywood.

Growing up in the days before cable tv, it was a lot easier to keep up with shows with only three channels, PBS and smaller channels with syndicated shows. My parents loved comedy an variety shows so I have memories of watching Flip Wilson, Sonny and Cher Donnie and Marie and others. Saturday Night Live was hugely popular, and even with more choices from the bootleg cable box we had was still on the must see list, along with its many imitators like Fridays and others. When I read in TV Guide that Fox was starting its on kind of variety show, maybe I even saw an ad as I was a dedicated Simpsons watcher and Get a Life, well I knew I would watch it. In Living Color blew me away. It was only a half hour, but it was tight, funny, satirical, mean sometimes, but just an explosion of energy and humor. Plus they always looked liked they were having fun. In Living Color: A Cultural History by Bernadette Giacomazzo writes about the creation of the show, the man and family who helped craft it, important skits, and the legacy and affect the show had on television and entertainment in general.

Keenan Ivory Wayans grew up in New York City in a large family with dreams of being successful enough to care for them all. After nearly graduating college with a degree in engineering, Wayans gave it up to give stand-up a try. At the Improv Club in New York he meet a fellow comedian Robert Townsend, and deciding to go for it traveled to California. Townsend made a splash with an independent movie, Hollywood Shuffle, which in turn drove Wayans to make his own movie, I'm Gonna Git you Sucka, a parody of black exploitation flicks, which made money. A new television network Fox approached him with for ideas, and Wayans pitched a variety show idea, only with a majority of the cast being black or other minorities. Fox kind of agreed, and Wayans was off. The show premiered, after a long gestation, and was a success in many ways, changing televison for both good and bad.

A great guide to a show that had much more of an influence on history and entertainment than I ever knew. Giacomazzo is a very good writer, bringing together all sorts of facts and information from early television shows, behind the scenes Fox stories, cast interviews and telling a very interesting and compelling story. The story about the In Living Color Halftime show alone is worth reading the book. I remember the show, but don't remember what it was replacing at the Super Bowl. I won't ruin a very good story any more than I have. Giacomazzo has a very nice writing style, and keeps everything informative like a conversation and not a lecture. The origins of the show, the Wayans family, controversies, and fallout are covered well. There are discussions on specific humourous episodes, and skits that will probably never, ever, ever going to be seen, which is a shame. Even the discussion on the Fly Girls and their importance is something I had never thought about, plus the music played on the show was revealing. I really enjoyed this book.

A surprising read, one that I found far more enjoyable, and informative than I had thought it would be. I particularly enjoyed the reading and would like to read more by the author. Recommended for fans of the show, people with an interest in pop culture history, and people who loved being excited by episodic TV, and waiting a week to see what was going to happen.

I so enjoyed revisiting various sketches from this show. Very well written book on this iconic show. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.