Living Single
| Living Single | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Yvette Lee Bowser |
| Starring | Queen Latifah Kim Coles Erika Alexander Kim Fields T.C. Carson (seasons 1–4) John Henton Mel Jackson (season 5) |
| Opening theme | "We Are Living Single", written and performed by Queen Latifah |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 118 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Yvette Lee Bowser (entire run) Roger S.H. Schulman (seasons 4-5) |
| Location(s) | New York City (setting) Warner Bros. Studios, Hollywood, California (taping location) |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time | approx. 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Sister Lee Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original run | August 29, 1993 – January 1, 1998 |
Living Single is an American television sitcom which aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 29, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centers on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.[1]
Throughout its run, Living Single became one of the most popular African-American sitcoms of its era, ranking among the top five in African-American ratings in all five seasons. The series was produced by Yvette Lee Bowser in association with Warner Bros. Television.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Living Single centered on six late-twenty somethings consisting of four women and two men living the single life in the heart of Brooklyn, New York.
The series focused on two different households in one brownstone (although, as the later seasons revealed, there are more apartments in the building): one shared by a trio of independent women and another shared by a pair of male friends who have known each other since they spent their youth in Cleveland, Ohio. Khadijah James (Queen Latifah), a hard-working editor and publisher of the fictional urban independent monthly Flavor, shares an apartment with her sweet but naïve cousin Synclaire James (Kim Coles; originally the role of Synclaire was to be played by British rapper, Monie Love, a long-time friend and music collaborator of Queen Latifah), an aspiring actress who works as Khadijah's receptionist and has an affinity for Troll dolls; and her childhood friend from East Orange, New Jersey, Regina "Régine" Hunter (Kim Fields), an image-conscious boutique buyer who was in constant search of a well-to-do man to spend her life with, often referring to said potential man as her "Ken" and later became a costume assistant for a soap opera called Palo Alto with a fondness for gossip and wigs. Maxine "Max" Shaw (Erika Alexander), a sharp-tongued attorney and Khadijah's best friend (whom she met in college at Howard University) stops by frequently to share her unique insights and make sure the girls' refrigerator isn't overstocked and to keep them entertained by sharing her day and starting trouble with Kyle.
Living in the apartment above are Overton Wakefield Jones (John Henton), a friendly handyman who holds deep affection for Synclaire; and Kyle Barker (T.C. Carson), a handsome stockbroker whose constant verbal sparring with Max does little to mask their obvious sexual attraction. The series offered T.C. Carson frequent opportunities to showcase his talents as a jazz-influenced vocalist.
Kyle and Max maintained an on-again/off-again relationship that was a constant storyline throughout all five seasons. At the end of season one, Maxine is suspended from work for giving poor advice to a client. She goes home to Khadijah and Regine to help alleviate the pain of being suspended. Khadijah was unavailable because she was dealing with a personal situation. Regine did not want to help because she wanted to know the outcome of Khadijah’s situation. Overton and Synclaire were out at a 1960s function. Maxine goes upstairs to Kyle’s apartment and after a night of drinking, she and Kyle sleep together. Although they agree not to pursue a relationship, however, they did pursue a sexual relationship unknown to their friends. It was not until Kyle and Max tried to sneak away for the weekend, their friends became suspicious of their behavior. Khadijah did some detective work and located them in Kyle’s favorite hotel. Everyone, except Regine, found out that they were still having a sexual relationship. It was later revealed to Regine at Overton and Synclaire’s wedding. After Kyle left, Maxine decided to have a baby. Unknown to everyone, including Maxine, Kyle was a donor at a local sperm bank. Maxine unknowingly picks Kyle sperm specimen based on a list of qualities she would like for her child to have.
The house set for the pilot episode is the same set from the show Family Matters, although the kitchen set was changed. It was resized to about a third of the original and the laundry room was removed.
[edit] The final season
The first two episodes of the final season of Living Single saw the departure of Kyle. Before leaving, he gives Max a farewell kiss and he is last seen walking to his plane. Despite his absence, he is mentioned frequently. Also, this season also saw the introduction of a new male roommate for the ladies after Synclaire and Overton got married at the end of the fourth season and moved into their own apartment in the brownstone. Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams III, (played by Mel Jackson) a songwriter who was a friend of Russell's, became their new roommate, much to Regine's displeasure. Meanwhile, Roni DeSantos (played by real life MTV VJ, Idalis DeLeon), a New York-area D.J. that had a brief fling with Tripp, moved into Overton and Kyle's old apartment. Regine moved out of the house after she became engaged to a millionaire video game developer named Dexter Knight (played by Don Franklin), and was absent for the remainder of the final season. Synclaire joined a comedy improv troupe where she gained the attention of Tony Jonas, a Warner Bros. television exec who cast her as a nun for a new comedy series he was developing.
Max, still distraught after she turned down Kyle's offer to join him in London, began looking for purpose after defending a man who claimed to be the second coming of Jesus (played by Harold Perrineau). She relived her past lives after she, Khadijah, and Synclaire went to a spa retreat. Learning that she was a man in every lifetime except her current one, Max realized that her mission was to become a mother. The series finale revealed that the sperm donor for Max's baby was Kyle, who returned for the final episode. The two reconciled soon after.
Khadijah also left the brownstone for the final time with her boyfriend and later successful music producer, Scooter (played by Cress Williams), a friend from Khadijah and Regine's childhood in East Orange, New Jersey, whom she had a finale reunion with two episodes prior to the finale in a Christmas-themed episode.
[edit] Cast and characters
[edit] Main characters
- Queen Latifah — Khadijah James , editor and publisher of Flavor, an independent magazine devoted to the interests of the urban community.
- Kim Coles — Synclaire James-Jones, Khadijah's good-natured cousin and roommate; receptionist at Flavor and aspiring actress.
- Erika Alexander — Maxine "Max" Felice Shaw, strong-willed attorney and Khadijah's best friend; spends much of her time at girls' apartment.
- T.C. Carson — Kyle Barker (Seasons 1–4 ; 3 episodes in Season 5), stockbroker and girls' neighbor; Max's verbal sparring partner and on-again, off-again etc. love interest.
- John Henton — Overton "Obie" Wakefield Jones, Kyle's roommate and the brownstone's handyman; Synclaire's sweetheart.
- Kim Fields — Regina "Régine" Hunter (Seasons 1–5 ; appears for a short time in the fifth season), Khadijah and Synclaire's gossip-loving roommate; childhood friend of Khadijah.
- Mel Jackson – Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams (Season 5), Khadijah and Regine's new roommate; aspiring songwriter.
[edit] Minor Characters
- Cress Williams – Terrence "Scooter" Williams, Khadijah's childhood friend and sometimes love interest
- Richard Lyons – Michael Janson (Season 1–2), Max's "old stand-by."
- Shaun Baker – Russell Montego, Jamaican-born music editor at Flavor
- Bobby Hosea – Lawrence (Season 1–3), Kyle's rival at the brokerage
- Chip Fields – Laverne Hunter, (Season 1-4), Regine's mother
- Rita Owens – Rita James (Season 1–4), Khadijah's mother
- Heavy D – Darryl (Season 2–4), Regine's friend
- Steven Gilborn – Jeffrey Higgins (Season 2–4), Kyle's boss
- Bumper Robinson – Ivan Ennis (Season 3–4), college-age messenger turned Flavor copy aide; infatuated with Khadijah
- J. Anthony Brown – Tibby (Season 3–4), Overton's favorite uncle
- Khalil Kain – Keith (Season 3–4), Regine's artist boyfriend
- Dorien Wilson – Rev. Leslie Taylor (Season 3–4), pastor at the church's group
- Isaiah Washington – Dr. Charles Roberts (Season 4), Khadijah's boyfriend.
- Idalis DeLeon – Roni De Santos (Season 5), popular New York City deejay and love interest for Tripp
[edit] Notable guest appearances
[edit] Ratings
[edit] DVD releaseWarner Home Video released the complete first season of Living Single on DVD in Region 1 on February 14, 2006. It is unknown if the remaining 4 seasons will be released at some point because sales of First Season DVD were poor. [edit] CrossoversHalf & Half: Erika Alexander and T.C. Carson reprised their roles of Maxine Shaw and Kyle Barker on the UPN sitcom, Half & Half (a series produced by Living Single creator Yvette Lee Bowser). In the episode ("The Big Performance Anxiety Episode", 3rd Season), ambitious law student Dee Dee learns that her mother's co-star in a play is engaged to Maxine, Dee Dee's idol. However, her mother gets Maxine's beau, Kyle, fired because she fears he will take attention away from her. The episode also revealed that Maxine and Kyle remained a couple and were the proud parents of their seven-year-old daughter. The Crew: In one episode "The Mating Season" of the short-lived FOX sitcom The Crew, Regine becomes a passenger on a flight and argues with a sassy stewardess in hopes of upgrading to first class. On another episode, "The Worst Noel", Synclaire also becomes a passenger. The episode served as a bridge for The Crew and its lead-in show, Living Single. [edit] SyndicationLiving Single started rerunning in syndication on September 22, 1997. Reruns of the series currently run daily on TV One and Oxygen (TV channel). [edit] Reunion specialAn hour-long retrospective special, Living Single: The Reunion Special, aired on TV One on September 22, 2008. Coles, Henton, Fields, Carson and Alexander reunited to share fond memories with the fans. Unfortunately, Queen Latifah was unavailable to participate. The special featured clips and revealing secrets of the cast from the show's successful five-year run. [edit] Comparison to FriendsLiving Single has been frequently compared to contemporary NBC sitcom, Friends for their similar plotlines (group of six twentysomething New Yorkers who live in the same apartment building, sharing lifelong friendships and loves) but it should be noted that Friends started one season after Living Single had already begun and they shared a studio. [edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] References
[edit] External links |
