Living Single
| Living Single | |
|---|---|
 First season DVD cover | |
| Created by | Yvette Lee Bowser |
| Starring | Queen Latifah Kim Coles Erika Alexander T.C. Carson John Henton Mel Jackson Kim Fields |
| Opening theme | "We Are Living Single", written and performed by Queen Latifah |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 118 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Yvette Lee Bowser (entire run) Roger S.H. Schulman |
| Production locations | Warner Bros. Studios, Hollywood, California |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | SisterLee Productions (1994-1998) (seasons 2-5) Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | August 22, 1993 – January 1, 1998 |
Living Single is an American television sitcom that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.
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's company, Sister Lee, in association with Warner Bros. Television. In contrast to the popularity of NBC's "Must See TV"—first on Sunday nights and then later on Thursday nights in the 1990s—many African-American and Latino viewers flocked to Fox. For the 1993–94 season, Living Single aired on Sunday nights between Martin and Married... with Children, and then on Thursday nights from 1994 to 1998.
Synopsis
Living Single centered on six people 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, 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. In the first apartment, Khadijah James (Queen Latifah), a hard-working editor and publisher of the fictional urban independent monthly Flavor, lived with her sweet, but naive cousin, Synclaire James (Kim Coles), an aspiring actress who worked 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 a constant search for a well-to-do man to spend her life with (and spend his money). Later in the series, Régine became a costume assistant for the soap opera Palo Alto. When the show was canceled, she became a wedding planner and left the apartment to move in with her fiancé, Dexter Knight (Don Franklin). Maxine "Max" Shaw (Erika Alexander), a sharp-tongued attorney and Khadijah's best friend from their college days at Howard University, frequently stopped by to share her unique insights, keep them entertained by sharing her day, to make sure that the girls' refrigerator isn't overstocked, and to start trouble with Kyle.
Kyle Barker (T.C. Carson) lived in the second apartment with Overton Wakefield Jones (John Henton). Kyle was a stockbroker whose constant verbal sparring with Max did little to mask their obvious sexual attraction. Overton was the friendly, but country, maintenance man for the owner of their (and neighboring) building who held deep affection for Synclaire and plenty of hilarious homespun wisdom for everyone else. Kyle and Max ended up pursuing a sexual relationship, but when he decided to take a job in London and invited Max to join him, she turned him down. Maxine subsequently became distraught over her decision and, after defending a man who claims to be the second coming of Jesus (Harold Perrineau), she began to seriously look for the purpose of her life. Through a series of events, Max decided that her purpose must be to become a mother and during the insemination process unknowingly picked Kyle's sperm specimen based on a list of qualities she would like for her child to have. Kyle returned in the series finale and the two reconciled. Overton and Synclaire also got together and their relationship culminated in marriage by the end of the fourth season. In season five, they moved in together, leaving Overton and Kyle's apartment open for new character Roni DeSantos (Idalis DeLeon), a New York-area D.J., to move in. It was eventually revealed that DeSantos had a fling with Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams III, (Mel Jackson), the new roommate of Khadijah and Régine who moved in when Synclaire's room became available. Tripp was a songwriter. 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.
Along with trying to make Flavor a success, Khadijah also spent time looking for Mr. Right. She eventually found him in childhood friend Scooter (Cress Williams) with whom she left the brownstone for the final time in the series finale.
Cast and characters
Main characters
- Queen Latifah – Khadijah James, editor and publisher of Flavor Magazine, 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 from college; spends much of her time at girls' apartment.
- John Henton – Overton "Obie" Wakefield Jones, Kyle's roommate and the brownstone's handyman; Synclaire's sweetheart.
- Kim Fields – Regina "Regine" Hunter, Khadijah and Synclaire's gossip-loving roommate; childhood friend of Khadijah.
- T.C. Carson – Kyle Barker (Episodes 1–107; guest appearance in episode 118), Overton's roommate and stockbroker; Max's verbal sparring partner and on-again, off-again love interest.
- Mel Jackson – Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams (Season 5), Khadijah and Regine's new roommate; aspiring songwriter.
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, 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; a journalism major at New York University.
- J. Anthony Brown — Tibby Jones (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 group's church
- Isaiah Washington — Dr. Charles Roberts (Season 4), Khadijah's boyfriend
- Denise Nicholas — Lilah James (Season 4), Synclaire's mother
- Ron O'Neal — Clinton James (Season 4), Synclaire's father
- Antonio Fargas — Otis Jones (Season 4), Overton's father
- Gladys Knight — Odelle Jones (Season 4), Overton's mother
- Michael Warren — Ed James (Season 4), Khadijah's estranged father
- Idalis DeLeon — Roni De Santos (Season 5), popular New York City deejay and love interest for Tripp
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 27 | August 22, 1993 | May 15, 1994 | |
| 2 | 27 | September 1, 1994 | May 18, 1995 | |
| 3 | 27 | August 31, 1995 | May 9, 1996 | |
| 4 | 24 | August 29, 1996 | May 8, 1997 | |
| 5 | 13 | September 11, 1997 | January 1, 1998 | |
Ratings
| Season | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 22, 1993 | May 15, 1994 | 1993-1994 | #56 | 9.3 |
| 2 | September 1, 1994 | May 18, 1995 | 1994-1995 | #84[1] | 8.7 |
| 3 | August 31, 1995 | May 9, 1996 | 1995-1996 | #111[2] | 6.5 |
| 4 | August 29, 1996 | May 8, 1997 | 1996-1997 | #104[2] | 6.2 |
| 5 | September 11, 1997 | January 1, 1998 | 1997-1998 | #117[3] | 7.0 |
DVD release & Digital Download
Warner Home Video released the complete first season of Living Single on DVD in Region 1 on February 14, 2006. The entire series is also available for digital download on Amazon.com and the iTunes Store.
Warner Archive subsequently released season 2-5 on DVD in Region 1. These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases, available from Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[4][5][6][7]
| DVD name | Episodes | Region 1 |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 27 | February 14, 2006 |
| The Complete Second Season | 27 | September 19, 2017 |
| The Complete Third Season | 27 | November 21, 2017 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 24 | March 20, 2018 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 13 | June 05, 2018 |
Crossovers
Half & 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", third 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 named Kyla.
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.
Syndication
Living Single started reruns in syndication on September 22, 1997. Reruns of the series currently run daily on TV One, Logo TV and Oxygen. Starting October 2, 2017 Bounce TV will air reruns of the series. As of January 11, 2018, all episodes began streaming on Hulu.
Reunion specials
An 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. Queen Latifah and Mel Jackson were unavailable to participate.
The special featured clips and revealing secrets of the cast from the show's five-year run.
From August 24-26, 2018, TV One aired a weekend marathon of "Living Single" to highlight the 25th anniversary of the show. Coles, Henton, Fields, and Carson reunited once again to share memories with the fans, to share their thoughts on the characters they portrayed, and provided a tribute to Rita Owens (Queen Latifah's real-life and TV mother), who had passed in early 2018. Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander and Mel Jackson were unavailable to participate.
Revival
In January 2017, Queen Latifah reported that a revival of "Living Single" is in the works with the original cast and that she plans to serve as producer.[8]
In July 2018, Erika Alexander posted a video online of her hinting at a reboot.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Performer | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series: | Won |
| Outstanding Comedy Series | Won | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series: | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series: | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: | Nominated |
In 1995 and 1996, Living Single was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series (Bryan Hays).
References
- ^ "Complete TV Ratings 1994-1995". fbibler.chez.com.
- ^ a b "Complete TV Ratings 1995-1996". fbibler.chez.com.
- ^ "Final Ratings for '97-'98 TV Season".
- ^ Living Single - HOORAY! Warner Archive Announces 'The Complete 2nd Season' 3-disc MOD set will finally be available in mid-Septembers Archived 2017-08-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Living Single - Warner Archive Announces DVDs for 'The Complete 3rd Season' MOD release is available online during the second half of November Archived 2017-10-21 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Living Single - The Next-to-Last Season, 'The Complete 4th Season,' is Now Scheduled! MOD title will be available online in March from Amazon/CreateSpace and the WBshop!.
- ^ "Living Single: The Complete Fifth Season". 6 June 2018 – via Amazon.
- ^ "Queen Latifah Reveals She's Working on a Living Single Revival". 13 January 2017.
External links
- 1990s American sitcoms
- 1993 American television series debuts
- 1998 American television series endings
- American black sitcoms
- 1990s American black sitcoms
- English-language television programs
- Fox network shows
- Queen Latifah
- American romantic comedy television series
- Television series about friendship
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television
- Television shows filmed in California
- Television shows set in New York City