"Girlfriends" (2000) TV series 2000-2008

Creator:

Mara Brock Akil

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Release Date:

11 September 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A look at the lives, loves, and losses of four different women, Toni (Jones), Maya (Brooks), Lynn (White), and Joan (Ross).

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 8 wins & 37 nominations

Cast

Reginald C. Hayes	...	William Jerome Dent / ... (60 episodes, 2000-2007)
Tracee Ellis Ross	...	Joan Clayton / ... (46 episodes, 2000-2007)
Golden Brooks	...	Maya Wilkes / ... (44 episodes, 2000-2007)
Persia White	...	Lynn Searcy / ... (44 episodes, 2000-2007)
Khalil Kain	...	Darnell Wilkes / ... (41 episodes, 2001-2007)
Keesha Sharp	...	Monica / ... (40 episodes, 2002-2008)
Jill Marie Jones	...	Toni Childs / ... (31 episodes, 2000-2006)
Jason Pace	...	Dr. Todd Garrett / ... (30 episodes, 2002-2006)
Tanner Scott Richards	...	Jabari Wilkes (28 episodes, 2000-2006)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

CBS Paramount Network Television

Trivia:

After the sixth season, the show was picked up by The CW because UPN merged with The WB to form The CW.

Quotes:

Maya Wilkes: [Talking to Toni] Kiss is a noun and a verb, so you can either give my ass a kiss or kiss my ass!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: The Great Stink (#7.5)" (2006)

Fabulous!

The sitcom is a dying art. There's hardly any narrative TV left in general, and there are way fewer quality comedies than dramas. Girlfriends deserves way more attention, and though it is good for their ratings to be herded in with the rest of the "urban" comedies on UPN, I think it's heads and shoulders above any of the other shows. In fact, and no offense to fans of other UPN fare, I think this show is surrounded on all sides by just plain awful programs - the writing on the other shows is a notch above Saved by the Bell. (maybe that's a *little* too harsh).

The dialogue and the acting on Girlfriends is sophisticated and natural at the same time. The five leads have great chemistry and timing. I think it's taken a few seasons (and the smart decision to get rid of Joan's lame voice-over fantasy bites) for the comedy to become less broad and for the characters to develop past "types", but that's always the case when you have to set up a sitcom world. Every sitcom I can think of starts out with stereotypes and builds character depth as the seasons goes on.

Even in my position as a white chick (maybe a little more attuned to African American culture than the average), I think I can say that most shows about middle-class black people are terrified of seeming "too black", they've got Cosbyitus. Girlfriends seems to be more on the inside-track.

Maybe the show isn't representative of every woman in the black community, or the black everywoman, but who says it has to? Sex in the City sure as hell wasn't representative of 30something white women in New York. We want a little escapism, and Girlfriends offers all the pretty people and the pretty houses and the pretty clothing (the BEST-DRESSED show on TV by far! Who is their stylist??), *and* the polished writing and performances.

Oh, yeah, and it's ***hella funny***.