(ThyBlackMan.com) The show I raved about even before it hit the air is here. Reed Between the Lines is six episodes in with two more premiering tonight. The BET sitcom starring Malcolm Jamal Warner of Cosby Show fame and our favorite Girlfriend Tracee Ellis Ross is receiving mixed reviews across the Black blogosphere. Some are watching it just to support it. Some don’t like it. Some say it’s too Cosby and not enough newness. And some just can’t put their finger on what’s wrong but know that the show could be more than just an extension of “Joan” and a grown up “Theo.”
I’ve been pretty quiet on the show only because my work schedule makes me miss it. Damn news. But that’s the beauty of the internet. If only BET to get on On Demand and we’d be in business. Anywho, I’ve seen the first four episodes and my take so far is that it’s good and has the potential to be better. Potential I won’t harp on since this is the show’s first season. 
What I like about the show is the family aesthetic. Every show has a lesson like Cosby. “Carla” acts a fool like “Joan” and the kids are hilarious as child stars are supposed to be. Do these facts keep me watching the show, yes. Could I just as easily watch Cosby and Girlfriends. Yes and I do. But just because the show reminds me or many other viewers of oldies yet goodies does not mean the show does not have a fresh feel to it that will make it vibrant. Like BET’s original series Let’s Stay Together before it we as viewers need to give Reed Between the Lines the chance to grow.
Let’s Stay Together after its first few episodes reminded me of an all Black For Your Love. But beyond initial comparisons of the same kinds of couplings an issues the show began to take off and distinguish itself to stand alone and be compared to none. The same can and I’m hoping will really soon happen with Reed Between the Lines.
Right now we’re being introduced to the characters and the family dynamics. We have yet to get to some drama, hopefully it’s not as crazy as the drama on The Game, but drama none-the-less. But even without the drama and a constant presence of an adult conflict the show is still enjoyable because it’s just a good wholesome show that deals with everyday banal family issues through a comedic vein.
As it was billed; it is the show that many Black people have been waiting on for years. It adds to the slapstick family comedy Tyler Perry is giving us with Meet the Browns and the soon to premier For Better or Worse. It makes up for the lack of African-American presence on network television seeing as how Charlie’s Angels, Playboy Club, and HawthoRNe have all been cancelled. It shows average Black family life without common stereotypes of high crime, drugs, single parent homes, and baby-mama baby-daddy issues. Of which there could be some if the writers choose to bring Carla’s past relationship to the present. The acting is better than Single Ladies, the content is relatable, and it’s just an all around content piece of television.
Do I want the show to have more bite. Sure. Do I want the show to get a little gritty. Sure. Do I want the show to become a little controversial (beyond the natural vs. relaxed meme). Sure. But beyond all of what it could become or evolve into why can’t we just celebrate it being what it is. A breath of fresh air on television that we’ve all been craving for. Why can’t we allow the show to develop as others like a say Parks and Rec was allowed to.
Too often shows are cancelled before they ever really find their niche. Playboy Club anyone. What BET and Reed Between the Lines is able to do is tap into a niche already starved for positive images and allow it to become what we so want it to be. I’d rather watch Reed Between the Lines than a FOX remake of Soul Food. I’d rather networks keep exploring something new than trying to recreate what was.
Girlfriends and Living Single were similar but two completely different shows. The same goes for Martin or The Jamie Foxx Show. The Hughley’s was nothing like The Bernie Mac Show and the Steve Harvey Show stood out on its own. The Parkers was not Moesha. Everybody Hate’s Chris was all its own as was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before it. All of Us and My Wife and Kids were similar but different and the same goes for Eve and Half and Half. We’ve had good Black television shows before. We were patient with them and allowed them to become their own no matter the similarities between what may have come before them. We need to do the same with Reed Between the Lines. So what it reminds us of Cosby. Why is that a bad thing? Cosby is probably the greatest Black television show there ever was, though I much prefer the spin-off A Different World.
The days of Good Times, The Jeffersons, Different Strokes, Gimme a Break, and What’s Happening are over. The same goes for the days of Family Matters, 227, Amen, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, and Sister, Sister.
I applaud BET for trying to get its life right and offer its viewers more than two hours of 10 videos. I just hope the audience sticks around to support a show we begged for and have the faith it will become all that we want it to be.
What story lines would you like to see on Reed Between the Lines?
Staff Writer; Nikesha Leeper
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