15 Best Black Sitcoms from the 2000s, Ranked

After their success with Brandy, UPN approached Ruff Ryder rapper Eve with a vehicle television series focused on a group of friends of the opposite sex navigating their relationship with one another. And it did just that, Eve became a household name thanks to her talents and the ensemble cast of Jason George, Ali Landry, Natalie Desselle-Reid, Brian Hooks, and Sean Maguire.

The series, loosely based on creator and executive producers Jada Pinkett and Will Smith‘s own family life, revolved around Robert James (Duane Martin), a divorced television entertainment reporter with a young son and his fiancée, Tia Jewel (Elise Neal), who helped him through the breakup of his ex-wife (Lisa Raye McCoy). The show is known for being part of UPN’s strong lineup of black sitcoms before shifting to The CW, where it would eventually get canceled after many cast changes due to behind-the-scenes turmoil from the Smith’s own relationship at the time. Before the entanglement, mind you.

Half & Half focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters (Rachel True & Essence Atkins) in their twenties who were estranged throughout their childhood and are finally developing a close relationship. It was the second-most-watched show on UPN’s Monday night line-up behind Girlfriends and fourth overall on the network. Half & Half was almost renewed for a fifth season at The CW, but the series was left on the floor due to the overwhelming influx of UPN shows.

On the road to becoming a King of Comedy, networks were forced to pay attention to D.L. Hughley and hand deliver him his own self-titled sitcom like oh so many of his standup peers at the time. The show saw him paired with Elise Neal, John Henton fresh off of Living Single, and recurring appearances from Marla Gibbs and Sherman Hemsley. It showcased Darryl Hughley and his wife, Yvonne (Neal), who moved their family from the inner city to suburban Los Angeles.

The teen sitcom endeared star Keke Palmer to millions of young Nickelodeon fans, who watched Palmer play a young executive at a high-end fashion company. Palmer brought heart to the show, and its guest stars were always big, ranging from Justin Beiber, Victoria Justice, and Willow Smith. As a result, Palmer has won four NAACP Image Awards for her work on the show as a result.

House of Payne was Tyler Perry’s first successful foray into television after taking stage plays and films by storm. The show opened up Perry’s fictional world of works, similar to the MCU, funnily enough. It also introduced audiences to LaVan Davis following his appearance in the film Daddy’s Little Girls in 2007 and Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns in 2008. It also served as a platform for Cassi Davis, who appeared a year before the show in Madea’s Family Reunion.

Eddie Murphy didn’t need a sitcom to elevate his career, which is why when the opportunity eventually presented itself, Murphy decided to do it his way: a high-budget, stop-motion animation series. It won 3 Emmy Awards and one Annie Award during its run. The passion project had a lofty cast. Ron Howard produced, and Quincy Jones‘ son QD3, along with George Clinton, even produced the theme music for the show. Unfortunately, the series was canceled after three seasons due to Murphy’s waning involvement with the show, the budget, and costly production.

What That’s So Raven did for Raven Symone and young ladies is the same thing The Proud Family did for One on One star Kyla Pratt and its generation’s younger audience. It featured the titular family and their eldest daughter, Penny Proud, alongside her parents, Oscar (Tommy Davidson) and Trudy (Paula Jai Parker), as well as her friends, twin siblings, and her granny Sugar Momma (Jo Marie Payton).

That’s So Raven solidified Raven Simone’s place as a television icon, finally taking center stage after co-starring in other legendary sitcoms such as The Cosby Show and Hanging With Mr. Cooper. It had a fun concept of a young fashion designer able to envision the future, great co-stars, and left a lasting impression on the culture, especially young girls. The formula proved so winning that Nickelodeon replicated aspects of it a year later with True Jackson, VP.

It must have been very hard for a family show like My Wife and Kids to reach its iconic status after what many consider the Golden Age of Black sitcoms, but it managed to pull through. The series stars Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, the patriarch, alongside his wife Jay Kyle, played by Tisha Campbell, a veteran of Black sitcoms.

It’s no secret that most comedians back in the day viewed sitcoms as the objective goal to reach in their career, but Bernie Mac became a King of Comedy before that. It wasn’t until he delivered his legendary set about him taking care of his sister’s kids that he was finally able to make history with his own show. It left more of an impact than his contemporaries and their respective shows.

This successful spinoff of Moesha showed that its breakout character, Kim Parker (Countess Vaughn), was a big star in her own right. Couple that by pairing her with the Queen of Comedy Mo’Nique, and you have a winning formula for equal parts of hilarity and relatability. The story of a daughter going to college alongside a mother attempting to do the same thing spoke to folks of all ages during the time and became a ratings success for UPN as a result.

Much like Living Single, Girlfriends serves as the progenitor of Sex and the City, and the latter’s greater success happened in much of the same way. The ensemble cast featured actresses like Tracee Ellis Ross, Jill Marie Jones, and Golden Brooks, and the show was so well-received that it spawned an equally as celebrated spin-off series called The Game.

Chris Rock didn’t do a sitcom until he reached legendary status, and it paid off well, becoming one of the most well-received black sitcoms during the early 2000s. It started the careers of Tyler James Williams and Terry Crews and solidified Tichina Arnold as a sitcom veteran. Also, Rock narrating the entire series added an extra layer of hilarity to the already funny, overly dramatized cast of characters.

Aaron McGruder should be celebrated as one of the greatest black creators in history, crafting a legacy of poignant social commentary and satirical laughs with an animated series based on a newspaper comic strip. The Boondocks, as well as Regina King and John Witherspoon (R.I.P. Pops!), have solidified themselves in pop culture. Although it probably wouldn’t be well-received these days, many fans still miss its satire. When it was announced The Boondocks’ long-awaited fourth season would not have its creator involved, it should have been the writing on the wall for what was to come, and unfortunately, it killed the series off for good.