Acknowledgments xi Preface: Why Black Professionalisms, Why TV and Why Now? 1 Introduction: Defining Black-Collar Professionalisms 7 Part I—Black Love: Families and Friendships Battling Impostor Syndrome: Authenticity, Urban Realities and the Black Bourgeoisie in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air LaToya T. Brackett 26 ABC's Black-ish: A Critical Analysis of the Black Professional Parent Mia L. Anderson 38 Black Brotherhood, Professionalism and Entrepreneurship as Depicted in Martin, The Wayans Bros. and Malcolm & Eddie David Stamps 47 "I'm glad I got my girls": Black Women, Working, Friending and Seeking Love in Fox's Living Single LaToya T. Brackett 57 Part II—Publicly Figured Characters Tackling Stereotypes: Portrayals of Black NFL Athletes on The CW's The Game and HBO's Ballers Darnel Degand 70 #IamMaryJane: Blackness, Womanhood and Professionalism in BET's Being Mary Jane Malika T. Butler and Kristal Moore Clemons 80 Capital Codes and Money Moves: The Ironies of Professionalism in Empire Natalie J. Graham 89 Part III—Medical Professionals Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy and My Year of Saying Yes to Everything Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham 100 Sapphires with Stethoscopes: Black Women Practicing Medicine on Television Phokeng Motsoasele Dailey 110 The Curious Case of the Black Male Doctor: Character Actualization and Moderate Blackness of ER's Peter Benton LaToya T. Brackett 121 Part IV—Educators and the Educated Anti-Blackness and Colorblindness in Post-Cosby Sitcoms: Likeable Black Teachers, Exceptional Black Students but/and Everybody Hates Chris Amir Asim Gilmore 134 "Dear White People: It truly is A Different World": Representations of Black Male Faculty in Television Series Dominick N. Quinney 146 Part V—Policing and Politics Not So Black and White: Race, Police and Double Standards in The Shield Saravanan Mani 156 Mammies, Jemimas, Jezebels and Sapphires: Deconstructing Representations of Black Women Coroners on Crime Dramas Tammie Jenkins 165 Black Woman: High-Powered but Not Balanced in Shondaland Adelina Mbinjama-Gamatham and Eleda Mbinjama 174 Part VI—New Television Awkward and Black: Redefining Representations of Black Women on The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and Insecure Regina M. Duthely 186 Behind Their Masks: Complex Black Superheroes on the Small Screen Christopher Alanye Covington 195 About the Contributors 205 Index 209