"South Central" (1994)

This series was sort of like "Good Times" but with a harder edge. The plot was about a single mom struggling with her kids, including a foster child so tramatized by his past that he would not speak, in South Central Los Angeles (back in the day, the area was known as Watts). I remember a scene where the mom, Joan (Tina Lifford) was walking down the street with her foster child, and they passed a homeless man begging for change. She softly turned down his request, stating, "I'm sorry, but I'm struggling too." It was hinted that her oldest son Andre (Larenz Tate) might have been flirting with gang membership. Sweets (Paula Kelly) was Joan's best friend.

This show was a little too real for the FOX Network. It didn't cutesy up any of the aspects of being poor and Black in America. Episodes often ended on a downbeat. The show started off in controversy and lasted less than a season.

Larenz Tate went on to appear in such film as "The Postman", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?", and "Love Jones". The late Lamont Bentley also appeared in this show; he was also a regular on "Moesha". Jennifer Lopez also appeared on this series as Lucille.