In Defense Of 'The Hughleys'

It's May, and that means my email box begins filling up with pained and pleading requests for help. "Save Our Show," they all ask, and each one is sincere if often misguided. While it makes sense to campaign for the continuation of "Sports Night" or "Freaks And Geeks," the SOS campaigns for programs such as "Diagnosis, Murder" leave me scratching my head. More of that show? Sheesh, if Dick Van Dyke does another season, he's going to solving mysteries armed with nothing but a walker and a spare oxygen tank.

Frankly, if I'm going to campaign for the return of anything, it's those shows which haven't gotten their proper respect during the season. Shows that have the creative juices to continue. Ones that people should be watching. Shows like ABC's "The Hughleys."

Lots of programs get lousy scheduling breaks, but this sitcom has gotten more than its fair share. It debuted last season, in the midst of an already crowded ABC sitcom schedule. Even worse, the central premise--of a black family moving to the suburbs--only managed to get it lumped in with the similar sounding but much inferior Fox sitcom "Living In Captivity."

The show narrowly dodged cancellation at the end of last season, and was only picked up because the cast included kids, and ABC's struggling TGIF lineup needed another victim..err...show. But while the show is family-friendly, it's not the typical family sitcom.

"The Hughleys" stars D.L. Hughley as a man who's seemingly got it all. He's successful, has a smart beautiful wife and two great kids. And yet, he's still troubled.

He moved his family to a predominately white suburb, and while he intellectually knows it makes sense, his heart is having problems with the idea. He finds himself constantly questioning his decision, and he worries that somehow he's losing whatever intangible qualities define him as a black man. The pilot episode found him screaming about the problem with an attitude that would make George Jefferson a proud man. And had the show stayed at that level, no one would have missed it next season.

But what has set this show apart from its premise is the growth of all the characters. D.L. Hughley is a good man who wants the best for his family. And for all his faults, he knows how to do what's right. Throughout the two seasons, friends have been made, battles fought at school and with neighbors. And by the final episode of this season, things had moved into a new direction. His family was being filmed, and there were constants questions about whether or not the Hughley's had lost their "blackness." It's a tough question, and one that many families find themselves battling. What defines us as people? Is it really the color of our skin? Or is it also behavior, and how we react to the conformity of the suburbs.

For D.L. Hughley, the answer was simple. What matters is what is in your heart. And the fact that the show can wring endless laughs out of the struggle, and in the end still seem real and intelligent is a tribute to everyone involved.

Save this show. For the ensemble acting, for the sharp and jarringly clever writing. But most of all, save this show because it deserves it. Even if you're not watching it every week.