Is the fifth season the kiss of death for black sitcoms?

[Mike the Executioner]

I'm convinced of it now. I'm watching the last season of One on One and it's crazy how much they changed it. Should have just been a spin-off, but the executives wanted the show to be cool and sexy because it's based in Los Angeles.

It looks like a lot of black sitcoms end up dealing with bullshyt in the fifth season:

Martin - Universally recognized as falling off. Last season.

Living Single - T.C. Carson was fired so Kyle is gone for most of the season, Kim Fields left before the season was over, and Fox cancelled it after 13 episodes so it never got a proper series finale.

Wayans Bros - Cancelled after season five, no proper series finale.

Moesha - Show shifted from a coming of age sitcom to a cheap melodrama; introduced Dorian for the sake of destroying Frank's character

Fresh Prince - Arguably avoided this, but the ending of the finale undid all the work put into the season's main storyline, so it led to Will regressing as a character in season six

Sister, Sister - Change in tone after the fourth season, attempts to make the show more "grown" and "sexy," begins taking itself more seriously when the earlier seasons were cartoonishly goofy, and characters like Ray and especially Roger get featured less (@AquaCityBoy)

The Parkers - Series ends with Nikki leaving the man she's about to marry at the altar, when Professor Oglevee realizes he's in love with her (a rehash of a storyline they did in seasons two and three) and they get married instead; no buildup so it ends up being clichéd (@AquaCityBoy)

In the House - Last season was only five or six episodes, released in the dead of summer for first-run syndication like some cheap 80s sitcom; no Kim Wayans and Maia Campbell leaves abruptly; Alfonso Ribeiro has less scenes with LL Cool J because he couldn't stand working with him anymore

Any other examples?

 

[AlbertPullhoez]

Season 5 of Martin was great until the shyt with Martin and Tisha hit the fan

 

[Tenchi Ryu]

They had to do that with will because although he matured a lot with Lisa, he was still only a 20 year old college student so it made sense for him to go back to his wanna be player ways

 

[Mike the Executioner]

They had to do that with will because although he matured a lot with Lisa, he was still only a 20 year old college student so it made sense for him to go back to his wanna be player ways

I get that, but they couldn't think of anything else? Will and Lisa decide to get married, then in the finale, they find out there are a few things they don't have in common so they don't get married? And then they have Will's mother marry Lisa's father because they had a one night stand? And then they write Lisa off? And then they don't even acknowledge the marriage in season six?

Way too much to accept. They should have never had Lisa say yes to Will's proposal.

 

[Wild self]

Either 4 or 5 seasons, tops. Only Blackish, Family Matters, Fresh Prince, and Cosby show avoided this.

 

[mr.africa]

Either 4 or 5 seasons, tops. Only Blackish, Family Matters, Fresh Prince, and Cosby show avoided this.

on how many seasons is blackish now?
is it still running

 

[Wild self]

on how many seasons is blackish now?
is it still running

It is, 7th season airing now

 

[AquaCityBoy]

I'd throw in season 5 of Sister Sister in there too.

That's when Tia and Tamera started getting older and they tried to make the show more 'grown,' Ray and Roger started appearing less and less, and the show started taking itself too seriously.

Which is a shame because seasons 3 and 4 were cartoonishly goofy, and those were the best seasons of the show because they were so goofy.

 

[AquaCityBoy]

Oh, yeah. Season 5 of The Parkers is a no-brainer on this list.

They had Nikki get engaged to another dude, and Professor Oglevee spent the whole season jealous and pining for her (even though they already did this exact storyline earlier in the series). Then in the series finale, Professor Oglevee stops their wedding to tell Nikki he's in love with her, so Nikki leaves the other dude at the altar and marries Professor Oglevee on the spot.

I mentioned Sister Sister earlier, but at least they knew better not to pull this shyt with Ray and Lisa. Both shows ended with a wedding, but at least with Sister Sister, we say Ray go, "Yeah, Lisa, you got on my nerves and drove me crazy all these years, but you are my friend, and as your friend, I'm happy to see you find love and get married," which is what The Parkers should have done.

 

[semicko82]

Not only black sitcoms, but most tv shows fall off season 5.
Dexter, Lost, Sopranos, The Wire

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

Living Single - T.C. Carson was fired so Kyle is gone for most of the season, Kim Fields left before the season was over, and Fox cancelled it after 13 episodes so it never got a proper series finale.

I dont think I've ever seen the 5th season of Living Single.

I didn't even know bruh got fired

Or maybe I knew and I forgot.

Living Single wasnt on my must watch list back in those days

 

[boriquaking]

I’d say its harder for a lot of shows to run that long and not feel different at the very least.

 

[semicko82]

I dont think I've ever seen the 5th season of Living Single.

I didn't even know bruh got fired

Or maybe I knew and I forgot.

Living Single wasnt on my must watch list back in those days

apparently got fired for calling Warner Bros out on neglecting the show in favor of Friends

 

[mr.africa]

It is, 7th season airing now

damn, have some catching up to do
i am at season 4

 

[Mike the Executioner]

I'd throw in season 5 of Sister Sister in there too.

That's when Tia and Tamera started getting older and they tried to make the show more 'grown,' Ray and Roger started appearing less and less, and the show started taking itself too seriously.

Which is a shame because seasons 3 and 4 were cartoonishly goofy, and those were the best seasons of the show because they were so goofy.

I was thinking about putting Sister, Sister there but it at least ended respectably. It changed, though, like you said. They tried making Tia and Tamera into "strong black female" characters, and it didn't work because it was inconsistent with how they were portrayed before. I think the show was influenced by Living Single and Moesha so they wanted Tia and Tamera to reflect those kinds of characters, but it just came off like they were trying too hard.

But Jordan and Tyreke were carrying the show in the last two seasons. I'm glad they were introduced because they were easily the most entertaining characters after Roger left.

Oh, yeah. Season 5 of The Parkers is a no-brainer on this list.

They had Nikki get engaged to another dude, and Professor Oglevee spent the whole season jealous and pining for her (even though they already did this exact storyline earlier in the series). Then in the series finale, Professor Oglevee stops their wedding to tell Nikki he's in love with her, so Nikki leaves the other dude at the altar and marries Professor Oglevee on the spot.

I mentioned Sister Sister earlier, but at least they knew better not to pull this shyt with Ray and Lisa. Both shows ended with a wedding, but at least with Sister Sister, we say Ray go, "Yeah, Lisa, you got on my nerves and drove me crazy all these years, but you are my friend, and as your friend, I'm happy to see you find love and get married," which is what The Parkers should have done.

This one here is arguable, for sure. Nikki had been in love with Oglevee from the beginning. I feel like the plan was always for them to get together because that was honestly one of the few endings that could have worked. But it wasn't until the series finale that Oglevee realized he was in love with Nikki. They could have built it up sooner, maybe make the finale a two-parter, but I'm not upset with the ending we got. Even if Oglevee didn't stop the wedding, I feel like Nikki would have decided not to marry Johnny anyway and it would have been the same ending.