Original, refreshing and hilarious are three words typically used to praise new TV comedies. But none of these words should be associated with “Black-ish” or “Cristela.” After the success of “Modern Family,” ABC has struggled with finding other hit comedies to add to their nightly lineup. ABC’s “Black-ish” and “Cristela” are light on humor, but full of stereotypes and racist remarks.
“Black-ish,” airing Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m., features a fairly simple plot: the “mythical and majestic black family” tries to make a living in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood. Anthony Anderson, known for his roles in roles in “The Departed” and “Transformers,” plays Andre Johnson, a rising ad executive and father to four children. “Black-ish” follows the misadventures of Andre and his biracial wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), as they try to keep their black culture alive in their children. However, the children aren’t “black enough” for their father, so to speak. Eldest son Andre Jr. (Marcus Scribner) constantly exasperates his father by adopting aspects of white culture, such as picking up the nickname “Andy” and deciding to play field hockey over basketball. The series revolves around Andre attempting to take the “-ish” out of “Black-ish,” and the results are far from funny. The family’s antics result in Andre jeopardizing his job by projecting “ghetto” culture in an ad presentation and Andre Jr. having a “bro mitzvah,” a spoof of the traditional Jewish bar mitzvah.
“Cristela,” airing Fridays at 8:30 p.m., follows the story of Cristela (Cristela Alonzo), a Mexican-American law student, who tries to make her dream of becoming a lawyer a reality through working odd jobs and living with her family. Cristela focuses on trying to land an internship with a law firm, while trying to balance life at home and financial woes. Cristela’s mother constantly brings up the stereotype of Hispanic housekeepers, and all her sister Daniela is worried about is keeping her house clean; these jokes are too cliché and overused to be funny. And there really isn’t much more to the plot than that.
The plots for both comedies are far from original. Family dynamics have always been a staple in television series, but the situations presented in “Cristela” and “Black-ish” are overdone and predictable. If ABC wanted to create more original — and funny — content, then they should have strayed away from the same cookie-cutter format of family comedies that has been exhausted over the past decade.
Cristela’s plot is entirely too predictable: Cristela and her brother-in-law, Felix, are constantly bickering, while her mother, Natalia, constantly nags Cristela about finding a husband. Many of the jokes used in both shows are taken from previous hit comedies. In “Black-ish,” the concept for a “bro mitzvah” was taken from “How I Met Your Mother” and recycled to fit the needs of the new show. Watching “Cristela” feels like watching an unfunny episode of “The George Lopez Show” and it seems to borrow a lot of plot points from the successful sitcom.
Although ABC should get credit for branching out and contributing to more racial diversity in TV, the stereotypes and harsh jokes are far from redeeming for these two comedies. In “Black-ish,” Andre constantly ridicules his biracial wife, Rainbow, claiming that she isn’t even really black. Jokes like these seem unnecessary and do nothing to add humor to the show. Simply casting minority actors isn’t enough to draw in viewers, especially when neither show is funny.
Watching both shows, you may find yourself wondering, “How many more stereotypes can they cram into the next 20 minutes?” “Black-ish” features the obligatory grape soda, fried chicken and President Obama jokes, which are frankly too predictable and uncomfortable to laugh at. The situations and dialogue aims to poke fun at black stereotypes but come off as offensive and, overall, degrading. Anderson makes a mockery of black culture; one scene features a farcical African rite of passage ceremony, when it is not even clear if it pertains to the Johnson’s culture or family roots. The appearance of the “bro mitzvah” scene also mocks traditional Jewish culture and turns a religious ceremony into a trend.
“Cristela,” too, has its moments that make viewers say, “Did they really just say that?” Numerous jokes about Mexican women being housekeepers or maids are made, and one joke even goes as far to imply that because Cristela is Mexican she must have come to America illegally by crossing the border. Not only does “Cristela” feature Hispanic stereotypes but it was also able to include the ever popular “dumb blonde” stereotype. In the pilot, a boss’s ditzy blonde daughter mistakes Cristela for the cleaning staff and then for a receptionist. Two offensive stereotypes crammed into one minute of dialogue. Cristela also has its share of sexist remarks; Cristela’s brother insists that her daughter should only be allowed to participate in cheerleading, and her husband, Felix, backs her by saying “Women should cheer for the men.” Remarks like these imply a sense of male superiority.
Both comedies attempt to make light of cultural diversity but come off as insulting. Black and Hispanic individuals and their cultures are mocked through the stereotypes used in both comedies. There are way too many generalizations about culture, and every stereotype is too predictable or overdone to laugh at. The writing in “Cristela” generalizes that all Hispanic women belong cleaning the house, and “Black-ish” generalizes that the only way for black men to embrace their culture is through playing basketball.
ABC had a chance to showcase more diversity in TV, but was unable to deliver anything genuinely funny with both “Black-ish” and “Cristela.”
