- and that's a big difference in what we saw before. - [announcer] "the adventures of ozzie and harriet," starring the entire nelson family. - [announcer] "father knows best." (soaring instrumental music) - the tv landscape in the 1950s was considered the golden age television. you would have these great shows like "i love lucy," classic television shows, but you didn't have black representation until you started seeing shows like "beulah." - cereal, miss alice? - [ernie] "amos 'n andy" was the first all-black sitcom. - mornin', andy. - mornin, amos. - [ernie] but it was boycotted by the naacp, and after only two seasons in 1953, the show was canceled. - my problem with "amos 'n andy" is that there were no black writers in the room, obviously. that often can lead to stereotypes. - these shows mocking black voices, sort of making real caricatures of black life. - i learn a lot of things. i just don't retain 'em. - so you had these examples of black representation that were not always positive and did not always center black life and culture in a way in which we wanted to see ourselves. - and these were very much shows that were made to allay white fears and to protect white comfort.