Best and Worst Black TV Talk Shows of All Time

Earlier this year, the Huffington Post published a sort of prophetic article on its Web site titled, "Why are all the talk-show hosts white guys," wondering if America was now prepared for late night programs hosted by Black personalities.

Fittingly over the past few months, two talk shows, The Wendy Williams Show and The Mo'nique Show, featuring Black women have surfaced on the national television airwaves. And on Nov. 7, comedian Wanda Sykes is set to debut her new late night talk show on FOX, which also will most likely receive rave reviews.

Hosting a TV talk show isn't easy. There's a knack to it. Throughout the years, many television hosts have had the fortune of having their own shows, but unfortunately most of them have failed.

So without further delay, here's my list of the five best Black TV talk shows and the five worst Black TV talk shows of all time.

5 Best TV Black talk shows

5). BET Tonight w/Tavis Smiley (1996-2001). Next to Video Soul with Donnie Simpson, Smiley's late night show was the best thing on BET. The program lacked the overall ambiance of the other talk shows on my Top 5 list, but every night it hit hard on the real news and issues in the community.

4). The Chris Rock Show (1997-2000). Comedian Chris Rock delivered a smart, candid and hilarious late night program that should've been on HBO a lot longer than three seasons. The show's writing was excellent, and Rock asked guests the questions viewers wanted to know as well as many more.

3). The Montel Williams Show (1991-2008). Starting out with similar themes like on the Ricki Lake show and The Jerry Springer Show, Montel broke from the mold by providing inspirational and uplifting stories to the audience. Williams' program may never get the credit it deserves but lasting 17 years on television speaks volumes.

2). The Arsenio Hall Show (1989-1994). Arsenio Hall wasn't a great comedian or a great actor, but he was a great talk show host. Always engaging his studio audience and fans at home, Hall made viewers, particularly his targeted audience -- the MTV generation -- check in every night because they felt a real connection to his show.

1). Oprah Winfrey (1986-present). With over 20 years on television, The Queen of all talk shows has had virtually everyone on her multiple-award winning show, from Liberace to Elizabeth Taylor to Michael Jackson to President Barack Obama. When Oprah talks, the rest of America listens.

5 Worst TV Black talk shows

5). The Queen Latifah Show (1999-2001). Queen Latifah's one of the best female rappers in the history of hip-hop music, but she was unable to breathe the same fire into her daily talk show. The popularity of daytime TV talk shows started to dip in the early 2000s, and Queen Latifah's program was a casualty after two years on the air.

4). Tempsett (1995-1996). Yes, Vanessa Huxtable (Tempsett Bledsoe) of the Cosby Show had a talk show. It would be easy to forget though, because the program was so short-lived, lasting only one season on the air. Television was inundated with talk shows at the time, and the novice Bledsoe just didn't stick out in the crowd.

3). Vibe (1997-1998). In some cases like The Queen Latifah Show and Tempsett, it's not solely the host's fault for a talk show's demise. But in the case of Vibe, it was entirely the host, Chris Spencer, who gave the late night program no chance in life. Spencer's replacement, renowned comedian/actor Sinbad, couldn't even resuscitate it.

2). The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show (1997-1998). Perhaps the opportunity was too good to pass up, but Wayans made a big mistake. Unlike his younger brothers, this Wayans works best behind the scenes. The program's monologues and comedy sketches were even surprisingly bad, and Wayans' discomfort became even more apparent when interviewing guests.

1). The Magic Hour (1998). It would be hard to find a viewer who could stomach an entire episode of Earvin "Magic" Johnson's late night show. It was pathetic to watch a NBA Hall of Fame player embarrass himself on a nightly basis. Magic was too nervous, too friendly and too overwhelmed on set. The show was canceled after only eight weeks.

If you enjoyed this, please check out:
My Top 10 Black Sitcoms of All Time
My Top 10 Philadelphia Rappers of All Time
My Top 10 Songs by Will Smith

Best, worst Black TV talk shows of all time sources:

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brandt-goldstein/why-are-all-the-talk-show_b_169246.html

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavis_Smiley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Montel_Williams_Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oprah_Winfrey_Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen_Latifah_Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempestt_Bledsoe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibe_(TV_series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Keenen_Ivory_Wayans_Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Hour_(talk_show)