Over 30 years after “Living Single” debuted, cast members continue to highlight its influence on television and its comparison to a predominately white show.
The sitcom, which featured Kim Coles, Kim Fields, Queen Latifah, T.C. Carson, Erika Alexander, and John Henton as 20-somethings living in a Brooklyn brownstone, aired for five seasons from 1993 to 1998 on Fox, predating NBC’s “Friends” by a year.
The conversation around the two shows resurfaced when Coles responded emphatically to a question from Jess Hilarious during her appearance with former cast mate Erika Alexander on the May 2 episode of “The Breakfast Club” radio show.
Coles was asked whether “Friends” owed its success to the groundwork laid by “Living Single.”
“One hundred thousand percent, one hundred thousand percent,” she answered.
According to Coles, Warren Littlefield, who was president of NBC at the time, had been asked if there was any show he wished he could have purchased that season, to which he allegedly replied, “I wish I bought ‘Living Single.’”
A year later, “Friends” premiered on NBC.
Queen Latifah had the same account during a 2019 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen.
“We knew we had already been doing that,” Latifah explained. “It was one of those things where there was a guy called Warren Littlefield, who used to run NBC, and they asked him, ‘When all the new shows came out, if there was any show you could have, which one would it be?’ And he said ‘Living Single’. … And then he created ‘Friends.’”
“Friends” aired on NBC from 1994-2004, and “Living Single” was on Fox from 1993-1998. But Alexander back and forth with David Schwimmer, who played Ross on “Friends,” regarding the influence, in 2020 after Schwimmer’s controversial statement about a reboot.
“I was a fan of Living Single, and was not implying Friends was the first of its kind. To my knowledge, Friends (which came a year later) was inspired by Marta & David’s own lives and circle of friends living in NY in their twenties,” Schwimmer responded. “If it was based on Living Single you’d have to ask them.
@DavidSchwimmer 4 yr edutainment. Help me school him @IAMQUEENLATIFAH @kimcoles @KimVFields #TCCarson #JohnHenton @warnerbrostv #elvisdidntinventrocknroll https://t.co/MRJQBnULlU
— Erika Alexander (@EAlexTheGreat) January 28, 2020
“It’s entirely possible that Warner Brothers and NBC, encouraged by the success of Living Single, gave the Friends pilot a green light,” he continued. “I honestly don’t know, but seems likely! If that’s the case, we are all indebted to Living Single for paving the way.”
The claims gained credibility from observers even during the shows’ original runs.
Allan Jonson of the Chicago Tribune noted as early as 1995, “Before ‘Friends’ became the runaway hit it is, there was already a show about six young urban professionals hanging out together and toiling away in New York City: ‘Living Single.’”
Despite the similarities in concept, Coles noted on “The Breakfast Club” the stark disparities between the two productions.
“We were both Warner Brothers production. We were on this little ranch lot, you know, off to the side, and they were … we have a cafeteria, and you have little bicycles you can get from here to here and there,” she explained. Most significantly, “The salary disparity were huge, very different. They had access, they had to marketing, the access they had to all the money and all the things was very different than what we had.”
These revelations sparked varied reactions from viewers of a clip of Cole’s remarks posted on Instagram.
“Friends has a whole episode that steals scenes from Living Single,” one commenter asserted.
Another appreciated the historical context, “They literally ripped off Living Single… that had an ALL black cast… friends even ripped off every characters profession. They knew what they were doing.”
A third comment directly addressed racial dynamics, “You can’t tell white folks this. They believe that this TRUTH never happened.”
Taking a more conciliatory view, one person wrote, “They were BOTH successful shows that both stood the test of time and aged like fine wine. Why we always gotta compare?”
The discussion around representation gained renewed attention when “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman pledged $4 million to Brandeis University to support its African and African American Studies department. Kauffman admitted she was “embarrassed” about the lack of diversity on her show, which was set in diverse New York City but featured minimal Black and brown faces over its decade-long run.
“It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of,” Kauffman revealed. “That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct.”
Some cast members were aware of these shortcomings during production. David Schwimmer, who portrayed Ross, admitted in 2020 that he believed ‘Friends’ lack of diversity was “just wrong” and revealed that he had pushed for his character to date women of color, a move that ultimately led to the casting of Aisha Tyler as the show’s first Black recurring cast member.
Despite the controversies, both shows maintain their places in television history.
“Living Single” continues to air in reruns, and in 2019, Latifah hinted at a possible revival of the Emmy-nominated series. “We’re actually working on it,” she said. “It’s not there yet, but hopefully we can get it happening.”
Cole and Alexander also believe there is a possibility of having a reboot.
Until then, the duo is promoting their rewatch podcast, “Reliving Single,” set to launch on May 7, hoping to introduce a new generation to the show that not only helped make them household names but also influenced one of NBC’s biggest hit shows.
