Scratchin' and Survivin': Hustle Economics and the Black Sitcoms of Tandem Productions

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Adrien Sebro

Scratchin' and Survivin'

Hustle Economics and the Black Sitcoms of Tandem Productions

Adrien Sebro

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English

Rutgers University Press
20 November 2023

Television soap operas; Social & cultural history; Popular culture; Ethnic minorities & multicultural studies; Labour economics

"Scratchin' and Survivin': Hustle Economics and the Black Sitcoms of Tandem Productions is a production history and study of Black labor in the Black sitcoms of Tandem Productions; Sanford and Son (1972-1977), Good Times (1974-1979), and The Jeffersons (1975-1985). These sitcoms challenged subjective producer's control of 1970s television. Focusing on these Black sitcoms, Scratchin' and Survivin' engages the intersections of performance, production, politics, and reception to consider how this array of Black sitcoms intervened in both the history of television and in a rearticulation of Black identity in the early 1970s. With close attention to race, socioeconomics, gender, and politics, the sitcoms of Tandem had their own distinct style in depicting Black American life on screen. What is rarely discussed in the history Tandem is the Black artist's (actors, writers, assistants, etc.) and the ""hustle economics"" they engaged in while becoming television auteurs within a space that wasn't built for them. ""Hustle economics"" exists as a negotiation of Black labor in front of and behind the screen. Indeed, the production of these sitcoms called for various forms of creative agency and labor resilience that transformed the television industry, and Scratchin' and Survivin' brings attention to the Black artists who were a part of these transformative acts."

By: Adrien Sebro
Imprint: Rutgers University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781978834842
ISBN 10: 1978834845
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 20 November 2023
Recommended Age: From 16 to 99 years
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction: The Hustle 1 Approaching Tandem Productions 2 Sanford and Son 3 Good Times 4 The Jeffersons Conclusion: A Piece of the Pie Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

ADRIEN SEBRO is an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in critical media studies at the intersections of comedy, gender, and Black popular culture.

Reviews for Scratchin' and Survivin': Hustle Economics and the Black Sitcoms of Tandem Productions

"""Adrien Sebro's fascinating and instructive look at these series will force industry stakeholders to see and pursue them anew."" -- Beretta E. Smith-Shomade * editor of Watching While Black: Centering the Television of Black Audiences * ""In Scratchin’ and Survivin’, Adrien Sebro pays close attention to and honors the often-invisible labor of Black culture industries workers. Using the framework of 'hustle economics,' Sebro uncovers a treasure trove of hidden and archival transcripts that give voice to Black-cast sitcom stars like Redd Foxx and Esther Rolle as more than talented actors, but Black Americans working in Hollywood trying to get, as The Jeffersons’ theme song says, their 'piece of the pie'.” -- Alfred L. Martin * author of The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom *"