Interracial couples (African-Americans and Caucasians) in TV sitcoms (and some dramas)

 

Maybe this subject is moot these days but I don't see this much happening anymore these days in Sitcoms but in the 90's and 00's, occasionally a white character would be paired with a black character. Here I cover the rare main relationships and then the minor characters for just one episode. I will mostly cover African-American with White Americans. Because if you get nitpicky, you can call almost any couple interracial if Italian with British or Irish and Polish.

 

 Saved by the Bell

Lisa and Screech

Screech was madly in love with Lisa and the subject of her being black and him being white never came up. She mostly was disgusted with him and didn't return his advances. Even if she didn't feel the same way and they were never an official couple, it was refreshing they made no big deal about them being from different races. Occasionally she would show signs of liking him back but it didn't happen much.

 

Saved by the Bell

Zack and Lisa

In one episode where Lisa was a fashion designer, Zack and her worked together closely and fell for each other. They ended up kissing, breaking Screech's heart. Again race was not an issue. This relationship was not brought up again.

 

That 70's Show

Hyde and Melissa

Hyde is attracted to Donna's radio work buddy Melissa (Reagan Gomez-Preston---voice of Roberta on "Cleveland Show"). They don't kiss or date, it is alluded that it will continue but we never see her again. We later find that Hyde is half-black but he doesn't date a black girl after this.

 

Mr. Sunshine

 Alice and Alonzo

In the now canceled show "Mr. Sunshine," Alonzo (James Lesiure) and Alice (Andrea Anders) were a couple. James Lesiure is now on the TBS sitcom "Men at Work."

Parenthood

Crosby and Jasmine

Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Jasmine (Joy Bryant) had a kid together and then were engaged. They get married and have a second child.

 

True Colors

A Fox TV sitcom in the 90's was about a blended family with a black father and white wife, two sons from the father and daughter from the mother. Lasted two seasons from 1990 to 1992. People said it was a bad show but I was 8 when it came out and I liked it.

 

New Girl

Winston and Daisy

While Cece is Indian-American and has dated Schmidt who is Jewish and now seems to be paired with Coach who is African-American, I want to bring to light the rare pairing of Asian with Black. Daisy (Brenda Strong) was dating Winston only for a few eps and inadvertently broke up with him when he discovered she was seeing someone else. It was never mentioned about their different races even though the Schmidt character often mentioned him being Jewish and Cece being of Indian heritage.

 

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue

Joel and Angela Fairweather

In season 8 of Power Rangers in 2000, they had got in the habit of having new cast and story and Joel the Green Ranger was after the scientist Ms. Fairweather. She ignored him for the most part but ultimately he won her heart and they married. 

Angel

James Gunn and Winifred 'Fred' Bruckle

In the end of season 3 and beginning of Season 4, Fred and Gunn became a couple. Like most couples in the Buffy and Angel universe, the relationship ended tragically. Gunn ended up killing for Fred and she didn't like that. She ended up kissing Wes. They broke up and next year Fred died. Anyway, their races wasn't mention but there was clear cultural differences.

 Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Captain Ray Holt and Kevin Cozner

Ray Holt is a main character and we don't meet his husband until Episode 16. Holt's husband who dislikes the NYPD due to their treatment of Holt and his homosexuality during his earlier years on the force. He claims Holt is the 'funny' one in their relationship, while he is very stoic. Their races are quickly mentioned and what is emphasized is that Kevin is one of those pretentious smart gays.



Once Upon A Time Family Tree

 UPDATED 11/21/13 11:30 PM EST
SPOILERS AHEAD

ONCE UPON A TIME SEASON 3

Pop culture Uncles and Nephews

I have been an uncle since I was 5 and became a Great Uncle four years ago (I'm 31, my sister is 48 and a grandma). I am fascinated by uncles and nephews in the media, as many don't mention the mother or father of the nephew.

 Kermit and Robin

 Robin first appeared in Frog Prince in 1971 television special. Although Robin made a few appearances on The Muppet Show's first season, his relationship to Kermit was not established until Season 2. He was voiced by Jerry Nelson. He is now voiced by Matt Vogel. They were then translated into Muppet Babies, Robin was a tadpole.

 Scooby-Doo and Scrappy

Scooby-Doo was part of a ghost detective group of teenagers and he loved eating. Later on in the first series, his nephew was introduced. Scrappy was not a popular character but he was Scooby's nephew. Scrappy turned up in the live-action film as a villain.

Donald Duck and his nephews

Huey, Dewey and Louie were created by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro, and first appeared in a newspaper comic strip on October 17, 1937. They are identical triplets, they have also been given to Uncle Scrooge on DuckTales.

 Mickey Mouse and his nephews

His nephews aren't very well known but appear in a lot of merchandise and a few cartoons. Morty and Fredie Fieldmouse are their names. They started in Mickey's Nephews (published in 1932).

 Popeye and his nephews

Popeye's nephews Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye and Poopeye first starred in "Me Musical Nephews.” They are not as better known as other nephews in popular media.

 _______________________
Here are some Uncle and Nieces or Aunts and Nieces

 Inspector Gadget and Penny

Penny was the brains of the operation.

 

Minnie Mouse and her nieces

In the short Bowtoons, Minnie has twin nieces Millie and Melody.

  

Tenderheart and Wonderheart

In the current CGI series "Welcome to Care-A-Lot," the main bear Tenderheart now has a little niece known as Wonderheart.

Miss Piggy, Andy and Randy

Her nephews became more known in Muppets Tonight.

Handsome Directors

Not saying all directors are ugly but there is a reason they are behind the camera and not in front of it. But lately there is a lot of young and hot directors.

Jonathan Levine

He directed the Wackness with Josh Peck, 50/50 with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon Levitt and Warm Bodies with Nicholas Hoult.

Eli Roth

Roth is an award-winning actor, most known for his role as Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, for which he won both a SAG Award (Best Ensemble) and a BFCA Critic's Choice Award (Best Acting Ensemble). He is the only one on this list that has acted outside of directing. He also cameoed in Piranha.

 

Jeff Wadlow

He directed 2 episodes of Bates Motel, also directed Never Back Down and Kick Ass 2. He exercises

 a lot and has experience with that said in the commentary for Never Back Down.  

 

 Zack Snyder

He director 300, Sucker Punch, The Watchmen and said to direct the next Superman movie.  Handsome blue eyes.

 

Pixar's Pairing of Sitcom stars and Movie stars

Most Pixar movies follow this pattern. Most Pixar movies in the beginning were buddy pictures, some that were not follow this pattern I am about to talk about. This pattern is having at least the lead characters were one star that usually did sitcoms before the film and one star usually known for movies, even if they did a sitcom in the past (like Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies). The film star could have also be a comedian and the sitcom star could had previously be a stand-up comedian as well.

1. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen

Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3

Tim Allen has a sitcom now ("Last Man Standing") but before Toy Story, he was famous for the sitcom ("Home Improvement" now reruns on Hallmark channel). After Toy Story, he did films (The Santa Clause, Zoom, etc.). Tom Hank was best known for Philadelphia and Big. Tim Allen started out as a stand-up comedian.

 

2. Dave Foley and Kevin Spacey

A Bug's Life

Dave Foley was known for the sitcom "News Radio" on NBC that also starred Phil Hartman and Andy Dick. Kevin Spacey was known for the movies The Usual Suspects and A Time to Kill, he also did TV shows like L.A. Law. Even though they were not buddies in the picture, they serve this example. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was also in the film and best known for the sitcom "Seinfeld."

 3. John Goodman and Billy Crystal

Monsters Inc, Monsters University

Billy Crystal, a stand-up comedian was best known for City Slickers and Princess Bride at the time. John Goodman was mostly known for the sitcom "Roseanne" at the time, even though he did The Big Lebowski before Monster Inc but it was a cult hit. He has done more films since then.

4. Ellen DeGeneres and Al Brooks

Finding Nemo, Finding Dory

Ellen DeGerneres, a stand-up comedian best known for the sitcom "Ellen" at the time and Al Brooks, best known for comedy films such as Modern Romance (1981), Lost in America (1985) and Defending Your Life (1991). Ellen now has her talk show.

5. Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter

The Incredibles

Craig T. Nelson was best known at the time for the ABC sitcom "Coach." He did do The Poltergiest before that. Holly Hunter, soley known for her movies such as The Piano, Broadcast News and The Firm. After the film, she later did the TNT drama "Saving Grace." They played a married couple, it wasn't a buddy comedy but a family action film.

6. Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy

Cars and Cars 2

Owen Wilson is best known for Starsky and Hutch, Wedding Crashers, Meet the Parents and The Royal Tenenbaums. Larry the Cable Guy, a stand-up comedian did the comedy show "Blue Collar TV" on the WB.

7. Patton Oswalt and Ian Holm

Ratatouille 

Even though Ian Holm wasn't part of the buddy pair of Remy and Liguini (who was played by production artist Lou Romano), they kind of serve this purpose. Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings, King Lear and The Fifth Element) played Skinner. Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia) played Anton Ego and is a film star.  Janeane Garofalo is also a stand-up comedian but not a sitcom star. Brad Garrett is best known for the sitcom "Everybody loves Raymond." Patoon Oswalt, the star as Remy is a stand-up comedian and was in the sitcom "King of Queens."

8. Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer

Up

Ed Asner is best known for the sitcom "The Marry Tyler Moore Show" and Christopher Plummer for films The Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther, The Man Who Would Be King and the 1969 classic Lock Up Your Daughters.

Wall-E and Brave did not follow this pattern. Wall-E did have film stars and some comedians but the main characters barely spoke. Brave had relatively unknowns in the United States.

Muppet Generation 2 Performers

I covered what performers there were there for muppets back in the day but here are those who took over for the old performers for various reasons. Where one performer cover 5 Muppets or more, there are performers who split them up.

 Kermit the Frog

Famously Kermit was performed by Jim Henson,  when he passed away, the family had to make the decision if Kermit would continue and ultimately Steve Whitmire. Jane Henson reflected on the recasting, in a 1990 interview: "Steve Whitmire as Kermit: "When Jim was alive, he said if anything happened to him, Kermit must go on right away. Because of Kermit's significant place, Jim had essentially chosen who he thought could do it. But we don't want to say who it is before the show. The performer needs time. Kermit won't come back so strong at first. Then little by little, he will get his whole personality back."

  Miss Piggy

 Eric Jacobson took over in 2001 from Frank Oz. Frank Oz only did voice over for Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets in Space. Eric Jacobson started working with the Muppets in 1994 as a puppeteer on Sesame Street, and rose through the ranks of Sesame puppeteers. In order to keep the characters of Frank Oz - who was focusing more on directing and other pursuits - alive and visible, Jacobson was selected due to his strong puppeteer talent and extremely similar vocal range. Jacobson is currently the principal performer of Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal and Sam the Eagle – as Frank Oz had retired as their performer in 2000.

 

 Fozzie the Bear

Frank Oz originated the role, Eric Jacobson took over in 2001.

Gonzo

David Goelz still performs Gonzo. He also performs Beauregard, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, Stinky the Skunk, and Rugby Tiger, as well as succeeding the role of Waldorf from Jim Henson.

Scooter

He was originated by Richard Hunt in 1976 until he passed away in 1991. David Rudman took over in 2008. Though Scooter never made any appearances between 1992 and 1999, a framed photo of him appears on-screen in Muppets Tonight episode 106. Following the death of Richard Hunt, Scooter would not have a consistent performer for 16 years until David Rudman took over.

 

Janice

Janice was originally performed by Fran Brill in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot in 1975, and in the first set of Muppet Meeting Films. Eren Ozker performed Janice in the first season of The Muppet Show. Richard Hunt took over the character in season two, and gave Janice her familiar Valley girl voice and attitude. David Rudman has since taken over.

Statler and Waldorf

Richard Hunt did Statler from 1976 - 1991, Jerry Nelson originated it in 1975 and took over 1992 - 2003. He died and Steve Whitmire took over 2002 - present. Jim Henson did Waldorf from 1975 - 1990 and Dave Goelz took over 1992 - present.

Rowlf the dog

Jim Henson started it in 1962 to 1990. Bill Baretta took over in 1996. Jim Henson would usually perform the head (and voice) and left hand, while another Muppeteer (including, at various times, Frank Oz, Jerry Juhl, Jerry Nelson, Louise Gold, and Steve Whitmire) performed his right hand.

Beaker

Richard Hunt started the role, Steve Whitmire took over in 1992.

Floyd Pepper

Jerry Nelson started it and stopped performing in 2003. He died recently. Matt Vogel took over in 2006. Since joining Sesame Street in 1996, Matt Vogel has become most familiar for his work as Caroll Spinney's understudy for Big Bird on Sesame Street, including the "Journey to Ernie" segments, several street scenes and other appearances whenever Spinney is unavailable. He has also taken over some of Jerry Nelson's characters (Robin the frog and Count von count), by the recommendation of Nelson himself, multiple years before Nelson's death.

Grover and Bert

 Frank Oz performed Bert and Grover. In 1997, Eric Jacobson started performing Bert on a semi-regular basis, and the next year he added Grover to his list as well; he began to perform both characters full-time with Play with Me Sesame. Today, Jacobson is the principal performer of these two Sesame stars – however Frank Oz occasionally comes in to record new material with them.

 Cookie Monster

Frank Oz originated it, David Rudman took over in 2001. Rudman first started working with the Muppets in a summer internship with the Muppet Workshop in 1981, when he was 18 years old. His friend Richard Hunt helped him get a job as a Muppet performer.

Ernie

Steve Whitmire took over in 1993 from Jim Henson.