Best "New Jack Swing" sitcoms!
by thepoet21 | created - 20 Oct 2012 | updated - 31 Oct 2012 | PublicThe "New Jack Swing" movement in the 90s dominated the culture; a mix of hip hop ghetto swagger and middle class refinement. Throughout the 90s this would inspire many sitcoms, variety shows, movies and talk shows. This list includes the dominate new jack sitcoms. Though now the new jack sitcom fizzled and was replaced by reality TV, its impact lives on in the form of reruns!
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1. The Cosby Show (1984–1992)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
The goings-on in the life of a successful African-American family.
Stars: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe
Votes: 36,316
Cosby tops the list. Though Cosby is far from a "New Jack", without his show there would not have been any of these other shows on at all. Cosby changed history for black people on television, and paved the way for all the shows that follow.
2. 227 (1985–1990)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
This series took place in an apartment building numbered 227. The cast would frequently be sitting outside on a large set of stone stairs, involved in some discussion that would unfold into the weekly plotline.
Stars: Helen Martin, Marla Gibbs, Hal Williams, Alaina Reed-Hall
Votes: 3,977
Although not entirely New Jack either, this show birthed Regina King and also lended to the format as well.
3. Martin (1992–1997)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Sassy sitcom centering on radio and television personality Martin Payne. Series focuses on his romantic relationship with girlfriend Gina, her best friend Pam and escapades with best friends Tommy and Cole.
Stars: Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Thomas Mikal Ford, Carl Anthony Payne II
Votes: 10,799
Martin was a revolution! He kicked down the doors and gave America the personification of "New Jack"!
4. Living Single (1993–1998)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Follows the lives of several single male and female roommates and friends in 1990s Brooklyn, New York.
Stars: Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, John Henton
Votes: 6,657
With Living Single it just got better. Young, hip and urban, this personified "New Jack" from the theme song to the excellent cast.
5. Sister, Sister (1994–1999)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell are twins separated at birth who learn of each other's existence and come together as teenagers.
Stars: Tia Mowry, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Jackée Harry, Tim Reid
Votes: 13,723
2 young twins growing up in New Jack America, nothing distinct abouth them but they were pretty cute!
6. Family Matters (1989–1998)
TV-G | 30 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
The Winslow family deals with various misadventures, many of them caused by their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel.
Stars: Reginald VelJohnson, Jaleel White, Darius McCrary, Kellie Shanygne Williams
Votes: 29,984
The show started out on some kid stuff and then got a little funkier in the end. Even the fuddy duddy non New Jack network CBS picked this up when the show ended, a milestone indeed!
7. Moesha (1996–2001)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A teenager struggles to come to terms with everything life throws at her.
Stars: Brandy Norwood, William Allen Young, Marcus T. Paulk, Lamont Bentley
Votes: 4,135
Young black teen singer (now full grown hot babe) coming of age in New Jack America, a common theme throughout the 90s. Being black in America was changing!
8. A Different World (1987–1993)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy
A group of students at a historically Black university struggle to make it through college.
Stars: Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Darryl M. Bell
Votes: 7,899
School Daze introduced the world of the HBCU, this show put it in everybody's face, as this world was pretty much a mystery until now. A perfect document of HBCUs in the New Jack era!
9. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion.
Stars: Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali
Votes: 144,484
Former rapper turned actor Will is an icon, along with Martin, of the New Jack Swing era. He set the tone for what would later be called "swagger."
10. In Living Color (1990–1994)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Music
The Wayans siblings present an African-American focused sketch comedy show.
Stars: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jim Carrey, Kelly Coffield Park, Terrence Brown
Votes: 12,735
New Jack Swing variety show not really a sitcom, but brief and just hit you with that New Jack Swing humor. Family friendly but edgy. You never saw this many funny black people on TV before!
11. Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Apparently, opposites do attract. Malcolm and Eddie are as different as one can imagine, but they're best friends who manage to be roommates as well as co-workers without killing each other.
Stars: Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Eddie Griffin, Karen Malina White, Jaime Cardriche
Votes: 1,658
Theo from Cosby grew up, and Eddie, a Def Comedy Jam alum, came together and lived life as 20 something New Jack brothers!
12. The Wayans Bros. (1995–2023)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
The wacky escapades of brothers Shawn and Marlon Williams, along with their wise but eccentric father.
Stars: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, John Witherspoon, Anna Maria Horsford
Votes: 5,666
The youngest of the Wayans clan delivered comedy that was more of a hip hop vibe, but that was what the New Jack was about, hip hop swagger that could appeal to middle class sensibilities.
13. The Sinbad Show (1993–1994)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Family
David (Sinbad) is a single foster father for Zana and LJ, and he's very new to the game. He learns as much from the children as they learn from him.
Stars: Sinbad, T.K. Carter, Erin Davis, Ray J
Votes: 477
Showtime at the Apollo and Different World alum Sinbad carried his own on this sitcom but this didn't last. He embodies a more milder and palpable New Jack Swing vibe. No cussing but he's still funny.
14. The Jamie Foxx Show (1996–2023)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Jamie King is an aspiring actor from Terrell, Texas, who has come to Los Angeles to pursue a career in show business. To support himself, he works at his family's hotel.
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Garrett Morris, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan
Votes: 3,669
Jamie was cool, but I really loved seeing the irresistible Garcelle Beauvais, and back then you could see her beauty was beyond words. She really lit up the screen! For me, at least.
15. My Wife and Kids (2000–2005)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Family
Michael Kyle longs for a traditional life, but his day-trader wife Janet, gangsta rap-worshipping son Michael Jr., and brooding daughters Claire and Kady make his dream just that ... a dream.
Stars: Damon Wayans, Tisha Campbell, George Gore II, Parker McKenna Posey
Votes: 29,605
New Jack came of age? 2 bright stars from the New Jack era settled down, having kids, picking up where Cosby left off.
16. The Bernie Mac Show (2001–2023)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A stand up comedian suddenly becomes a father when he takes custody of his sister's three children.
Stars: Bernie Mac, Kellita Smith, Jeremy Suarez, Dee Dee Davis
Votes: 8,448
Who would have thought that the outstanding comedian who jumped onto the stage of Def Comedy Jam, saying "I ain't scared of you m------s" wearing his New Jack style gear, bopping to rap music, would get big enough to get his own show. RIP.
17. Girlfriends (2000–2008)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
A look at the lives, loves, and losses of four different women, Toni, Maya, Lynn, and Joan.
Stars: Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, Reginald C. Hayes
Votes: 5,048
Though I think this was supposed to replace "Living Single", it was a good attempt, and held my interest for a few seasons. But it just wasn't the same.
18. The Steve Harvey Show (1996–2002)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
A former funk star named Steve Hightower enlists as a high school music teacher away from his original career in Chicago.
Stars: Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, Merlin Santana, William Lee Scott
Votes: 3,426
Classic New Jack humor by one of the oldest purveyors of the "New Jack" era. He lived it! With his boy Cedric, he just knew how to make people laugh.
19. The Game (2006–2015)
TV-14 | 21 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A spinoff of Girlfriends (2000) featuring a group of women who all have relationships with professional football players.
Stars: Hosea Chanchez, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Coby Bell, Pooch Hall
Votes: 4,779
Much like "Girlfriends", this came after the New Jack era was gone. The show lent itself to that, but now it has gotten a bit trashy since it got on BET. The problem with this show is that without that New Jack vibe, nobody cared about it.
20. Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A young African-American teen attempts to survive with his dysfunctional family and his all-white school in the 1980s.
Stars: Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim
Votes: 41,743
I hesitated to put this on the list, but Chris Rock is a product of the New Jack era (having had his first major role in "New Jack City"), and the mother was played by one of the vets from the Martin show, so not only is this a New Jack show, this might be the last of them. The genre is now gone.
21. In the House (1995–1999)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
A once-famous football player must rent part of his house to support himself. A single mother and her two kids are the latest tenants. He also owns a sports clinic that he barely manages to run with help from his friends.
Stars: LL Cool J, Maia Campbell, Alfonso Ribeiro, Kim Wayans
Votes: 1,418
This to me was a New Jack variation of the 80s syndicated sitcom "Who's The Boss" but just with a different racial makeup, and less of a connection between LL and Debbie Allen. I loved Maia, this was her in her prime before the drugs.
22. Roc (1991–1994)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
Charles Dutton plays a married garbage man who proves by his actions and his altruistic ways that though he collects refuse for a job, his life and relationships total more than mere garbage.
Stars: Charles S. Dutton, Ella Joyce, Rocky Carroll, Carl Gordon
Votes: 1,909
This live TV show was a bit more on the working class side, stripped down reality dealing with social issues as experienced by a simple man. A New Jack version of Archie Bunker without the bigotry, maybe?
23. Smart Guy (1997–1999)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A 10-year-old genius goes from elementary school to high school.
Stars: Tahj Mowry, John Marshall Jones, Jason Weaver, Omar Gooding
Votes: 5,556
A New Jack version of Doogie Howser? What surprised me most was that the main character is in real life the brother of the girls from Sister,Sister!
24. Half & Half (2002–2006)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
Mona and Dee Dee are half-sisters with the same father who didn't really know each other when they were little and are complete opposites, but as adults they live in the same apartment building and at least try to bond.
Stars: Essence Atkins, Rachel True, Chico Benymon, Valarie Pettiford
Votes: 2,103
Much like the show "Girlfriends", this seemed to be another variation of the classic show "Living Single". Much like Girlfriends, it just didn't have the impact of its predecessor.
25. Cuts (2005–2006)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy
Kevin, the son of the former owner, and Tiffany, the daughter of the current owner, team up to manage a hair salon/day spa, in this spinoff of "One on One."
Stars: Shannon Elizabeth, Shondrella Avery, Rashaan Nall, Edward Fordham Jr.
Votes: 297
26. Romeo! (2003–2006)
TV-Y7 | Comedy, Family
Romeo finds out what it means to be a good friend, even if it means breaking the law.
Stars: Zachary Isaiah Williams, Master P, Erica O'Keith, Noel Callahan
Votes: 549
Well, even though Master P is more "dirty South gangsta", he really couldn't be "Bout It" on his show; you think Nickelodeon execs would have put up with those kind of antics? So, he had to take the "New Jack" format to make it somewhat palpable to the mainstream, and it lasted for more than one season. I still couldn't get past some of the lyrics I have heard him say, but it was rather entertaining nonetheless.
27. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992–1997)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Sport
American comedy with a larger-than-life teacher and his housemates.
Stars: Mark Curry, Holly Robinson Peete, Sandra Quarterman, Marquise Wilson
Votes: 3,572
28. Soul Food (2000–2004)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama
The everyday life and problems of the Josephs, a black family living in Chicago, Illinois.
Stars: Rockmond Dunbar, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Aaron Meeks, Nicole Ari Parker
Votes: 1,295
A serious show, but had some New Jackisms in it....
29. True Colors (1990–1992)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
A new middle-class interracial blended family deals with life's issues with love and humor.
Stars: Claude Brooks, Brigid Brannagh, Adam Jeffries, Nancy Walker
Votes: 211
30. One on One (2001–2006)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
A sportscaster must take on the responsibility of being a full-time dad when his teenage daughter moves in with him.
Stars: Kyla Pratt, Robert Ri'chard, Flex Alexander, Kelly Perine
Votes: 2,561
31. The Parkers (1999–2023)
TV-PG | 20 min | Comedy
Nikki and Kim Parker attend Santa Monica college to earn their college degrees.
Stars: Mo'Nique, Dorien Wilson, Countess Vaughn, Jenna von Oÿ
Votes: 2,703
32. Out All Night (1992–1993)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Sitcom about a singer who runs an L.A. nightclub, a young graduate and his irresponsible best friend and roommate who help her, her daughter, and their Scottish neighbor. Set in the same universe as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Stars: Patti LaBelle, Morris Chestnut, Vivica A. Fox, Duane Martin
Votes: 202
33. South Central (1994)
30 min | Comedy, Drama
Joan Mosley, tries to raise her two children in a troubled neighborhood after a son is killed. Andre is 17, is attracted to the wealthy Nicole and hangs with buddy Rashad. Tasha is her studious daughter and Deion her mute foster child.
Stars: Tina Lifford, Larenz Tate, Tasha Scott, Keith Mbulo
Votes: 286
34. City Guys (1997–2001)
TV-Y7 | 30 min | Comedy
Manhattan High School students Jamal Grant and Chris Anderson try to get through life and avoid the ire of their principal, Karen Noble.
Stars: Wesley Jonathan, Scott Whyte, Caitlin Mowrey, Dionysio Basco
Votes: 751
35. Between Brothers (1997–1999)
30 min | Comedy
Charles and James Winston are good-looking young brothers with conflicting differences: Charles is a workaholic journalist, and James is a fun playboy.
Stars: Kadeem Hardison, Dondré T. Whitfield, Kelly Perine, Rachael Crawford
Votes: 107
36. All of Us (2003–2023)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
The estranged wife of a television reporter returns to invade his new life.
Stars: Duane Martin, LisaRaye McCoy, Khamani Griffin, Tony Rock
Votes: 1,687
37. The Parent 'Hood (1995–1999)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
A college professor copes with contemporary fatherhood.
Stars: Robert Townsend, Suzzanne Douglas, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Curtis Williams
Votes: 1,287
38. Eve (2003–2006)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Follows Shelly and her group of friends as they experience life's highs and lows.
Stars: Eve, Jason George, Ali Landry Monteverde, Natalie Desselle Reid
Votes: 1,294
39. Getting Personal (1998– )
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
An American sitcom starring Vivica A. Fox as the new Creative Director of a Chicago-based advertisement company, and the boss of a guy she knew from a bad date (Duane Martin). The series ... See full summary »
Stars: Vivica A. Fox, Duane Martin, Jon Cryer, Elliott Gould
Votes: 63
40. The Hughleys (1998–2002)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Darryl Hughley is a successful businessman who seems to have achieved the American dream.
Stars: D.L. Hughley, Elise Neal, Eric Allan Kramer, John Henton
Votes: 887
41. For Your Love (1998–2002)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Romance
Three couples try to counsel one another on how to deal with the opposite sex.
Stars: Holly Robinson Peete, James Lesure, Tamala Jones, Dedee Pfeiffer
Votes: 344
42. Grown Ups (1999–2000)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Follows the lives of three post-college friends who are coming to terms with adulthood.
Stars: Jaleel White, Dave Ruby, Marissa Ribisi, Bumper Robinson
Votes: 121
43. Homeboys in Outer Space (1996–1997)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
Straight-laced Morris Clay and fun-loving Tyberius Walker are two Han Solo wannabes who fly around the galaxy in the Space Hoopty, a used starship that looks like a winged car and comes ... See full summary »
Stars: Flex Alexander, Darryl M. Bell, Rhona Bennett, Kevin Michael Richardson
Votes: 296
44. My Brother and Me (1994–1995)
TV-Y | 30 min | Comedy, Family
Alfie and Dee-Dee experience how life affects them with different aspects each day, such as learning life lessons.
Stars: Arthur Reggie III, Ralph Woolfolk IV, Jimmy Lee Newman, Aisling Sistrunk
Votes: 981
45. Kenan & Kel (1996–2023)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family
Kenan and Kel: two best friends who live in Chicago are always dragged down by Kenan's get rich quick schemes while orange soda-loving buddy Kel is dragged along but tends to mess things up.
Stars: Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Ken Foree, Teal Marchande
Votes: 16,798
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