Soul Food

I love this show and I am proud of myself for taping it along the years. I am now wanting to have the store bought DVD's because the quality is better. I would like to know where all 5 seasons are? This was a one of a few positive black shows and I would like to know why they are not trying to produce the seasons for sale. I have seen all the shows you can think of big and small but no Soulfood. What can we do? They have to do a better job. You best believe that when the DVD is put out, I will be one of the first in line. Ya feel me... The cast and characters were people that we can see in our lives. We can relate to them and their stories.

For a while, there has been a new wave of television show. This show required, what one would say, a "continuation" of a character or particular character's lives. This show required a great call to authority and possibly had the hardest task of living up to it's predecessor's status. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, it's the sudden trend of television shows based off movies that are starting to sweep the television airwaves currently. If you've already guessed it, "Soul Food" now falls into this category.

Receiving positive reviews and doing pretty good at the box office, "Soul Food," the 1997 film starring a cast of rising A-list actors & actresses struck a chord with audiences, most notably the African-American audience and helped redefine the black family film. Since, this film was a hit on all levels, what would one expect next? You've guessed it, turn it into a weekly television series. I must say that I feel that the television show is much better than the film. Not that the film was bad or anything, it's just that the television show allows the audience to sympathize and grow with the characters over a period of time. Here we are, each week for one hour, we get to tap into the Joeseph sisters lives and realize that they are more than one-dimensional characters. With the film version, we only got 2 hours to really tap into the lives of the Joseph sisters, but with the series we're given a chance to see how they have evolved as characters.

They're are many positive things about this show. For one, I think that this show presents African Americans, especially men, in a positive light. Here, the male characters are not deadbeat dads, drunkards or living their life from check to check. Another plus, is that I think this show has very good acting. Perhaps I think my favorite actor on this show is Rockmund Dunbar(Kenny Chadway) but I'm surprised they didn't cast a much taller actor to play his character. Let's don't forget Nicole Ari Parker and her believable portrayal of Teri Joseph, the leader and the most successful out of the Joseph Sisters.

It's funny because I didn't start watching this show until a couple of months after it was taken off the air, but I try to watch it every night it comes on BET. My word of advice is don't watch it on BET because they cut out all the good parts(oh God, the humanity) so it is better to watch it on Showtime, edited free. This is a good show and I recommend it.

After seeing dozens of movies like "First Time Felon" "Oz" and "The Corner", I was thrilled to see a show that portrays black people as something other than drug dealers and victims of gun violence. As a white guy living in Honolulu, I don't have much contact with the black community. The media gives a slanted view of every subculture, so I know there are people who don't live in South Central. I wish there were a more balanced view, but that doesn't sell movies. Off of my soapbox now, I thought the production values were excellent, and I look forward to seeing future episodes.

I have given up on the many attempts by nice folks,to persuade Paramount to release Soul Food: 2nd Season (or more). The Boycotts will continue by me on their other DVD's and movie releases. The petitions don't work, It didn't save Star Trek Enterprise, even with contributions!! My guess is that BET, Showtime, Channel One, and others are colluding, (paying) Paramount NOT to release the series in lieu of falling market viewer shares should it be released. Ie, I would cancel my subscription to Showtime or BET, when it does! This move by Paramount is tactical, probable designed to "punish" minorities for lackluster support across the 'movie going divide' they so heavily bank on.

Soul Food is a venue for White America to see into the lives and loves of many African-American families, to introduce them to some of rituals and our way of life, and also to show them that we are not all so different. We encounter some of the same things no matter what race or class. But it's also a chance for every one to see our strength, our beauty, and our intelligence. When we love, we love hard and when we live, we live to the fullest!! Bravo to the Showtime for finally giving us a voice and a face!!