Last night, Boris Kodjoe gave us a glimpse of what "I Spy" could've been like had Bill Cosby been teamed with a woman trained in "sexpionage" rather than the late Robert Culp. Forty-five years after the ground-breaking 60s spy show hit television, Kodjoe is thwarting bad guys and escaping explosions with his on-screen wife, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, in the new NBC series "Undercovers."
It's been a long road for Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw, two actors used to co-starring roles in shows like "Soul Food" and "MI-5," respectively. Years later, they headline one of television's most-hyped new series, produced by the man who brought viewers "Alias" and the "Star Trek" reboot.
But can Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw really start a domino effect, one that leads to more African-Americans and other actors of color becoming leading men and women on TV? Can they aid in a small screen revolution that doesn't just limit black actors to portraying the role of the sidekick, best friend, or loyal neighbor?
In a recent interview with The Grio, actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson opened up about their thoughts on minority actors and the lack of opportunities in Hollywood.
"The truth is, the country still has a lot more growth it needs to make and in due time, I'm sure none of those questions will even be relevant anymore," Howard said, adding: "The whole country seems to have started toward a trend of equality and brotherhood."
Henson interjected: "Hollywood hasn't."
Actress Regina King thinks something needs to be done, too. Watching the Emmys on television, she was appalled by not just the lack of black faces in the audience, but the lack of non-white actors nominated for awards.
"It is impossible for me to ignore the published statistics regarding the number of people of color mentioned, celebrated or honored in the history of the televised Emmys. Up to and including this year, there have been only 53 non-white actors nominated for Emmys out of nearly 1,000 possible nominations in the top four acting categories for drama and comedy."
King has a point regarding Emmy recognition. Even a show like "The Wire," which employed dozens of quality African-American actors, was never respected at the Emmys, as statuettes were doled out to the creators behind "The Sopranos" year after year.
You can read about the "Undercovers" and minorities in entertainment at my television blog The Screen Fiend.
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Be sure to follow MICHAEL LANGSTON MOORE on his FACEBOOK fan page, as well as his new television blog THE SCREEN FIEND.
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Michael also writes for the Boston TV Examiner and Celebrity Icons Examiner columns.
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