If you’re ‘Living Single’ fan, don’t call it ‘Black Friends’
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: We found “Living Single” reruns on Bounce TV. It’s really funny, and we like Max and Kyle. But we can’t tell what year it was on.
A: The comedy about six African-American friends originally aired on Fox from 1993 to 1998. It starred Queen Latifah (as Khadijah), Kim Coles (Synclaire), Kim Fields (Regine), Erika Alexander (Max), T.C. Carson (Kyle) and John Henton (Overton). The series had a following, but nothing compared with that for a similar show, “Friends,” which debuted the year after “Living Single” and came from the same studio. The people making “Living Single” felt they were too often shoved into the shadow of the NBC hit, especially when Fox scheduled it opposite “Friends.” Fields (who was Kim Fields Freeman for part of the show’s run) even told the Los Angeles Times, “The minute they start referring to us as ‘Black Friends,’ that’s when I’ll go off. It’s better to call them the ‘White Living Single.’ ”
Q: I haven’t been watching “NCIS: Los Angeles” this fall, so maybe I’ve missed something everyone else knows? Is Linda Hunt, who plays Hetty, leaving the show, or has she already left? I usually am a loyal fan during the winter, so was surprised when I tuned in recently and Hetty seemed to be gone.
A: Quite a few readers have been asking about Hetty’s status, perhaps because they missed the episodes that revealed she is being held hostage in Vietnam. The “NCIS: LA” team has not known her whereabouts, but she has shown up in several episodes which, according to CBS, explained why she went to Vietnam and why she is in danger now. I’m told the team will get a clue to her location in a January episode, and that will lead to a search for her.
Q: We’ve been following “The Collection,” and it wasn’t on Nov. 26 for what we thought would be the final episode of the season. The internet suggests there are eight episodes, but only seven have appeared. The seventh had an odd ending if in fact it was the finale.
A: The series about the fashion world in Paris after World War II has had a somewhat complicated broadcast history. An international production whose partners included Amazon Studios, the series was made available online via Amazon Prime well before it was aired on PBS’ “Masterpiece.” There also are two versions. Eight episodes were shown abroad and on the U.K.’s Amazon Prime. The first two episodes were then edited into a single show, making seven episodes for U.S. presentation on Amazon Prime and then on “Masterpiece.” Those concluded their “Masterpiece” run Nov. 19, though your local station may have scheduled it differently.
I am not sure whether there will be another season. One source said the show is done, but an Amazon representative said, “We currently do not know if there will be a second season.”