Living Single
Living Single is an American sitcom television series that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.
Development
and Kim Coles both had development deals with Fox. In March 1993, Fox announced that Queen Latifah and Coles would star in a comedy sitcom called My Girls, about roommates in New York City. The character of Khadijah was created for Queen Latifah. The character is an entrepreneur who started a magazine, and Latifah is an entrepreneur who started her own record label. Fox changed the show's name to Living Single three weeks before it first aired.Reception
During Living Singles first season, it consistently had higher ratings than Martin, which aired immediately before it, and it quickly became the fourth highest-rated show aired on Fox.Throughout its run, Living Single became one of the most popular African-American sitcoms of its era, ranking among the top five in African-American ratings in all five seasons. Newspaper critics contrasted Living Single with Friends, which aired during the same time slot for a while. Living Single had successful Black characters including an attorney, a stockbroker, and a business owner, in contrast to Friends, which featured white characters including a waitress, a folk singer, and an unemployed actor, and no lead characters who were people of color. Show creator Yvette Lee Bowser was disappointed that Warner Bros. did not promote Living Single nearly as much as it did its other show, Friends.
Episodes
Living Single centered on six people consisting of four women and two men living the single life in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.The series focused on two different households in one brownstone, one shared by a trio of independent women and another shared by a pair of male friends who have known each other since they spent their youth in Cleveland, Ohio. In the first apartment, Khadijah James, a hard-working editor and publisher of the fictional urban independent monthly Flavor, lived with her sweet, but naive cousin, Synclaire James, an aspiring actress who worked as Khadijah's receptionist and has an affinity for Troll dolls; and her childhood friend from East Orange, New Jersey, Regina "Régine" Hunter, an image-conscious, boutique buyer who was in a constant search for a well-to-do man to spend her life with. Later in the series, Régine became a costume assistant for the soap opera Palo Alto. When the show was canceled, she became a wedding planner and left the apartment to move in with her fiancé, Dexter Knight. Maxine "Max" Shaw, a sharp-tongued attorney and Khadijah's best friend from their college days at Howard University, frequently stopped by to share her unique insights, keep them entertained by sharing her day, to make sure that the girls' refrigerator isn't overstocked, and to start trouble with Kyle, looking for any chance to make his life worse.
Kyle Barker lived in the second apartment with Overton Wakefield Jones. Kyle was a stockbroker whose constant verbal sparring with Max did little to mask their obvious sexual attraction. Overton was the friendly, but country, maintenance man for the owner of their building who held deep affection for Synclaire and plenty of hilarious homespun wisdom for everyone else.
Kyle and Max ended up pursuing a sexual relationship, but when he decided to take a job in London and invited Max to join him, she turned him down. Maxine subsequently became distraught over her decision and, after defending a man who claims to be the second coming of Jesus, she began to seriously look for the purpose of her life. Through a series of events, Max decided that her purpose must be to become a mother and during the insemination process unknowingly picked Kyle's sperm specimen based on a list of qualities she would like for her child to have. Kyle returned in the series finale and the two reconciled. Overton and Synclaire also got together and their relationship culminated in marriage by the end of the fourth season. In season five, they moved in together, leaving Overton and Kyle's apartment open for new character Roni DeSantos, a New York-area D.J., to move in. It was eventually revealed that DeSantos had a fling with Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams III,, the new roommate of Khadijah and Régine who moved in when Synclaire's room became available. Tripp was a songwriter. Synclaire joined a comedy improv troupe where she gained the attention of Tony Jonas, a Warner Bros. television exec who cast her as a nun for a new comedy series he was developing.
Along with trying to make Flavor a success, Khadijah also spent time looking for Mr. Right. She eventually found him in childhood friend Scooter with whom she left the brownstone for the final time in the series finale.
Cast and characters
- Queen Latifah – Khadijah James, editor and publisher of Flavor Magazine, an independent magazine devoted to the interests of the urban community.
- Kim Coles – Synclaire James-Jones, Khadijah's good-natured cousin and roommate; receptionist at Flavor and aspiring actress. The role of Synclaire was originally intended for Queen Latifah's long-time friend and collaborator, Monie Love, but she was unable to take the part.
- Erika Alexander – Maxine "Max" Felice Shaw, strong-willed attorney, Khadijah's best friend and former college roommate, who grew up in Mount Airy, Philadelphia; spends much of her time at the women's apartment.
- John Henton – Overton "Obie" Wakefield Jones, Kyle's roommate and the brownstone's handyman; Synclaire's sweetheart.
- Kim Fields – Regina "Regine" Hunter, Khadijah and Synclaire's gossip-loving roommate; Khadijah's childhood friend.
- T.C. Carson – Kyle Barker, Overton's roommate and stockbroker; Max's verbal sparring partner and on-again, off-again love interest.
- Mel Jackson – Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams, Khadijah and Regine's new roommate; aspiring songwriter.
- Rita Owens — Rita James, Khadijah's mother
- Michael Warren — Ed James, Khadijah's father
- Barbara Montgomery – Nana James, Khadijah's grandmother
- Tatyana Ali – Stephanie Jones, Khadijah's half-sister
- Cress Williams — Terrence "Scooter" Williams, Khadijah's childhood friend and boyfriend
- Isaiah Washington — Dr. Charles Roberts, Khadijah's anesthesiologist and boyfriend
- Heavy D - Darryl, Regine's boyfriend
- CCH Pounder – Nina Shaw, Maxine's mother
- Gladys Knight — Odelle Jones, Overton's mother
- Antonio Fargas — Otis Jones, Overton's father
- Michole Briana White — Olivia Imogen Jones, Overton's sister
- Chip Fields — Laverne Hunter, Regine's mother
- Khalil Kain — Keith, Regine's boyfriend and artist
- Don Franklin — Dexter Knight, Regine's boyfriend turned fiancé.
- Denise Nicholas — Lilah James, Synclaire's mother
- Ron O'Neal — Clinton James, Synclaire's father
- Shaun Baker — Russell Montego, Jamaican-born music editor at Flavor
- Bumper Robinson — Ivan Ennis, Flavor copy aide and journalism major at New York University
- Dorien Wilson — Rev. Leslie Taylor, pastor at the group's church
- Idalis DeLeon — Roni De Santos, popular New York City deejay and Tripp's love interest
- Cylk Cozart – Brad Hamilton, Regine's boyfriend who turned out to be married
- Freda Payne – Miss Harper
- Thomas Mikal Ford – Michael Edwards, Synclaire's date
- Jeffrey D. Sams – Greg, Maxine's ex-boyfriend
- Miguel A. Nunez – Goldie
- Ed McMahon – as himself
- Dres – as himself
- Nia Long – Stacey Evans, photographer for Flavor and Kyle's date
- Terrence Howard – Brendan King, Maxine's college-aged boyfriend
- Cree Summer – Summer, Overton's date
- Kelvin Mercer - Morris King,
- Michael Jai White – Steve
- Charnele Brown – Jackie, Khadijah's college friend
- Arsenio Hall – as himself
- Mark Curry – Tony Ross, Regine's boyfriend, a standup comedian
- Cheryl Miller – Denise Hatcher, Khadijah's school basketball rival
- Branford Marsalis – as himself
- Tamlyn Tomita – Mary, business client of Flavor
- Franklin Cover – Professor Fletcher, Synclaire's teacher
- Gilbert Gottfried – Lawrence J. Friedlander, telemarketing company owner
- Wayne Federman – Fred Meyer, Maxine's public defender
- Diana Bellamy – Judge Glazer, the judge at Maxine's trial
- Elaine Boosler – Dr. Sheridan, Regine's doctor
- John Capodice – neighborhood ice cream man
- Deion Sanders – as himself
- Rosie O'Donnell – Sheri, Khadijah's high school friend
- Bobby Bonilla – as himself
- Shemar Moore – Jon Marc, Synclaire's study partner
- Phil Morris – Preston August, Maxine's boss and former boyfriend
- Phil LaMarr – Joe, friend of Regine's boyfriend
- Vanessa A. Williams – Hellura, Kyle's date
- Kadeem Hardison – Marcus Hughes, Village Voice reporter
- Roberto Durán – as himself
- Jenifer Lewis – Delia Deveaux, talk show host
- Will Ferrell – talk show guest
- Q-Tip - Roberto Hughes
- Bill Erwin – Mr. Foster, store owner
- Regina King – Zina, possible new roommate
- Grant Hill – as himself
- John O'Hurley – as Jean Luc Gerard, Regine new boss
- Eartha Kitt – as Jacqueline Richards, Kyle's client
- Alonzo Mourning – as himself
- Burt Ward – as himself
- Dean Cain – as himself
- Cris Carter – as himself
- Michael Boatman – as Brent, Palo Alto Actor
- Dorian Gregory – as Mountie Robeson
- Melvin Van Peebles – Warner Devant, Regine's date
- Mario Van Peebles – Cole Front, Regine's date
- Brian McKnight – as himself
- Jasmine Guy – Dr. Jessica Bryce, Khadijah's therapist
- Monica – Marissa, Khadijah's date's sister
- Giancarlo Esposito – Maxine's client
- Jack Carter – Ray Kellum, eccentric man
- Bobcat Goldthwait – mugger
- Tone Loc – as Lester Tate, picked on Kyle in high school
- Vivica A. Fox – as Darryl's fiancée
- Jeff Blake – as himself
- Evander Holyfield – as himself
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – as himself
- Susan L. Taylor – as herself
- Estelle Harris – as Esther Brooks, owner of the brownstone
- CeCe Winans – as LaTrice, in the choir of the group's church
- Sherri Shepherd – comedian
- Joseph Marcell — Reese, the women's house cleaner
- Jim Brown – as himself
- Kenya Moore – as Lisa DeLongPre, Kyle's Date
- Tracy Vilar – as Ava Rivera
- Desmond Howard – as himself
- Marsha Warfield – Agnes Finch, cruise social director
- Montell Jordan – as himself
- Vincent Mason - as Christopher Thompson
- Cedric Ceballos – as himself
- Chaka Khan – as herself
- Keyshawn Johnson – as himself
- Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins – hitchhiker
- Harold Perrineau – Walter Jackson, Maxine's client
- Joyce DeWitt – as herself
- DJ Premier as Keyshawn King
Home media
The entire series is also available for digital download on Amazon.com and the iTunes Store.
Warner Archive subsequently released season 2-5 on DVD in Region 1. These are Manufacture-on-Demand releases, available from Warner's online store and Amazon.com.
| DVD name | Episodes | Region 1 |
| The Complete First Season | 27 | February 14, 2006 |
| The Complete Second Season | 27 | September 19, 2017 |
| The Complete Third Season | 27 | November 21, 2017 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 24 | March 20, 2018 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 13 | June 5, 2018 |
Cancellation
In May 1997, Fox announced that it had ordered 13 episodes of the fifth season of Living Single but that the episodes would be delayed until January 1998. Three months later, Fox made a change to its fall schedule, delayed the airing of a new comedy called Rewind, and decided to air Living Singles fifth season on September 11. The final episode of the fifth season aired on January 1, 1998. Fox decided to cancel the show afterwards.Crossovers
- Half & Half: Erika Alexander and T.C. Carson reprised their roles of Maxine Shaw and Kyle Barker on the UPN sitcom, Half & Half. In the episode, ambitious law student Dee Dee learns that her mother's co-star in a play is engaged to Maxine, Dee Dee's idol. However, her mother gets Maxine's beau, Kyle, fired because she fears he will take attention away from her. The episode also revealed that Maxine and Kyle remained a couple and were the proud parents of their seven-year-old daughter named Kyla.
- The Crew: In one episode "The Mating Season" of the short-lived Fox sitcom The Crew, Regine becomes a passenger on a flight and argues with a sassy stewardess in hopes of upgrading to first class. On another episode, "The Worst Noel", Synclaire also becomes a passenger. The episode served as a bridge for The Crew and its lead-in show, Living Single.
Syndication
Reunion specials
An hour-long retrospective special, Living Single: The Reunion Show, aired on TV One on September 22, 2008. Coles, Henton, Fields, Carson and Alexander reunited to share fond memories with the fans. Queen Latifah and Mel Jackson were unavailable to participate. The special featured clips and revealing secrets of the cast from the show's five-year run.From August 24–26, 2018, TV One aired a weekend marathon of "Living Single" to highlight the 25th anniversary of the show. Coles, Henton, Fields, and Carson reunited once again to share memories with the fans, to share their thoughts on the characters they portrayed, and provided a tribute to Rita Owens, who had passed in early 2018. Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander and Mel Jackson were unavailable to participate.