Color Adjustment

Marlon Riggs's 1992 documentary reads forty years of American television through its Black characters. It works across a run of programmes from Amos 'n' Andy to Roots and The Cosby Show. The argument is that more representation is not on its own enough. Riggs shows how the characters were made acceptable, and examines in detail how conflict was softened as race entered the screen. Producers, actors and scholars speak, Norman Lear among them. Ruby Dee narrates. Riggs died two years later. Who it's for: those interested in media history and debates about representation. Who it's not for: viewers expecting nostalgia; the documentary is critical of beloved programmes too.