Soul Food (TV series)
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| Soul Food | |
|---|---|
 Soul Food: Final Season DVD (July 8th) |
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| Format | Drama |
| Created by | George Tillman, Jr. Felicia D. Henderson |
| Starring | Nicole Ari Parker Vanessa A. Williams Malinda Williams Darrin Dewitt Henson Rockmond Dunbar Boris Kodjoe Aaron Meeks |
| Opening theme | "The Way Love Goes" Written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds & Al Green Performed by: Al Green (Season 1) Al Green & Sy Smith (Seasons 2-5) |
| Country of origin | U.S.A. |
| No. of episodes | 74 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 hour |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Showtime |
| Original run | June 2000 – May 2004 |
- For the type of cuisine, see soul food.
- For the film upon which this series was based, see Soul Food (film).
Soul Food: The Series is a popular television drama that aired Wednesday nights on Showtime from June 28, 2000 to May 26, 2004. The show is currently shown in syndication on the BET and BET J cable networks in edited form.
Created by filmmaker George Tillman, Jr., Soul Food is based upon Tillman's childhood experiences growing up in Wisconsin, and is a continuation of Tillman's successful 1997 film of the same name Having aired 74 episodes, it is the longest running drama with a predominantly African-American cast in the history of American prime-time television.
The show was co-produced by Paramount Television and 20th Century Fox Television, despite the fact that Paramount Pictures had no involvement in the film.
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[edit] Premise
Soul Food follows the triumphs, struggles, and rivalries of a tight-knit African-American family living in Chicago. The series picks up 5 months after the events in the film, as the family tried to hold together after the death of the Joseph sisters' mother Josephine (Irma P. Hall, reprising her role in flashback sequences), usually referred to as Mama, Mother Joe, or Big Mama.
[edit] Episodes
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 4
- Season 5
[edit] Cast
- Rockmond Dunbar as Kenny Chadway
- Darrin Dewitt Henson as Lem Van Adams
- Boris Kodjoe as Damon Carter (recurring in Seasons 1 and 5; regular cast in Seasons 2-4)
- Aaron Meeks as Ahmad Chadway
- Nicole Ari Parker as Teri Joseph
- Malinda Williams as Tracy "Bird" Joseph Van Adams
- Vanessa Williams1 as Maxine Joseph Chadway
Note 1: Vanessa A. Williams, who portrays Maxine, is not to be confused with Vanessa L. Williams -- the R&B singer, actress, and 1984 Miss America -- who portrayed Teri in the film upon which the series is based.
[edit] Recurring cast members and notable guest stars
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[edit] Response
Soul Food was ground-breaking for its time. It was one of the first long-running and successful dramatic series on television to feature a predominantly African-American cast. Short-lived series such as Under One Roof and City of Angels featured predominantly black casts but never gained recognition due to lack of ratings and viewership. The show tackled topics of politics, homosexuality, racial discrimination, and certain forms of abuse (drug, domestic, and sexual). Because it aired on Showtime, the show involved mild profanity and partial nudity that may not be suitable to younger viewers. Certain episodes even served as launching pads for up-and-coming new artists. Many known performers such as Gerald Levert, Montell Jordan , India.Arie, Sunshine Anderson and Common have made appearances as well.
[edit] Popularity
Soul Food instantly became an over-night success. Its popularity and huge fan base immediately earned the show a record-breaking renewal of 40 episodes in 2001. The show earned many awards during its five-season run on Showtime. It received five NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and won three consecutive times in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Also, a three-book series was launched in 2002.
[edit] Syndication
In 2004, Black Entertainment Television acquired the rights to air reruns of the series (in the U.S.). The episodes have been edited to allow for commercials, and to meet F.C.C. broadcast standards for basic cable networks.
[edit] DVD releases
On June 24, 2003, Paramount Home Entertainment released the first season of Soul Food on DVD, just two weeks after the series wrapped its fourth season. These discs are the only way to see uncut episodes of the series. The later seasons are still being "considered for releasing." After four years since the series was first released on DVD, CBS/Paramount have announced that the second season has been released on August 7, 2007.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 20 | June 24, 2003 |
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| Season 2 | 20 | August 7, 2007 |
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| Seasons 3 & 4 | 20 | February 5, 2008 |
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| Final Season | 14 | July 8, 2008 [1] |
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| Complete Series | 74 | July 8, 2008 [2] |
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[edit] Soundtrack
The show was so popular that it even had its own soundtrack which served as a companion to the series. Soul Food: The Best R&B of 2000 was released on December 5, 2000 on Def Soul Records. The compilation featured artists like Mary J. Blige, L.L. Cool J., R. Kelly and Yolanda Adams. It even featured the show's theme song performed by Al Green and Babyface.
[edit] Awards
| Status | Year | Award | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominee | 2001 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Main Title Theme Music - Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Al Green |
| Winner | 2001 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress - Aaron Meeks |
| Nominee | 2001 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Drama Series |
| Nominee | 2001 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Nicole Ari Parker |
| Nominee | 2001 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Vanessa A. Williams |
| Nominee | 2001 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Irma P. Hall |
| Winner | 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Drama Series |
| Winner | 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Debbi Morgan |
| Winner | 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress - Aaron Meeks |
| Nominee | 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Nicole Ari Parker |
| Nominee | 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds |
| Nominee | 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Boris Kodjoe |
| Winner | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Drama Series |
| Winner | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Vanessa A. Williams |
| Nominee | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Nicole Ari Parker |
| Nominee | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Malinda Williams |
| Nominee | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Boris Kodjoe |
| Nominee | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Aaron Meeks |
| Nominee | 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Kimberly Elise |
| Nominee | 2003 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Supporting Young Actor - Aaron Meeks |
| Winner | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Drama Series |
| Nominee | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Nicole Ari Parker |
| Nominee | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Malinda Williams |
| Nominee | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Vanessa A. Williams |
| Nominee | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Darrin Dewitt Henson |
| Nominee | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Boris Kodjoe |
| Nominee | 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Terri J. Vaughn |
| Nominee | 2004 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Supporting Young Actor - Aaron Meeks |
| Nominee | 2005 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Drama Series |
| Nominee | 2005 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Nicole Ari Parker |
| Nominee | 2005 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Malinda Williams |
| Nominee | 2005 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series - Vanessa A. Williams |
| Nominee | 2005 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Darrin Dewitt Henson |
| Nominee | 2005 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Diahann Carroll |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Soul Food at the Internet Movie Database
