Black. White. was a reality television show on FX. It premiered on Wednesday March 8, 2006 at 10 p.m. Eastern. The series followed two families of three, one white, and the other black. Through studio quality make-up, the two families—the Wurgels and the Sparks—traded races and experienced what life is like in the other family's shoes. The show was produced and created by Ice Cube, R. J. Cutler and the show's theme song is "Race Card" performed by Ice Cube and produced by Warren G. The 6th and final episode of the series aired on Wednesday, April 12 at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
Contents |
Two families - one white and one black - come together under one roof in Los Angeles as they prepare to go out in the world as the other race. Despite being called "The Wurgels" (Carmen's name by marriage) the three participants were not exactly a family in the strictest sense of the term. Film actor (referred to here as a teacher) Bruno Marcotulli, his purported girlfriend Carmen, and her daughter Rose Bloomfield a child actor who starred on the Disney television show Movie Surfers, until she quit shortly after being cast in Black.White, are white middle-class suburbanites from Santa Monica, California, and the Sparkses (Brian, Renee, and son Nick) are a black middle-class family from Atlanta, Georgia. Brian gains access to white culture when he lands a job as a bartender while in white make-up.
A bitter argument erupts between Renee and Carmen over the use of racially charged language. That racially charged language is when Carmen calls Renee a "bitch". Rose is torn over revealing her true "color" to her new friends in the poetry group or maintaining her cover for the sake of the project.
The Wurgels and Sparkses lock horns over language and behavior. As the friction builds between Carmen and Renee, Carmen turns to an outsider for insight into the black experience. Bruno and Carmen encounter hostility in an all-white country/western bar, and Nick's fascination with the gangster/hip-hop lifestyle raises concerns for Brian and Renee.
Emotions run high as the project reveals unexpected truths about the family members. After experiencing racism for the first time, Carmen becomes disheartened with Bruno's obstinate views and expresses serious concerns about their future together. Rose struggles to fit in with her black friends. When Nick states he doesn't mind his etiquette classmates using a racial epithet in his presence, Brian and Renee take steps to educate Nick about his cultural roots, and why he should take offense to this word.
Tensions grow as the families struggle to find common ground. Rose develops a crush on a friend from poetry class. Renee develops a new friendship with a Catholic mother that transcends race, and Bruno and Brian reach an impasse over their different interpretations of racism.
Both families share the profound impact the six week project has had on their lives and begin to reconcile their differences as the journey comes to an end. Rose prepares for her final performance before a live audience at the Slam Poetry event. Nick spends the day with an ex-gang member. Renee and Carmen make amends, and Brian and Bruno agree to disagree, but Brian goes out with a bang by calling Bruno a racist.
The show has received criticism from major media outlets. Robert Bianco of USA Today has stated:[1]
Lee Siegel of The New Republic has stated:[2]
In Canada, Black. White. aired on Sun TV , an independent broadcast television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In Australia, the show was seen on the Foxtel* & Austar* channel FOX8. (* Cable and Satellite broadcasting systems). Also broadcasted in Sweden on a public tv-channel. Moreover, a two-part French version of the show was produced and aired on Canal + in January 2007, named "Dans la peau d'un noir" (In the skin of a black).
| DVD Name | Release Date | # of Ep | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete Series | September 12, 2006 | 6 | Audio Commentary on every episode with cast & crew, Ice Cube's Black. White. Video, Applications and Original Casting Videos, Bruno's Rap, Black. White. Makeup Application, Study Guides DVD-Rom, Black. White. Makeup Slideshow, Rose's Poetry Slam, Black. White. Before. After. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||