Black. White.

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 was "Race Card", performed by Ice Cube and produced by Warren G. The series had six episodes.

Episodes

Episode 1

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 real family in the strictest sense of the term. Film actor (referred to here as a teacher) Bruno Marcotulli portrays Bruno Wurgel; 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.) portray white middle-class suburbanites the Wurgel family from Santa Monica, California.

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.

Episode 2

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.

Episode 3

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.

Episode 4

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.

Episode 5

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.

Episode 6

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.

Criticism

The show received mixed responses. Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stated, "No matter what conclusion you come to after watching FX's six-episode reality series "Black. White." you should be grateful for the care producers RJ Cutler and Ice Cube took in executing it." [1] Matt Roush of TV Guide wrote, "Far from a cheap reality stunt, FX's provocative documentary series Black.White. is an endlessly curious and unexpectedly intelligent social experiment...." [2] Charles Page of the Chicago Tribune said, "Compared to its obvious inspiration, "Black Like Me," it is easy to knock "Black.White.," the new reality TV experiment on race relations on FX—and many people do....Maybe it is. Or maybe it's a rare injection of substance into TV's usual nonsense."[3]

The show also received criticism from major media outlets. Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote:[4]

"The show is being sold on the race-switch trick, but tonight's premiere is built around a far more mundane stunt: putting people you know won't get along into close-quarter situations designed to exacerbate the inevitable conflicts. If you think there's any chance that the two men, Brian and Bruno, weren't cast specifically to clash, or that the producers aren't playing up every conflict, you've never seen a reality show."
"Black. White. is based on two false premises, one more pernicious than the other: that you can understand someone of a different race simply by putting on makeup, and that you need that kind of understanding in order to treat people as the law and morality require."

Lee Siegel of The New Republic commented:[5]

"'Black. White.' is not a provocative study in secret prejudice, followed by growth and awakening. It's a reinforcement of the stereotypes the show claims it wants to examine and expose."

International broadcasts

In Canada, Black. White. aired on Sun TV, an independent broadcast television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In Australia, the show was seen on Foxtel & Austar channel Fox8. It was also broadcast in Sweden on a public TV channel. 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 release

DVD NameRelease Date# of EpAdditional Information
Complete SeriesSeptember 12, 20066 Audio commentary on every episode with cast and 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.

Awards and nominations

The series won an Emmy award for 'Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)' in 2006, and was nominated for an Image Award for 'Outstanding Reality Series'[6] in 2007.

See also

References

  1. ↑ McFarland, Melanie (6 March 2006). "On TV: 'Black. White.' is uncomfortable, revealing reality TV". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Roush Rave". Actual Reality Pictures. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Page, Clarence (12 March 2006). "Trading races drama". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  4. ↑ Bianco, Robert (3 July 2006). "'Black. White.' Oh, whatever.". USA Today. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Race Coarse". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Awards for "Black. White." (2006)". IMDb. Retrieved 7 August 2007.

External links