South Central

Larenz Tate, Jennifer Lopez, and Clifton Powell were all on one show in 1994. I think it is cool to see people who have become household names, early on in their career. This show happened for Larenz Tate shortly after Menace II Society and The Inkwell. It was the third acting credit for Jennifer Lopez after her role as one of the Fly Girls on In Living Color. Clifton Powell has been in so many classic movies, whether in a major role or a small one. You know Clifton Powell’s face whether you know his name or not. Tina Lifford may not be the most widely known name, but she is an amazing actress. She plays the matriarch in this show and you should currently be enjoying her on Queen Sugar as the matriarch of the Bordelon family. I first came to know her because of my obsession with The Temptations mini-series and her role as Haze (Otis Williams' mother) in it.

Sadly, even with all the talented people in this series, South Central only lasted one season with a mere ten 30-minute episodes. Ignoring that misjustice you should know it was a show that made the audience invested in the livelihood and peace of the Mosley family.

When we meet the Mosley family, we are thrown in the middle of their morning routine. The episode begins with a startling scream from Deion. He is the non-verbal child of a drug adducted birth mother. Joan Mosley (Tina Lifford) has welcomed him into her loving yet broken home. You must respect and commend Joan for taking in a child in need of a home, that is more than anything else a beautiful act. It must be stated though that Deion’s addition to the family has put another strain on an already emotionally worn family. While you get deeper into the show, the audience has to wonder if Joan made the choice to take in a foster child because she was trying to fill the hole left by the tragedy that occurred in her family.

The challenges of caring for Deion are especially weighing on Tasha, the daughter of Joan, portrayed by Tasha Scott. The show explores generational traumas, such as the overwhelming responsibility transferred from mother to daughter. Larenz Tate who plays Andre Mosley, the oldest child, is not expected to do as much as for the household or Deion as his sister. That is not a slight to Joan’s parenting, it is an interesting conversation that the show sparks. Joan is trying to ensure that her son is not devoured by the gang-controlled streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Perhaps, requiring the same assistance she requests from Tasha is a frustration she does not want to place on Andre. Or she just knows that she cannot depend on him the way she can Tasha.

Joan is a single mother who is financially struggling. She is in search of work and reluctantly must accept the aid of the government to help her keep her family alive. Clifton Powell portrays Bobby Deavers the owner of a grocery store. His character is necessary because it gives viewers a black business owner who is proud of his ethnicity. Joan eventually begins working there along with Jennifer Lopez’s character, Lucille.

I found this show randomly, years ago on Youtube. I saw a young Larenz Tate and was driven to watch every episode. The episodes were separated into 10-minute parts and I sped through all of them except one. The sixth episode, entitled Dad, was nowhere to be found much like the Mosley “patriarch” himself. I searched for years with no luck. One of my main motivations for writing this was that someone would be so inspired by my pitch to watch the show that they would find the sixth episode, and then tell me where I could find it. Yes, selfish I know, but I have no shame.

My most pressing goal for this piece happened even more organically than I imagined. I went back to the source not expecting to find the lost episode, just wanting to double-check my recollection of the pilot episode. I lost my breath when I saw a 25-minute video captioned “Dad.” Thank you, My Childhood TV (that is the channel that posted the episode.) Maybe I need to re-evaluate my life because the amount of joy finding this episode brought me is concerning.

This show pulled me in because of the familiar faces I saw. Michael Beach (Soul Food, Lean On Me, Sons of Anarchy), Lamont Bentley (Hakeem from Moesha), Shar Jackson (Niecy from Moesha), and Maia Campbell (Tiffany from In The House) all appeared in several episodes of South Central. I think South Central is a hidden short-lived gem that should be appreciated and highlighted. It has a 7.7 rating on imdb.com and if you have any idea of how tough it is to get a good rating on that website you understand that I am not over-hyping the show. Ralph Farquhar (producer on Moesha, Married with Children, Parkers) and Michael J. Weithorn (creator of King of Queens) co-created South Central, so there’s proof there were good storytellers involved in the show.

So much was given in 10 episodes. The show is timeless and delves into how loss affects a family, the effects of drug abuse on a child, the struggles of trying to raise a family and not neglect yourself, the difficulties of growing up, and so much more. Watch.