‘Living Single’ creator reflects on the show’s 30th anniversary

On Aug. 22, 1993, “Living Single” premiered on Fox. Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the hit sitcom, created by Yvette Lee Bowser and starring Queen Latifah and Kim Fields.

Bowser spoke with NBC News to reflect on the creation and impact of “Living Single” since premiering three decades ago. She recalls calling her mother to tell her that Fox picked up the show for 13 episodes, including the pilot.

“You know that show that I wrote about,” Bowser said she told her mom. “It’s actually going to be on TV,” NBC reported.

Yvette Lee Bowser attends the “2023 Writers Guild Awards West Coast” Ceremony on March 5, 2023, at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for WGAW)

“Living Single” ran for five seasons on Fox. In addition to Queen Latifah (Khadijah) and Fields (Regine), the show also starred Kim Coles (Synclaire), Erika Alexander (Max), John Henton (Overton), and T.C. Carson (Kyle).

The show revolved around Khadijah, her sister Synclaire, Regine, and Max, as four professional friends dealing with work and love. Khadijah ran Flavor Magazine, and Synclaire also worked there while trying to make it as an actress. The sisters shared a Brooklyn duplex with childhood friend Regine, while Max, an attorney, lived nearby. Overton, a handyman, and Kyle, a stockbroker, shared the upstairs and later became romantically involved with Synclaire and Max, respectively.

“You’ve never seen these women before,” Fields told Entertainment Tonight. “Four Black women in that twenty-something age range who are in New York and trying to make it.”

Bowser spoke about the intentionality behind having a series with professional Black women as the focal point.

“I wanted to create a series that centered on and celebrated women,” Bowser said. “When you create something that is intended to be a love letter, and you pour love into it over time, what I’ve found is that you continue to get love back over an extended and unexpected period of time.”

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