'Living Single' Stars Reflect On Onscreen Relationship

Erika Alexander and T.C. Carson were one of TV’s favorite couples during their time on the ’90s sitcom Living Single. But Carson was written out of the show in its fifth and final season after speaking out too loudly about inequities. Friends was the top sitcom of the era and one of the most popular in TV history. But its template of a tight-knit group of friends living together was set by Living Single. Both shows were produced by Warner Bros. and shot on the Warner Bros. lot.

Despite the parallels and the strong ratings for Living Single, Carson and his castmates felt they were slighted in comparison when it came to salaries and budgets.

Alexander and fellow Living Single star Kim Coles are co-hosting the ReLiving Single podcast, watching every episode of the series with behind-the-scenes info and their reactions. Created by groundbreaking TV executive Yvette Lee Bowser as a vehicle for Queen Latifah, Living Single aired on Fox from 1993 to 1998. It covered the lives and loves of six friends living in a Brooklyn brownstone and also co-starred Kim Fields and John Henton.

Alexander played attorney-at-law Maxine Shaw, and Carson portrayed her love interest, stockbroker Kyle Barker. Alexander’s role was so influential that she inspired a generation of aspiring lawyers and executives. (There’s a website dedicated to her character and its impact.)

Carson was the podcast’s most recent guest in a special episode where Coles and Alexander broke down the music that underpinned the series. His visit made Alexander visibly emotional when they discussed the impact of his departure.

“You didn’t just leave. There was a huge void. And I think that left a lot of us paralyzed,” Alexander said. 

She added, “I actually didn’t even know how to be Max without you. Part of her, the architecture of Max, exists inside of a conversation and a duel with a man named TC Carson, who’s playing Kyle…As my comedy partner, like Fred Astaire needs his Ginger (Rogers), I just want to let you know that you were the best comedy partner I could ever have.”

Carson told Comedy Hype in 2000 that he was fired from Living Single because of his advocacy and that the cast followed his lead.

“Part of it is, even now, if you’re African-American, you shut your mouth and do your job,” he said. “Don’t ask questions. Be happy that you have a job. My whole time on Living Single, I was happy I had a job, but I understood the importance of the job I had. I understood the importance of what these characters meant to my community. And so when I come to you with a problem, it’s because of that, not because of ego. They looked at it as ego.”

Watch the full podcast below:

‘Living Single’ Stars Erika Alexander And T.C. Carson Emotionally Reflect On Their Onscreen Relationship  was originally published on cassiuslife.com