In a 2020s kind of world, Queen Latifah’s still got her girls.
The actress reunited with her “Living Single” castmates Erika Alexander and Kim Coles on their rewatch podcast “ReLiving Single.”
That’s right.
Khadijah James, Maxine Shaw “attorney at law,” and Synclaire James-Jones all sat down to talk about the groundbreaking ’90s sitcom on Fox.
The New Jersey native opened up about her first impression of the now classic Fox series.
“I always thought it was going to be a hit,” Latifah told Alexander. “I wouldn’t have even signed up. I only signed up and committed to things that I was fully committed to, but I knew we had something. I mean, that was the goal, to create something successful.”
She also touted the cast for helping it become a hit.
“Once we got ya’ll, I was already like ‘Okay, we’ve got Kim Coles, this is crazy.’ Yvette (the show’s creator, Yvette Lee Bowser) was on the come-up, and you (pointing at Alexander), and then Kim Fields, are you kidding me!?”
Latifah played Khadijah, who was the editor and publisher of the fictional magazine “Flavor.” Coles played her cousin Synclaire, and Alexander played Maxine, the sharp-witted attorney who was Khadijah’s best friend from college.
Prior to the show, audiences knew Coles from the sketch comedy show “In Living Color,” while Fields was most famous for her role in “The Facts of Life.” Alexander, who auditioned for the series, joked that she was “found off the street, like an urchin.”
Latifah corrected her, calling her a “professional maverick, kingdom, queendom urchin.”
The “U.N.I.T.Y.” singer also said the success of Martin Lawrence’s show “Martin,” which was on the same network, helped them thrive.
“Fox being like this kind of burgeoning network, trying to become the fourth network, that was like space for us to grow.”
Before the series, Latifah was known as a rapper and toured with Will Smith. It wasn’t until Smith landed the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” that she realized she could transition from music to television.
“If Will could do it, we can do it,” she explained. “So, we just started kicking around ideas like, how can we make this happen?”
From there, the ball got rolling, and television was eventually made.
The series followed six single friends living in brownstone apartment in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Khadijah and Synclaire lived with Regina “Régine” Hunter, played by Kim Coles. Two male tenants lived across the hall: Kyle Barker, played by T.C. Carson, and Overtone Wakefield Jones, played by John Henton.
Some have often said the NBC hit show “Friends” ripped off “Living Single,” which has become an age-old debate.
In 2017, it was brought up when Latifah appeared on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” When she was asked if there would ever be a “Living Single” reboot, co-guest Jason Sudeikis said, “I thought ‘Friends’ was the reboot.”
“Oh, you know about that too,” she asked.
“I’m paying attention,” the Ted Lasso star said.
From there, “The Equalizer” star said her show pioneered the concept “Friends” has often been touted for originating.
“Living Single” debuted in 1993 and ran for five seasons. “Friends” debuted in 1994 and aired for 10 seasons.
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