Classic TV: In Living Color (1990)

 We had this up before, then took it down when the last video we used was bounced due to copyright reasons.

Fox added to its developing Sunday lineup in the spring of 1990 with In Living Color, the brainchild of actor-comic-filmmaker Keenan Ivory Wayans ("I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka"), and an avenue for not only the Wayans family, but also future stars like Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, and Fly Girls Jennifer Lopez and Carrie Ann Inaba. Rosie Perez was the Fly Girls' choreographer before getting into acting herself. Jim Carrey (ex-The Duck Factory) raised his profile as one of the core cast before leaving to get back into movies.

Yes, it was a pre-taped, inner-city answer to Saturday Night Live, albeit in a more compact half hour format, and it lasted just four seasons, but its legacy stands to date.

Among the features in the opener are a send-up of Love Connection, with Jim Carrey filling the Chuck Woolery role as host, and the debut of the Homeboy Shopping Network sketches with Keenan & Damon Wayans.

There were crossovers of a sort with other Fox series, too. For example, Ed O'Neill (Married...With Children) appeared in a game show skit based on "The Dozens".

The theme song, as if you couldn't guess, was performed by Heavy D.

Rating: A-.