TVSquad

Hot Ghetto Mess, a new series on BET based on the Web site HotGhettoMess.com, has already courted some controversy before its July 25 premiere.

The new series features user-submitted videos and street interviews meant to encourage viewers to change themselves and their communities for the better.

Or, it's a show that exploits stereotypes, and it's the reason both Home Depot and State Farm Insurance have asked to be dropped from the series.

Largely a retread of August's New York Times piece on black women in advertising, today's Detroit News has published a feature on the use of Aunt Jemima imagery on TV today. The piece sticks mainly to commercials, but this type of criticism has also come down on Weeds' creator Jenji Kohan for giving us the kitchen-bound, dope-dealing Heylia who proclaims herself a member of the original NPR - "Negroes Preachin' Right."

The article asks if Aunt Jemima is back. They probably should be asking if she ever went away.

Adam de la Pena is one of the minds behind Minoriteam, the Adult Swim series about a team of super heroes whose powers are based on their stereotypes. Before that, however, you may have seen Adam as Gary Busey's pal and occasional foil on the insane Comedy Central series I'm with Busey. He's also worked behind the scenes as a writer on such programs as The Man Show and Crank Yankers.

I spoke with Adam yesterday about Minoriteam, racism, writing for puppets, and knowing when it's okay to say no to Gary Busey:

Adam F: What was the driving force behind Minoriteam? Did you want it simply to be funny or to really make a point about race?

Adam D: My thing is, I come from a background where I love TV. I watch as much TV as I can. My favorite show is Magnum PI. So, I really want [to make it] the funniest show I can in general. The point we're making with the show doesn't matter unless it's funny. I don't like preaching to people. I don't like having some sort of crazy overriding political agenda.

One, personally, it just sticks you in a hole where you're like "I believe THIS." You're going to believe that your whole life? You're eighteen, and when you're fifty you're going to believe that, too? So I think that's the most important thing. If it's not funny then it's not interesting to me and I don't really care about it. I'm really more interested in nonsense. A huge influence [of mine] would be Monty Python and Kids in the Hall. British comedy in general.

The shows have to be funny and they have to be ridiculous. That's where the heroes' flaws come into play, and The White Shadow is definitely this ridiculous organization. The guy's a complete idiot and the guys he has working for him aren't much smarter, either.

I caught the premiere of Minoriteam last night, which, if you check Adult Swim's page for the show, is actually the fifth episode, "Tribe and Prejudice." If you're not up to speed, the show is about a group of super heroes who all happen to be minorities, and their powers are based on their specific stereotype. The show was co-created by Adam De La Pena of I'm with Busey, who also penned last night's episode.

Like most Adult Swim fare, the show clocks in at under fifteen minutes, which is all well and good since I don't think it could hold up much longer than that. While the episode did have some great moments, such as an Indian casino being closed down for being built on an ancient pilgrim burial ground, it feels as if it's mining a realm of comedy that's been drawn from time and time again. While I love the comic book aesthetic of the show, I feel like this kind of humor has been done before.

Nevertheless, I'm not passing judgment on it just yet, since I only saw one episode. Besides, it had enough yucks to make me want to check it out again next week. Whether I'll stick around beyond that remains to be seen. If you guys caught it, I'd like to know what you thought of it.