Widely applauded in the United States as _ showing a more realistic image of black
Americans than that of the Cosby Show or, at the other extreme, Boyz 'n the Hood, this mini-series chronicles one eventful weekend in the life of an African-American lower middle class family in Minneapolis.
The New York Post said it was
"television at its best: no cliches, no stereotypes, no phoney issues, no pat answers and no condescension to characters or viewers"; while the Los Angeles Times praised the "strikingly fresh, honest and subtle" performances.
The first programme introduces the Arnetts, an extended family headed by the church-going Maggie and Jake and including a recovering junkie, a female cop who's up for promotion, and a high-school basketball coach with a stutter.
The story unfolds in " real time" (it is being shown in three parts over the comingweekend), following the individuals as they try - and usually fail - to resolve their everyday problems.
Followed by Sarajevo - a Street under Siege