Tracee Ellis Ross prepares Return to Television

By TV Insider
JR Staff Writer

In the early 2000s, Tracee Ellis Ross moved out of her mother's enormous shadow and became a star in her own right. She starred for eight years on the hit UPN/CW series, "Girlfriends." The show was the most popular on UPN, a network geared towards the black audience.

In 2006, UPN merged with The WB to form The CW and many black sitcoms were lost in the process. "Girlfriends" survived for two years before being cancelled. Following the cancellation, there was public outrage. People called upon BET to save the day, but they did nothing besides show reruns.

The black community rallied behind "The Game," the popular spin-off of "Girlfriends," in the wake of the cancellation. But, one year later, it, too, was cancelled. But, BET played hero with the second series and brought it back to life. Upon bringing "The Game" back, there was a small glimmer of hope of "Girlfriends" being brought back, but it did not happen.

However, Tracee Ellis Ross will soon be returning to television because of BET. "The Game" has revitalized the network. Because of the success of the series, BET is producing more original sitcoms and adding them to the lineup. Outside of "The Game," BET is also showing a new series called "Let's Stay Together," which has been moderately successful. Tracee Ellis Ross has been cast for a new BET sitcom, called "Reed Between the Lines."