Boris Kodjoe And MyBrownBaby, Sitting In a Tree...

Oh, alright—so I won't be K-I-S-S-I-N-G that gorgeous hunk of a man Boris Kodjoe any time soon. BUT come 8 p.m. tonight, I will be front and center when his new show, Undercovers, makes its big debut on NBC. I mean, anyone with eyes can see why I and a bunch of my girlfriends will be tuning in. But my lust... er... excitement for this show is bigger than that; Undercovers is a slick, sexy hour's worth of show about Steven and Samantha Bloom, a hot couple who run a catering business by day and carry out international spy capers by night—and the lead characters are black.

They're not playing the rear.

They're not the side-kicks.

They're not the super wise, all-knowing bosses who dutifully show white characters how to do the right thing.

Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are THE STARS and the show is ABOUT THEIR LIVES and they're doing exciting things that have NOTHING to do with their color. And anyone who watches five seconds of American television knows how rare this is, as discussed so poignantly in this Associated Press story about Undercovers' "colorful mission":

It's a persistent rarity in TV to have black leads outside of a "Grey's Anatomy"-style ensemble, and "Undercovers" is rarer still because it's not an African-American sitcom or a black-oriented drama fraught with social issues or family pathos.

This time around, two stunning, accomplished and happily wed black characters just get to have fun...

Fun, indeed. It's a shame that in 2010, we still have to stand up and celebrate when a show featuring black characters finds its way to prime time on a major network, but stand up and celebrate I will—for someone trusting Boris and Gugu to tell a cool story, for NBC trusting that story enough to broadcast it, and especially for J.J. Abrams, the show's creator, who fearlessly demanded the characters be black and fly and sexy and interesting and in love. Something we hardly ever get to see in mainstream media, let alone prime time TV. 

And y'all know how I feel about those who celebrate black love.

And so if you're with me, tune in to NBC tonight to watch my man... er, Boris Kodjoe, in Undercovers. Let's show NBC and Hollywood we support those who show us as we are. 

AND...

Tomorrow, MyBrownbaby—i.e. I, Denene Millner—will be on the new The Nate Berkus Show! The interior designer-turned Oprah Winfrey Show media darling, is serving up celeb talk, design tips, mom and relationship advice and more on his new show, which debuted earlier this month, and he invited me to dish some relationship advice to a family going through some things in the middle of this awful recession. You MUST watch, not just because I'm on, but because it's a really good show and Nate Berkus is absolutely adorable, smart, and infectious. 

So check out the episode, tomorrow, Thursday, September 23rd, and if you're so moved, come on back and leave some comments to tell me what you thought about Nate's show and my advice. CLICK HERE to see when and on what channel The Nate Berkus Show airs in your city.