• by Ed Martin , July 1, 2011

Given the high caliber of so many scripted drama series on basic cable these days, it may be asking too much for the press to show big love for VH1's "Single Ladies" - a simple show that seeks only to entertain -- but how about a little "like"? This sexy prime-time soap about the personal and professional lives and loves of three upscale women in Atlanta (where the series is filmed) may at times be lighter than air, but the same can be said of many of the books, reality television programs and movies that pass for summer escapist fare, and they all have their strident supporters in the media and elsewhere.

"Single" has been compared to the modern scripted classic "Sex and the City" and the current unscripted hit "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," but similarities to either are slight at best. Even at its most outlandishly materialistic, there was a realistic feel to "Sex" that is largely absent in "Single," perhaps because Atlanta is not used in "Single" to the same advantage that Manhattan was in "Sex." (I've got to note, however, that the daytime and nighttime establishing shots of Atlanta that punctuate so much of "Single" are breathtakingly beautiful and on their own may encourage tourists to visit The ATL.)

Also, the primary characters in "Single" tend to live very well; not as well as characters in those fondly remembered prime-time serials of the'80s, but a step or two up from the women of "Sex and the City," at least when we first met them early in that show's run. As for the inevitable (and lazy) comparisons to the Atlanta "Housewives," even with their fantasy lives, the women in "Single" seem far more identifiable in their personal searches for love and fulfillment than the women in "Housewives" in their desperate bids for stardom.

Continuing with comparisons, while the relationship-driven and romance-challenged characters in "Single" may not be as well-developed as those in "Sex and the City" or as bombastic as those in the Atlanta (and other) "Real Housewives" franchises, they are a lot more fun to be around than the relationship-obsessed and romance-challenged characters in many of the new broadcast sitcoms set to debut this fall. (That's all I will say about any of those at this early stage, as I presume most of them are undergoing significant changes from their pilots.)

Here's another reason the press ought to be paying more attention to "Single": It features more black actors in leading roles than any other hour-long drama on basic cable television -- or broadcast, for that matter. For all the pomp and circumstance and hiring of special executives to oversee such matters that has been a part of network life since the mid-'90s (when every show suddenly looked as white-washed as "Dawson's Creek" and "Friends"), the absence of African Americans in leading roles on television series remains profound. (Just look at the first round of new series coming in the 2011-12 season.) The cast of "Single Ladies" -- including Stacey Dash as love-challenged boutique owner Val, LisaRaye McCoy as the supremely self-confident Keisha, D.B. Woodside as wealthy businessman Malcolm and Travis Winfrey as Val's assistant Omar -- is so appealing that I can't help but wonder why this is so? (Rounding out the cast are two white actresses, Charity Shea as April, an aspiring music industry executive caught in a messy divorce after her affair with the mayor - played by rapper Common -- and Kassandra Clementi as party girl Christina, an intern at Val's store.)

I like to think that one of the aftershocks that will follow ABC's unfortunate cancellation in the coming months of long-running soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" and CBS' and NBC's gutting of their daytime drama lineups will be increased interest in romance- and relationship-driven prime-time serials, most likely on basic cable rather than broadcast, where they once ruled. In that scenario,

"Single Ladies" is perfectly positioned to lead the rebirth (and relocation) of its genre. Series creator and executive producer Stacy A. Littlejohn clearly understands what soap fans want. Here's hoping that VH1 renews it for a second season and throws some more money in the pot, allowing Littlejohn to add a few more characters to her canvas, a little more glitz to her production and a few more location shoots to her schedule. "Single" is worth the investment. It's one of this very busy summer's happiest and most unexpected surprises.