Erika Alexander Talks New Show, Graphic Novel and Living Single 20th Anniversary

It’s the 20 anniversary of “Living Single” but don’t expect a reunion anytime soon. Most of the cast, including Queen Latifah, who is reprising her role as a talk show host, and Erika Alexander, now starring in the AMC series “Low Winter Sun,” is busy. “This would be a good year to do it,” Alexander says. “I think that would be nice, but I don’t know. “

Although she keeps in touch with Latifah sporadically neither she nor any of her castmastes have worked with Latifah since. “Our paths haven’t crossed,” Alexander says. But despite the time that’s passed and the other projects she’s done, the role of Maxine Shaw on “Living Single” lingers in the public mindset. She’s often greeted as her character on the show.

“It happens to me all the time,” Alexander told The Tom Joyner Morning Show. “It’s like being Mickey Mouse, but in blackface. Well, Mickey Mouse is in blackface, so that’s like kind of a double thing. But it’s cool. It’s really cool.”

On her new show, “Low Winter Sun,” Alexander is part of an ensemble stellar cast including Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Two Detroit homicide detectives murder a fellow cop, but stage it to look like a suicide. Then they have to deflect the subsequent Internal Affairs investigation. The show is helmed by Ernest Dickerson, who directed the seminal 90’s movie “Juice” and has also worked on “Dexter” and “The Wire.”

“My character is Det. Louise Cullen who is strong and sexy. It’s set in Detroit and it’s a very Detroit story. It becomes a character in the whole story and its infused in it. It’s an awesome, awesome cast so I think everybody should tune in.” Alexander also writes a graphic novel with her husband “Eraser” writer and director Tony Puryear and her brother, Robert.

“Concrete Park,” written in response to the dearth of African-American stories in the sci-fi and graphic novel genres will be part of the Best American Comics 2013 series that will be published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on October 8.

“Being chosen as a Best American Comic our first year out is fantastic,” Alexander says. “For African-American artists like us, it’s something more, because it’s always a struggle to have our true voice heard. It’s difficult to stay encouraged. This honor is fuel for our journey, because we know there’s a ton of work ahead of us.”

“Low Winter Sun” airs on AMC on Sundays at 10 p.m.

(Photo: Retna)

Erika Alexander Talks New Show, Graphic Novel and Living Single 20th Anniversary was originally published on blackamericaweb.com