History Series / LivingSingle

* Maxine Shaw (Creator/ErikaAlexander): Another childhood friend, and sharptongued attorney. Later delves into politics. Is known for her constant bickering with Kyle but developes an on-and-off relationship with him. She doesn't actually live with the girls but has her own apartment across the street.

** When working in a discount store, Regine gives an amazed one after a customer says she thought a dress she'd tried on was too big. (Tt was actually quite the opposite.)

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Both Maxine and Kyle, at the end [[spoiler: end up more enlighted & family focused and less career oriented by the show's end.]]

* FunWithAcronyms: For a while Regine is involved with an organzation called E.L.B.O.W. - 'Enterprising Ladies Benefiting Our World'

* MeaningfulName: It's no coincedence that "Regine" is French for "Queen", given her diva-like personality.

* MyBelovedSmother: Regine's mother with her guilt-tripping, her inteference into Regine's life, nagging about Regine being single, and ImpossiblyTackyClothes is one (Maxine also recognizes her as a ManipulativeBitch, or as she put it "a pro"). In her introductory episode, she is contrasted with Khadijah's mother Rita, who has a easygoing relationship with her daughter until Regine's disagreements with her mother puts Rita close to being in the smothering camp.

*** They are somewhere between SlapSlapKiss and AbhorrentAdmirer as while he usually ends up pissing her off eventually it's only by the end in most situations as he usual ends up charming her during somepoint at any given exchange. Eventually this leads to [[spoiler: nothing, as Russel eventually tired of waiting for her to wait around for her to decide on him one way or another. When she did want to actually give him a chance, while at Synclaire and Overton's wedding, he'd moved on.]]

-->'''Khadijah:''' Synclaire! this is a queen sized matress! that means there's only enough room for the queen!
* StrawFeminist: Max will occassionally slip into this from time to time, although since the format of the show centers around a FourGirlEnsemble she's rarely, if ever, called out on it. PlayedForLaughs every now and again when it turns out the feminist example she's rambling on about turns out to be linked to an old ex-boyfriend that she still misses.

-->'''Kyle:''' (while over the women's apartment & eating their chinese food) You women are so indecisive. Men, on the other hand, move with a swift and deliberate purpose. Goes back to prehistoric time when we men were the hunters and you women did what we told you to. And you liked it.

* TragicHero: During the first season finale Max recommends that her wealthy client seek a pre-nuptial agreement with her fiancé, although does so without first getting approval from the firm's partners. This advice leads her client's fiancé to call off the wedding, and said client to blame Max for the reccomendation, causing Max's subsequent suspension from the firm.

* WeightWoe: Averted, as all the varied body types were presented as both desirable and beautiful. In fact, amongst all their dating mis-adventures throughout the series, body image was the only thing never referenced or made an issue of.

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Regine is usually mortified by her mother's behavior (not to mention her [[ImpossiblyTackyClothes taste in clothing]]), although its shown they have [[NotSoDifferent a lot in common]] and [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther really do love each other]].

* UnfortunateName: "Khadijah" means premature, which surprisingly is not used for many jokes.

* CelebrityStar: The show features an unusual amount of celebrity guest stars, typically sports stars, singers and actors either AsHimself or as relatives and friends of the main cast. Examples include Creator/DeanCain, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, {{Music/Heavy D}}, {{Music/TLC}}, Naughty by Nature, Evander Holyfield, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Melvin and Mario Van Peebles, and many others.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Minor example with Maxine "Max" Felice Shaw, although she was referred to by her first name much of the time, as well. Major examples include Regina "Regine" Hunter, Khadijah's [[PutOnABus on/off again boyfriend]] Terrence "Scooter" Williams, and [[TheScrappy 5th season newcomer]] Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams.

* SickeninglySweethearts: Overton and Synclaire, who are a rare case of this throughout the dating process - complete with [[TastesLikeDiabetes kissy faces]] and [[FluffyTheTerrible cutsey pet names]] - and after they are [[HappilyMarried married]].

* ImpossiblyTackyClothes: Regine's mother loves to dress like this (and encourage Regine to do the same), Regine once worked for a boutique that specialized in selling extremely tacky clothing.
** Le Rag Bin! And her mother shows up to shop while she is working.

** The Eastland quote from above had one.

* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Daughter]]: Printed word for word on a pillow sent to Synclaire from her mother, due to her breaking the family tradition of getting her great aunt Ada's "okey-dokey" to get married before her engagement to Overton.

* SickeninglySweethearts: Overton and Synclaire, who are a rare case of this ''and'' HappilyMarried, complete with [[TastesLikeDiabetes kissy faces]] and [[FluffyTheTerrible cutsey pet names]], even after they are married.
** They even plan to have twins named Syncloverton and Overclaire.

* Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams (Mel Jackson): Introduced in Season 5, he moves into Synclaire's room after she moves in with Overton. He's an aspiring songwriter who has a thing for the new tenant across the hall.

* Synclaire James-Jones (Kim Coles): Khadijah's quirky cousin and secretary at ''Flavor''. Is also an aspiring comedic actress. Dates and eventually marries Overton.
* Regine Hunter (Kim Fields): A childhood friend of Khadijah's. She's a fashion-conscious boutique-buyer on a hellbent quest to marry a rich "Chocolate Ken", as she puts it.
* Maxine Shaw (Erika Alexander): Another childhood friend, and sharptongued attorney. Later delves into politics. Is known for her constant bickering with Kyle but developes an on-and-off relationship with him. She doesn't actually live with the girls but has her own apartment across the street.
* Overton Wakefield Jones (John Henton): The building's superintendent and a Cleveland Browns fanatic. Has a sense of humor which leads to his attraction to Synclaire.

* NeverLiveItDown: [[strike:InUniverse]] Regine, who was caught having sex with one of her boyfriends on the roof by her mother still gets razzed a bit over it once in a later season.
-->'''Regine:''' Man, when are you going to let that go!?
-->'''Khadijah:''' Oh god - when it stops being so ''funny''!

* WardrobeMalfunction: Max steals a dress from Regine to attend a function at the mayor's house. What Regine didn't tell Max was the dress is actually a [[ClothingDamage prop tear-away dress]] for a catfight scene in her Soap Opera, ''Palo Alto.'' HilarityEnsues!
** It's worth noting that Regine warned her not to wear it but wouldn't say why and max took it anyway.
* WeightWoe: Notably averted, as all the varied body types were presented as both desirable and beautiful. In fact, amongst all their dating mis-adventures throughout the series, body image was the only thing never referenced or made an issue of.
** What turns this into a behind-the-scenes CrowningMomentOfAwesome is that Queen Latifah vetoed '''every''' attempt on the part of the writers to make jokes or storylines about Synclaire's (Kim Coles) weight gain over the course of the series.
* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened To The Dog?]]: Kyle and Overton's dog, Sanford, appeared in all of one episode and is never heard from again. Strange case in that we're also told they've had the dog for a few months when the episode starts although he was never seen before.

* Kyle Barker (TC Carson): Overton's best friend and roommate, a handsome but vain stockbroker/jazz musician. His sparring with Maxine does nothing to hide their mutual sexual attraction.

** At the end of "Talk Showdown", after being embarrassed on the talk show by Khadijah, Regina announces that she is moving out. Even as she is serious about it and packs her bags, Khadijah ''still'' [[KickTheDog makes fun of her.]] Also, when she is leaving out the door, she mentions to her, "oh, yeah, there's one thing that I forgot to say." When Khadijah asks what sarcastically, she replies on the verge of tears "I forgot to say goodbye."

-->'''Syclaire:''' Greg? The one you went out with for five years and then when your career took off and his didn't, he packed his raggedy old duffle bag and left, that Greg?

* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Daughter]]: Printed word for word on a pillow sent to Synclaire from her mother, due to her breaking the family tradition of letting her grandmother be the first person she tells about her engagement to Overton.

* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Daughter]]: Printed word for word on a pillow sent to Syncaire by her mother, due to her breaking the family tradition of letting her grandmother be the first person she tells about her engagement to Overton.

* CelebrityStar: The show features an unusual amount of celebrity guest stars, typically sports stars, singers and actors either AsHimself or as relatives and friends of the main cast. Examples include Dean Cain, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, {{Music/Heavy D}}, {{Music/TLC}}, Naughty by Nature, Evander Holyfield, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Melvin and Mario Van Peebles, and many others.

''Living Single'' is a sitcom that ran from 1993 to 1998, beginning a year before ''Series/{{Friends}}''. It featured an ensemble cast of New York twentysomethings living in the middle-class Park Slope section of Brooklyn. The one obvious distinction is that the cast was African-American, but the audience was never hit over the head with it (too hard). The show gained points for showing Blacks succeeding in corporate America, from law to stocks to entrepreneurship.

* JustifiedTitle: The end of the series, Overton and Synclaire are HappilyMarried, [[spoiler: Max and Kyle end up together]], Regine [[spoiler: finds her "Chocolate Ken"]], Tripp hooks up with the upstairs neighbor, and Khadijah runs off with Scooter in the final scene of the series, the show ''literally'' ends when all of the original cast are no longer "Living Single".

* JustifiedTitle: The end of the series, Overton and Synclaire are HappilyMarried, [[spoiler: Max and Kyle end up together]], Regine [[spoiler: finds her "Chocolate Ken"]], and Khadijah runs off with Scooter in the final scene of the series, the show ''literally'' ends when all of the original cast are no longer "Living Single".

* CelebrityStar: The show features an unusual amount of celebrity guest stars, typically sports stars, singers and actors either AsHimself or as relatives and friends of the main cast. Examples include Dean Cain, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, Heavy D, {{Music/TLC}}, Naughty by Nature, Evander Holyfield, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Melvin and Mario Van Peebles, and many others.

* CelebrityStar: The show features an unusual amount of celebrity guest stars, typically sports stars, singers and actors either AsHimself or as relatives and friends of the main cast. Examples include Dean Cain, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, Heavy D, Naughty by Nature, Evander Holyfield, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Melvin and Mario Van Peebles, and many others.