The White Shadow: Living or Dead?

About The White Shadow

The White Shadow is an American drama television series starring Ken Howard that ran on the CBS network from November 27, 1978 to March 16, 1981, about a white former professional basketball player who takes a job coaching basketball at an impoverished urban high school with a racially mixed basketball team. Although the lead actor Howard was a blonde Caucasian, the series broke new ground as the first television ensemble drama to feature a mostly African American cast, with African American actors playing the high school principal and vice-principal, the majority of the teenage basketball players, and other supporting roles. The White Shadow also presented a more realistic view of high school than previous TV shows, and dealt with controversial subject matter such as sexually transmitted disease and gay sexual orientation among high school students.

Although The White Shadow was not a big ratings hit, it drew praise from critics and helped pave the way for later realistic dramas such as Hill Street Blues and My So-Called Life. It was the first series developed by executive producer Bruce Paltrow, who went on to create and produce the medical drama St. Elsewhere. The show also made popular TV stars of both Howard and Kevin Hooks, who portrayed high school basketball player Morris Thorpe. In the years since its cancellation, a number of journalists have praised the show and in some cases recalled being fans of the show as children or teens. In particular, sports columnist Bill Simmons has written about the show's strong influence on his life.