When Living Single debuted on Aug. 29, 1993, four single ladies — Khadijah James (Queen Latifah), Maxine Shaw (Erika Alexander), Synclaire James (Kim Coles) and Regine Hunter (Kim Fields) — let us peek into their lives as they juggled men, careers and personal lives. More important, they showed us exactly what black sisterhood was all about. To mark the 20th anniversary of the show's debut, we catch up with original cast members and those from later in its run to find out who has penned a mock episode of Mad Men, who appeared in a T.J. Maxx commercial and who are the voices behind some of the most popular video games out today.
Queen Latifah, Then
Khadijah James in 1993: boss lady of Flavor magazine; dated Scooter, Grant Hill, Alonzo, among others; Synclaire's cousin.
Queen Latifah, Now
In 2012 Latifah's production company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, produced a black remake of Steel Magnolias, a TV movie for Lifetime. Flavor Unit is also behind Just Wright, The Cookout, Let's Stay Together and Single Ladies. Later this year Latifah, or Dana Owens, will host her own national talk show.
Kim Coles, Then
Synclaire James in 1993: receptionist at Flavor magazine; Overton's girlfriend-turned-wife; always woo-woo-wooing someone in need.
Kim Coles, Now
Last year Coles appeared in a few episodes of The Soul Man. She starred in and produced her own one-woman show, Oh, but Wait … There's More in 2012 and has launched her own business: Open the G.I.F.T.S.
Erika Alexander, Then
Maxine Shaw in 1993: attorney-at-law, later a city alderman; Kyle Barker's arch nemesis-turned-lover-turned-mother of his child; slays in a business suit.
Erika Alexander, Now
Earlier this year Alexander wrote a script for an episode of Mad Men that featured black characters. (It never aired, but she wanted to "incorporate the 'difficult other' organically into the storyline.") Last year Alexander and her husband, Tony Puryear, created a sci-fi graphic novel, Concrete Park.
John Henton, Then
Overton Wakefield Jones in 1993: resident handyman; fan of the Cleveland Browns; Synclaire's boyfriend-turned-husband; one-half of the "Watch dog, bow wow" clique.
John Henton, Now
Henton hasn't appeared on-screen very much since his role on Living Single, other than a recurring role on The Hughleys and a few one-off performances on One on One, The Parkers and, yes, Hannah Montana. But he has been spitting jokes onstage in comedy clubs across the nation. Listen to him talk Beyoncé and the NRA.
Kim Fields, Then
Regine Hunter in 1993: soap opera stylist; wig connoisseur; always searching for her rich future husband; childhood friend of Khadijah.
Kim Fields, Now
Earlier this month Fields, 44, announced that she was pregnant. Last year she appeared as a social worker in What to Expect When You're Expecting. But a lot of her work has been behind the scenes. She has directed episodes of The Rickey Smiley Show, House of Payne, Let's Stay Together and Meet the Browns.
Terrence "T.C." Carson, Then
Kyle Barker in 1993: pretentious stockbroker; Afrocentric; moonlights as a nightclub crooner; other half of "Watch dog, bow wow" clique; hates to love Max.
Terrence "T.C." Carson, Now
Since Living Single, Carson has been doing a lot of voiceover work for video games, including "God of War," "Mortal Kombat" and "Star Wars." If you were paying close attention to Christmas ads in 2010, you might remember him in a T.J. Maxx commercial.
Shaun Baker, Then
Russell Montego in 1993: music writer at Flavor magazine; had a crush on Regine; was always cracking jokes.
Shaun Baker, Now
Earlier this year, Baker appeared as a detective on an episode of Chosen. According to IMDb, he will appear in 2014's Q.
Chip Fields, Then
Laverne Hunter in 1993: wearer of all things tacky, including sparkly visors, jogging suits and flashy purses; nags her daughter Regine at least once a week to put "beans in the oven."
Chip Fields, Now
Fields' last on-screen role was on the TV series Just Jordan, but like her real-life daughter, Kim, she has also been in the director's chair. She has directed episodes of House of Payne, Meet the Browns and Just Jordan.
Cress Williams, Then
Terrence "Scooter" Williams in 1993: childhood friend of Khadijah's; music producer; walks in and out of Khadijah's life at his own whim.
Cress Williams, Now
Williams plays Lavon Hayes on the TV series Hart of Dixie. Fans of the TV series Friday Night Lights will remember him as Vince Howard's (Michael B. Jordan) dad.
Bumper Robinson, Then
Ivan Ennis in 1995: bike messenger; had debilitating and embarrassing crush on Khadijah.
Bumper Robinson, Now
Robinson has portrayed Juvon, a third-string football player, on The Game since 2007. He's also completed a lot of voiceover work for video games, including "Star Wars," "Ace Combat" and "Batman."
Rita Owens, Then
Rita James in 1993: Khadijah's mom.
Rita Owens, Now
Since Living Single, Owens has appeared in The Cookout, one of Flavor Unit Entertainment's films. She is the real-life mother of Queen Latifah.
Mel Jackson, Then
Ira Lee "Trip" Williams in 1997: Khadijah and Regine's third roommate after Synclaire moves out; jingle writer.
Mel Jackson, Now
Last year Jackson appeared in The Marriage Chronicles with Jazsmin Lewis, Darrin Dewitt Henson and Terri J. Vaughn, as well as in two TV movies: To Love and to Cherish and If You Really Love Me.
Idalis DeLeon, Then
Roni de Santos in 1997: neighbor in the series' last season; in a love-hate relationship with Trip.
Idalis DeLeon, Now
Fans of The Sopranos might remember DeLeon as Sophia. Since then she's appeared on a few TV series, including Burn Notice and Nip/Tuck.
Yvette Lee Bowser, Then
Bowser in 1993: executive producer of Living Single; first black woman to develop her own prime-time series.
Yvette Bowser, Now
Five years ago Bowser took a break from Hollywood to focus on her family. In an interview with Black Enterprise, she talks about what keeps her motivated, writing African-American characters and how she's seen the TV business change.