Young Rebels and Mod Squad Review:

These two obscure shows are still available on YouTube, but I watched them as a young teen on TV in the early seventies. The Young Rebels offered a rare look at the American Revolution, featuring a band of young guerrillas called the Yankee Doodle Society. The show didn’t even last half a season, as American viewers unfortunately tuned out. It was a pity — the acting was top-notch. The American Revolution was a brutal war, with spies everywhere and a deeply polarized population. Black actors were finally breaking through in TV casting during this time. General Lafayette was regularly featured, and George Washington made one imposing, almost god-like appearance. The French and Americans teamed up against the British, and two hundred years later, both were soundly defeated by the Vietnamese in their own war of independence.

The Mod Squad had a dubious premise: a group of hippies turned undercover agents. It was a fun show to watch and lasted four years and it bagged some Emmys. Black actors found success here as well. Racial marriage was becoming less uncool. Peggy Lipton, the lead white actress, actually married Black musician Quincy Jones, and their daughter, Rashida Jones, played a key character in the blockbuster comedy: The Office. What does this all mean today in an America at war with diversity? It’s a matter of historical cycles — diversity usually wins, but not without a long and bitter struggle.