Erika Alexander is an actress, writer, producer, entrepreneur and activist (Color Farm Impact) best known for her role as Maxine Shaw on the Fox sitcom LIVING SINGLE (1993–1998). And most recently, her role in Cord Jefferson‘s Oscar Winning movie AMERICAN FICTION. She is a graduate of Philadelphia High School for Girls and attended classes at Philly’s Freedom Theater in the early 80’s, beating out hundreds of other young girls to win the part of Joan in “My Little Girl,” an independent film shot and set in Philly. After wrapping the movie and graduating, she moved to New York and joined the main cast of “The Cosby Show” a few years later, appearing in its seventh and eighth seasons.

This past weekend (Sept 21, 2024) Master St. between Broad and Carlisle streets was renamed Erika Alexander Way. In celebration, the Philadelphia Film Society (Producers of the Philadelphia Film Festival Oct 17-27, 2024) held a mid-career retrospective for Alexander held at the Philadelphia Film Center with screenings of her films “La Mission” starring Benjamin Bratt (Sept 20th) and “American Fiction” starring Jeffery Wright (Sept 21st). We were then treated to a Post-show discussion with Alexander & Bratt (See Below Full Q&A), After-which, we watched a “fan favorite” episode of “Living Single” complete with Erika’s live commentary.

LA MISSION – MINI MOVIE REVIEW

Very glad I got to see this film LA MISSION (2009) written/directed by Benjamin Bratt’s brother, Peter Bratt. It’s a father/son story set in San Francisco’s Mission District, which has a thriving Latino and Indigenous population. The film’s cultural significance is strong and wonderfully represented, but doesn’t overpower the story of family, faith and moving passed beliefs that no longer serve you or those around you. Bratt plays Che, a single father with all kinds of swagger and machismo. He’d been in trouble with the law in his youth, but is now a bus driver in the city. His son Jes (Jeremy Ray Valdez) is a 17 year-old kid heading to college with good grades, but he has one secret – he’s gay. Which I guess in 2009 for a man as traditional thinking as Che, would be a big deal. Nowadays when someone comes out, it’s like and… It’s so much about being trans now, that gay seems easy. But it’s not easy for Che to accept this about the son he’s been so close to since the death of his wife, Jes’ mother. Erika Alexander plays Lena, a earthy, spiritual type and councilor at a shelter for battered women. She moves into Che and Jes’ apartment building and hits it off quickly with Jes, but she and Che butt heads on a few issues regarding rules of the shared areas of the building. The chemistry between them is obvious and the courtship is fun to watch unfold, until Lena realizes the danger lurking just below the surface in Che’s personality. “La Mission” is streaming on Prime Video.