1992 Los Angeles riots in popular culture

none July 2009 April 2012 This article lists examples of the ongoing influence on popular culture of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Film (Chronological, then alphabetical by title) Spike Lee's film Malcolm X (1992) opens with a scene of the Rodney King beating, juxtaposed with a burning American flag that burns down and forms the letter X.Hoerl Kristen 2008-11-21 Cinematic Jujitsu: Resisting White Hegemony through the American Dream in Spike Lee's Malcolm X http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10510970802467403 Communication Studies en 59 4 355–370 10.1080/10510970802467403 1051-0974 subscription Leonard Elysse 2012 The Rodney King Tape in Cinema Video Essay https://collection.nfb.ca/film/rodney_king_tape_in_cinema_video_essay 2026-02-11 National Film Board of Canada en The documentary film Post No Bills (1992) follows a political poster that was made of LAPD Chief Daryl Gates on an NRA shooting target and glued up on the streets of Los Angeles after the Rodney King beating. Post No Bills also includes an interview with Chief Gates about the poster and documents some of the events surrounding the resignation of Chief Gates from his position as Chief of Police.Post No Bills https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-59d5cfa4609 American Archive of Public Broadcasting In John Singleton's second film, Poetic Justice (1993), Justice (Janet Jackson) drives her car, passing through the Crenshaw Square shopping center. The visible destruction to the building were entirely real, not a movie set. Dai Sil Kim-Gibson's documentary film Sa-I-Gu (1993) tells the story of Korean women shopkeepers during the LA Civil Unrest.Lowe Lisa https://www.google.com/books/edition/Immigrant_Acts/CZXtZ8lFepsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Sa-I-Gu%22+rodney+King&pg=PA94&printsec=frontcover Immigrant Acts: On Asian American Cultural Politics 1996 Duke University Press 978-0-8223-1864-4 94 en The film Floundering (1994) explores the alienation and disaffection the main character sees in his neighborhood of post-riot Venice Beach.PETER STACK, Chronicle Staff Critic 1995-04-21 To Live And Die In L.A. / `Floundering' is sly, quirky https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/To-Live-And-Die-In-L-A-Floundering-is-sly-3035768.php https://web.archive.org/web/20221008095916/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/To-Live-And-Die-In-L-A-Floundering-is-sly-3035768.php 2022-10-08 2026-02-12 SFGATE en-US The Brian Springer documentary Spin (1995) uses intercepted raw satellite feeds from commercial television to chronicle 1992 with significant attention to the riots and their treatment by the media, as well as urban conditions more generally.Stamets Bill 1996-05-09 Unguarded Moments https://chicagoreader.com/film/unguarded-moments/ 2026-02-12 Chicago Reader en-US Kathryn Bigelow's film Strange Days (1995) was influenced by the riots and "replays" and condenses the events and images of the Rodney King beating, trial and riots.http://artforum.com/film/id=25103 Reality Bytes Artforum Andrew Hultkrans March 13, 2010 May 26, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20150405102959/http://artforum.com/film/id%3D25103 April 5, 2015 liveZimmer Catherine Surveillance and Social Memory: Strange Days Indeed Discourse September 2010 32 3 302–320 10.1353/dis.2010.a454076 The film Riot (1997) looks at the riots and their effect on the lives of four families: one Chinese, one Hispanic, one White, and one Black.1996-02-20 Ready for L.A. Riot, the Movie? : Four Years Later, a Showtime Film Is the First to Look at the City's Unrest https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-02-20-ca-37829-story.html 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Times en-US1997-04-27 A 'RIOT' FROM ALL FOUR SIDES https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1997/04/27/a-riot-from-all-four-sides/9c5e8d9b-5775-4677-bcb1-c2d05cbcc2c1/ 2026-02-13 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 In the film American History X (1998), characters argue about the circumstances of Rodney King's arrest.Joudrey Tom 2023-11-03 Did American History X foreshadow the resurgence of white nationalism in the US? https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231102-how-american-history-x-foreshadowed-the-resurgence-of-white-nationalism-in-the-us 2026-02-13 BBC en-GBMurguía Salvador Jiménez https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Encyclopedia_of_Racism_in_American_F/v02AEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22American+History+X%22+%22Rodney+King%22&pg=PA14&printsec=frontcover The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films 2018-04-12 Bloomsbury Publishing USA 979-8-8818-7784-2 15 enKing C. Richard https://www.google.com/books/edition/Beyond_Hate/NAQHDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22American+History+X%22+%22Rodney+King%22&pg=PA23&printsec=frontcover Beyond Hate: White Power and Popular Culture Leonard David J. 2016-04-15 Routledge 978-1-317-17470-7 23 en The final act of Dark Blue (2002) is set during the riots, reenacts several portions of it, as well as shows news footage of the attack on Reginald Denny. Dai Sil Kim-Gibson's film Wet Sand: Voices from LA (2004) criticizes mainstream media for pitting Korean Americans against African Americans in the days preceding the LA Civil Unrest.Kim Ju Yon 2014 Remembering SA-I-GU: an interview with Dai Sil Kim-Gibson https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/3/article/541472 Transition 113 1 144–152 1527-8042 The film Rize (2005) is a documentary of life and the development of two dancing subcultures, clowning and krumping, in Watts, Los Angeles after the 1992 riots. It features footage of the 1992 riots as well as the 1965 Watts riots.Leyland Matthew December 29, 2005 BBC - Movies - review - Rize https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/12/19/rize_2005_review.shtml 2026-02-13 BBCMacdonald Moira 2005-07-08 “Rize” dances its way through mean streets of L.A. https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/rize-dances-its-way-through-mean-streets-of-la/ 2026-02-13 The Seattle Times en-US The film The L.A. Riot Spectacular (2006), narrated by Snoop Dogg and starring Emilio Estevez, Charles S. Dutton, and George Hamilton, takes a satirical look at the riots.Dreisinger Baz 2005-06-19 Can laughs meet riot? https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-19-ca-riot19-story.html 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Times en-US2006-08-11 'L.A. Riot' comes up far short of spectacular https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-11-et-riot11-story.html 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Times en-USAnderson John 2005-05-10 The L.A. Riot Spectacular https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/the-l-a-riot-spectacular-1200525977/ 2026-02-13 Variety en-US The film Freedom Writers (2007) stars Hilary Swank as a school teacher in a Long Beach high school two years after the riots. The film opens with scenes of the riots and is set two years afterward, in 1994.Travers Peter 2007-01-08 Freedom Writers https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/freedom-writers-255877/ 2026-02-13 Rolling Stone en-USMihăilescu Dana https://www.google.com/books/edition/Mapping_Generations_of_Traumatic_Memory/gskxBwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Freedom+Writers%22+LA+Riots&pg=PA21&printsec=frontcover Mapping Generations of Traumatic Memory in American Narratives Oltean Roxana Precup Mihaela 2014-06-12 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 978-1-4438-6162-5 20-21 en The film Straight Outta Compton (2015) shows footage from the L.A. riots, which are also discussed.Jr Mike Fleming 2015-08-14 F. Gary Gray Q&A: The Hard Life Lessons That Led To ‘Straight Outta Compton’ https://deadline.com/2015/08/f-gary-gray-straight-outta-compton-q-and-a-1201498938/ 2026-02-13 Deadline en-USMcKevitt Greg 2024-08-05 'It's time to retaliate in song' – Why NWA's provocative 80s rap became an anthem https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240802-the-nwa-protest-anthem-that-foreshadowed-riots-in-the-us 2026-02-13 BBC en-GB The documentary film Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992 (2017), directed by John Ridley, is about the 10-year period leading up to, and including, the L.A. Riots. Its release coincided with the 25th anniversary of the unrest.Wagmeister Elizabeth 16 December 2016 John Ridley Directing ABC Documentary About L.A. Rodney King Riots https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/john-ridley-abc-documentary-la-riots-rodney-king-1201944229 Variety Gook is a 2017 American drama film written and directed by Justin Chon that tells the story of two Korean-American brothers and their unlikely friendship with a neighborhood 11 year-old black girl, during the first day of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.Sun Rebecca 2017-04-29 ‘Gook’ Director Justin Chon Reflects on L.A. Riots: “In ’92, Everybody Was Angry” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/la-riots-25th-anniversary-gook-director-justin-chon-reflects-998373/ 2026-02-13 The Hollywood Reporter en-USBradshaw Peter 2018-03-15 Gook review – Justin Chon's fierce and forthright take on the LA riots http://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/15/gook-review-justin-chon-la-riots 2026-02-13 the Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 The documentary film LA 92 chronicles the event on its 25th anniversary.http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/la-92-trailer-revists-la-riots-25th-anniversary-990067 First Look: 'LA 92' Revisits the Los Angeles Riots on Their 25th Anniversary Kilday Gregg March 30, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter August 2, 2017LA 92 https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/la-92 2026-02-13 Television Academy en The drama-action film, 1992, depicts the riots being used as a distraction for a group of thieves to pull off a heist at a factory housing catalytic converters.2024-08-29 Review: A notorious day in L.A. history becomes the backdrop of a so-so heist thriller in '1992' https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-08-29/1992-review-la-riots-tyrese-gibson-ray-liotta 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Times en-USChang Tom 2024-09-02 1992 Director Ariel Vromen on LA Riots, Heist, Ray Liotta & More https://bleedingcool.com/movies/1992-director-ariel-vromen-on-la-riots-heist-ray-liotta-more/ 2026-02-13 Bleeding Cool News en Literature (Alphabetical by author) Paul Beatty's novel The White Boy Shuffle features the main character's involvement in the riots, including an argument on the way to loot a computer store over the "merits of an IBM-compatible versus an Apple."Alcorn Brian 1996-07-10 Trying to Stay Ahead of the Hype Machine https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-10-ls-22595-story.html 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Times en-USKalich Natalie 2009 "An Anthropological Rending of the Ghetto": Intersections of High and Popular Culture in Paul Beatty's The White Boy Shuffle https://www.jstor.org/stable/25674357 The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association 42 1 77–88 0742-5562 Eve Bunting and David Díaz's Smoky Night is a children's picture book about two neighboring families who lived through the riots, and learn to accept each other despite their ethnicity.SLJ One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century https://www.slj.com/story/one-hundred-books-that-shaped-the-century 2026-02-13 School Library Journal The novel All Involved (2016) by Ryan Gattis involves mainly fictional gang members who use the chaos to viciously settle old scores.Miller Laura 2015-05-22 All Involved by Ryan Gattis review – gang-war in Latino LA https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/22/all-involved-ryan-gattis-review-gang-war-la 2026-02-13 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077'All Involved', by Ryan Gattis https://www.ft.com/content/4eff625e-fd44-11e4-9e96-00144feabdc0 2026-02-13 Financial Times 2015-05-22 Carl WilkinsonDrumming Neil 2015-06-19 ‘All Involved,’ by Ryan Gattis https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/books/review/all-involved-by-ryan-gattis.html 2026-02-13 The New York Times en-US 0362-43312015-04-14 Q&A: Ryan Gattis reconstructs the 1992 L.A. Riots in 'All Involved' https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-ryan-gattis-20150414-story.html 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Times en-US In The Freedom Writers Diary (1999) by Erin Gruwell, the L.A. Riots had a staggering effect on the diarists. Héctor Tobar's novel The Tattooed Soldier (1998) concludes during the riots, which are seen as mirroring the violence and breakdown of civil order that the novel's main characters had experienced in Guatemala before emigrating.Kara Esen 2020-05-26 Crossing the Threshold of the City: Urban Refugees in Héctor Tobar’s The Tattooed Soldier https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00111619.2020.1712318 Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction en 61 3 313–326 10.1080/00111619.2020.1712318 0011-1619 subscription Music The beating of Rodney King and the Los Angeles riots have influenced multiple musical artists and groups, with some writing music as a direct response to the events. Others have mentioned or referenced King or the riots in their work, as well as other events that are believed to have contributed to the 1992 riots, such as the killing of Latasha Harlins.Stevenson Brenda https://books.google.com/books?id=3_M6lZ53UXoC The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots 2013-08-15 OUP USA 978-0-19-994457-6 xviii, 264 en Notable songs or albums that reference these events include: (Alphabetical by artist) 2Pac dedicated his 1993 single "Keep Ya Head Up" to Latasha Harlins and would later write the song "Hellrazor", which directly references her. German heavy metal band Accept wrote the song "Objection Overruled" in 1992, inspired by King's beating and the L.A. riots.Headbangers Ball : On tour in Germany, MTV Europe, December 1992, Vanessa Warwick, Interview with Wolf Hoffmann and Peter Baltes during an avant-première in Berlin's Hard Rock Café in 1992. The program was aired in January 1993 The song criticizes the jury's decision to release the defendants. Aerosmith's song "Livin' on the Edge" from their 1993 album Get a Grip was inspired by the riots, as well as the peace messages of John Lennon.2023-02-23 How Aerosmith's 'Livin' on the Edge' Evoked John Lennon https://ultimateclassicrock.com/aerosmith-livin-on-the-edge/ 2026-02-17 Ultimate Classic Rock en The first verse of Bad Religion's song "Don't Pray on Me" (off their 1993 album Recipe for Hate) references the riots.Irwin Corey 2022-04-29 12 Rock Songs Inspired by the Los Angeles Riots https://ultimateclassicrock.com/los-angeles-riots-songs/ 2026-02-17 Ultimate Classic Rock en David Bowie and his wife Iman were in Los Angeles the day the riots started; Bowie wrote "Black Tie White Noise" based on the riots.Bowie's Wedding Album David Wild Rolling Stone 21 January 1993 14 Bratmobile's song "Polaroid Baby", from their debut album Pottymouth, talks about the artificiality of white youths, burning down L.A., and making "whitey" pay, a reference to the riots which occurred as the album was being recorded.Newton Elizabeth June 2020 Audio Quality as Content: Everyday Criticism of the Lo-fi Format https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4878&context=gc_etds Doctoral thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 75-76 Garth Brooks wrote "We Shall Be Free" while watching coverage of the riots on TV.http://www.planetgarth.com/gbstory/gbstory.shtml Transcription from "The Garth Brooks Story" (1995) 2025-01-29 2009-04-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20090414171246/http://www.planetgarth.com/gbstory/gbstory.shtml dead Downset's song, "Anger", from their self-titled debut album was inspired by the riots. The cover of the album also features an image of South Central Los Angeles burning. Dr. Dre's song, "The Day tha Niggaz Took Over", references the riots. Snoop Dogg and RBX also feature on the song, portraying their emotions as the riots started.Whitt Greg 2017-12-16 The Chronic: How the LA Riots Inspired Dr. Dre's Hip-Hop Classic https://consequence.net/2017/12/the-chronic-how-the-la-riots-inspired-dr-dres-hip-hop-classic/ 2026-02-17 Consequence en Far East Movement's 2014 album, K-Town Riot, was inspired by the riot. The music video for one of the tracks, "The Illest", features footages from the riot.2017-05-26 Interview: Far East Movement on Asian Parents, the LA Riots, and Taking Bieber to Koreatown https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/interview-far-east-movement-asian-parents-la-riots-and-taking-bieber-koreatown 2026-02-17 Asia Society enOsburn Paige 2014-11-04 To Represent Koreatown, Far East Movement Revisit the L.A. Riots https://www.laweekly.com/to-represent-koreatown-far-east-movement-revisit-the-l-a-riots/ 2026-02-17 LA Weekly en-US Fear Factory's 1995 album, Demanufacture, was partially inspired by the riots.Lawson Dom 2024-12-07 “There were fire, floods and riots. We saw LA being destroyed. We channelled that into the record”: How Fear Factory predicted the apocalypse with industrial-metal masterpiece Demanufacture https://www.loudersound.com/features/fear-factory-demanufacture-story-behind-album 2026-02-17 Louder en Fever 333 wrote the song “BURN IT” about Rodney King and the riots.2019-02-07 Inglewood's Fever 333 channels the activist, rap-rock spirit of a Rage Against the Machine https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-fever333-strength-20190207-story.html 2026-02-17 Los Angeles Times en-US Ben Harper's "Like a King" off, the 1993 album Welcome to the Cruel World, is based on the treatment of Rodney King.Goodwin Mitch 2018-12-06 Screen Circuits: Fear and Paranoia in the Sprawl (circa 1995) https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/1488 M/C Journal 21 5 10.5204/mcj.1488 1441-2616 11343/227505 free Ice Cube has written several songs that were inspired by and referenced the riots and Rodney King, such as "We Had to Tear This Motherfucka Up" and many songs on his 1992 album The Predator.2012-04-29 Reburning LA — The Literature of 1992 https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/reburning-l-a-the-literature-of-1992 2026-02-20 Los Angeles Review of Books Ice-T's song Race War from his 1993 solo album Home Invasion addressed the riots and the potential for further disturbances.Martens Todd 2012-06-19 Quick chat: Ice-T on the L.A. riots, LL Cool J and more https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/pop-hiss/story/2012-06-18/quick-chat-ice-t-on-the-l-a-riots-ll-cool-j-and-more 2026-02-20 Los Angeles Times en-US1993-03-24 ICE-T AND THE INVASION OF WHITE SUBURBIA https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/03/24/ice-t-and-the-invasion-of-white-suburbia/501e9e49-1ab8-485d-bf1a-353ac87a3d38/ 2026-02-20 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 He would later collaborate with Slayer for the song "Disorder", which appeared on the Judgment Night movie soundtrack. The song was a medley of three songs by the British punk rock band The Exploited. The song "UK '82" (which dealt with police brutality) was renamed "LA '92".2020-04-29 How Rock And Metal Reacted To The 1992 LA Riots https://www.kerrang.com/how-rock-and-metal-reacted-to-the-1992-la-riots 2026-02-20 Kerrang! en Billy Idol's 1993 song, "Shock to the System", from the Cyberpunk album, was directly inspired by the riots. Kendrick Lamar's song "County Building Blues", from his 2012 album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City makes several references throughout verse two of the song.Kearse Stephen 2025-02-09 Every Kendrick Lamar Song, Ranked https://www.vulture.com/article/best-kendrick-lamar-songs-ranked-tracks.html 2026-02-20 Vulture en Lucky People Center's song Rodney King from their 1993 album Welcome to Lucky People Center features samples of Rodney King, L.A Police, and President George Bush, all set to an Ambient/Trance rhythm.Fornäs Johan The Words of Music Popular Music and Society 26 1 3751 http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:126633/FULLTEXT01.pdf 2003 10.1080/0300776032000076388 53972895 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vaH7vOmDtA Lucky People Center - Rodney King YouTube The 1994 Machine Head song "Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies", which features sampled commentary from news reports and interviews surrounding the riots. The title track of Porno For Pyros' debut album, along with "Black Girlfriend", both make reference to the riots, which occurred prior to the album's production. Rage Against the Machine's eponymous debut album contains songs such as "Killing in the Name" that were inspired by the riots. Redman's skit "News Break" had an excerpt from the news that a reporter informing the numbers of deaths and injures and talking about what is going on in the riot from the 1992 album Whut? Thee Album.Pareles Jon 1992-12-13 POP VIEW; Rap After the Riot: Smoldering Rage And No Apologies https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/13/arts/pop-view-rap-after-the-riot-smoldering-rage-and-no-apologies.html 2026-02-20 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Sublime's song, "April 29, 1992 (Miami)", is based on accounts of the riots. In the song Bradley Nowell (Lead singer of Sublime) tells of his part in the riot including robberies. He claims that it wasn't even about Rodney King for some people.Almarez-Herrera Elias April 26, 2022 ‘April 29, 1992’: the LA Riots https://www.highlandernews.org/84270/april-29-1992-the-la-riots/ 2026-02-13 Highlander en-USStaff SF Weekly April 26, 2012 Twenty Years Later, Sublime's “April 29, 1992 (Miami)” Is Still the Best Song About White Boys Piggy-Backing on a Riot https://www.sfweekly.com/music/twenty-years-later-sublimes-april-29-1992-miami-is-still-the-best-song-about-white/article_2c2a83a7-df46-5b6b-bad4-6a732015ba67.html 2026-02-13 SFWeekly enBennett Sarah April 30, 2012 We Check Up on the Long Beach Addresses in Sublime's Riot Song “April 29, 1992 (Miami)” – OC Weekly https://www.ocweekly.com/we-check-up-on-the-long-beach-addresses-in-sublimes-riot-song-april-29-1992-miami-6603037/ 2026-02-13 OC Weekly en-US The Offspring's song "L.A.P.D." off the album Ignition is about the Rodney King incident. Thurzday's debut album L.A. Riot was inspired by the events of the Rodney King beating and the Los Angeles Riots.Kennedy Gerrick D. 2011-08-10 Thurzday revisits the '92 violence to find his creative 'Riot' https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/pop-hiss/story/2011-08-10/thurzday-revisits-the-92-violence-to-find-his-creative-riot 2026-02-20 Los Angeles Times en-US Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers rush-released a single entitled "Peace in L.A." Warren Zevon responded to the riots with the song "The Indifference of Heaven" which would make its live debut shortly after the riots (as recorded on his 1993 live album Learning to Flinch) and would receive a studio recording on his 1995 album Mutineer.Campion James 2018 Accidentally Like a Martyr: The Tortured Art of Warren Zevon Milwaukee, Wisconsin Backbeat Books 179-191 978-1-61713-672-6 Television After the riots multiple television shows, particularly those airing in the 1990s, featured episodes that mentioned or directly depicted the impact of the Rodney King beating and the Los Angeles riots. These shows included scripted ones such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Doogie Howser, M.D., and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as talk and reality shows such as The Real World.2021-04-08 Opinion Racism became the focus of 'The Real World' — again — during its reunion show https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/real-world-homecoming-finale-shows-how-easily-90s-becky-becomes-ncna1263457 2026-02-13 NBC News enHastings Deborah Prime time TV tackles L.A. riots https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1992/09/30/prime-time-tv-tackles-l-a-riots/ 2026-02-13 Tampa Bay Times en The below shows are ones where the episodes have received particular note. They are listed in alphabetical order: In the 1992-1993 season premiere of the NBC sitcom A Different World, Dwayne and Whitley's Los Angeles honeymoon coincides with the riots.1992-08-13 A 'Different' Take on the L.A. Riots : Television: Industry and civic leaders are both impressed and nervous as 'A Different World' opens a new season by dealing with the unrest. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-13-ca-5854-story.html 2026-02-13 Los Angeles Times en-US2017-04-26 How ‘A Different World’ dealt with the L.A. riots and set the stage for a more political TV https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/how-a-different-world-confronted-the-la-riots-25-years-ago/2017/04/26/ffe9bea0-28fa-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html 2026-02-13 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 The third-season opener of the Fox comedy series In Living Color focused on the L.A. riots, and subsequent third-season episodes featured skits focusing on the L.A. riots (example: "The L.A. Riots Anniversary Special" promo).Giacomazzo Bernadette https://www.google.com/books/edition/In_Living_Color/m0CAEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=rodney%20king In Living Color: A Cultural History 2023-02-15 Bloomsbury Publishing USA 979-8-7651-7297-1 163 enFotis Matt https://www.google.com/books/edition/Satire_The_State/nj8xEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22In+Living+Color%22+LA+riot&pg=RA1-PT5&printsec=frontcover Satire & The State: Sketch Comedy and the Presidency 2020-03-31 Routledge 978-0-429-80729-9 en The NBC drama L.A. Law seventh-season opener was set on the day of the riots.Everett Todd 1992-10-22 L.A. Law L.A. Lawless https://variety.com/1992/tv/reviews/l-a-law-l-a-lawless-1200430777/ 2026-02-13 Variety en-US1992-10-22 GHOST OF ‘ST. ELSEWHERE’ LIVES ON IN ‘L.A. LAW’ https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1992/10/22/ghost-of-st-elsewhere-lives-on-in-la-law/ 2026-02-13 Orlando Sentinel en-US The fifth episode of the second season of the 2022 reboot of Quantum Leap follows protagonist Ben Song as he leaps into the body of a Korean American teenager in order to prevent his father's death during the riots. 2023-11-03 NBC drama ‘Quantum Leap’ Season 2 revisits the 1992 LA Riots https://www.koreadailyus.com/nbc-drama-quantum-leap-season-2-revisits-the-1992-la-riots/ 2026-02-13 The Korea Daily en-USSeitz Loree 2023-11-01 'Quantum Leap' Spotlights LA Riots, Strained Relationship Between Black and Korean Communities (Exclusive Video) https://www.thewrap.com/quantum-leap-1992-la-riots-black-korean-communities/ 2026-02-13 TheWrap en-US Extensive coverage of the riots was featured on The Arsenio Hall Show. Mayor Tom Bradley appeared on the show and pleaded for calm to the residents of L.A.Haylock Zoe 2021-02-16 Arsenio Hall on Hosting His Talk Show During the L.A. Riots: ‘I Was Twitter’ https://www.vulture.com/2021/02/arsenio-hall-talk-show-1992-la-riots.html 2026-02-13 Vulture enWhite Peter 2020-06-06 Arsenio Hall Looks Back On Hosting A Talk Show During 1992 L.A. Riots, Details Run-Ins With Police & Donald Trump https://deadline.com/2020/06/arsenio-hall-george-floyd-interview-1992-los-angeles-riots-remembered-1202952515/ 2026-02-13 Deadline en-US Theater Stage actress Anna Deavere Smith created a play, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, based on interviews with people about the riots.June 12, 2015 Twilight: Los Angeles https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/twilight-los-angeles-about-the-production/1329/ PBSRichards David 1994-03-24 Review/Theater: Twilight -- Los Angeles, 1992; A One-Woman Riot Conjures Character Amid the Chaos https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/24/theater/review-theater-twilight-los-angeles-1992-one-woman-riot-conjures-character-amid.html 2026-02-20 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Actor Roger Guenveur Smith created a solo show Rodney King, which was later filmed by Spike Lee, about King and the riots.Grode Eric A Flawed Man as Lightning Rod and Empathetic Stumbler https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/15/theater/exploring-rodney-kings-struggles-in-a-stage-monologue.html 11 February 2026 The New York Times 14 January 2014https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/27/rodney-king-review-spike-lee-netflix-la-riots Rodney King review – Spike Lee's Netflix special is a bleakly poetic howl of rage The Guardian 27 April 2017 June 30, 2019 Bradshaw Peter Video games The end missions in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas revolve around the acquittal of the extremely corrupt police officer Frank Tenpenny, the main antagonist in the game in 1992. The acquittal causes riots throughout the city of Los Santos, which is modeled on Los Angeles.McDonald Kelly 2013-09-13 Grand Theft Auto's 10 defining moments - in pictures https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gallery/2013/sep/13/grand-theft-auto-defining-moments 2026-02-13 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 References Category:Riots and civil disorder in popular culture