With the The Bernie Mac Show and The Tracy Morgan Show coming to our screens, we are in for a lot of laughs. The late Mac and Morgan have done a lot for comedy, yet only one of these shows was successful.
Mac and Morgan fell into that hole which a number of comics can’t resist. We have had success stories in the past, where people like Bill Cosby, Jaimie Foxx and Martin Lawrence had sitcoms named after them.
The Tracy Morgan Show saw Morgan star as Tracy Mitchell. Tracy has a wife, Alicia (Tamala Jones) and then there are the sons, Derrick (Marc John Jefferies), who is a teenager, and Jimmy (Bobbe J Thompson) who is only 9. The late rapper Heavy D stars as Bernard, one of Tracy’s friends.
This is a strong cast because Jones has done a lot of material outside of this production, while Heavy D brings his swag. That should have translated into lots of viewers, but it wasn’t to be. So The Tracy Morgan Show was cancelled after 18 episodes.
In comparison, The Bernie Mac Show went on for an incredible five seasons. It was based on a simple concept – Mac stars as Bernie McCullough, a man with the newfound responsibility of taking care of his sister’s kids after she is sent to jail. Since he and wife Wanda (Kellita Smith) have no kids, there is room for the new guests. Wanda is excited about having them in the house, but Bernie is terrified by the idea as the freedom he enjoyed as the man of the house is now in danger.
So, essentially, the show is about him telling us how he feels about living in the house since he let his sister’s brats move in.
It sounds like a traditional sitcom setup, but Mac didn’t play it safe. He did away with the “three-walls-and-a-camera” style of filming, instead opting for a moving camera in a proper building that gives the viewer the impression they are really visiting his home. Also, he does most of the talking into the camera, making you feel like you are having a conversation with him. The other refreshing thing is the lack of canned laughter.
While Morgan had all the star power, it goes to show that when you have a poor script, no amount of celebrity can save your project.
• The Bernie Mac Show, Sony Channel (DStv channel 128), Wednesdays at 7.35pm and The Tracy Morgan Show, SABC2, 8pm.