Bernie Mac (1957-2008) was one of the most talented comedians of his time. His style of comedy did not lie in buffoonery or funny one-liners. Mac (pictured) used his whole body to make you laugh.
If you look at the outtakes of the hit comedy film Life, you will see that during the shooting of the project, Mac was the life of the film.
This is bearing in mind that comedy kings like Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and Anthony Anderson were also cracking up as Mac performed his impromptu jokes.
With Sony Channel (DStv channel 127) bringing us The Bernie Mac Show, you just know that it is going to be all about the man himself and no one else.
For those who haven’t seen the show, do not be misled into thinking that it is a talkshow. Granted, there is a lot of talking and a lot of Mac, but it’s more of a sitcom that has been shot in a reality format.
We meet Mac as the head of a household. When his sister checks into rehab, the right thing for Bernie McCullough (Mac) to do is to take care of her three kids.
Just like Charlie Sheen’s character in Two And A Half Men, Mac’s character has to extend an olive branch to the family members in need and in turn lose his freedom.
McCullough’s new housemates are sweet and charming at first sight, but when they are in their element they are, at best, little rascals. McCullough soon discovers this and makes it his personal mission to catch them and mete out some discipline.
The only problem is that they seem to always be a step ahead of him so he has zero evidence to prove to his wife that taking in the kids was a bad idea.
Unlike most sitcoms, The Bernie Mac Show was shot in a coming-of-age format were the viewer is given a fly-on-the-wall viewpoint by seeing the kids in Bart Simpson mode and McCullough then trying to catch them.
Over the years, the big-eyed Mac used his looks to add to his comical persona. But he was never in contention for the Sexiest Man Alive title and never played the lead role in a big-budget movie.
That said, the man made the best of the little he had and became successful by working on films like Ocean’s Thirteen, Charlie’s Angels and Head of State. He would use the little time screentime he had to make himself unforgettable.
On TV, he made his mark on shows like Moesha and The Wayans Brothers.
He may be dead, but the airing of The Bernie Mac Show sees the return of the Mac.
• The Bernie Mac Show airs every weekday at 7.35pm on Sony Channel (127 on DStv).