There are many people who are successful only because their parents did a great job with their own lives and left a legacy for their offspring to milk. Paris Hilton and Will Smith’s kids will know what I am talking about.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, but usually trust fund babies are hard to take seriously. They are born with a silver spoon in their mouths and the last thing they know is the meaning of the word “struggle”. So when their peers complain about how hard life is, these super rich kids just cannot relate.
This is why it is commendable that the next generation of the Wayans brothers’ family has managed to break away from their uncles’ shadow to make a name for themselves.
With Second Generation Wayans coming to our screens, we will meet the hilarious brothers’ nephews, Damien Dante and Craig Wayans, as they set about making their own mark on Hollywood and the world.
Created by Craig, Second Generation Wayans is a sitcom about the nephews who form and try to run a production company after they failed to crack it in show-business. The beauty of it all is that this premise skates close to the truth as the Wayans brothers Keenan Ivory, Damon, Shawn and Marlon are household names who have done well in the tv and film industries. They, too, have a production company which they use to make screen projects.
Theirs is a well-oiled machine which sees Keenan Ivory, the eldest, shy away from the camera and instead write, produce and direct, while the other brothers act.
However, it always seems as if Damon would rather work alone because in most of his productions he is never seen with his younger brothers Marlon and Shawn. In fact, he comes across as the black sheep of the family, although he’s done well for himself on his solo ventures. Most of his independent work is done by the brothers’ production company. Shawn and Marlon are by far the most popular as they always double up in their films, such as White Chicks and Scary Movie.
So for the younger Wayans boys to attempt to outdo this legacy is commendable, but close to impossible. Damien has been in the industry since the late 1980s and even starred alongside his uncle, Damon, in the movie Major Payne. He then directed his talents to writing and directing and even wrote for Damon’s sitcom My Wife and Kids and also the silly film, Dance Flick.
Craig is also equally qualified, having worked on old films such as Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Juice In Your Hood and The Sixth Man. Interestingly, the two have formed a production company called Second Generation Entertainment. So this sitcom is not too far removed from their real lives.
They’re joined by the talented George O Gore II of My Wife and kids and Tatyana Ali of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Gore comes in as the brothers’ business partner, while Ali is their assistant.
With a star cast like this, noth-ing can go wrong.
• Second Generation Wayans, BET International (TopTV channel 150), tomorrow, 9.30pm.