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It’s always
hard to get me to watch sit-coms. Not so
much because so many of them are bad, but
because so many of them are all the same.
Either the plotlines are the same, or the
dialogue, or the characters. Rarely does
any show really stick out from the pack.
I’ve never watched “The Bernie
Mac Show”, though there were a few
times I was tempted. I’ve seen some
of Bernie Mac’s stand-up comedy routines
and thought he was a really funny comedian.
I was actually kind of curious how his style
would translate into a weekly series.
“The Bernie Mac Show”, as it
turns out, is set in some kind of alternate
reality of his life. He plays himself as
a successful stand-up comedian. He lives
with his TV wife (Kellita Smith) and has
a big home, but that’s about where
reality ends. The premise of the series
has him giving up his life of ‘quiet
solitude’ in order to take in his
sister’s three kids (Jeremy Suarez,
Camille Winbush, and Dee Dee Davis) when
their mother can no longer take care of
them.
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Almost overnight, Bernie has to learn the fine
art of parenting. He incorporates as lot of ‘tough
love’ into his daily regimen, but often
finds himself exasperated at the results.
Fox recently released the 1st season of “The
Bernie Mac Show” on DVD, so I thought I
might finally satisfy my curiosity and see if
the show was as good as I had heard. After all,
it’s been nominated for and won several
Emmy Awards, so it’s gotta be good…
right? I sat down to check out the first few episodes
and found myself enjoying it far more than I expected.
What struck me right away was the overall style
of the show. Bernie often breaks the ‘fourth
wall’ to talk to the viewer, and though
this has been done before, Bernie’s delivery
makes it seem fresh. He often refers to himself
in the third person, which is quite funny. There’s
also the unusual practice of putting up captions
on the screen to elevate the humor, such as in
an episode where Jordan (Suarez) gets beat up
by a group of kids. We cut to Bernie helping him
clean himself up, an as he tells him that, “…those
kids will probably end up being your best friends…”,
we see an arrow pointing at Bernie with the caption,
“Lying through his teeth.”
Then I made the discovery after a few episodes
that the series shied away from too much cultural
humor. I’ve seen a lot of African-American
shows that don’t appeal to a wide audience
because a lot of viewers can’t relate to
the humor. This has often marked the death knell
for some shows with real potential. Bernie Mac
chooses to make itself more accessible by making
the humor relatable to a larger number of viewers.
Most of the humor is based on ‘family’
experiences as opposed to just ‘African-American
family experiences. Though the tone and style
are completely different, this was a similar route
the old “Cosby Show” took, and we
all know what a big hit that became.
I think I’ve been turned not only into a
casual fan of the series, but also of Bernie Mac
as well. Again, I’m familiar with his onstage
humor, but I was unaware of his background. Fox
wisely added an episode of “TV-ogprahy”
that focuses on Bernie’s life and career
and I can really appreciate how tough his rise
to fame was. Along with this extra feature, you’ll
also find a commentary on the “Pilot”
episode by Bernie and producers Larry Wilmore
and Ken Kwapis.
“The Bernie Mac Show” has, once again
proven to me that I need to give more shows a
chance. I really have to wonder what other gems
I might be missing in what is usually a TV wasteland.
Episodes:
Pilot
Now You Got It!
The Main Event
Bernie Mac, Ladies Man
Saving Bernie Mac
Here to Stay
A Christmas Story
Starting School
Hot, Hot, Hot
Wanda’s Week Off
The King and I
Hall of Fame
Handle Your Business
Back in the Day
Lockdown
Mac 101
If I Were N-Riched, Man
Stop Having Sex
Secrets and Lies
Kelly’s Heroes
Sweet Home Chicago, Part 1
Sweet Home Chicago, Part 2
Starring: Bernie Mac, Kellita Smith, Dee Dee
Davis, Jeremy Suarez, Camille Winbush
Extras: Audio Commentary on the Emmy Award Winning
“Pilot” Episode, TV-ography –
Bernie Mac,
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Surround
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 5/4/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website
We'll give The Bernie Mac Show: Season 1 a B.
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