The situation with blacks and network TV is no comedy. There is no sitcom on the four major networks – FOX, ABC, CBS and NBC – with a lead African-American character. CW (UPN and WB merged) is the only network with black faces in situation comedies. BET, TV1 and TV Land have resurrected many African-American sitcoms in syndication, from Sanford and Son to UPN’s Eve, which was cut along with One on One, Love, Inc. and Half & Half, when the station merged with the WB.
Fox cut the successful Bernie Mac Show.
The NAACP called the lack of diversity on TV unconscionable.
“This is historically where many African-American actors, directors, writers and show runners have honed their artistic skills and found meaningful employment,” said Bruce S. Gordon, president of the NAACP.
TV land is certainly one of the places St. Louis-native entertainment duo Cedric The Entertainer (producer, actor, comedian, writer) and Eric Rhone (producer, writer, manager) honed their talents early in their illustrious career.
The two are going back to the small screen, which will somewhat change the face of ABC.
Cedric The Entertainer struck a deal with the network’s sibling company Touchstone to produce and create a TV show for himself.
In the show, Cedric The Entertainer, whose real name is Cedric Antonio Kyles, will star in the ABC sitcom as head of airport security and a single father of a 14-year-old daughter.
The project is in the early stages of development and could be in living rooms across the country by fall 2007.
Award-winning writer and Bernie Mac Show creator Larry Wilmore, who has been chipping in on the hilarious politics-based Daily Show with Jon Stewart, will help develop the show.
Rhone and Cedric The Entertainer through their Bird and a Bear partnership will also develop and create other shows for ABC.
The crowd-rocking comedian told the American it’s a good time to come back to television.
“TV made a lot of great strides in the last year – not in the world of situational comedies, but some ABC shows like Desperate Housewives and Boston Legal have made impact, showing all sides and making interesting plots,” Cedric The Entertainer said.
“So in the world of situational comedies, they actually needed some love and it looked like a great opportunity for us,” he said.
The busy comedian said his ABC sitcom would allow him to deal with current issues. A couple of issues are built into show’s core concept.
Cedric The Entertainer explained that while his character has this powerful job securing the world and our air travel sources, raising a 14-year-old daughter shows that you don’t have much control at all.
The clever comedian said he’s definitely drawing material from his relationship with his 17-year-old daughter, who now lives in St. Louis with his sister after living with him in LA.
He said the sitcom will show how a teenager who has already partially developed her own ideals still has to answer to an authority figure.
The figures that Cedric The Entertainer is answering to these days are financial.
“Got to get that cheddar,” he said jokingly. And he and Rhone getting their fair share of slices.
Their Bird and a Bear company recently produced The Cleaner, in which Cedric The Entertainer plays alongside Lucy Lu and Nicolet Sheridan. It open January 7.
The entertainer stars opposite Ophra Winfrey in Charlotte’s Web, playing her duck husband. The cartoon opens Friday, December 15.
The Bird and a Bear company is also producing and financing a show for St. Louis-native comedian Guy Torry. Torry will host reality show, Tell It Like It Is: America Sounds Off. Rhone said the show is meant to give the country a voice – America on the mic, if you will.
And while Cedric The Entertainer is juggling jobs, he isn’t neglecting his first love – standup – the cornerstone of his business.
“I’m on the road now,” he said. “That’s one of my main hustles. I’m always on the grind, so I’m doing shows here and there on weekends, just staying loose and fresh on stage.”
Like the St. Louis Rams, he won’t be in the Super Bowl. His deal with Anheuser-Busch expired, but they are talking about extending it in other ways. That’s how he and Rhone spend their days: in meetings, creating content and finding ways to move forward.
To stay sane, they pretty much depend on family
“Family provides an outlet,” said Rhone.
“When you’re traveling a lot and get to come home and see your family and see your hard work paying off in the lives of the people you love, it makes you relax, makes you fired up and makes your labor worthwhile.”
While the two work hard, Rhone said they love to have fun even while working.
“We are serious businessmen, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Rhone said.
