Wayans vs. Mac: The Mac show fires writer....

[AKAtude]

Wayans Miffed by "Mac" Move
by Bridget Byrne
Jun 18, 2002, 1:25 PM PT

Ready or not, Damon Wayans and Bernie Mac are ready to rumble.

No, we're not talking the latest edition of Fox's Celebrity Boxing. But, thanks to Fox programmers, the two funnymen will be facing off on Wednesdays come this fall.

As part of a continuous effort to outfox rivals, Fox executives have moved the network's popular sitcom The Bernie Mac Show an hour earlier to 8 p.m., where it will air opposite ABC's popular sitcom My Wife and Kids, starring Wayans.

That has Wayans mad as hell. Not at Mac, but at the Fox execs whose tactics, he believes, undermine quality programming for the African-American audience still struggling for full and fair representation in prime-time.

"I was shocked when I learned what was going to happen," Wayans tells the Los Angeles Times. "The networks should not be playing checkers with two shows about African-American families that are working."

Both Wayans and Mac's comedies have earned kudos and generated laughs for depicting successful suburban black families bringing up kids. In My Wife and Kids, which debuted two seasons ago, Wayans portrays a businessman with a lovely wife and three children. In The Bernie Mac Show, which premiered last season, Mac plays a stand-up comedian with a lovely wife, caring for his sister's three kids.

"This is about the big picture. This is not about me and Bernie," says Wayans. "This speaks to a responsibility that networks have, particularly when there's a lack of diversity on prime-time," he reasons, noting the difficultly of getting just one show like this on air. "Now there are two. You're putting those against each other? It's divide and conquer. Then there will be none."

On the flipside, Fox executives believe their tactics are justified. Preston Beckman, Fox's senior v.p. of strategic programming, tells the Times he thinks both the Fox and ABC shows will hold their own and that the Mac move was made simply to strengthen the network's schedule. "Our goal is to look at our product and come up with our strongest schedule," he tells the paper.

Mac has not publicly voiced his opinion; neither has his production company Regency Television. Wayans tells the Times he has spoken to Mac. "He's in an awkward position," Wayans says of his new rival. "He's not thrilled about the move."

While Fox is reportedly not happy about Wayans claiming to speak for Mac, a network spokesperson refused further comment on the controversy Tuesday. ABC is also staying mum, no doubt reasoning My Wife and Kids fans will be able to find the show in the same time slot as last season--a valuable plus in the often confusing constant reshuffling of network schedules--and that Wayans' beef is with Fox, not his own network.

The Times quotes various tube industry insiders and observers divided over whether Wayans is just crying wolf or has a legitimate point. Some are certain both shows will suffer, others reason that both have enough unique appeal to continue to flourish.

Last season Wayans' show had more viewers, an average of 11 million compared to 9.5 million for Mac's sitcom. However, Nielsen Media Research statistics show Mac's edgier comedy was number one with African-American viewers and also scored well in the advertiser coveted 18 to 49 demographic. Wayans' show ranked fifth with African-Americans and 54th with white audiences, a category in which Mac's was 94th.

Beckman stresses these are, "two very different shows, distinctive comedies that will both survive this time period. Audiences love these shows regardless of their racial makeup."

And what other competition will Wayans and Mac be facing? Reality on CBS' 60 Minutes II, heartfelt dramedy on NBC's Ed, youth angst on the WB's Dawson's Creek and outer space on UPN's Enterprise.

[ClassyLady]

Originally posted by AKAtude
"This is about the big picture. This is not about me and Bernie," says Wayans. "This speaks to a responsibility that networks have, particularly when there's a lack of diversity on prime-time," he reasons, noting the difficultly of getting just one show like this on air. "Now there are two. You're putting those against each other? It's divide and conquer. Then there will be none."

Preacher, Brother!

[AKA2D '91]

This isn't the first time for this type of situation. The networks have historically done this.

I'm not surprised at all.

[Miss. Mocha]

I agree with AKA2D...it was extremely detrimental when FOX put the new (and at the time, hilarious) "MARTIN" up against "A DIFFERENT WORLD".

I myself can remember switching back and forth during commercials. Soon after, "A DIFFERENT WORLD" was off the air. Tragic!

[nikki1920]

I agree with Damon. I'd watch Bernie Mac anyway, but I like Damon's show the few times I've managed to see it. You'd think that with all the talk about the lack of *quality* Black shows, Fox and ABC would not put the two most watched shows against each other.

[AKA2D '91]

The thing about it is, YES, ABC and Fox have "quality" shows, but the NAACP nor any other entity said that the shows were to have DIFFERENT time slots.

When you ask for something, you have to be specific. Can we say "loophole"?

[AKA2D '91]

Mac Stays Out of the Wayans
Mon Jul 22, 2:20 PM ET
By Mark Armstrong

Television critics on Sunday heaped more awards on Bernie Mac. So it makes sense that he wouldn't be bothered by competition--even if it's from Damon Wayans.


The Original King of Comedy and star of Fox's rookie hit The Bernie Mac Show says he's okay with Fox's decision to move his series to a timeslot directly opposite Wayans' ABC comedy My Wife & Kids, despite Wayans' recent complaints that Fox's move would undermine two quality shows aimed at black audiences.

"Wherever I am, I have to play. I have to put on a good show," Mac told reporters Sunday at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena.

Mac said Wayans called him and asked for help in his battle. But ultimately, he said, "That's not my fight," saying there should be room for both shows to thrive on television.

Sandy Grushow, chairman of Fox Television Entertainment, claimed that Mac's audience was actually quite different than what My Wife and Kids attracts.

"I think about 86 percent or 87 percent of the audience that watches Bernie Mac doesn't watch My Wife and Kids," he said, adding, "We don't feel any obligation to ensure the success of any of our competitors' shows...So whether casts are black, white, green, yellow, purple, we're in a business here."

That's probably not the kind of contrition Wayans wanted to hear, after spouting off to the Los Angeles Times last month about Fox's plans to move Bernie Mac up a half-hour next season, to Wednesdays at 8 p.m., opposite My Wife and Kids.

"I was shocked when I learned what was going on," Wayans said. "The networks should not be playing checkers with two shows about African-American families that are working."

For now, at least, Wayans is ready for the competition. During an ABC party last week, the former In Living Color star reiterated that Fox's programming move was "unfair," but he also acknowledged that in the end, it's all business.

"They're playing chicken with Bernie's show," he told the Buffalo News. "I understand the bigger picture...the bottom line is it's business. This is Fox seeing ABC is vulnerable and they're trying to hit them where it hurts--8 o'clock Wednesday. If they can take that from them, they can definitely claim to be the number-three network.

"I love Bernie Mac," he added. "I think he's really funny. I've talked to him, but he's in an awkward position. It's like you are in your parents' house. You can't say much. But I know that he doesn't like it. But what are you going to do?"

In the meantime, however, Wayans declared to another newspaper: "We're at war."

Last season, Wayans' My Wife and Kids pulled in more viewers (11 million, on average) than Mac's 9.5 million. But Mac's got the critics on his side: The series, starring the funny guy as a reluctant dad to three adopted kids, has already nabbed a Peabody Award, two Emmy nominations (for Outstanding Writing and Lead Actor for Mac) and two honors from the Television Critics Association Sunday, for Best Comedy and for Mac's Individual Achievement.

Larry Wilmore, the show's executive producer, said he's not thinking about his competition in terms of race, and he doesn't think Fox launched an "insidious plot" in which they thought, "Hmmm, we have to kill this black show."

"To just think of our show in light of being an African-American show marginalizes what Bernie Mac is," he said. "It's a show about America. The fact that it's about a black family is secondary."

In other television critics news Sunday, Fox also scored honors from the TCA for its real-time thriller 24. The show was named Outstanding New Program and Program of the Year.

[AKA2D '91]

Posted: Tue., Mar. 11, 2003, 10:00pm PT

Peacock plucks 'Bernie Mac' exile

Creative differences, direction of show led to dismissal

By JOSEF ADALIAN


Fox has fired Larry Wilmore, the Emmy- and Peabody-award winning creator and showrunner of the net's two-year-old comedy hit "The Bernie Mac Show."
Wilmore is now expected to end up with an overall deal at NBC Studios.

Capping a battle of wills that stretches back to 2001, when the show was in the early stages of development, Wilmore was officially informed Tuesday that his services would not be needed when the 20th Century Fox/Regency TV-produced show returns next fall.

Though Wilmore has won numerous awards and critical praise, execs at the network and 20th have long believed he was not the right person to lead the show and that the series was, simply put, not as funny as it should be nor as big of a hit as it might be.

While it's not unheard of for nets to make showrunner changes, it's very rare for an Emmy and Peabody-award winning creator to be kicked off the show he developed.

"It's a good show that has great potential, a huge star and great concept -- but audiences aren't embracing it the way they ought to," one Fox insider said.

In addition to winning an Emmy for writing and a Peabody, Wilmore's show has been honored with a Humanitas Award and an NAACP image award. After a strong premiere, ratings for the show trailed off during the second half of last season and the skein didn't perform well this fall when it was placed opposite ABC's "My Wife & Kids" Wednesdays at 8.

Since "Bernie Mac" moved back to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, with an "American Idol" lead-in, its Nielsen numbers have jumped substantially (though Fox execs are still said to be troubled by aud drop off during the course of the half-hour laffer).

The first sign that Wilmore would not be asked back came last fall, when 20th told Wilmore's reps that the studio wasn't interested in signing the scribe to an overall deal. Wilmore's UTA reps soon began talking to other studios about making a deal for Wilmore and are now in final negotiations with NBC about a development pact.

There have also been regular disagreements between Wilmore and Fox over the creative direction of the show, with execs maintaining Wilmore needed to bring in more "B" stories and figure out a better way to wrap up episodes.

Indeed, Wilmore told Entertainment Weekly that one episode came back with the note "no more poignancy."

About six weeks ago, word began leaking out that 20th and Regency were searching for potential replacements for Wilmore. Among the candidates who have been mentioned (but not necessarily approached yet): Steve Levitan ("Just Shoot Me") and Michael Borkow ("Malcolm in the Middle.") There's also been talk of promoting current "Bernie" co-exec producer Steve Tompkins and Warren Hutcherson to showrunners.

Series star Bernie Mac was approached about the decision to move on without Wilmore and did not put up a serious fight, numerous industry sources said. His lack of opposition was likely key to Fox's final decision to part ways with Wilmore.

Nonetheless, the star bid an emotional farewell to Wilmore on the set Tuesday night, after the scribe announced his exit following the wrap of production on the show's second season.

Ironically, when Mac first struck a deal with Fox to do a pilot, he said he was signing with the net and 20th/Regency because of his desire to have creative freedom. "If I do TV, it's because I like the creative control they've given me, the ownership in the show," he told Daily Variety in 2000. "I like the way they empower the talent. They stand back and let you grow."

Fox, 20th, Regency and Wilmore declined comment.

(Rick Kissell contributed to this report.)