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

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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.