UPN's All of Us

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'All of Us' blends real-life fiction
Mon Sep 8, 6:51 AM ET Add Entertainment - USA TODAY to My Yahoo!


By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

"Here we go, baby. Energy, everybody, it's gonna be on TV," the executive producer exhorts the cast of UPN's All of Us in a booming voice. "Let's wake it up."

With the actors and crew focused on him, he breaks out in baritone, singing Great Day in Bethlehem. The musical interlude may have been meant to relax everyone before taping. Or maybe he just wanted to sing.

Either way, it's an unorthodox performance for the executive producer of a TV show. Then again, how many executive producers are Will Smith (news)?


The 34-year-old A-list movie star/rapper and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, are the high-profile executive producers of the new comedy about a blended family, a series UPN describes as "inspired by the domestic adventures" of the Smiths.


As Will Smith's charismatic presence illustrates, big stars draw attention even in behind-the-scene roles. The Smiths' involvement means publicity that's likely to juice ratings, but they don't want that to overshadow the series itself. Passion for the concept is the reason Pinkett Smith pitched All of Us (premiering Sept. 16, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT).


"I thought, 'Wow, there's nothing anywhere that reflects anything that deals with divorce, nothing for kids to be able to watch that they could say, 'That's how I feel,' or 'I could relate to that' or 'Thank God, I'm not the only person who feels that way,' " says the actress, who starred in summer's The Matrix Reloaded and returns in The Matrix Revolutions in November.


In All of Us, Robert (Duane Martin), fiancée Tia (Elise Neal (news)) and ex-wife Neesee (LisaRaye) all try to keep the peace in a way that will be best for Robert and Neesee's 5-year-old son, Robert Jr. (Khamani Griffin). In real life, the Smiths and Will Smith's ex-wife, Sheree Zampino, have worked out a cooperative relationship that's in the interest of Will and Sheree's son, Trey.


But that's where the parallels end, says Pinkett Smith, 31, who has a son, 5-year-old Jaden, and daughter, 2-year-old Willow, with Smith and calls Trey, 10, her "bonus son."


"There's nothing in the show that is specific to what we experienced," she says. With Robert a TV entertainment reporter and Tia a teacher, the characters "don't reflect any of us."


The producers have relied on therapists and a focus group to come up with story ideas, she says.


"We would never put our own personal experiences in a TV show. It's too private," Pinkett Smith says.


If the stars' involvement brings people to the show, that's great, saysBetsy Borns, the Smiths' fellow executive producer who has day-to-day responsibility for the show. But she doesn't want them expecting to see the Smiths, because they'll be disappointed.


Although the show may not reflect the Smiths' lives directly, it can be a family affair. On a recent shooting day, Trey and Jaden guest-starred in an episode about Robert Jr.'s birthday party. Except for occasional consultations with his wife or the actors, Will Smith sat in the bleachers with Zampino as Pinkett Smith attended to details, watching scenes on a monitor and talking to actors and crew members.


The Smiths have been more hands-on than many star producers, UPN entertainment president Dawn Ostroff says. Pinkett Smith has been looking at everything from character portrayals to furniture to wardrobes. Her husband has flown in on days off from shooting I, Robot in Vancouver. A video link in Canada lets him watch rehearsals.


"You'll be rehearsing and then a cell phone will ring" with Will Smith calling his wife with a suggestion, says Neal, who appreciates their perspective.


With her own acting schedule, Pinkett Smith won't be able to be on the set every day, but she says she and her husband will be there as much as possible. She already has the show's structure envisioned through the fourth season, although she won't give out details.

For her, it's crucial that All of Us contains some serious and even sad moments that reflect real life. A shift away from that would be a deal breaker, but she says UPN has been supportive.

"There's the balance of the drama and the comedy, of making the story relatable yet keeping it funny," Pinkett Smith says. "It takes a lot more thought than just having to think, 'Oh, we've got to make a funny episode this week.' "