The 1990's was a very good time for Black sitcoms. It was a good time for multi-camera TV shows in general, but African Americans leading sitcoms were at their height in the 90's. The Wayans family was a significant part of those Black sitcoms. It started with Keenen Ivory Wayans creating In Living Color (1990) in which he hired many of his family members, including his younger brother, Damon Wayans. Damon Wayans did a lot of major motion pictures in the 90's like The Last Boy Scout (1991) and Mo' Money (1992). His movie career didn't explode like Jim Carrey who was also a cast member of In Living Color, so eventually Damon Wayans went back to television. He had a series on ABC called My Wife and Kids (2001), which was a success and ran for five seasons. If anything, this series on CBS is a kind of spiritual sequel to that one. My Wife and Kids though was one of the last multi-camera Black sitcoms before the dearth over the past two decades.
That lack of Black sitcoms was particularly notable on CBS, which back in 2017 was hit with a lot of tough questions and criticism over the lack of diversity in their shows. As a result, the network tried to put forth more programming that had Black or Latino actors in the forefront. A lot of the shows didn't last that long. One of which was a TV series called Happy Together (2018), starring Damon Wayans, Jr., the son to the aforementioned Damon Wayans. Damon, Jr., is a "nepo baby" as they're called. His first credit was as a child playing in his father's film Blankman (1994). However, Damon, Jr. proved himself to be a great on-screen comedic talent, just as good as his father and has great runs in shows like Happy Endings (2011) and New Girl (2011). Happy Together was canceled after its first season, but, for one episode, Damon, Sr. got to play the on-screen father to Damon, Jr. Five years later, the two would play on-screen father and son but this time on a regular basis.
Damon Wayans, Sr. stars as Damon Fulton aka "Poppa," a long-time radio DJ in New York. He was apparently very successful and is now very wealthy. He's divorced and lives alone in a very nice house. The only family we see from him is his adult son who lives in a house next door. Poppa quit his radio job but he now does a podcast from his home that occupies his time. Otherwise, he's retired and is essentially a curmudgeon. His son frequently visits in order to get advice or help in terms of navigating his personal and professional life. It reveals how conservative and old school Poppa is about how to handle problems. He also believes more in tough love, no affirmation or affection, but instead sternness when it comes to parenting.
Damon Wayans, Jr. co-stars as Damon Fulton, aka "Junior," an aspiring filmmaker who is in a lot of ways the opposite of his father. He's more progressive and new school. He believes in empathy, sympathy and compassion, along with plenty of positive affirmations and displays of affection. A running gag is that Junior kisses his father in various moments. Whereas his father doesn't like showing how he feels, Junior has no problem expressing his emotions, particularly his love for his dad. If his father is hard, then Junior is certainly more soft, and a lot of the episodes are about softening Poppa and turning him to a more humanistic point of view.
Even in the height of Black sitcoms in the 90's, the kind of relationship depicted here is one that was few and far between. Yes, there were some stories about Black fathers like The Cosby Show (1984), Family Matters (1989) and The Parent 'Hood (1995). Those depictions though were the typical stern Black fathers who doled out tough love and the Black sons that accepted it. Arguably, something like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) wasn't about a Black father and his son, but Uncle Phil, played by James Avery, was a father-figure and his portrayal was the typical stern Black father too. Yes, there are episodes here and there that showed a more sensitive side, but showing that sensitive side or showing a more loving and affectionate relationship was not the thrust of those shows. It feels as though showing that more loving relationship is the thrust here.
It's not as if this kind of relationship has never existed over the past 30 years. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) was about a Black father named Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, whose son was Jake Sisko, played by Cirroc Lofton. That show wasn't a comedy. It was a dramatic and science-fiction series, but it did regularly depict a loving and affectionate relationship between a Black father and son. There were many moments, for example, where you saw the two give each other hugs and kisses. Historically and culturally, Black families have been criticized for how Black fathers are absent or Black fathers are no good. A lot of that criticism has come from not only outside but also inside the Black community.
There are a couple of Black sitcoms currently in production. One of which is on the same network as this one. It's The Neighborhood (2018) with Cedric the Entertainer as the father in question. His character is in a lot of ways stereotypical. Another series called The Upshaws (2021) with Mike Epps as the father in question has his character a lot more stereotypical. What's different about The Upshaws is that Wanda Sykes co-created it and Sykes is a Black lesbian. The series even features Jermelle Simon who plays a Black gay man. As such, one would think that the father-son relationship depicted in that show would try to be different or challenge what that father-son dynamic could look like. Yet, The Upshaws rather fails in that regard. I rarely believe that Epps and Simon are even father and son in that show.
Obviously, the two Damon characters in this show are benefited by the fact that Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans, Jr. are actually parent and child. Clearly, there is a real love between the two. Sometimes, it can be awkward for two people who are related in real-life to portray a real, loving relationship on screen. It can feel a bit awkward here as well, but again, hugging and kissing each other on screen is something that at least these two don't resist or hide. The physical affection goes a long way to convince of the emotional affection, which is what is lacking in a lot of these Black sitcoms.
Unfortunately, while this show isn't lacking in Black father-son love, it is lacking much characterization or depth for its female characters. Essense Atkins is an actress who has been in practically every Black sitcom, going all the way back to The Cosby Show. She also guest starred on Family Matters and The Parent 'Hood. She started working with the Wayans family when she guest starred in The Wayans Bros. (1995). She worked with the family again and specifically Damon Sr.'s younger brother, Marlon Wayans, in A Haunted House (2013). She worked with him again in the short-lived Marlon (2017) on NBC. Here, she plays Ivy Reed, a doctor and therapist who becomes the co-host on Poppa's podcast. Yet, this show has so far not given her much more of a character besides being the podcast co-host who helps to push Poppa to be more progressive or sensitive. It's as if she doesn't exist outside her interactions with Poppa, which is how a lot of sitcoms operate, but for a show that's trying to be more progressive, it's wasting Adkins as a talent in and of herself here.
Tetona Jackson (Good Trouble and Boomerang) plays Nina, the wife to Junior and the mother to his two children. She's clearly an amazing comedic talent who can absolutely keep up with both of the Wayans in this show. She gets a little bit more because the character of Junior is constantly bouncing off her in all of the story lines because she is his wife. She can be very funny and very hilarious too. Her talent isn't being wasted, but it still feels lacking for her as a character or a person separate from the issues between the two Wayans. It's not enough to totally offend, but it's simply enough to raise an eyebrow.
Rated TV-14-L.
Running Time: 30 mins.
Mondays at 8:30 PM on CBS.