The Bernie Mac Show

Last updated
The Bernie Mac Show
Berniemac.PNG
Season 1 DVD cover
Genre Sitcom
Created by Larry Wilmore
Starring
ComposerStanley A. Smith
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes104 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Steven Greener
  • Michael Petok
  • Teri Schaffer
  • Bernie Mac
  • Marc Abrams
  • Michael Benson
  • Jerry Collins
  • Kate Angelo
  • Ken Kwapis
  • Reginald Hudlin
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Fox
ReleaseNovember 14, 2001 (2001-11-14) 
April 14, 2006 (2006-04-14)

The Bernie Mac Show (often shortened to Bernie Mac in syndication) is an American sitcom television series created by Larry Wilmore, that aired on Fox for five seasons from November 14, 2001 to April 14, 2006. The series featured Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Vanessa, and Bryana.

Contents

Premise

The series was loosely based on Mac's stand-up comedy acts. In real life, Bernie "Mac" McCullough was married with one daughter; Mac's character on the show (a stand-up comedian) was married with no children of his own. The pilot episode, aired on November 14, 2001, set up the basic premise for the series: the character Bernie Mac takes in his sister's children after she enters rehab (a fictional premise taken from one of Mac's stand-up routines which was eventually featured in the 2000 film, The Original Kings of Comedy ). "In reality, the story is a blend of two real incidents: Mac briefly took in his niece Toya who was an at risk youth and her daughter Monique; while a friend of his had to raise her sister's children long-term." [1] [2]

Much of the humor in the show was derived from Mac's continual adjustment to and his unique take on parenthood. A frequent motif of the show was the juxtaposition of Mac's acerbic comments, such as his threats to "bust the (children's) heads 'til the white meat shows," and the parental affection he felt toward the trio, which often brought him to the verge of tears. Toward the end of the series, Bryana's long-lost father (Anthony Anderson) returns and drops by from occasionally to help Bernie and Wanda with the kids.

Many of his most emotional scenes occurred in segments in which Mac, while still in character, broke the 'fourth wall' and talked to the television audience, which he referred to as "America". This technique was notably used before an episode during the 2005–2006 season, when Bernie, as himself and wearing a Chicago White Sox cap and jacket, delivered a heartfelt congratulatory message to the baseball organization and its staff on their recent World Series Championship. Mac, who grew up on Chicago's south-side, was a die-hard fan of the White Sox and was seen at Game 1 of the World Series, in a front row seat.

The show also features yellow captions pointing things out that aren't explicitly mentioned.

Mac's character's celebrity worked as a plot device allowing other celebrities to appear on the show as themselves, including Serena Williams, Chris Rock, Ashton Kutcher, Billy Crystal, Carl Reiner, Don Rickles, Angela Bassett, Ellen DeGeneres, Ice Cube, Isaac Hayes, Flavor Flav, Lucy Lawless, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Matt Damon, Charles Barkley, Jon Garland, Jules Sylvester, Sugar Ray Leonard, India Arie, Shaquille O'Neal, Sugar Shane Mosley, Hugh Hefner, Phil McGraw, and Marcus Allen.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 22November 14, 2001 (2001-11-14)May 15, 2002 (2002-05-15)
2 22September 18, 2002 (2002-09-18)May 14, 2003 (2003-05-14)
3 22November 30, 2003 (2003-11-30)June 29, 2004 (2004-06-29)
4 16September 8, 2004 (2004-09-08)April 8, 2005 (2005-04-08)
5 22September 23, 2005 (2005-09-23)April 14, 2006 (2006-04-14)

Characters

Main

Recurring

Unseen characters

Production

Main crew

Cancellation

After five seasons and 104 episodes, Fox announced the cancellation of The Bernie Mac Show.

The series finale titled "Bernie's Angels" focused on Bernie getting an electrical shock and ends up traumatized. After he recovers, he begins to teach Jordan and Bryanna how to do certain things on their own. Also, Vanessa doesn't want Bernie to be involved in her choosing a college. Meanwhile, Jordan takes advantage of Bernie's kindness. In the end, Vanessa and Bernie make up (mainly due to her writing an essay about who inspires her most: which is him). In the final scene of the series, Bernie goes back to his normal self and takes back the iPod he bought Jordan since he was taking advantage of him. Bernie's final line is a farewell message to the viewers and stating that he is going to continue to raise and teach the kids for as long as they need it and he also wishes the viewers luck. The scene pans out with Jordan on his knees sobbing and begging for the iPod while Bernie smugly laughs and teases him.

Broadcast history

The series debuted in its time slot on November 14, 2001, with solid ratings in spite of a weak lead-in, Grounded for Life . The show had a very successful first season and in the process won a handful of honors including an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series" and the prestigious Peabody Award. Bernie Mac also received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

In fall 2002, the series aired against the Damon Wayans comedy My Wife and Kids which may have hurt the show's momentum in the ratings during the first half of its second season run. Larry Wilmore, the show's creator and executive producer, was fired at this time. In interviews, Wilmore said he was fed up with the network's creative interference with the show, in addition to Fox constantly shuffling it around the schedule. Fox contended that it wasn't happy with the show's direction under Wilmore in the second season, claiming the show "wasn't delivering enough laughs". With The Bernie Mac Show's inability to topple My Wife and Kids in the Wednesday 8 p.m. timeslot, Fox eventually aired the show after American Idol , after which it received its highest ratings ever.

The third season was scheduled to start on October 29, 2003, but was postponed due to The O.C. being moved. Instead, the series started the season at the late date of November 30, 2003. The ratings were mediocre, despite the large ratings of its lead-in The Simpsons . In March 2004, the show was moved to Monday nights in a plan to boost ratings for the new show Cracking Up , but the ratings were low for both shows. Cracking Up was canceled and The Bernie Mac Show was pulled from May Sweeps with leftover episodes that aired in June (one of which included an episode about Thanksgiving).

The Bernie Mac Show returned to its original time slot on September 8, 2004, to start the fourth season. The production was shut down a month later due to Bernie's sickness. The show returned on January 14, 2005, with new episodes on Friday nights. Although the ratings were low enough that commentators questioned the show's future (especially when it was postponed from May Sweeps again), the show was renewed for a fifth season.

The fifth season started September 23, 2005, on Friday nights and beginning mid-season, airings were followed by reruns of the show.

The Bernie Mac Show celebrated its 100th episode on February 3, 2006, [3] even though the actual 100th episode was not aired until March 31.

Syndication and international broadcast

The series had been airing in syndication since September 2005 and aired on Independent Fox UPN and The WB affiliates (the letter networks The WB 100+ Station Group also carries the program as part of its national schedule) and was on the FX network from September 2008 until 2011. [4] In syndication, the series' title is shortened simply to Bernie Mac. Bernie Mac's hometown of Chicago aired the series on the city's independent station The U. The Bernie Mac Show began its run on the station in September 2005. In the beginning of fall 2009, the series briefly moved to The U's sister station Me-TV, before returning to The U where it remained until late 2010. It also formerly aired reruns on BET, BET Her, Bounce TV, Laff, MTV2 and TV One and currently airs on Aspire TV.

On the day of Mac's funeral, The U aired a retrospective TV special called A Tribute to Bernie Mac, which featured clips from the series and an interview with Camille Winbush, who portrayed Vanessa.[ citation needed ]

Reruns of the show were also aired on Much in Canada.[ citation needed ] The show aired in Jamaica on CVM Television.[ citation needed ]

Home media

DVD NameRelease DateEp #Additional Information
Season 1May 4, 200422Bonus features include commentary on the pilot episode from Bernie Mac and a 60-minute A & E Tvography.

The Season One DVD boxset was released on DVD May 4, 2004.

Reception

American ratings

SeasonTimeslot (EDT)Season premiereSeason finaleTV seasonRankViewers
(in millions)
1Wednesday 9:00 P.M. (November 14, 2001 – May 15, 2002)November 14, 2001May 15, 2002 2001–2002 #639.5
2Wednesday 8:00 P.M. (September 18, 2002 – December 11, 2002)
Wednesday 9:00 P.M. (January 15, 2003 – May 14, 2003)
September 18, 2002May 14, 2003 2002–2003 #6010.0
3Sunday 8:30 P.M. (November 30, 2003 – February 22, 2004)
Monday 8:00 P.M. (March 7, 2004 – June 29, 2004)
November 30, 2003June 29, 2004 2003–2004 #957.5
4Wednesday 9:00 P.M. (September 8, 2004 – September 29, 2004)
Friday 8:00 P.M. (January 14, 2005 – April 8, 2005)
September 8, 2004April 8, 2005 2004–2005 #1104.8
5Friday 8:00 P.M. (September 23, 2005 – April 14, 2006)September 23, 2005April 14, 2006 2005–2006 #1303.6

Awards and nominations

The Bernie Mac Show won a Peabody Award in 2001, [5] the Humanitas Prize, a Primetime Emmy Award, three NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, and was honored by the Television Critics Association.

For his role in the show, Bernie Mac was honored by the Television Critics Association for Individual Achievement in a Comedy as well as the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series four years in a row: 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Related Research Articles

<i>Growing Pains</i> American television sitcom (1985–1992)

Growing Pains is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Seaver family, which included psychiatrist and father Jason, journalist and mother Maggie, and their children Mike, Carol, Ben, and Chrissy.

8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom television series originally starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their three children. Kaley Cuoco, Amy Davidson, and Martin Spanjers co-starred as their teenage kids: Bridget, Kerry, and Rory Hennessy. The series ran on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005. The first season focused on Paul being left in charge of the children after Cate takes a full-time job as a nurse, with comedic emphasis on his often strict rules concerning his daughters and dating. The series' name and premise were derived from the book 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter by W. Bruce Cameron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Mac</span> American comedian and actor (1957–2008)

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley in the film The Original Kings of Comedy.

<i>Wanda at Large</i> American sitcom

Wanda at Large is an American sitcom starring Wanda Sykes; Sykes also created the series alongside Bruce Helford, Les Firestein, and Lance Crouther. The series aired for two seasons on Fox from March 26 to November 7, 2003.

<i>Moesha</i> American sitcom

Moesha is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was originally ordered as a pilot for CBS' 1995–1996 television season but was declined by the network. It was then later picked up by UPN, which aired it as a mid-season replacement. It went on to become the biggest success for the nascent network and one of the greatest hits over the course of the network's entire run. The series was a joint production for UPN by Regan Jon Productions, Saradipity Productions, and Jump at the Sun Productions in association with Big Ticket Television.

Wishbone is an American live-action children's television series which aired from 1995 to 1997 originally broadcast on PBS. It is about a Jack Russell Terrier dog named Wishbone who daydreams about being the lead character of stories from classic literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Anderson</span> American actor and comedian (born 1970)

Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in comedy series such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish (2014–2022), drama series such as Marlin Boulet on K-Ville (2007), and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order. He had major roles in feature films such as Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), The Departed (2006), Transformers (2007), and Scream 4 (2011).

<i>Cousin Skeeter</i> American sitcom

Cousin Skeeter is an American children's sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life is changed when his strange cousin, Skeeter, comes to stay with his family. With Skeeter's help, Bobby learns life lessons and tackles the ups and downs of growing up. The show also included Meagan Good as Bobby's friend Nina, Rondell Sheridan as Bobby's father Andre, and Angela Means as Bobby's mother Vanessa. Skeeter is portrayed by a hand puppet with Bill Bellamy providing his voice, and Drew Massey performing the puppetry, assisted by Alice Dinnean. Within the show, Skeeter is treated like a regular human and no mention of him being a puppet is made. Although the series was shot in a single-camera format, the show used a laugh track.

<i>The PJs</i> American adult animated stop motion black sitcom

The PJs is an American adult stop motion-animated black sitcom created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It portrays life in an urban public housing project. The series starred Eddie Murphy, and it was produced by Imagine Television by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, The Murphy Company and Will Vinton Studios in association with Touchstone Television, marking the show as Disney's first adult animated series; and Warner Bros. Television. The original run of the series debuted on Fox on January 10, 1999, following the network's coverage of the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Two days later, the second episode aired in its regular Tuesday night time slot, following King of the Hill. The series was moved to The WB for its third season and the series ended on May 20, 2001. The title is an abbreviation for "the projects", referring to the show's public housing highrise.

Camille Simoine Winbush is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles as Emma Aimes on short-lived sitcom Minor Adjustments, Vanessa Thomkins on The Bernie Mac Show and as Lauren Treacy on the popular teen drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Her work in television has earned her three Image Awards and a Young Artist Award.

Kellita Smith is an American actress, model and comedian. She is best known for her role as Wanda McCullough, Bernie Mac's wife on the FOX sitcom The Bernie Mac Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Wilmore</span> American comedian

Elister Larry Wilmore III is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actor. He served as the "Senior Black Correspondent" on The Daily Show from 2006 to 2014, and hosted The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore in 2015 and 2016. He is also the creator of the sitcom The Bernie Mac Show. He served as an executive producer for the ABC television series Black-ish, and is the co-creator, with Issa Rae, of the HBO television series Insecure. Since May 2017, he has hosted a podcast, Black on the Air, where he discusses current events and interviews guests. He is the host of the talk show Wilmore.

Jeremy Steven Suarez is an American actor, best known for his role as Jordan Thomkins on The Bernie Mac Show (2001–2006), and as the voice of Koda in Brother Bear (2003) and Brother Bear 2 (2006).

Dee Dee Davis is an American former actress, best known for her role as Bryana "Babygirl" Thomkins on The Bernie Mac Show, for which she won a Young Artist Award in 2004. She guest-starred in Strong Medicine, House, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Davis took a break from acting in 2007 to focus on school.

<i>Baby Blues</i> (American TV series) American adult animated television series

Baby Blues is an American adult animated sitcom, based on the comic strip of the same name by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott, produced by Warner Bros. The first eight episodes of Baby Blues originally aired in the United States on The WB between July 28 and August 24, 2000, before being canceled. The five remaining episodes from the first season eventually aired on Adult Swim in 2002. A second season, consisting of 13 episodes, was produced but never aired.

<i>Gary Unmarried</i> American TV series or program

Gary Unmarried is an American sitcom created by Ed Yeager, which ran on CBS from September 24, 2008, to March 17, 2010. The series focuses on a recently divorced couple sharing custody of their kids while starting new relationships. The show was produced by ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios, and Yeager and Ric Swartzlander served as executive producers for the first season. The series was known as Project Gary during tapings before premiering on television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie McCullough</span> Fictional character

Bernie "Mac" McCullough is a fictional character loosely based on comic actor Bernie Mac from the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, which ran from 2001 to 2006.

"The Unbearable Like-Likeness of Gene" is the eighth episode of the third season of the animated comedy series Bob's Burgers. The episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 9, 2012. The episode centers around Gene Belcher as he attempts to end an undesirable relationship with his irritating female classmate Courtney. However, when he learns that Courtney's father Doug is a jingle writer who owns several electronic musical instruments, he decides to stay in the relationship, hoping that Doug will be able to start Gene a music career of his own. A subplot involves Linda Belcher attempting to lose weight by following a diet consisting solely of fruit and vegetable peels.

<i>Dads</i> (2013 TV series) American sitcom

Dads is an American live-action sitcom created by Wellesley Wild and Alec Sulkin for Fox. The series follows Warner and Eli, two successful video game developers whose lives are unexpectedly changed when their respective fathers move in with them. Sulkin and Wild are also executive producers. The show was recorded in front of a live studio audience. Dads was a joint production by Fuzzy Door Productions and 20th Century Fox Television and was syndicated by 20th Television.

Black-ish is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons with one hundred and fifty three episodes. Black-ish follows an upper class Black family headed by Andre "Dre" Johnson, a successful advertising executive, and his wife Rainbow, an anaesthesiologist. The show revolves around the Johnson family as they juggle personal, familial and sociopolitical issues, particularly in trying to reconcile their desire to stay true to their Black identities with their choice to live in a wealthy, suburban white neighborhood.

References

  1. Sepinwall, Alan (August 9, 2008). "Bernie Mac: In his own words". The Star-Ledger.
  2. Norris, Chris (May 12, 2002). "Bernie Mac Smacks A Nerve (Published 2002)". The New York Times.
  3. http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1%5B%5D
  4. "FX Fall 2011 Schedule Has How I Met Your Mother; The Nanny Reunion on Happily Divorced". Sitcoms Online. 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  5. 61st Annual Peabody Awards, May 2002.