The Bernie Mac Show

Somehow, I've found myself watching reruns of "The Bernie Mac Show" quite often recently, usually late at night and on some podunk network. This is a remarkable occurrence because I sort of loathe television, particularly sitcoms, and most especially family sitcoms.

But I don't loathe Bernie Mac! It's actually a pretty clever show. It has a number of signature gimmicks that might annoy some viewers, but I like them; Bernie talks to the camera a lot, for example, breaking the so-called "fourth wall." There are also plenty of amusing pop-up captions that comment on the action.

The plot is relatively straightforward stuff - Bernie is suddenly entrusted with the care of his two nieces and his wheezy little nephew, and he must somehow cope with this unexpected foray into the territory of "fatherhood." Though this may sound really standard, the scripts, from what I've seen, actually contain some pretty insightful and clever observations about parenting.

Maybe the best part is that the show is filmed like a movie, complete with moody lighting and interesting camera angles. Visually speaking, it just blows away all the cheap-looking sitcoms that are filmed on over-lit, tacky three-walled sets. I wonder when other sitcoms will finally get around to switching over to this more "cinematic" look?

I'll conclude now with the not-too-deep (but still very pertinent) observation that Kellita Smith, the actress who plays Bernie' wife, is really gorgeous. And that sure doesn't hurt the show, either!

A standup comic suddenly finds himself with three children to raise, the result of a drug-addled sister. One is a young girl trying to grow up, the second is an Urkel-type boy who loves to cause trouble and the third is a very young female who likes to eat. A lot. The comic struggles to be a father, and is aided (and sometimes not helped) by his adoring wife. Bernie Mac as the comic periodically breaks the fourth wall by sitting, facing the camera and talking directly to it, which means he is talking to us. No laugh track, no live audience, thank God. The show is decidedly hit and miss, and your feelings about it will depend on how you feel about the late and great Mr. Mac and his particular brand of humor. Guest stars abound.

Who would have thought Bernie Mac would be the man behind the most intelligent show to hit TV airwaves in a long time?

Not that I have any problem with Bernie Mac. I've always found him to be humorous and entertaining. He's just not exactly the guy who I would expect to end up on this kind of show.

But here he is, the star of the smartest, most original, most positive, and funniest TV comedy I have seen in years.

With it's non-use of a laugh track, it's commentary by Bernie Mac (who spends a good part of each show sitting on his favorite chair and addressing "America"), and it's little on-screen notes, this sitcom is about as anti-sitcom as it gets, but it's this orginality that helps make it special. The Bernie Mac Show bucks trends by avoiding crude humor and sex jokes, and the messages this show provide are ultimately positive. Another thing that impressed me about the Bernie Mac Show is that it is one of the first comedies I have seen in a while to feature a Black cast, but doesn't saddle it's characters and storylines with African-American stereotypes. The problems faced on this show are universal.

The cast is great too. Bernie Mac was born for this role, and the kids on the show also deserve credit, because they have roles to play and characters to portray. They are parts of the story, and not just extra bodies like the child cast members are on some other sitcoms. And they all do a good job with it.

But besides all of these great aspects the show has going for it, the Bernie Mac Show is outright hilarious, which makes it one of the best shows on TV today.

After years of sitcoms about dysfunctional families, Fox came up with a winner in The Bernie Mac Show. Even though it's a one camera comedy with no studio audience or laugh track, it's a sitcom I really enjoyed since the episodes usually featured Bernie talking to the home audience from his easy chair, referring to the people watching at home as "America." But Fox kept moving this sitcom around to different slots and Bernie Mac's movie career began taking off which is why I thought led to the show's cancellation after five seasons.

The supporting cast was outstanding, including Kelita Smith as his wife Wanda and the young actors who play Vanessa, Jordan and "Baby Girl" added a lot to the show. One line I'll always remember was Bernie's declamation of tough love "I'm gonna bust your head until the white meat shows!" It's a shame that Bernie Mac died suddenly at 50. America, his show will live on in reruns.

Bernie Mac don't understand these kids, 'Merica. This show is funny as H-E-double hockeysticks. The odd part is, Mac technically isn't acting here; this is his life. He just acts like himself. And they pay him to do this! I wish I could have had someone like that in my family. I've never met somebody who's that funny naturally.

He made an entire show about how he doesn't understand anything. That kicks so much ass.