About a month ago, I posted a blog entry announcing that former My Wife and Kids frontman and creator, Damon Wayans will return to ABC to star in another (unnamed) family sitcom starring himself. Now, it's been reported that Wayans fellow comedian colleague, Bernie Mac will also return to his old stomping grounds at FOX to do the same. Fox has won a fierce bidding war to acquire a new Bernie Mac sitcom that is reportedly one of the biggest – if not the biggest – comedy deals of the now-suspended development season. Tentatively titled Starting Under, the Warner Bros. TV project from Drew Carey Show creator Bruce Helford received a substantial series commitment from Fox, (believed to be an unheard-of seven episodes.)According to Variety, the deal was hammered out late last Friday, making it the last major pilot pact before the writers strike began Monday. "I've been a huge Bernie Mac fan forever and felt we needed to bring that star back to TV," said Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly.
The multi-camera project will star Mac as a large, opinionated guy (not unlike himself in that respect) who winds up divorced and living with his introverted twentysomething son. What's more, he also winds up working for his son.
"Bruce constructed a really clean construction, a solid vehicle for Bernie," Reilly said. "And he doesn't have it all riding on Bernie's shoulder. There's a great twist of a father-son relationship there, too. I have to hand it to Bruce -- he nailed it." Reilly said he'd been chasing Mac for some time and even tried to get into business with the former Bernie Mac Show star earlier this season.
Mac's recent credits include the features Ocean's Thirteen, Transformers, Charlie's Angels and Pride. He spent five seasons as the star of Bernie Mac and is also well known for his standup career as one of the Original Kings of Comedy.
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