Series Description

The Bernie Mac TV show was a 30 minute comedy series on the FOX Network about a famous stand-up comedian who was living the carefree childless life of a L.A. superstar. But when his sister went into drug rehab, her three "problem" children had nowhere else to go and his life changed dramatically overnight.

Bernie Mac Show Cast

Bernie Mac .... Bernie "Mac" McCullough
Kellita Smith .... Wanda McCullough
Camille Winbush .... Vanessa "Nessa" Thomkins
Jeremy Suarez .... Jordan Thomkins
Dee Dee Davis .... Bryana "Baby Girl" Thomkins

Bernie Mac Show Trivia:

Bernie Mac nearly did not agree to do the show because he felt that the limitations of what can be done on prime-time television might cramp his style of comedy.

The idea for the Bernie Mac Show was first pitched to ABC, CBS, NBC, and the WB before being snapped up by FOX.

Bernie Mac was a boxer before moving to stand-up comedy in 1977. His first paid performance was at the Cotton Club in Chicago, Illinois. Bernie had so little money at the time that he was forced to borrow a suit from his brother for the performance! Stand-up is a tough business but Bernie stuck with it and got his big break in 1992 as a frequent performer on the TV series, "Def Comedy Jam".

Unlike most sitcoms which are filmed using three cameras, the Bernie Mac Show uses the single camera method. The series is not shot in front of a studio audience and no laugh tracks are added. The three camera method was invented by Desi Arnaz for use on the "I Love Lucy Show" and has become the industry standard, but is more expensive.

The Bernie Mac Show's creator, "Larry Wilmore" was fired during the second season. FOX felt that changes needed to be made in order to increase the number of laughs to improve poor ratings and Wilmore didn't appreciate FOX's interference with his vision for the show.

The Bernie Mac character placed #47 in the TV Guide June 20, 2004 issue's "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" list!