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Primetime Picks… 10/15/17

Oct 15, 2017 Posted by in Features | Comments

Tonight Showtime kicks off the new comedy series White Famous, which centers around the exploits of rising black comedian Floyd Mooney (Jay Pharoah, SNL) as he deals with career and relationship issues. Floyd is still in love with ex/babymama Sadie (Cleopatra Coleman, The Last Man on Earth), and the two still hook up on occasion. Floyd also has a great relationship with son Trevor (Lonnie Chavis) and is an active and present father to him. However, Floyd now lives with best friend Ron Balls (Jacob Ming Trent, Feed the Beast), who often serves as his voice of reason. Meanwhile, Floyd’s ambitious manager Malcolm (Utkarsh Ambudkar, The Mindy Project) is constantly looking for the next big opportunity to help his client to become “white famous”—so famous that he transcends color.

The series has a nice blend of humor and interesting character drama. The pilot does a great job of introducing the characters and relationships, and has some really fun moments. Jay Pharoah was always great at doing impressions on SNL, and they’ve found an organic way to work his comedy and impressions into the show. Plus, if the premiere is any indication, this series is going to have a great supporting cast—tonight’s 1-hour premiere features Stephen Tobolowsky and Jamie Foxx. The main criticism I have of the show is its excessive language—there are so many F-bombs dropped in this first hour!

In tonight’s first episode, “Pilot”, a racially-charged encounter with a film producer goes viral, presenting an opportunity to a young comic, if he is willing to bend his principles. Then, in “Heat”, Malcolm pushes Floyd to commit to his next project; Trevor tours an expensive private school; Sadie comes clean about a relationship.

Tonight I’ll also be watching/recording Ten Days in the Valley, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, Ghosted, Family Guy, The Last Man on Earth, Fear the Walking Dead, Good Behavior, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

For additional suggestions on what to check out tonight, including Star Wars Rebels, check out the If We Controlled Your Remote… 10/15/17 post at TVisMyPacifier.com.