TV Jots

Movie Now a TV Comedy

TBS has a brand-new sitcom called Are We There Yet? premiering at 9pm ET on June 2. From executive producer Ice Cube, who also has a recurring role, the comedy is based on the 2005 movie of the same name starring him and Third Watch alumna Nia Long.

The series premiere “The Hyphenated Name Episode” begins where the flick ended, with couple Nick (Terry Crews of Everybody Hates Chris) and Suzanne (Essence Atkins of Half & Half) newly married for six months and setting up a blended life together with their two adolescent children, Lindsey (The Naked Brothers Band‘s Teala Dunn) and Kevin (newcomer Coy Stewart).

The show revolves around the challenges of combining two families in a world where divorces are common. So, in that spirit, the first episode features Nick dealing with his belief that Lindsey and Kevin no longer love him as much and Suzanne’s issues with what her name should be now, hence the punctuation nature of the title.

Ice Cube drops by to play Suzanne’s brother, who just happens to be a member of SWAT and acts like it. Longtime sitcom fans will also be happy to see Family Matters and Gimme a Break! veteran Telma Hopkins, who portrays Nick’s mother, a woman who doesn’t let “maturity” stop her from getting around. Keesha Sharp (Girlfriends) and Christian Finnegan (Chappelle’s Show) complete the cast as Suzanne’s high life-loving best friend Gigi and Nick’s business owner best friend Martin, respectively.

Similar to its established comedy hits House of Payne and Meet the Browns, TBS has ordered an initial ten episodes of Are We There Yet? to see how the rookie performs. If it meets the network’s ratings expectations, then the possibility of an additional 90-episode pickup may become reality.

It definitely helps that the series will air in hourlong double-episode blocks at 9pm, sandwiched between hourlong double-episode blocks of the two Tyler Perry staples at 8pm and 10pm. In fact, viewers who enjoy the older shows will most likely find the newest sitcoms entertaining, too…

…And vice versa, meaning people who don’t care for the older shows will probably find little or nothing to like in Are We There Yet?, as well. But as long as the target audience shows up, the future looks good for Ice Cube’s television venture. Personally, I’d tune in to each episode just to watch Crews busting a few surprisingly modern moves during the opening credits. I had no idea he could get get down like that.

Preview the very first scene of the very first Are We There Yet? episode in the following sneak peek.