Tia Mowry is in a great place.
The actress the world watched go from an adorable teenager to a vivacious young woman to established television star is basking in the glow of motherhood and matrimony. And she’s got a new TV show, to boot. Mowry made waves last year when it was announced that she was leaving the beloved BET dramedy “The Game,” but she’s now the star of Nickelodeon’s family focused sitcom, “Instant Mom.” And for Mowry, it couldn’t be a better fit.
“I like the family dynamic of the show,” she explains. “I’m a mom and to be able to play a mom for the first time on television, I was really excited about that. And she’s not just any mom, she’s a smart, sassy, hip stepmom. I liked the whole angle of that. I thought the writing was very smart and I really enjoy working with kids.”
On the show, Mowry stars as Stephanie, a former party girl adjusting to her new husband (Michael Boatman) and his young children and trying to navigate parenthood while receiving not-always-welcome advice from her own mother, played by the exquisite Sheryl Lee Ralph. As a veteran of the ’90s television landscape, Mowry instantly felt a connection to the series that reminded her of her early days on TV starring alongside her twin, Tamera Mowry, on ABCs hit, “Sister, Sister.”
“[The show] did remind me of back when ‘Sister, Sister’ was on television, and ‘The Cosby Show,’ and ‘Family Matters’ — you had all of these shows that, as an African American woman with an African American family, I could relate to,” she shares. “Even shows like ‘Living Single’ and ‘Martin,’ they may not have been family-oriented, but when [my sister and I] got older, this was something we would sit down and watch and laugh and have a great time.
“What attracted me to the role in the script was I felt that there was a void,” Mowry adds. “[There was] a lack of programming that families could sit down and watch. Right now, you see television shows that are predominantly focused on kids that adults can’t watch or shows for adults that kids can’t watch. It kinda causes this division within the family when you’re talking about sitting down and watching television as a family. This did remind me of those times when we would sit down as a family and watch the ‘The Cosby Show’ and ‘Family Matters.’ I have to credit Nickelodeon for allowing diversity. And with that said, this isn’t a show that’s just for African Americans. This is a show that sees no color and that’s what reminded me of ‘Sister, Sister.’ It was universal. It was a show about a black family that black families could relate to, but not only black families — all families. I think that’s what makes a smart show because that’s what the world is. We’re constantly interacting with different cultures and different races. Isn’t television supposed to depict reality? I felt very privileged and excited to be a part of a show that shows African Americans in a positive life, in a healthy relatable light, and smart kids. I thank Nickelodeon for allowing that platform.”
