One of the newest underdog sitcoms on NBC is back for another season of realistic topics and lots of laughs. “The Carmichael Show,” a sitcom based on the fictitious family of real-life stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael, is approaching its second season. The first was just a teaser, with only six episodes airing last summer. The show now has the chance to find its groove and establish itself as the smart and humorous sitcom that it strives to be.
Many of the touchy topics that the show tackles arise from the differences between the main characters. Jerrod is a young comedian with a girlfriend named Amber, a liberal and biracial therapist in-training. His parents, Joe and Cynthia (played by David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine), are an old-fashioned Southern couple. The characters’ points of view oftentimes clash, which has birthed discussions on racial profiling, religion, the Bill Cosby scandal, and more.
Carmichael, the star, co-creator, and executive producer of the show, says viewers can expect a similar formula for season two, but with more striking discussion.
“We got deeper into conversations. We have a lot of fun exploring topics now, and the chemistry is better,” Carmichael tells rolling out.
According to Lil Rel Howery, who plays Jerrod’s brother Bobby, the sitcom is expected to continue into the direction Carmichael intended it to go. His aim for the program was to create a funny, yet serious tone reminiscent of earlier classics like “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.”
“He said, ‘I want to bring back the old Norman Lear style of sitcom,'” Howery, who is also a stand-up comedian, says of Carmichael. “I think it’s always dope to see the kids who are really into these shows on TV become the adults that’s creating them. Hollywood should be giving opportunities to those people.”
“The Carmichael Show” has a great chance of becoming as unforgettable as the classic programs it models itself after. Amber Stevens West, who plays Maxine, says that the sitcom is meant to stir the pot in ways that start real discussions. If it’s as intelligent and fresh as Lear’s projects proved to be in their day, Carmichael’s brainchild could become a marker that embodies the social issues that matter most in this era.
“That’s the whole point of the show,” West explains. “We’re here to have real conversations and talk about what people are talking about at home. And these are real conversations we have with each other when the cameras aren’t rolling, and I think that’s what people want to see.”
Watch the season premiere of “The Carmichael Show” Sunday, March 13 at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
