Funnyman Rickey Smiley is riding high right now. After years of expressing his desire to be viewed as a national entertainer, much in the vein of Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer, the Alabama native is finally getting his due. Smiley now has not one, but two national television shows on air, both debuting recently. The first, and more compelling, is a syndicated gossip show called “Dish Nation” where five radio stations from around the country takes comedic jabs at the current happenings around the world. This fits Smiley’s persona, as the cameras catch him in his natural element, where he is able to be the stand-up comedian that he is. That’s the good news.
But his second show, the scripted sitcom which debuted last night on TV One, is an utter train wreck. Co-starring J Anthony Brown, Ray J and Roz Ryan, the show takes a look at Smiley’s real life as a single dad of three. After the first five minutes of the show, I found myself frantically searching online to discover the names of the writers, director, and producers of this poor quality show. Every aspect, from the acting on down, felt more like an amateur play than a polished television product.
Surely this was a joke, right? Unfortunately, the joke was on the viewer, as the show went from bad to worse with each passing minute. The sad reality from Smiley’s sitcom debut is that it only reinforced a shocking truth: T.I. and Tiny are officially the best bet for black family entertainment on television.
God bless America.
