"My Wife and Kids" (2001) TV series 2001-2005

Creators:

Don Reo
Damon Wayans

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

28 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Michael Kyle longs for a traditional life, but his day-trader wife Janet, gangsta rap-worshipping son Michael Jr., and brooding daughters Claire and Kady make his dream just that ... a dream.

Plot Keywords:

Father Daughter Relationship | Teenage Girl | Brother Sister Relationship | Food | Chair

Awards:

10 wins & 36 nominations

Cast

Damon Wayans	...	Michael Kyle (123 episodes, 2001-2005)
Tisha Campbell-Martin	...	Janet 'Jay' Kyle / ... (123 episodes, 2001-2005)
George Gore II	...	Michael Kyle Jr. / ... (123 episodes, 2001-2005)
Parker McKenna Posey	...	Kady Kyle (123 episodes, 2001-2005)
Jennifer Freeman	...	Claire Kyle (111 episodes, 2001-2005)
Noah Gray-Cabey	...	Franklin Aloysius Mumford / ... (60 episodes, 2002-2005)

Also Known As:

My Wife & Kids (USA) (alternative spelling)
Wife and Kids (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Television

Trivia:

Jazz Raycole, who originally played 'Claire Kyle', was pulled from the show by her mother who disapproved of a storyline that started off season two.

Quotes:

Kady: Don't forget to put the peanut in the peanut hole.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2005 Glitter Awards (2005) (V)

Great show!

This is the modern take on the Cosby Show. While this isn't as successful it is funny. The thing with the Cosby show was that it was quite realistic. This show has some realism but is generally exaggerated and overplayed for more overt humour. It has more daring portrayals and deeper situations too, with the Kyle's young son taking drugs and also impregnating his girlfriend throughout the series of the show.

The key thing that works here is the cast, much in the same way they did in Cosby. This is predominantly a far more modern family, younger parents and wilder children. Damon Wayon's is the father, Michael and he is hilarious. Damon is all about his delivery and is also a great physical comedian. I love Tisha Campbell as Jay, the mother of the household. She looks way to young to have two adult children but you soon forget that. She is vivacious and infectious. Then there is George O Gore as Junior the idiot son. The part is very over the top but funny, with Gore playing the dullard superbly. Jennifer Freeman is very good as the eldest daughter too, and not to mention sexy. The stars for me though are the child cast. Firstly Parker Mackenna Posey as Kady, the cutest sitcom creation since Rudy and the other little kid in the Cosby show. She's a great little actress and some of the lines she has a classic. I laugh almost every time she's on screen and she says something. Kids in these shows can often not have much charisma or can deliver lines well, but she does it excellently. The one that really makes me laugh though is the young genius and future husband of Kady, Franklin played by Noah Gray-Cabey. Every line he is given is superb, because generally he is given lines to say that you would never hear from someone that young. He's also the maestro pianist who serenades his girl with concerto pieces. The trademark line `Anyhoo!' is a gift for the audience that Franklin must utter at least once an episode. It's all funny stuff and lots of running jokes such as the ever more imaginative deliveries of the words `yes' and `no' with dances and palpitations resulting in an answer to a request from the kids. I have found myself doing the same, on one occasion taking a whole 2 minutes to tell my brother that I wouldn't buy him a takeaway.

This is a very good comedy show and something I regularly watch. It's been done before but not like this.