Why Compare? Take 'Marlon' For What It Is
It's been exactly fifteen days since the season one finale of NBC's new comedy, Marlon, starring Marlon Wayans *cue theme song* -- and I don't know why critics insist on comparing the show to others, like, The Carmichael Show and Black-ish, when that's exactly the issue -- they're not like Marlon!
A few reviews I've read so far have argued that Wayans tries too hard to be funny, takes up all the spotlight with riffs and physical comedy that don't include any reaction or interaction from his fellow co-stars, and that his co-stars barely have anything to offer on their own, comedy-wise; one reviewer even going so far as to say that the rest of the cast should basically "sit in the audience and watch Wayans do stand-up".
Although I can somewhat see how they would think this, I disagree!
Old school, die-hard fans of the Wayans family, specifically Marlon and Shawn, should know exactly how Marlon gets down. So what if his scenes on Marlon allow him to ramble a bit? Who is the show named after? So what if his delivery resembles stand-up? He's a stand-up comedian FIRST; a skill that's slowly being forgotten these days, especially when a hit comedy series has a huge buzz around it, making people "think" the star(s) is(are) funny, which they probably are, but only in that capacity (not as a stand-up comedian, which takes guts and raw talent). No one does stand-up anymore, other than OG comedians, where, for them, stand-up launched their careers (i.e., Cedric the Entertainer, Ellen DeGeneres, Shawn Wayans, Nicole Sullivan, and the list can literally go on). I mean, look at Kevin Hart; he's on top of the comedy game right now with films and his BET show Husbands of Hollywood, yet he still does stand-up specials.
But I digress.
When it comes to Marlon Wayans the sitcom actor, real fans know that Marlon has always had a lot of energy and the ability to pull off physically demanding comedic stunts, so why is it such a problem now with Marlon (according to critics)? What makes 1990s Wayans Bros. Marlon so different from 2017 Marlon? Is he not still Marlon Wayans?
Wayans' character, Marlon Wayne, is a fun dad: a cool, sweater-tied-around-his-waist, skinny-jean wearing dad, who's down with vlogging (Youtube), Snapchatting and tweeting, but, who also has a world of life lessons to teach his daughter Marley (played by Notlim Taylor) and his son Zack (played by Amir O'Neil), who he had with ex-wife Ashley (played by Essence Atkins). There are always morals to the story in those "riffs", with Marlon going through hoops and back in each episode, just to make sure his kids have what they need in any capacity. Yet, he always lands on his feet and imparts knowledge to his kids or rediscovers himself at the end of each episode (and who blames him? His character has a lot of growing up to do too!)
Thinking that Marlon should be compared to The Carmichael Show, which recently aired its third and final season on NBC, as it pertains to not focusing on current social affairs, is unfair, as that's not the type of show Marlon was intended to be; at least, not from my point-of-view. Yes, they're both comedies that are centered around the black family, but Jerrod Carmichael is interested in rocking the boat and bringing awareness to the differing ideologies that exist in the world we live in, and he wanted his show to reflect that, but that's not the point of Marlon.
Jerrod successfully displayed his truth through The Carmichael Show, and Marlon does the same for his. Audiences get to see a side of Marlon that many may have never known about; that he is indeed a father to a daughter and son in real life, who he co-parents with their mother. The only difference is, on the show, Marlon is divorced, whereas in real life, he and his children's mother never married. After decades of being a part of his famous family, sharing the screen with his closest sibling, Shawn, and following in the footsteps of his eldest brother Keenan-Ivory, it's time for the baby of the bunch to have his own shine, and he is well on his way!
Also, I don't think it's fair to compare the cast of Marlon to the cast of Black-ish (or The Carmichael Show), as it pertains to the "fair share" of lines and comedic freedom that each character has to offer. One of the biggest pet-peeves among critics I've seen so far, is that Marlon hogs up all the air-time and doesn't leave any room for his TV family to get any of their jokes or personalities in, unlike Black-ish or The Carmichael Show. My response to that is in the title of this article; one has to take the show for what it is: all about Marlon.
For Black-ish, yes all of the characters are funny, get to express their own individuality and can be distinguished from one another; same with The Carmichael Show, but despite the disagreement of some, so does the cast of Marlon, just in a different way.
First of all, the show is named after ONE character, not after the entire family. So, immediately, all the focus is going to be on the title character -- DUH! Because of this, that means the show (and the family) is going to revolve around Marlon and his shenanigans; he's gonna set the pace. So if this means Essence and the kids have to stand and wait for dad to finish rambling and goofing off for about three minutes, then so be it, just have a zinger ready for when he's finally done.
Secondly, I personally think Essence portrays Ashley quite well, especially when it's time to put Marlon in his place. With Marlon being so off-the-wall and full of energy, Essence's calm demeanor is the perfect foil to his character. She voices her opinion and raises her voice when she feels like it (with one of my favorite lines from her being "Boy, if you don't get off me!") and other times simply lets Marlon be Marlon (which is what the show does).
Thirdly, I actually think the kids are really funny, especially Amir who plays the role of Zack. To be honest, Amir/Zack had to grow on me. At first, I was thrown off just a bit because I kept thinking that he doesn't resemble any of his parents, so I wasn't focusing on the words that were coming out of his mouth. It really wasn't until about the fourth or fifth episodes that I started to realize that Zack was exactly like his father personality-wise, which brought about funny one-liners, slick talk and a goofy, lovable character.
On the same length, Notlim, who portrays oldest child, Marley, is funny in her own way too. In episode 8 entitled, "Coach Marlon", where Marlon takes over as Zack's basketball team coach, Marley has a string of one-liners that were funny in the stadium scene, but were so quick, viewers may have missed them on the first go 'round. But what I also love about Marley (other than her name), is that she is intelligent but not overtly a nerd/geek, but intelligent in that she can handle herself better than Marlon may think. This is seen in episode 3 "Boys Only Want One Thing", where Marley figures out that an older football player only wants her for answers to a geometry test, not as a girlfriend, so she gives him what Marlon thinks is a cheat-sheet, but is what actually turns out to be fake answers/formulas. Don't mess with Marley!
Last, but definitely not least, are Yvette and Stevie, Ashley's sister and Marlon's best friend, respectively.
My mom actually pointed out how Yvette's and Marlon's interaction resembles a "Pam and Martin" feel, the way Martin would 'diss' Pam when she would try to defend and support Gina, just as Marlon does to Yvette when she's trying to defend and support Ashley. For me, Webb also gives off a Jenifer Lewis vibe when she extends her voice and is being extra dramatic.
Fun Fact: Bresha Webb, who plays Yvette, also starred in another NBC comedy, which was way too short-lived in my opinion (one season) called, Truth Be Told, with fellow up-and-coming stand-up comedian Tone Bell, former Saved by the Bell lead Mark-Paul Gosselaar and TV personality, Vanessa Lachey. Thus, Marlon is Webb's second run with an NBC comedy.
And, Stevie. Stevie, Stevie, Stevie. On a personal level, Stevie, who is played by former Late Night with Jimmy Fallon writer and actor Diallo Riddle, is my spirit animal: unemployed college graduate, who has been living on Marlon's couch for two years, and who thinks "$3 is $3", no matter what pathetic thing it is he had to do to get that $3. That's me AF! (Except the sleeping on a friend's couch thing -- LOL!)
Stevie can be just as crazy as Marlon, but it's also his calm and casual delivery that makes his jokes so funny. Although almost all of Stevie's lines are funny, especially opposite Marlon, I'll never forget one that stands out the most to me, which is also from the "Coach Marlon" episode. Referring to something that was said about Yvette, Stevie says to Marlon, "Let me rephrase that... she trippin'!" What makes this line so funny to me, is that Stevie, although unemployed, is still intelligent, so he doesn't speak with as much slang or "hood" as Marlon does, so hearing him say "she trippin'" was a delight (for me haha).
Overall, Marlon, 45, but hasn't aged a day, is a self-proclaimed "Grown Ass Man" now (which he tweeted to me) who still has the same energy he had 20 years ago, same comedic style and delivery, and is bringing raw energy to the confines of NBC. With the return of Will & Grace tonight (Sept. 28th) on NBC at 9pm after 11 years, which is a show that pioneered the topic of homosexuality and acceptance of members of the LGBTQIA community, as well Superstore, The Good Place, Great News and now Marlon, NBC has its hands full with fresh and unique forms of comedy.
Even though it took a minute for me to warm up to the show, as it usually does for me with new comedies, Marlon is cute and funny, and has the potential to last, though my fam and I always feel like the second episode is funnier than the first. Idk, lol! Essence and Marlon have great chemistry, Notlim and Amir seem to love Marlon, and Yvette and Stevie are perfect side-kicks, so I'm a fan and curious to see all the places this show can go!
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Bresha Webb, Diallo Riddle, Notlim Taylor, Amir O'Neil
Created by: Christopher Moynihan, Marlon Wayans
Airs: Wednesdays 9/8c (NBC)
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