New Sitcom Fails to Win Over Audiences

African American comedies are far and few between but great ones come around once every generation. Too bad Martin Lawrence's Love That Girl is not the great comedy of this generation. Love That Girl is an dreadfully written, awfully casted and poor attempt at being a sitcom which focuses around Tyana, played by former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast member Tatyana Ali. In the "sitcom" Tyana is a young divorcee who returns home to Southern California for a second chance in life. She decides to take a job in real estate -- making her father Delroy (Phil Morris) very happy to see she's following in his professional footsteps -- but she plans to work for his competition. Tanya also reconnects with her old friends, especially her best friend Nefertiti (Kendyl Joi) who is happily single and ready to help Tyana get her groove back. But Tyana's world is suddenly turned upside down when her unemployed brother Latrell (Alphonso McAuley) unexpectedly moves into her NoHo (North Hollywood) condo. This four-part, half-hour sitcom airs on three consecutive nights on TV One with two back-to-back episodes on the first night.

But truth be told, back-to-back episodes were not needed for this mockery of comedy. Where to begin? Let's start with the cast. First is the "star" Tatyana Ali who has grown to be a very beautiful young woman. But it was evident in her Fresh Prince of Bel-Air days that she is not a great actress, honesty, she isn't even good. She is a pretty face of whom we can see each night on Nickelodeon during Fresh Prince of Bel-Air re-runs, which makes her stay familiar in our minds. Sadly, her talent has not improved in any way over the years of her not being on the Fresh Prince and certainly not good enough to carry an entire show on her own. So what do you surround a less than mediocre actress with? Even less mediocre cast members.

Phil Morris plays Tatyana's father who runs his own hole in the wall real-estate company and I am guessing his choice for accepting this role is because his acting ability is as lack luster as Tatyana's. The father/daughter relationship between the two is anything but believable, even for television acting. Furthermore, there is nothing comical or original about the punch lines or the one liners, which makes watching their dialog all the more boring. It's almost as if the duo are forcing themselves to come off as believable but in the mist of doing so the appearance of amateurs in an uncomfortable setting is painfully apparent. If their acting wasn't bad enough, Phil Morris' office is home to a ghetto, loud talking, broken English and Ebonics speaking girl from the hood.....as his secretary. She spends her days talking, loudly, on her cell phone during business hours, ignoring people that walk in the office and popping gum. How many times have we seen young African American women in this role? Isn't the year 2010?

Next is Tanya's brother Latrell Jones which is played by Alphonso McAuley. This nappy headed over actor is a sex crazed struggling comic slumming with his sister who thinks he is the sexiest man live. Alphonso smiles entirely too much and reminds me of Amanda Bynes when I watch her show. Both these "actors", if you can call them that, are not naturally funny like past comics such as Richard Pryor, Chevy Chase, John Candy, Will Smith or a Red Foxx. I get the feeling that these people woke up one day and decided to act but they are not method actors. Hence the reason why Alphonso's acting catalog is shorter than the legs on a fly. His contribution to this show is devastating at the least.

Lastly the show casted two unknown homosexual men, whom are a couple and just happen to be Tyana's neighbors. Conveniently, the alternate lifestyle living duo freely comes and goes out of Tyana's condo at will and also work in the hair salon that our leading lady frequently visits. The two men are flamboyantly homosexual, I guess to seem more humorous but it doesn't work at all. It actually gets annoying very quickly.

Love That Girl makes me ask the question, is anything funny or original anymore? I like to think that with each new generation the people become more creative, inventive and innovative. If that is true then why are the new television shows, both black and white based just so....boring and unentertaining? I do applaud TV One for giving this show a chance, but however gave the green light for the project needs to join the other millions of Americans in the unemployment line.

How the hell did Martin Lawrence sign off on a catastrophe like this one? This show is poorly written, half-ass casted and a total waste of network and studio money not to mention useful space on television. I much rather spend my time watching Diners, Drive-in and Dives opposed to watching previously out of work actors attempt to act. Its so sad because I had high hopes for this new sit-com because African American television shows, produced by African Americans means a huge step in Hollywood for none other than African Americans. But with potentially a low rating, non-entertaining, social stereotyping show such as Love That Girl, I can see why studios are reluctant to release their reigns on our projects and their grip on the purse.

The only good thing about watching Love That Girl is looking at Tatyana Ali's backside...milk has done a body good. I would love to Love That Girl!