NBC has announced that it will not be picking more episodes of the comedy Marlon, starring Marlon Wayans, which ran for two seasons last summer and summer 2018.
The series starred Wayans and Essence Atkins as a divorced couple who attempt to remain friends for the sake of their two children. It was loosely based on the comedian’s own life. Last year, Wayans explained to The New York Times why he enjoyed collaborating Ms. Atkins.
“I love the way we work together because she listens. When you’re performing with me I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do so I can’t give you a heads up. God whispers something crazy to me and I do it. And it was like jumping rope — she just knew how to jump in. I was like, “If I ever do a ‘Cosby,’ you’re going to be my Phylicia Rashad.”
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When asked if he’s still a fan of disgraced television star Bill Cosby, Wayans noted that he has “love and respect” for women and “I don’t condone any kind of abuse of women” but he believes that “as a comedian you’ve got to separate the two.”
“Cosby was one of the funniest comedians of all time. His show was powerful in that it showed African-Americans in a beautiful light. He helped us to dream, to look at life, look at poverty, look at education and try to better ourselves. To say that that show didn’t affect me would be a lie. But to say that the allegations against him didn’t affect me would be a lie as well. What I’ve learned in my life is I have a lot of imperfections but I would hope that people can extract whatever good I have and the rest you throw away.”
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And when it comes to breaking free from the legacy of his famous brothers, Keenen, Damon and Shawn, Wayans said: “I look at the Wayans as a great institution, as a wonderful tribe of talented artists who love, love, love comedy. I’ll be a Wayans forever at heart and in spirit. I just want to carry my own torch into the darkness and find Marlon.”
While Marlon had a solid first season, the show hit a slump when it returned this past summer. The second season wrapped in July, which averaged roughly 2.5 million viewers overall.