Marlon Wayans leaves parodies behind for his own NBC sitcom

When NBC revealed its 2016-’17 lineup earlier this week, one of the familiar names on next season’s pickup list was “Marlon” – as in Marlon Wayans, star of “White Chicks,” the “Scary Movie” franchise, and, most recently, “Fifty Shades of Black.”

Given its roster of incoming sitcoms, NBC is banking on veterans like Wayans, Tina Fey (as a producer) and Ted Danson (who is paired with actress Kristen Bell) to help bring its comedy block back from the dead along with last season’s “Superstore” and “The Carmichael Show.”

“Marlon” is slated for January, but the actor says it won’t take him away from stand-up comedy entirely. He plays the Fillmore Friday.

“On the weekend, I’ll still get on a plane and do a show,” he says. “The more I do stand-up, the funnier I get. It keeps you fresh and working your point of view and your perspective.”

He says what fans won’t be seeing more of is parodies like his riff on “Fifty Shades.”

“That was fun, but I’m retired from parodying. I’m just going to do original stories,” he says.

“Marlon” is based loosely on Wayans’ experience as an unconventional father.

“I’m an inappropriate dad. I’m a different kind of TV dad,” says Wayans, who is also a producer on the show. Chris Moynihan serves as writer and co-creator. “He did a good job of taking my life and making it TV-friendly, extracting the good.”

“Marlon’s” Marlon is a divorced social media star co-parenting four kids with his ex-wife. In real life, Wayans is the father of two.

“It’s about a family that’s divorced and (shows) you can still be separated and be together as a family,” he says. “I definitely think it’s filling a void. It’s a modern-day show with an old-school twist, because of the kind of humor I have. I’m physical and edgy and irreverent.”

Wayans is certainly looking to sitcom gold for inspiration.

“ ‘I Love Lucy,’ ‘The Honeymooners…’ I used to love the physicality and fun of ‘Martin’ and the stories and feel-good of ‘The Cosby Show.’ I liked the characters of ‘Rosanne,’ but I’ve got my own flavor and things I want to do,” says the 43-year-old, who has also appeared in serious fare like “Requiem for a Dream.”

“It’s definitely going to have a serious moment once an episode,” he adds. “I think that’s what good sitcoms have. I think people will be surprised with the versatility and relatability of the show.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Marlon Wayans leaves parodies behind for his own NBC sitcom."