Entertainment Now!! The Jamie Foxx Show Review by Tito94

When I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was The Jamie Foxx Show. See, back then, there wasn't a bunch of hubbub about black TV shows on the air. You had My Wife and Kids, The Wayans Bros., Fresh of Prince of Bel-Air, even down to shows like Filmore!, The Proud Family, Girlfriends, Sister, Sister, The Parkers, and more.

Well actually, now that I think about it, I suppose a lot of those shows were on BET! Well, that's another topic for another day, but of all the shows there were to choose from, I was a fan of The Jamie Foxx Show, for sure.

I mean, who didn't love Fancy? She was bad as hell.

You also had characters like Braxton and the famous "UUUURT" fist bump joke that ran throughout the series, and a show like this really ended up being a precursor to shows like Suite Life of Zack and Cody and shows like that.

Imagine my delight to see that The Jamie Foxx Show was back on Netflix.

And I've sure had a good time watching the episodes. I'm on Season 4 now, but watching it with an older, more critical eye... this show really holds up in a lot of ways. It's very well detailed, and Jamie Foxx, the star, is incredibly talented and a show like this just serves a portfolio for all that Foxx can bring. You have his acting obviously, you have comedy, you have a lot of stars who clearly are very supportive of the man and his vision, and ultimately this is just a good show all-around. It's very nice to look back at shows you liked as a kid and they still have value and relevance as an adult.

I'm highly interested in bringing further attention to the show, so I'd like to do a review. Perhaps just the first season (there are 100 episodes in total, across 5 seasons), but either way, I implore you guys to turn on your Netflix and give this classic show a spin.

Check out the review below. I'd love to go further in-depth about this show and continue to expand and delve deeper into this form of media that I think can still be relevant to men in our late 20's and thirties. The creators of this show not only wanted to display the talent that was Jamie Foxx--essentially a Kanye-level talent in the film industry--but they wanted to put something out that really spoke directly to what their audience needed to hear, even if they weren't fully aware of it at the time.

If you're interested in following along, expect dissertations of episodes, highlights of characters and guests, music spotlights, behind-the-scenes insights, etc.

I'd love to hear what you all think of the show as well, and your feedback for each of the episodes if you decide to watch!

Without further ado, let's get into it!

Quicklinks:

• Episode 1: Pilot / Episode 2: The Bad Seed
• Episode 3: Burned Twice by the Same Flame / Episode 4: Who's Da Man?

Cast:

• Jamie Foxx as Jamie King
• Garcelle Beauvais as Francesca Danielle "Fancy" Monroe
• Christopher B. Duncan as Braxton P. Hartnabrig
• Ellia English as Aunt Helen King
• Garrett Morris as Uncle Junior King
• Andy Berman as Dennis, the bellboy (season 1, episodes 1–12)

About The Author

Tito94 is a creative writer in Atlanta, GA. His interests lie in music, sports, tech, and gaming. Tito is a skilled writer and has been a member of the music website KTT since December 2008 and through entertaining content has amassed feats such as, the most posts in site history and the creation of the sports section.

@op

See Also:

• Beyond A Reasonable Doubt: The Jay-Z Album Review

⚡⚡⚡ - Tito94 🌎

Episode 1: Pilot - August 28, 1996; 5.5m viewers

Story Synopsis:

• It's not too grand here; this is the pilot episode, so essentially, they are establishing what's to come for this series. You have a duet, you have Jamie singing, you have mentions of celebrities (Jamie dresses up as R. Kelly in this episodes), and then there's a subplot about gambling which really doesn't serve a lesson here, but instead a plot device to give Jamie and the Kings more screentime.

Episode Synopsis:

• This is the pilot episode! For you TV buffs and producers in here, you know what this means. This is where you lay out as much as you can on the line. This one episode needs to let people know what everything that is to come is about.

• For those who are familiar with later episodes of the show, you'll see some key differences here. While the characters are known for their blue hotel uniforms in most of the episodes, in the pilot, the team is wearing red outfits. The set is different; all of the main locations of the hotel are not yet in their complete forms, so while you see set pieces that are similar to what's the come, for the most this looks like a pilot in which the concept of the show is laid out here.

• As a pilot, I'll say they did a good job here. If you haven't seen the show in a while, nothing will really seem amiss here. In this episode, Jamie moves into town and meets his family, who run the King Towers hotel.

• Firstly, you don't see many depictions of black families owning property as grand as something like a hotel. You might see shows like in My Wife and Kids where the Michael Kyle the lead character owns a trucking business and it's basically assumed through speech and action that the family is essentially rich, or at least very well off. Here it makes a lot of sense, because the structure of a hotel is obvious. It doesn't seem like these guys are beyond financial turmoil, but it's good to see a depiction where a family has really put in the work to put themselves in a solid position that can be easily explained like it is here in The Jamie Foxx Show.

• You have your Uncle Junior Kyle, who is known in this show for his gambling, you have Aunt Helen, who is Junior's wife and the most consistent voice in running the hotel. You have Fancy's first appearance--of course every show needs an A1 female, and in my opinion, Fancy was an underrated female character compared to some of the other black shows that were on at that time, but her depiction to me is very provocative, though as the seasons go on, you'll realize that she is still a fictional character, haha.

• And then you have Braxton P. Hartnabrig, the Chris Bosh of the show who is the brunt of Jamie's jokes and essentially his rival. In this early episode, you see he even tries for Fancy's affections a bit, which is something he backs off of in later episodes.

• There's a couple jokes here in this pilot that aren't fully fleshed out yet--we'll talk more later about how this show handles guns, but in this episode, there isn't particular attention drawn to that aspect the way it is in later episodes, so it's cool to see how there was still a concept in development being displayed here in the pilot. Good episode, but nothing mind lowing. Welcome to the series.

Key Moments:

• Jamie and Fancy first meet in this episode. They hit off the flirting early, and she makes it clear that she's not into him! But why not? Jamie is a good guy. We'll see later here in the first season that Fancy prefers to date other men than the lead man Jamie.

Key Jokes:

• Braxton and Jamie's relationship really begins its genesis here, with the iconic "UUUURT" joke

Music:

• Unforgettable by Nat King Cole--performed by Jamie Foxx and Ellia English
• Slow Jam by Midnight Star--performed by Jamie Foxx

Episode 2: The Bad Seed - September 4, 1996; 5.0m viewers

Story Synopsis:

• A kid comes in and tries to sell the Kings some overpriced candy, and that's when Fancy lets us all know how much she loves kids. After agreeing to a date with Braxton for a youth that he'll be spending time with, that's when Jamie goes out and finds a kid of his own to win Fancy's affections... but it doesn't go so well when the kid starts hustling Jamie and causing havoc throughout the hotel.

Episode Synopsis:

• Fancy seems to genuinely enjoy kids in this episode, but Jamie still doesn't have any problem being all over her. Whenever Braxton is in this episode, Jamie ridicules him, so we're setting the precedent that Braxton is the butt of Jamie's jokes. I guess that's the cost of not being family, and not being the leading lady, either! Fellas, don't let this be you.

• Fancy and Jamie's relationship is a key factor in this series, and so this show does a good job of really laying it out on the carpet that Jamie and Fancy are going to be premier television during this series.

• Nelson, the kid, is no dummy--he founds out very quickly that Jamie is using him to win Fancy's affections. In the end, that's what turns the boy from a friend into a liability for Jamie and the shenanigans begin. Once he gets hip, he immediately lets Jamie know that if he's going to be used, he has demands for Jamie himself. Toys, room service, all the works. I'm actually surprised, because the kid, played by Orlando Brown, really is a decent actor here. Of course, he is Orlando Brown and looks like Orlando Brown, but to me, he seems to act like him too, haha. It's cool to see that the kid had talent even at a young age. Brown sports a cool Nike logo design in his haircut in this episode, too.

• The new Air Jordans are a key element of this episode. To be specific, we're talking about the Columbia (Legend Blue) Jordan 11's, which released in 1996:

• The bellboy, Dennis, gets good screentime here. He's a key factor in the early episodes of this series, and it's his inclusion that reminds me of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody here. As a character, he's a big joke for sure, but he acts as Jamie's sidekick here for the most part.

Guest Characters:

• Orlando Brown plays the kid Nelson that Jamie hangs out with in this episode. This episode aired in 1996, so this was way before That's So Raven, which began airing in 2003. Back then, he was just a kid, so it's funny that nowadays, Brown can be regarded as the first notable guest star of The Jamie Foxx Show!

Key Jokes:

Fancy: "I love kids"
Jamie: "I-I think I love kids too. I wanna have at least, shoot, two kids."
Fancy: "Oh no, I want a least five"
Jamie: "...three, four, five. Let a brother finish!"

This is the most detailed review I’ve ever seen on here. Bro even has a “meet the author” section

Episode synopsis, key jokes, number of viewers each episode

My one paragraph reviews are cooked

crine at OP doing this

bruhhh you’re too kind. Respect!

Episode 3: Burned Twice by the Same Flame - September 11, 1996; 5.4m viewers

Story Synopsis:

• Jamie's ex-fling comes to town in this episode, and he's excited because he's ready to kindle the old flames. Turns out, though, she's visiting town with her man and Jamie has to convince Fancy to pretend to be his girlfriend for a weekend so he can save face.

• Did you know? This is the episode where hip hop producer Pi'erre Bourne got his famous producer tag from--"Yo Pierre, you wanna come out here?" You've might have heard the quip on songs by Young Nudy or even Playboi Carti.

Episode Synopsis:

• Uncle Junior King has a side story in this episode where he's fixing the plumbing in the hotel. The plumbing problem is what leads to Jamie's former fling revealing her new boyfriend.

• Fancy is still rejecting Jamie's advances here, but overall there's not too much going on in this episode. Jamie's old fling comes and goes, but as usual any real story here is truly centered around Jamie's affections for Fancy.

• In the end, Jamie's old girlfriend leaves her new boyfriend, because it turns out he's more interested in other guys. Throughout this show you'll find a few gay jokes here and there--not ever truly harmful, but it's interesting to see how in 1996 the standards for TV comedy were different than they were today. It also might be noteworthy that these types of jokes aren't harped on too much--they're generally treated as no different than any other type of joke. But three episodes into the series, this is the first notable joke of its kind.

Key Moments:

• Jamie and Fancy first meet in this episode. They hit off the flirting early, and she makes it clear that she's not into him! But why not? Jamie is a good guy. We'll see later here in the first season that Fancy prefers to date other men than the lead man Jamie.

Key Jokes:

• See the video above for "Yo Pierre, wanna come out here?" joke that stood the test of time. Had it not been for that development, this episode might not have any true memorable moments! However it came around full circle in an example here where The Jamie Foxx Show holds an influence in pop culture to this day.

Episode 4: Who's Da Man - September 18, 1996; 4.4m viewers

Story Synopsis:

• Braxton is stood up on his date, so he has nothing to do on a night when everyone, even the bellboy, has big plans for the night. Aunt Helen convinces Jamie to take Braxton out to the club. Once Jamie gives Braxton some game, his confidence shoots through the roof.

Episode Synopsis:

• In this episode, we start to see the rhetoric where Braxton is considered the square of the group. Even the bellboy, who is a white guy, makes fun of Braxton's disposition when he makes a crack that Braxton might be uncomfortable around a bunch of black guys. In the future, actor Christopher P. Duncan would comment on how Braxton's character would still be an influence in people's eyes when he would audition for more serious roles in the future:

• Braxton really gets to shine here. Not only do we see him in his natural element, but we get to see some scenes where some of his unorthodox behavior gets him some love! There's a cool dance scene, you see Braxton sporting some shades and brimming with confidence, and we also see him get a one up on Jamie for the first time in the series. The way Christopher Duncan portrays the character, you can tell he's really enjoying it. In the second half of the episode, we see Braxton make a full transformation from Braxton P. Hartnabrig to the super cool "B. Smooth", sporting gold chains and all. It makes for a great time.

• This episode is brimming with great jokes. In this episode, Braxton finally gets his revenge with the "handbrake" joke and really draws it out in a funny manner. Check the video below for context and scroll to 2:45 to see how the joke is used in this episode:

• In the end, Braxton's new swag gets to his head and his absence causes problems in the hotel. In the end, Braxton is robbed by his two fine honeys, so everything resets in the end as usual. The lesson for this episode is, it's better to be yourself!

Guest Characters:

• NBA legend Gary Payton makes a brief cameo in this episode. In 1996, Gary Payton had just come out of the NBA Finals, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, but this still around the peak of his career. Additionally, Gary Payton played for Team USA in the Olympics that year, so he makes a point to flash his real life gold metal before he leaves.

• In this episode, Payton only sticks around for a joke or two, but four episodes in, this is telling what type of guests we can come to expect in this series.

• Gary Payton would go on to win the NBA Finals in 2006 with the Miami Heat.

Key Jokes:

Braxton (walking up to a girl in the bar): "Uh, excuse me. Would you care to join me in some social bonding?"
Girl: "Bondage? You ain't tyin' up nobody in here, fool!" throws drink *"Thinking I'm into that M and M stuff!" walks away
Braxton: "That's S and M you... you hood rat!!"
A big splash of water flies in Braxton's face from off screen

Also:

Episode 5: We Finally Got A Piece of the Pie - September 25, 1996; 4.5m viewers

Story Synopsis:

• This episode is one of the early episodes that show a range of scenarios for the cast to participate in. This episode, where Aunt Helen's famous pies become the talk of the town and Jamie hatches a big plan to make some money off of the fanaticism her baked goods draw. It's a usual trope, so let's see how Jamie and the cast pulls it off.

Episode Synopsis:

• When the episode starts, it's pie day at the hotel and you can already see that the patrons are going absolutely insane over how good the hotel's pies are. The last is auctioned out, receiving bids of $5 to $75. It's Aunt Helen's secret recipe, and this is the first time Jamie has seen everything in action.

• Jamie sees a money opportunity, and promises 25 pies for a customer by tomorrow at noon. Aunt Helen doesn't want to pimp out the family's secret recipe, but she goes along for the ride when the crew agree that they could all use a couple extra dollars.

• Once Jamie takes the lead over the pie-baking operation, the crew goes to work making the pie. But the problem is when the crew becomes overworked, Jamie accidentally tastes a bit of the pie and become hooked himself...

Key Moments:

• Canonically, this episode isn't significant. It's just a scenario that the cast is thrown into to tell a couple jokes or few, and it gives some depth to Aunt Helen, though not anything that really comes up again in the series. This episode isn't a favorite of mine, and it ends up being an episode that fills the time. I won't say it's a bad episode, but compared to what we've seen before and what's to come, I'll just give it a two and a half stars out of five.

Key Jokes:

• Jamie and Braxton are at it again this episode, and Jamie unleashes a double "handbrake" joke on Braxton. This is the first episode where we see a variation of the running gag, and we'll be sure to see more going forward.

Episode 6: And Bubba Makes Three - October 2, 1996; 4.3m viewers

Story Synopsis:

• You know, now that I'm rewatching more of these early episodes, I'm starting to see that the point of these early episodes is to give some more personality and depth to Jamie's castmates. The last few episodes have focused on Braxton and Aunt Helen, and this is another episode that focuses on Braxton--here we'll be seeing more about Braxton's family... and this turns out to be a good episode!

Episode Synopsis:

• Braxton is being honored by being accepted into the 101 BBM--the 101 Burgeoning Black Men's Club. There's an honorary dinner coming up, and Braxton's parents so happen to be coming in to town that weekend... only problem is, Braxton is embarrassed about his parents... they are a little "country" compared to him, after all.

• Braxton's parents come running through the door dressed like Patrick Star's parents, talking as loud as they can about their son "Bubba", who turns out to be Braxton. These parents are country as hell! They gift the family with goose grease soup, they visit to see OJ Simpson's Bronco, and they love eating at the local burger joint, Floodpuckers.

• This is another episode about self-acceptance. It's similar to the last episode Braxton starred in, so we might be falling into a common theme here. The 101 BBM that Braxton is being inducted into is what one might call "boujee", so he doesn't want the truth of his family to be revealed. This causes tension between him and his parents though, and they end up disappointed that Braxton doesn't seem to accept them.

Key Jokes:

• The episode saves the best jokes for laugh, with the culmination of everything occurring in the last couple minutes of the episode. Here Braxton's parents hit the peak of their boisterousness, and Braxton stands up for his family for the first time.

Underrated thread. Hats off to you OP @kennisgoodman for taking the time to make this review thread.

Jamie Foxx show was my jam growing up GOATED sitcom