The Bernie Mac Show is coming back to Netflix. The streaming giant made the announcement in a post to X, formerly Twitter, revealing beginning January 1, old and new fans can behind streaming all five seasons of the FOX comedy series.
Created by Larry Wilmore, the show premiered in 2001, with the final season airing in 2006. The series chronicled comedian Bernie Mac and his fictional wife Wanda raising his sister’s three kids: Jordan, Vanessa, and Bryana – due to their mother’s struggles with drug addiction. Most of the storylines on the show were based on Mac’s own standup routines.
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Reports of cancellation began surfacing in 2005, despite the show’s initial success. The previous year, Mac had been sick with double pneumonia. A report from the LA Times in 2005 noted that as the show entered its fifth season, it was the lowest-ranked live-action series from last season to be renewed. The premiere attracted less than 4 million viewers, with industry speculation that the show was in its demise.
There were other behind-the-scenes issues that plagued the show. By its fifth season, the show was being overseen by its fourth show runner in five years. The network also moved the show’s timeslot 12 times, making it difficult to compete on a real level.
But by that time, Mac didn’t appear in distress about the show’s future. “This is my baby. This show is a survivor. The kids are getting mature, and that’s really going to enhance the show. I love the creativeness and the storytelling and the camaraderie. I have a whole encyclopedia of stories up in my head about where we can go, some fantastic stories centering on the kids,” he said at the time to the outlet.
Mac died in 2008 at the age of 50, leaving behind his longtime wife and beloved daughter. His cause of death was complications from sarcoidosis.
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