Real Husbands of Hollywood: Mitches Be Trippin

So earlier today I thought I was being funny on my personal Facebook page by making a reference to Real Husbands of Hollywood - little did I know one response from a friend would prompt me to write this blog post.  But before I get started, I must confess that I was sorta late boarding the kevin Hart bandwagon.  Honestly, I didn't even know who he was until he released Seriously Funny and even then I was only exposed to him while fulfilling my duties as best man at my homeboy's wedding - lets just say my toast to him and his bride were memorable; SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST!

I never paid attention to Kevin Hart but suddenly realized that I totally overlooked him in flicks like Epic Movie and Barbershop.  A quick trip to his IMDB page simply smacks me in the face and reminds me that I'm an idiot for not noticing his comedic skills sooner.  Oh well, now that I'm up to date on Kevin Hart @#$^ is about to get real.


If you haven't seen an episode of Real Husbands of Hollywood, you should simply euthanize yourself.

Aside from assembling an interesting cast featuring Robin Thicke/Terry Crews, J.B. Smoove, Nick Cannon, Duane Martin and Boris Kodjoe the show has done something for BET that was sorely needed ever since Free and A.J. left 106 and Park.  Real Husbands of Hollywood gives you a reason to actually watch a show at its original time slot on the network.  Now, the same said could be said for The Game, but the Game was not an original BET product - it was purchased after CW executives decided it was a flop - I'll bet those Mitches have the sick face now.

BET really pulled one out of the hat with their investment in Kevin Hart and crew.  Originally I didn't know what to expect when I tuned into the second episode.  No!  This time I wasn't sleeping on Kevin Hart, the reason I missed the first episode was because I stopped watching BET thanks to the network being lame!  I just DVRed The Game and skipped the commercials.  I only knew to turn to BET when my brother called me to tell me about the show.

Honestly, there is no point to the show and that's what makes it great!  It completely spoofs all of reality TV while allowing Kevin Hart's brand of comedy to shine.  His stage performances are now a part of young black culture and white America actually gets him too which makes his talents and BET's investment even more respectable.  Not only that, but it also pays homage to may of the great black comedians of the past like Red Fox, Eddie Murphy, and Richard Pryor.

So far, it appears that Kevin has full creative license to be himself - minus the profanity [and even that's cool, because he actually doesn't need to curse to be funny even though he does].  With the exception of Eddie Murphy and his run on Saturday Night Live, the latter comedians didn't have the same creative freedoms in television that Kevin Hart enjoys.  Richard had his stage performance and movies, Red had the stage and Sanford and Son but Kevin gets something unique.  He is blessed with all of the things they had and America's acceptance of stupid reality TV shows.  This freewheeling genre allows him to open up and transform his standup routines into scenarios captured on film!

I truly hope that BET taps into Kevin Hart's talents and continues to explore opportunities to expand its portfolio with similar shows.  It's a formula that is winning and gives actors and comedians an opportunity to step outside their boxes and showcase their abilities.

Now if we can convoke BET to stop using 106 and Park as a way to save Bow Wow's career, we might be able to finally start leaving our TVs tuned to BET all day instead of just twice a week!







Disclaimer: Steve is an employee of Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner, however the views expressed in this post are of my own.