It’s official! Comedian/radio personality Rickey Smiley has landed his own reality show.
Smiley tried his hand at a scripted series based on his life a while back (click HERE if you missed that) but it didn’t do too well, and now he and Roger Bobb are trying again… this time without a ‘script’.
TV One recently announced that Smiley’s show is in production and the hour-long show featuring the syndicated morning show host and stand-up comedian will be titled “Rickey Smiley For Real.”
The new reality show will reportedly follow Smiley as he navigates the “ups” and “downs” of professional demands, single fatherhood, and intimate relationships.
Shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, where he resides during the week, and in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where he raises his family, Smiley’s struggle to find work-life balance while trying to maintain a love life will be a central focus of the series.
[Sidebar: Pretty soon there will be no one in Atlanta without a reality show! *sigh*]
More details about Rickey Smiley’s new reality show below…
According to TVOne’s press release, “Rickey Smiley For Real” will have a varied cast of characters.
Smiley will introduce viewers to his 4 children – sons Brandon and Malik, adopted daughter D’Essence, and adopted daughter Aaryn – as well as his extended family of co-workers, colleagues and friends – his deceased friend’s son Craig, live-in assistant Miss Pat, personal assistant Miss Price, D’Essence’s boyfriend Landon, business manager Bruce, and childhood friend and family lawyer Nikita Blockton.
“After two seasons of working with the ‘ins and outs’ of a scripted series while balancing my radio hosting responsibilities and my personal life, I realized the effort was redundant,” said Smiley.
“There was a better opportunity to share through a reality lens – showing warts and all – my efforts to maintain a satisfactory professional and personal life as a single father and entrepreneur.”
Smiley’s radio co-hosts Da Brat, Gary Wit Da Tea, HeadCrack and Juicy, and radio show producer Beyonce Alowishus will also be appearing on his show.
D’Angela Proctor, TV One’s head of original programming and production says Smiley’s new show will offer viewers another side of reality tv.
So often reality series focus on extreme personalities in the Black community, reflecting a one-dimensional point-of-view.”
“Rickey Smiley For Real seeks to offer an alternative slice of the reality pie in showcasing a successful Black man navigating life and career, but filled with just as much humor, drama, and relatable situations we know viewers and fans of Rickey Smiley will enjoy.
“Rickey Smiley For Real” is produced by Bobbcat Films for TV One with Rickey Smiley and Roger M. Bobb as executive producers, and Angi Bones as co-executive producer.? The show will be premiering in November 2015.