Jamie Foxx's career may have begun on TV with the likes of 'In Living Color' and 'The Jamie Foxx Show', but his greatest work so far has been in movies.
'Django Unchained', 'Ray', 'Collateral' - all serious movies with skilled, nuanced performances from Jamie Foxx. Yet, for all of his accolades, Foxx still has comedic prowess and was obviously keen to get back into it. Hence, 'Dad Stop Embarrassing Me', a throwback sitcom in the vein of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' or 'All In The Family'.
As sitcoms go, 'Dad Stop Embarrassing Me' traffics in broad stereotypes, caricatures, and familiar setups to try and make some comedy happen. The results sadly fail to materialise. Jamie Foxx is a gifted comedy performer, and you only need to look at his work on 'In Living Color' or his own standup work to see he's incredibly funny. Sadly, this doesn't translate to sitcom work and even though he's trying his best, it never seems to work.
Kyla-Drew, who plays Foxx's on-screen daughter, is able to hold her own against Foxx and the dynamic they have together is affecting, but it's also tonally all over the place. By the second episode, there's a big emotional moment dropped into a conversation about religion in the black community, all while Jamie Foxx is double-jobbing in the episode as a preacher who looks like a cross between Rick James and Lil Jon.
With eight episodes, the cast and the writers are given plenty of opportunities to make something happen, but none of them ever seem to catch on. More than that, Jamie Foxx and David Alan Grier - himself an alum of 'In Living Color' - are often the only performers who seem to be making any kind of waves. Still, it's not enough, and even though it's broad stuff generally, you're left wondering why it isn't working.
It may be that the familiar sitcom setting and the bland concepts in each episode aren't enough to make anything spark. Ultimately, it's a failed attempt for Jamie Foxx trying to dip back into comedy. A standup special would have been more beneficial and effective for his career. This, however, won't do anything for it.
