TCA Press Tour: Michael Strahan plays a different game
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Former NFL star Michael Strahan (pictured) was so successful as a player and then as an analyst that he said his focus was on enjoying his life. ‘I don’t have to work,’ he said.
But now Strahan is playing in a whole new game. He’s the star of Fox’s new comedy ‘Brothers,’ about a former NFL player who comes home to deal with his family, particularly his disabled brother (Daryl ‘Chill’ Mitchell). The two siblings have a love-hate relationship that is grounded in jokey insults.
‘I’m doing this because it’s fun,’ said Strahan while conceding that starring in a sitcom is more than a little out of his comfort zone. ‘It feels right. He paid tribute to his costars, including CCH Pounder and Carl Weathers, who play his parents. ‘What they do is amazing. Hopefully I will get better as it goes.’
Much of the show’s humor revolves around the considerable gap in Strahan’s front teeth. ‘It is the elephant in the room,’ said Strahan. ‘And this elephant isn’t going anywhere.’ In one of the show’s funniest lines, Mitchell’s character said his teeth ‘should introduce themselves.’
Said executive producer Don Reo: ‘Michael does have some dental issues.’
Another newcomer to the sitcom genre is Pounder, who has spent the last several years in the drama ‘The Shield.’ She said she was a bit apprehensive about taking a show that concentrated on laughs.
She told producers she had not exercised her comedic muscle in 27 years. But she said producers wanted a performer with gravitas to handle the role of the long-suffering but tolerant mother. ‘I come from the theater,’ she said. ‘It was a bit like riding a bicycle. It was a little wobbly at first, but then it was OK.’
-- Greg Braxton
