No more tugging at the heart for Damon Wayans. He's aiming for the funny bone again.
Wayans, best known for his cavalcade of outrageous characters on the landmark series "In Living Color," took a creative detour earlier this season when he created Fox's gritty urban drama, "413 Hope St.," about a center for troubled youth in Manhattan. Wayans--who also served as executive producer but declined to appear in the Thursday night series--wanted to show audiences his more thoughtful and serious side.
But "Hope St." became an early casualty of poor ratings and NBC's "Seinfeld"-led Thursday onslaught. The shelving of the show in January left Wayans feeling less than pleased.
However, the actor-comedian is smiling once more in a return to his comic roots in "Damon," in which he plays an undercover detective in a Chicago precinct. The role allows Wayans to take on offbeat personas and disguises while battling crime or dealing with his personal life.
"I'm back in the gymnasium again, working on what I know," Wayans says during a break in filming. "It's fun doing this."
Co-starring in "Damon" is David Alan Grier, Wayans' frequent "In Living Color" partner, and Andrea Martin of "SCTV" fame, who plays the no-nonsense boss of the precinct.
Wayans is still smarting a little over the cancellation of "Hope St.," saying he felt Fox didn't do enough to support the series ("You just don't put a new drama against the No. 1 comedy, and you move it if it's not working"). But "Damon" has taken away much of the sting.
"I don't have time to harbor bad feelings," Wayans says. "I've got to make this show work. I find refuge in my work. I know I did a quality show. It's Fox's loss, not mine."
Providing much of the fun for Wayans is his reunion with Grier, who co-stars as his older brother Bernard, a security cop with dreams of someday becoming a real policeman.
Wayans and Grier were responsible for what arguably was "In Living Color's" most famous running sketch: "Men on Film," which showcased the two comics as flamboyantly gay film critics who employed outlandish sexual innuendo in their comments about movies and their own loving relationship.
"David is my insurance," says Wayans. "I need someone that I can ping-pong with. I'm the racehorse, the one they're putting the money on, but you can't win at the finish line without a good jockey."
