Roy Wood Jr. has toiled in the comedy trenches for some years now. He’s done the usual comedy stop at “Comicview” and “Def Comedy Jam” but hit the jackpot by being cast on a new TBS show “Sullivan and Son” which debuted last season. This year, he’s been upped to series regular on the show, which takes place in a Pittsburgh bar. The FAMU grad and Birmingham native is pretty happy about that, as you can imagine, though his alma mater is celebrating as well.
“It ain’t nobody happier about that than Florida A&M University so I can start sending those student loan payments,” Wood told The Tom Joyner Morning Show. “They called me immediately. The university president was like we heard what was going on, we just want to give you the direct deposit information.”
On “Sullivan and Son” Wood plays a video storeowner who of course has problems as video stores are closing left and right. The bar is owned by a biracial Asian guy whose clientele is more diverse than the norm for most sitcoms.
“God bless [executive producer] Vince Vaughn and everybody at CBS. I’m just happy to be back. It’s an easy role. All I gotta do is just stay black and drink and that should come naturally.”
The show may remember some of another popular bar comedy that lasted on TV for years and generated several breakout stars.
“it’s basically a younger, more racially diverse “Cheers” and its set in Pittsburgh. I mean the show is pretty simple, man. If you’ve ever had problems and handled them with alcohol and when things go wrong and we let our friends solve our problems for us.”
Wood says his only issue is that on the show he’s a beer drinker, but in real life, he’s a whisky man. But hey, for a starring role on a sitcom, he’s happy to adjust.
“You know black people drink out them red cups, but they don’t want that on camera, though.”
“Sullivan and Son’s” second season premiere airs on TBS Thursday night at 10 p.m.
