‘Uncle Buck’ TV Show Review: Deliciously Sad Buffoonery Drops 33 Percent In Viewership [Video]

ABC’s Uncle Buck hasn’t been getting the best reviews, notes TV Guide. In fact, according to the Wrap, Uncle Buck dropped 33 percent in viewership among the highly-coveted 18- to 49-year-old demographic from when Uncle Buck debuted last week.

The full pilot episode of Uncle Buck is embedded above.

Mike Epps stars as the lead character in Uncle Buck, with Epps’ real-life persona as a “playa-player” sliding into the Instagram DMs being played out onscreen on Uncle Buck, as well. It seems like only yesterday that Mike was playing a similar character — Uncle Julius in Survivor’s Remorse — until Epps said that he asked for more money and his Uncle Julius character was killed off. That uncle was a man who did all he could to catch his basketball star nephew’s castoffs.

But Epps isn’t the only Uncle Buck character who is a joyful sight for folks who haven’t seen him on screen in a minute.

That weird jealousy when your TV hubby has moved on but you still got them old Jets #UncleBuck ?? @JamesLesure pic.twitter.com/86tXAmiZM8

— Holly Robinson Peete ???? (@hollyrpeete) June 22, 2016

Holly Robinson Peete tweeted the above photo of Peete and James Lesure when the duo starred in the TV comedy For Your Love. Lesure has kept busy since that time, according to IMDB, but Uncle Buck has put James back in the spotlight.

Another person Uncle Buck has put back in the spotlight is Nia Long, who stars as the sister-in-law of Uncle Buck. Long has been well-loved ever since bursting onto the movie scene in John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood.

Regina Hall polished off the main part of the Uncle Buck cast, starring as Buck’s girlfriend. With Hall’s work in the Best Man movie and its sequel, Regina has also long been a beloved actress in African-American circles especially. And that’s likely why, even with some of the predictable and stunted dialogue and situations in Uncle Buck, it is sort of difficult to turn your eyes away from the TV screen. It harkens back to the days when black folks used to call each other into the living room when African-Americans were displayed on TV. You take what you can get.

Hopefully viewers can get that same talent in a drama with even better writing and less buffoonery than the character of Uncle Buck as he dances on a table wearing all red — despite how lovably funny Epps made that scene. The diversity issues in TV and movies brought to light by the #OscarsSoWhite controversy can be easily cured by the powers-that-be taking a stroll through some of the best-selling and ethnically diverse writings on Amazon and getting deals for those writers who’ve proven they can draw an audience.

That way, the 16 percent of regular TV characters that are African-American won’t always need to be soaked up like liquid to a thirsty audience in clowning comedies — but can also be enjoyed in delicious one-hour-long dramas with more serious writing.

Uncle Buck wasn’t all bad, though. Funny lines spouted by Uncle Buck about not wanting to feel feelings that made him feel feelings prove that there’s plenty of wit to go around in the Uncle Buck writers room.

“Cause feelings make me feel feelings… And I don’t like that.” – Uncle Buck

Meanwhile, some of the Uncle Buck reviews published on social media can be read below, although it is difficult to discern those writing about the old movie Uncle Buck versus the current TV series Uncle Buck.

“Watching #UncleBuck and I’ve seen this combined episode already on #Blackish”

“Does anyone else like Uncle Buck or am I out here on the ledge alone?”

“I love how black family TV is gradually making its way back, starting with Blackish and now, Uncle Buck.”

[Photo by Casey Rodgers/Invision for Microsoft/AP Images]