'Bob Hearts Abishola': Chuck Lorre's new comedy needs to be a bit more 'Mom' and a little less 'Big Bang Theory'
Chuck Lorre's bringing a new side of America to his latest offering, 'Bob Hearts Abishola', coming to CBS this fall. The comedy stars Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku as the eponymous Bob and Abishola. Bob is a middle-aged sock businessman who falls in love with his Nigerian-immigrant nurse, Abishola after he suffers a heart attack. While Bob tries to woo Abishola and she warms up to him, the show will explore their lives, especially of their families. Abishola and her son live with her aunt and uncle who are as orthodox as one can expect of immigrant parental figures. The show promises a departure from the norm as Abishola's family will be the first Nigerian family that viewers will get to see on American television.
Lorre's previous works include shows like 'Two and a Half Men' and 'The Big Bang Theory' - two very successful and controversial shows in some ways. While the former was panned for its sexism, the latter found many haters for its stereotypical portrayals of geeks as well as the racist takes on Raj Koothrapalli (an Indian) and his family. But with 'Bob Hearts Abishola', Lorre will be looking to transcend the history of his shows and produce a comedy that does not resort to the same tactics and he seems to be taking a step in the right direction.
To tell a story as realistic as possible, Lorre tapped British-Nigerian comedian Gina Yashere to be one of the executive producers of the show. The reactions to the trailer prove that this is the right thing. In fact, many viewers online are commenting about the authenticity of Abishola and her family's accents, with many especially noting the song she sings in the trailer to be an actual Nigerian folk song (and later pop song).
At the Television Critics Association (TCA) summer event this year, Lorre spoke about Bob and Abishola's relationship opening up the premise, which is about how "immigrants make America great". It's the story of first-generation immigrants and that of many of Americans' ancestors coming to a new country and struggling to find a foothold so as to make a life for themselves, their children and their descendants. Lorre states that the American dream that these immigrants come for is possible through their focus, discipline, hard work and rigorous honesty, which is what the show will explore. Yashere, at the same event, spoke about how the show will display immigrants in a new light. "We're either very downtrodden, poor, or criminal, or our accents are never quite right". But in 'Bob Hearts Abishola', the story will be about how immigrants are in real-life, with dreams and hopes and things they hate like everyone else.
With the inclusion of Abishola's family, one can also expect Lorre and Yashere to explore how immigrants have to deal with the culture shock of being a very different country, and how they reconcile their own culture with that of the country they have decided to call home. While Abishola herself will possibly be expanding her boundaries by getting closer to Bob, viewers can also expect her to go through the tensions of being with a child growing up differently than she did.
'Bob Hearts Abishola' starts airing on CBS on September 23, 2019.