Larry Wilmore, creator of The Bernie Mac Show, has revealed that comedian Bernie Mac did not want the Fox sitcom named after him. Wilmore used a trick to change Mac's mind by proposing an alternative name. The series went on to run for five seasons from 2001 to 2006.
Wilmore wrote the lead character as Bernie Mac but Mac objected, saying he did not feel comfortable using his own name. The creator then drafted a version with the name Bernie Mann to make Mac reconsider.
Mac read the new draft and disliked it immediately. Wilmore recalled that Mac hated how the name sounded in his signature lines, which led him to agree to use Bernie Mac after all.
The show followed a fictionalized version of Mac's life and earned Emmy nominations for the lead actor in 2002 and 2003. It also won a Television Critics Association Award in 2002.
