Baby... I'm Back!

Demond Wilson's character had deserted his wife and son some years before, and had returned home. However, his wife had declared her errant husband dead, and had gotten engaged to a military man. The premise of the short-lived sitcom was the efforts of the Wilson character trying to convince his wife that he was a changed man and wanted to have a relationship with her again.

Wilson was fresh off of the recently cancelled Sanford and Son at the time, when he appeared in this series. It was not a good series, and I don't believe it made it through one season.

Though the premise was somewhat limited, this show itself was enjoyable because of the colorful cast of characters. The contrast and variety of Denise Nicholas playing an uptight ex- wife, Demond Wilson playing a desperate man, Kim Fields as a sassy but very cute little girl (before Facts of Life!), and Helen Martin as a sharp-tongued grandmother, made for lots of fun. The verbal battles between Wilson and Martin's characters were especially enjoyable to watch. Also, Tony Holmes was a unique child actor - and I wish he had gone on to do more. The writing and plots weren't the greatest, but the cast's delivery made them work -- and when watching these episodes nowadays, I am easily reminded of a time when TV was much more innocent and unaffected.

This was Demond Wilson's attempt at making it on his own after feuding with Redd Foxx over who made "Sanford & Son" a success. In the show, Wilson returned to his wife who was attempting to remarry. Denise Nicholas was the wife and Helen Martin (later on 227) was her mother, Luzelle, who Demond would say was French for "killer".

Martin mostly sought to recreate LaWanda Page's Aunt Esther as a foil for Wilson here. She did have her moments, especially when she got drunk on the cooking cherry trying to cook that chicken.

First she would stagger out into the living room drunk, then later on, upon entering the kitchen, Martin would be having the plucked chicken do a little two step then take a dive into the bowl.

The show would also have feminist periods, but with the lovely Denise Nicholas making the argument, they were memorable as I still recall them.

In one, Wilson told her that men are always listed before women: "men and women, boys and girls, his and hers."

Nicholas replied with "ladies and gentlemen!"

She would then also hit him up as to why there was never a King Bee.

The show didn't last long, obviously, but those moments with Martin were funny.

After SANFORD AND SON Demond Wilson did two short-lived series, this one and THE NEW ODD COUPLE (he did Oscar, Ron Glass did Felix). The premise of this show had a husband who had abandoned his family return years later to try to reconnect with the wife and kids. I haven't seen it since its original broadcasts, but I liked it. Perhaps the idea wasn't appealing to a mass audience but the cast was excellent. Helen Martin played the "mother-in-law Luzelle. Luzelle is French for killer. The day she moved in, the rats moved next door." At least that's what Demond Wilson would repeat during the opening credits. He was great, and it was a better show than THE NEW ODD COUPLE. THAT'S MY MAMA was on for at least two seasons, and starred Clifton Davis and Theodore Wilson (who went on to play Sweet Daddy Williams on the popular GOOD TIMES). And then there was Cleavon Little in TEMPERATURE'S RISING.

I'm told two episodes came out in 1989 , but I didn't get to see nor can I locate.