Wanda at Large

*Wanda at Large*
Wanda at Large
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Bruce Helford; Les Firestein; Wanda Sykes; Lance Crouther
Starring	Wanda Sykes; Phil Morris; Dale Godboldo; Tammy Lauren; Jurnee Smollett; Robert Bailey Jr.
Composer	Mathematics
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	19 (5 unaired)
Production
Executive producers	Les Firestein; Brian Hargrove; Bruce Helford; Jack Kenny; Deborah Oppenheimer
Producers	Michael Attanasio; Jennifer Fisher; Ernest Johnson; Lisa Koontz; Wanda Sykes
Cinematography	Gregg Heschong; Julius Metoyer
Editor	Larry Harris
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	Mohawk Productions; Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	March 26 –; November 7, 2003

Wanda at Large is an American sitcom starring Wanda Sykes; Sykes also created the series alongside Bruce Helford, Les Firestein, and Lance Crouther. The series aired for two seasons on Fox from March 26 to November 7, 2003.

Synopsis

Sykes starred as Wanda Hawkins, a former government worker who decides to become a stand-up comedian. Through her friend Keith (Dale Godboldo), Wanda is tapped by WHDC-TV head Roger to become a new editorial correspondent for the low-rated political talk show The Beltway Gang .^[1] She is immediately seen as unprofessional and inexperienced by the show's moderators, Bradley (Phil Morris) and Rita (Ann Magnuson), whose conservative politics clash with Wanda's liberal views. At home, she must deal with her sister-in-law Jenny (Tammy Lauren), a widow raising Wanda's niece Holly (Jurnee Smollett) and nephew Barris (Robert Bailey Jr.), whom Wanda finds irritating. As the show progresses, Wanda begins to bond with her family and win over her colleagues, with some hinted attraction to Bradley.

Cast

Wanda Sykes as Wanda Hawkins
Dale Godboldo as Keith Townsend
Phil Morris as Bradley Grimes
Tammy Lauren as Jenny Hawkins
Jurnee Smollett as Holly Hawkins
Robert Bailey Jr. as Barris Hawkins

Recurring

Jason Kravitz as Roger
Ann Magnuson as Rita Bahlberg

Episodes

Season 1 (2003)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Pilot"	Gerry Cohen	Bruce Helford & Les Firestein & Wanda Sykes & Lance Crouther	March 26, 2003 (2003-03-26)
In the series' pilot, Wanda accompanies Keith to a party where she impresses his boss, who offers her an audition for an on-air job.
2	2	"King Rat"	John Blanchard	Sue Murphy	April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02)
Wanda weighs whether or not to run a piece that would embarrass the health official (Mario Joyner) she's dating.
3	3	"Wanda and Bradley"	John Blanchard	Lance Crouther	April 9, 2003 (2003-04-09)
After contentious behavior between Wanda and Bradley, Roger plays up to both as he tricks them into participating in a promo for the show.
4	4	"Wanda's Party"	Bob Koherr	Dino Shorte & Jack Lugar	April 16, 2003 (2003-04-16)
Wanda thinks she's been robbed after Keith takes her keys to detain her while Jenny sets up a surprise birthday party.
5	5	"Death of a Councilman"	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	Wanda Sykes	April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23)
Wanda exposes a crooked councilman, who dies before the piece airs, so it's edited into a tribute without her consent.
6	6	"Alma Mater"	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	Barton Dean	April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30)
After differing with Wanda over accepting honorary degrees from their alma mater, Keith goes to work for Bradley.

Season 2 (2003)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
7	1	"The Favor"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Lance Crouther	September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19)
When Wanda looks to score an interview with a troubled athlete (Adam Lazarre-White), it forces her to reconnect with her ex-husband (Dave Chappelle).
8	2	"Where's Roger?"	Bob Koherr	Jack Kenny & Brian Hargrove	September 26, 2003 (2003-09-26)
After the temporary station manager censors her piece, Wanda tries to charm the man over drinks, but has to badger him to participate.
9	3	"Bradley Has a Friend?"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Jack Kenny & Brian Hargrove	October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03)
Wanda uses Bradley's visiting friend to goad him into visiting a strip club, where she embarrasses him further by buying him a lap dance.
10	4	"Leave Your Daughter at Home Day"	Bob Koherr	Jennifer Fisher	October 17, 2003 (2003-10-17)
Tired of paling in comparison with the permissive Wanda, Jenny sends Holly over to live with her “cool aunt.”
11	5	"They Shoot Reporters, Don't They?"	Katy Garretson	Dino Shorte	October 31, 2003 (2003-10-31)
Wanda and Keith are drafted to do live coverage when her filming of a piece on automated-teller machines is interrupted by a bank robbery.
12	6	"Hurricane Hawkins"	Shelley Jensen	Alyson Fouse	October 31, 2003 (2003-10-31)
Wanda's in-your-face style is reduced to “in your place, child” when her overbearing mother (Jo Marie Payton) visits.
13	7	"Clowns to the Left of Me"	Bob Koherr	Wanda Sykes	November 7, 2003 (2003-11-07)
After Wanda offends animal-rights activists, Max puts their leader (Jenny McCarthy) on the show where they form a bond — in silencing Bradley.
14	8	"Back to the Club"	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	Sue Murphy	November 7, 2003 (2003-11-07)
Wanda garners the ire of the show staff when her irreverence toward the station owner moves tapings to late Saturday nights.
15	9	"Only Built for Cuban Wandas"	Bob Koherr	Lance Crouther	Unaired
Bradley disses a rap mogul who steps in to appear on the show when the scheduled rapper (RZA) fails to appear.
16	10	"Did Wanda Say a 4-Letter Word?"	Bob Koherr	Lance Crouther	Unaired
Wanda goes to Keith's therapist (Cheryl Hines) as a skeptic, but leaves a changed woman, who admits having feelings for Bradley.
17	11	"The Plane Trip"	Bob Koherr	Jennifer Fisher	Unaired
Wanda's new boyfriend shows some negative qualities when their plane to a skiing weekend is delayed at the airport.
18	12	"The Un-Natural"	Linda Mendoza	Patrick Meighan	Unaired
19	13	"Twas the Knife Before Christmas"	Bob Koherr	Alyson Fouse	Unaired
Wanda and Keith's Christmas is stymied when Jenny comes down with appendicitis, forcing Wanda to look after Holly and Barris.

Note: The unaired second-season episodes were aired for the first time on TV One on July 4, 2006, during the 4th of July launch marathon of the series.^{[citation needed]}

Production and cancellation

Fox premiered it on March 26, 2003. Fox renewed the show for a second season. The show returned with new episodes in September 2003, but in the so-called Friday night death slot at 8:00 pm. It was canceled on November 7, along with the new Fox comedy series Luis.

During an interview with the Urbanite magazine at Georgia State University, Sykes explained that the show was only supposed to be on Friday night for an interim basis. According to Sykes, "We were told if the new night didn't work out, we would be moved to another timeslot. But, that's part of the game television execs play." She also admitted in a January 2004 interview that she wished that the series would have launched on UPN instead of Fox.^[2]

Broadcast and syndication

Reruns began airing regularly on July 5, 2006 on American cable channel TV One. A marathon aired on July 4 as part of the channel's "Power to the People" July 4 weekend celebration.

In 2022, the series is made available for streaming online on Fox Corporation's Tubi.^[3]

Reception

Ratings

Wanda at Large premiered on Fox on March 26, 2003, following American Idol. It gradually decreased in the ratings, premiering with 14.3 million viewers, and diminishing to 10 million by the season finale. It still averaged 12.2 million for the six-episode season, however, making it the fourth highest-rated show on Fox that year out of 26, and leading Fox to renew the show. In September, the show returned with new episodes in the Friday night death slot at 8:30 pm.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
2004	BET Comedy Awards	Outstanding Comedy Series	Wanda at Large	Nominated
	BET Comedy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Wanda Sykes	Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical	Wanda Skyes	Nominated
2003	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Breakout Show	Wanda at Large	Nominated
		Choice TV Breakout Star - Female	Wanda Sykes	Nominated
		Choice TV Actress - Comedy	Wanda Sykes	Nominated

References

^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 1280. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
^ Huff, Dominique (2006-04-13). "Wanda does Urbanite". gsusignal.com. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
^ "Watch Wanda at Large". Tubi. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

External links

[1] The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 1280. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.

[2] Huff, Dominique (2006-04-13). "Wanda does Urbanite". gsusignal.com. Retrieved 2009-03-18.

[3] "Watch Wanda at Large". Tubi. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

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v t e Wanda Sykes
Stand-up specials	Comedy Central Presents (1998) Tongue Untied (2003) Sick and Tired (2006) I'ma Be Me (2009) What Happened... Ms. Sykes? (2016) Not Normal (2019)
TV shows created	Wanda at Large (2003) Wanda Does It (2004) The Wanda Sykes Show (2009–10)
TV shows produced and written	The Chris Rock Show (1997–2000) Last Comic Standing (2014) Roseanne (2018) Unprotected Sets (2018) Visible: Out on Television (2020)
TV shows written	The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show (1997–98) Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1999) The Downer Channel (2001) 74th Academy Awards (2002) Premium Blend (2002–03)