It has been 29 years since In Living Color premiered on Fox with creator/writer/star Keenen Ivory Wayans. The sketch comedy series launched in April 1990 and quickly became a massive hit for the network.
It has been 25 years since the show took its final bow. In Living Color aired its last episode in May 1994, bringing the total episode count up to 127. Well, it turns out that not every sketch that got pitched during the show's five-season run got approved for episodes.
Original cast member Jim Carrey offered some behind-the-scenes insight on two sketch ideas from back in Season 1 that did not get the green light. Sharing what they were, Carrey told THR:
We were warped out of our minds. We presented several sketches that didn’t make it on the air, things that were just too insane, like the abortion rally ventriloquist. We came up with a sketch called ‘Make a Death Wish Foundation’ about a dead kid whose posthumous wish was to go to an amusement park. That did not make it on air, either. But I came up with the face of the kid, and it eventually turned into the ‘Fire Marshall Bill’ face.
For those wondering, Fire Marshall Bill became one of Jim Carrey’s frequent In Living Color sketches. As his name hints, Carrey’s character was a fire marshal with a passion for educating about fire safety. The thing was that he was a bungling fire marshal. Using his catchphrase: “Lemme show ya something!!” never resulted in anything positive for those he talked too.
Fire Marshal Bill’s ensuing actions would result in calamity, although he somehow managed to survive whatever he caused to happen. It turns out that while the original sketch idea did not get picked up, Jim Carrey used part of it for something else.
Last year, Jim Carrey was asked about a potential reboot of In Living Color. He indicated that he absolutely thought that one should happen. Whether he would be back to play one of his characters is another story.
He did stay on In Living Color until the end, having starred in all five seasons of the series. He managed to balance his commitment to the show with his burgeoning movie career. Maybe Jim Carrey would be willing to guest star if a reboot happened.
There was an attempt to bring the show back for 2012 via two specials. By 2013, it was announced that the In Living Color reboot would not happen. The cast of the original series has gone on to have spectacular success in their careers.
The super-successful Wayans family starred in the series, which Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote, and starred in. Mega movie star Jamie Foxx and The Cool Kids’ David Alan Grier starred on the show. Jennifer Lopez and future Dancing with the Stars judge and Talk co-host Carrie Ann Inaba were part of the show’s dance troupe: The Fly Girls. Rise's Rosie Perez was the troupe's choreographer.
In 2018, Jim Carrey returned to star in a television show for the first time since he starred In Living Color. He did so in the Showtime dramedy, Kidding. More of that series is on its way. Showtime renewed it for a second season, per TVLine. Whether the world will ever see In Living Color return remains to be seen.
There are a lot of summer television premieres definitely coming your way.
