Nostalgia is a powerful thing in this day and age, and television studios have been cashing in by reviving some of the most popular shows from the last several decades. From Full House and Friends to The Wonder Years and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, just about any show is fair game for a reunion special or spinoff/continuation series. One show that sometimes gets overlooked in the pantheon of great TV series is Everybody Hates Chris. The Chris Rock-created sitcom still holds a special place in the hearts of many TV fans, who would more than likely be up for a reboot or reunion of any kind. Yet the show’s star, Tyler James Williams, has now explained why it’s been a challenge to get the band back together.
To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the show’s debut, Tyler James Williams used Twitter to post some commonly asked questions. Of course, one of these is whether or not the show will get a reboot. While the 27-year-old Williams confirmed that there have been discussions, there’s one key factor holding the project back:
Its been a convo before but the interesting hiccup & blessing is that everyone in this photo is very busy. All work regularly, in a variety of different mediums, genres, networks ect. We’ll keep trying but I’m proud of our scheduling issue.
Some may be sad to hear that an Everybody Hates Chris reunion has been stalled due to the cast’s heavy workload. But like Williams, you can’t help but be proud, as the cast is definitely busy, to say the least.
Williams has had a mixture of television and film jobs over the last several years, with his latest role coming in Robert Schwartzman’s The Argument. Terry Crews, who portrayed Williams’ father on the series, has a starring role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and serves as the host of America’s Got Talent. His TV wife, Tichina Arnold, currently stars in CBS’ The Neighborhood and has a film career. Meanwhile, Greg Martella, who played Chris’ best friend Greg, has made a name for himself in the animation realm with his role as Phineas Flynn in the Phineas and Ferb franchise. Finally stars Tequan Richmond and Imani Hakim have starring roles on BET’s Boomerang and Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest, respectively. So yeah, they all have priorities.
Inspired by the life of comedian Chris Rock, Everybody Hates Chris centers on the title character, who lives with his working-class family in 1980s Brooklyn. Throughout the show, the constantly unlucky teen experiences the highs and lows of adolescence. The series originally premiered on UPN in 2005 before becoming one of the flagship series of The CW in its second season. The network would cancel it in 2009 after Season 4 as part of its effort to shift away from comedy. While the show received critical acclaim during its original run, it wasn’t until it entered syndication that it gained a larger following.
Everybody Hates Chris is a show that’s ripe with possibility for a reboot, and it would be nice to see the cast back together. Let’s hope that Williams and his co-stars can make some time to honor the legacy of this underrated show.
If you’ve yet to check out Everybody Hates Chris, it’s currently available to stream on CBS All Access.
