The greatest tragedy of Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s life is this forgotten television show. Costa Rican National Police told ABC News that the actor, who is most known for playing Theo Huxtable in the popular TV sitcom “The Cosby Show,” drowned and died on Sunday off the coast of Costa Rica. His age was 54.
Warner was more than just Black television for more than 40 years. He created witty, flawed, intelligent, and incredibly human characters that have been a mainstay on our screens since we were young. Warner built a living by defying the stereotypes of how Black males should seem and sound on television, whether in spoken word, sitcoms, or dramas.
The tragic death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner allows me to talk about a shocking lack of attention to a 20-year-old show. I’ve been holding back for a while, but I haven’t seen anyone discuss the incredibly fantastic show Jeremiah. It starred Luke Perry and Malcolm Jamal Warner. But it also has a host of talented sci-fi actors like Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Sean Astin (Stranger Things), and Daniel Gillies (Spider-Man 2).
Those survivors, who are now adults, must start over after fifteen years. J. Michael Straczynski, the mastermind behind Babylon 5, apparently thought a post-apocalyptic world where all the adults died was prime material for television. Here are some reasons that you should watch the show.
1. The Show is Based on a Beloved Graphic Novel
The show was based on a Belgian science fiction comic book series by Hermann Huppen, back in 1979.
In the novels, racial wars have divided the U.S., creating a post-apocalyptic world with isolated civilizations. Jeremiah and Kurdy, two noble men, travel the country, focusing on hope and mankind’s survival. The storylines vary from issue to issue, making them suitable for individual reading. They were so beloved, there are 40 volumes and one “Special Edition” in Dutch and French at the moment.
While the series is supposed to be an adaptation of the graphic novels of the same name, only the names of the main characters, their general personality, and the fact that the story took place in the US were maintained, while the rest, including emphasizing the science fiction elements, was created by show runner J. Michael Straszinsky.
That alone should set it apart as his greatest work, but there’s more.
2. It Brought Back Post-Apocalyptic Television
It graced Showtime with its presence for a whopping thirty-five episodes, kicking off on March 3rd, 2002. Set in the distant, unimaginable year of 2021 (the future is now!), the show bravely explored the groundbreaking concept of survivors having to “start over” after fifteen years of fumbling through an adult-less world. Imagine the chaos – no one to tell you to eat your vegetables or do your taxes!
Today, shows about the end of the world are common. But at the time, there hadn’t been an American live-action show set after the demise of civilization since the 1992 sitcom Woops! It premiered around the same time as Andromeda and Dark Angel. It’s a lot less popular, though.
How many genres has Malcolm-Jamal Warner brought back to television? But it did more than change television history.
3. The Show is a Milestone in Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Career
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s career was at a crossroads after starring in comedies. He plays the apocalyptic survivor Kurdy Malloy. He was first introduced in the series’ premiere episode and made appearances in all the following episodes. He wears black leather, is quick with a knife, and fiercely loyal. Jeremiah and Kurdy have a quirky meet-cute when Kurdy snags a string of Jeremiah’s freshly caught trout.
The two loners form a strong partnership as they travel the wasteland. “Kurdy has a conflict between looking out for number one and helping people,” noted Warner. “It’s been his experience that when you go to someone’s aid, you usually end up getting screwed. Jeremiah, however, is a hero, and heroes help people. So it takes time for Kurdy to wrap his head around that ‘concept,’ but he eventually does.”
How many times did Malcolm-Jamal Warner play a charismatic anti-hero in a dramatic role? But he was a hero behind the scenes as well.
4. Warner Fought for Representation on the Show
Originally, the pair was two white men. When Malcolm Jamal-Warner was cast as Kurdy, things changed. For example, his character was supposed to be illiterate. The African American actor realized how problematic it would be to show a Black man who can’t read. “‘One guy being able to read but not the other is fine if your characters are both white,” he later mused. “However, there’s no way you can do a show with two leads and the black guy can’t read.” So the character was changed to a warrior-poet type. He’s a first-class fighter, but he also appreciates beauty and strategy.
That inner struggle was one of the things about the character that appealed to him. I also liked that he and Jeremiah became equals. “I don’t think that was necessarily their [the writers’] original intent. However, Kurdy is definitely not just a sidekick, and I think a lot of that is due to that collaborative effort I spoke of earlier.”
Warner started fighting for his roles after Jeremiah, and that lesson resonated with the rest of his career. But the show did more than that.
5. Warner is a Co-Star on the Show
Malcolm-Jamal Warner had an amazing career and eventually pivoted from comedy to drama. But Jeremiah is a unique point in his career. While he had a co-starring role on Malcolm & Eddie, he never became a co-star again after the sci-fi show.
His most popular role after The Cosby Show was in the medical drama series The Resident as Dr. AJ Austin. But that’s an ensemble show. His character doesn’t get that much focus in the series.
“That’s probably my favorite role,” he told TheGrio. “Dr Austin was so very different from what people normally see me do at this point. Those kind of characters I really love playing, because they’re still good guys, but they’re not necessarily, typically nice guys.”
Warner’s character on Jeremiah is a strong black man, but is flawed. His first interaction is as a thief. But he emphasizes that he only took the food because he was hungry. Warner loved playing characters who aren’t “typically nice guys.”
How many times did Malcolm-Jamal Warner star or co-star in a dramatic role? Only one comes to mind.
6. The Show is one of Starazinski’s Few Failures
J. Michael Straczynski is a prolific writer and has had huge success in comic books and shows like He-Man and The Twilight Zone. He also created the amazingly popular Babylon 5 and multiple movies based on the show. But this didn’t have the same success.
The reviews for Jeremiah were mixed, with the Sun Sentinel calling it out for being slow and dark. Worst of all, they say the writing, by the great Starazinski, is “spotty and the plotting rickety.” Ouch.
Most other reviews complain that Luke Perry is a terrible leading man, with the LA Times calling him “un-magnetic and unpersuasive.” On the other hand, the Sun Sentinel calls Warner the real star of the show. He’s a big, likable man; he endows Kurdy with an easy charisma that offsets and threatens to overwhelm the lead.
While Warner mainly plays second banana to the white lead (surprise), in the second season, he becomes the leader. So there was real growth in his character. Despite the failings of the show, Malcolm-Jamal Warner elevated his role. Was the show a failure, though?
7. The Show Was Successful
Television history is filled with series that failed after a few episodes. A lot of them don’t last more than one season (I’m looking at you, Firefly). However, this show was renewed for a second season.
The show performed well in its first season, airing 15 episodes. Straczynski had prepared a five-year series, but a change in personnel in Showtime’s administration caused the network to decide to stop producing science fiction programming and unofficially cancel Jeremiah before the second season had its debut in November 2003.
Although J. Michael Straczynski had planned a five-year series, Showtime’s administration underwent a personnel change. This led the network to cease production of science fiction programming and unofficially cancel Jeremiah before its second season premiered in November 2003.
How many sci-fi shows make it to two seasons that star a strong black character? Jeremiah stands alone. But despite the show being canceled, audiences loved it.
8. The Show Was Adored by Fans
But fans realized the possibility of cancellation when Showtime announced the airing of only the first seven out of fifteen episodes of the second season. So they organized a campaign to write and phone executives at Showtime, MGM, and Platinum Studios to convince them to show the remaining eight and continue with a third season.
Ultimately, the network began airing the remaining episodes of the second season. Starting on September 3, 2004, after a ten-month break, they started airing the remaining episodes. Despite continuously rising ratings, Showtime didn’t renew the show for a third season. Here’s where it gets a little confusing because many people, Roku included, assume the remaining eight episodes are part of a third season.
Had the series continued, it would have run under a different showrunner than Straczynski, who decided to leave following the completion of the production of the second season due to creative differences between him and MGM Television. If the series had continued, it would have had a different showrunner than Straczynski. He decided to leave after the second season was done filming because of creative differences with MGM Television.
Had the series continued, it would have run under a different showrunner than Straczynski, who decided to leave following the completion of the production of the second season due to creative differences between him and MGM Television.Had the series continued, its trajectory would have shifted significantly under a different showrunner than J. Michael Straczynski.
His decision to depart after the completion of the second season stemmed from irreconcilable creative differences with MGM Television, the studio behind the production. This parting of ways meant that the intricate narrative arcs and character developments that Straczynski had envisioned for future seasons would likely have been altered, potentially leading the series in a direction distinct from its original creator’s grand five-year plan.
The impact of such a change on the show’s overall quality and its cult following remains a subject of speculation among fans, who often ponder what might have been had Straczynski’s vision been allowed to fully unfold without studio interference.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s career lasted decades, but his most underrated work was on a sci-fi show over twenty years ago that featured a complicated, strong black man who outshone his co-star and created droves of adoring fans.
How many of Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s roles inspired such a vocal fan base? Only Jeremiah.
While the show has been mostly forgotten by sci-fi fans, it’s still available to watch Jeremiah on Roku for free. If you love Malcolm-Jamal Warner, you owe yourself to see his amazing acting in the show.
Do you remember Jeriemiah? What’s Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s greatest role? Let us know in the comments!
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