In season 2, The Ms. Pat Show proves why it is one of television’s best comedies.
When you find your right home and tribe, that’s when the parts of the puzzle begin to magically piece together. Following a five-year journey for outsiders to fully see its vision, the show made its debut on BET+ in August 2021.
It tells the story of a former drug dealer and convicted felon turned suburban mom (played by Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams) and how her modern, multi-generational African American family navigates life’s twists and turns against the backdrop of current cultural chaos with an unfiltered realness. The series is from Imagine Television and Lee Daniels Entertainment and is executive produced by Brian Grazer, Lee Daniels, and showrunner Jordan E. Cooper alongside Williams.
Nearly a year from the season one premiere, the series’ trajectory has already shown why the fight to be seen was so well worth it.
The Ms. Pat Show received its first Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series” for the “Baby Daddy Groundhog Day” episode, which was led by award-winning TV director Mary Lou Belli. What started as ripping a page from Williams’ story in real life transformed into making history as one of the first times BET received nominations for scripted shows. What’s more, the Emmy-nominated show was renewed for its third season before season two even officially premiered.
Along with authenticity being at the core, what makes the sitcom such a hit onscreen are the relationships being built when the cameras aren’t rolling. A common denominator for the cast is how they show up for one another as a union in real life. With season two centered around healing, the support was especially needed with the level of vulnerability that was required with tackling tough topics such as healing from trauma, forgiving family members, and learning to love oneself.
Shadow and Act recently spoke with Ms. Pat, Cooper and other cast members about the new season.
Majority of what was shot in the second season happened in Ms. Pat’s real life.
“The Black hair episode really resonated with me because that was such a start of pain from my biological mama pulling my hair, saying I’m nappy-headed, telling me I’m not pretty,” Ms. Pat recently told Shadow and Act. “And I remember when we were shooting that episode and it was just getting so real to me. I remember telling Jordan, ‘She gotta put the little girl between her legs and lock her knees around her and hit her hand because that’s what I remember.”
She continued, “And that trauma started me to think that my hair was no good and I wasn’t pretty. I just think Black women overall and women period are going to truly enjoy that episode. ‘Cause I don’t think I’ve ever seen it done like that.”
One of the many relationships born from the show is between Williams and Cooper. The partners in crime came up together and have learned valuable lessons along the way in maneuvering the entertainment business. For the partners in crime, there’s no amount of money in Hollywood that could split them up.
The bond they’ve been able to build is a reflection of the friendship that scales across the entire show.
“It shows up in the work too,” Cooper expressed, who became the youngest Black showrunner last year. “I feel like you can clearly tell when you’re watching something whether people don’t like each other. Or, they don’t like what they’re doing or what they’re speaking [about]. And I think the thing that works about this show is we all really love each other and it’s none of that toxic, ‘Oh, we’re all family!’ It truly is that we work together and play off of each other. All of the actors are so giving…it’s why I think it’s so anointed and touched in that way is because it’s coming off of something pure to give to the world. So, that’s something I’m always grateful for.”
“And it started from the top,” added Ms. Pat. “We’re at the top, we’re the creators and executive producers, so people are gonna follow us because it’s our show. So, if we give, then everybody else will give. People love working on this show. I told them from the start, ‘Hey, everybody’s a star’ ‘cause it takes all of us to make this work. I’m just blessed for it to say The Ms. Pat Show. And I told all the cast members, this is all of our show.”
According to the cast, for season two, viewers can expect powerful storylines, character development in comparison to season one, appearances from Black sitcom royalty, and of course, more laughs.
Check out our full slate of The Ms. Pat Show interviews below, featuring Tami Roman, J. Bernard Calloway, Vince Swann, Brittany Inge, Briyana Guadalupe and Theodore Barnes.
The second season of The Ms. Pat Show is now streaming on BET+.
