While being a mommy is not a prerequisite to producing television for children, it is no surprise that three of the executive producers of the mini-series Miracle's Boys are mommies. Miracle's Boys is executive produced by Nikki Silver, Orly Wiseman and David C. McCourt for On Screen Entertainment in conjunction with Tonya Lewis Lee. Among them, the three mommies have seven children and their maternal instincts are reflected most notably in their gathering of a loving brood to nurture Jacqueline Woodson's award-winning novel of the same name from print to screen.

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Miracle's Boys focuses on the Bailey brothers - Lafayette (Julito McCullum), Charlie (Sean Nelson), and Ty'ree (Pooch Hall) - as the teens struggle to survive as a family after the death of their parents. The series features a slate of marquee directors (Spike Lee, Bill Duke, Ernest Dickerson, Neema Barnette and LeVar Burton) and stars Sean Nelson (Fresh, The Corner).

MOSAEC caught up with the executive producers of the mini-series and asked them about the television adaptation of Miracle's Boys.

What prompted your decision to pitch The N?

Nikki Silver:  We really wanted to do something that was developed for teens. The N is one of the few networks that is developing just for that age group. We knew that it was one of the places that was taking a chance on good quality material that may not fit the mold of the rest of the networks.

How was the cast chosen?

Tonya Lewis Lee:  Nikki and Orly did the pilot a few years before and they cast Pooch, Julito and Sean. When it came time to do the full series, we went on a casting call. We canvassed New York City and LA and ended up with the same 3 actors as our brothers.

How did Jorge Posada get involved?

TLL:  It's a New York show and we wanted our New York support. We wanted to bring it! So, there's Jorge, Tiki [Barber], Spike and Nas. Jorge heard about the material, he's Puerto Rican and he was excited about it.

How did Spike Lee get involved with the mini-series?

TLL:  At the time Nikki and Orly brought the project to The N, I had been working on another project at The N and they brought me on board. A pilot had been shot already. At the point we brought Spike in, we already had the six episodes written. We had hired a writer and we were looking for directors. Bill Duke had signed on so we asked Spike as well as the others.

What prompted the decision to employ a cadre of marquee directors to bring the mini-series to life?

TLL:  As executive producers, we made that choice. We were very excited because the material is so strong. We thought we had an opportunity to do something unique where we could use film directors and have each episode of the mini-series be mini-films instead of just television.

With the directors, did you sit down as executive producers and determine how conceptually you wanted the project to progress or did you let the directors do their own thing?

TLL:  As executive producers, we wanted the show to have a consistency and feel like each show was a part of something. At the same time, we did expect that each director would leave his or her imprint on their own particular show.

NS:  We also really wanted Spike to set the tone and that's why his doing the first episode was very important to us. We knew that his working with the talent and with that type of video was going to be essential. MORE >>>.  

 

TLL:  It's an interesting dynamic in my situation because you're right the producers rule and the directors come and work for the producers. Then you have me, I'm the wife [of one of the directors] who is in this situation…I think Spike and I collaborated really nicely. It was a fun collaboration.

Did you stick strictly to the book?

TLL:  We did not stick strictly to the book. We hired a wonderful writer by the name of Kevin Arkadie who really drew the characters out of the essence of who they were in the book and put them in new and fresh situations. So, it's not exactly what happened in the book, but it's the boys' lives as they go on.

About 10 years ago, CBS and Fox offered the respective dramatic series "Under One Roof" (James Earl Jones, Joe Morton) and "South Central" (Larenz Tate, Tina Lifford). Both series tackled teen issues in a very real way, but neither lasted a full season. In particular, "South Central" was criticized for spotlighting a single-parent, low income family. Even though "South Central" didn't deal with a Huxtable-type family, it was a family full of love. In Miracle's Boys, you are bringing what some would consider a non-traditional family to the screen. Do you think the time is right for this type of dramatic series whereas 10 years ago minds were too small to accept something different?

NS:  I think you get the essence of what the show is. The show is about the fact that families are made, not born. That's the point that we hope that people will take from this is that family is not just about mother, father, and two children. Family is about love, respect and loyalty and that's what these brothers have going for them. It is my belief that that is what kids are going to respond to. To answer your question, I think times have changed and I think that media needs to come behind it as times change so people will feel good about it and comfortable with it.

What do you want audiences to walk away with?

TLL:  One of the things, like Nikki said, is that not all families are the same. There isn't one way to have a family. Also, however your situation is, you can make it work if you really love each other and work with each other through it.

Are there plans to create additional episodes after the initial run of the mini-series? What is necessary for that to occur?

TLL:  We're hoping people show up and watch the show and then we'll see. M

February 2005