Brian Damage
08-07-2010, 06:32 PM
Going back to the end of the seventh season of Family Matters, the show switched from ABC to CBS. Do you remember why that happened?
Well, you know, I think it probably was because the show was kind of running out of air, what they call “jumping the shark,” you know what I mean?
I know that prior to that, a year prior to that, I didn’t want to do it anymore. I had been offered an opportunity to do the Mahalia Jackson story and I wanted to do something else. And I think, like, four, three, four years prior to that I would go into ABC with my agent every year and we would ask for just another project, something else to do. Like, Bob Sagat was doing America’s Funniest Home Videos. I just wanted something else to do, just to energize me a little bit more, on the creative side. And so I wanted to leave before that and so at the end of the eighth season, which was my last contracted year — I think I might have had one of the longest contracts there — my contract was up.
So I was like a free agent and so when they went to CBS and all, they asked me to come back. And I really didn’t want to come back. I had just done my jazz album and all. And we agreed that I would come back just to kick off the move to CBS and that’s how that whole deal went. I was to do half of a season, eight of the episodes. And I had an option out and I exercised my option. I did.
As a matter of fact, I had long talk with [co-creator] Bob Boyett prior to my leaving, and he asked me, “When you said you really were ready to go, you were ready to go, weren’t you?” And I said, “Yeah, but they weren’t ready to let go, you know.” And so, I know there were a few people that were a little bit upset that I wanted to go, but I was just ready to leave. I was ready to go before then, but, I actually remember having one of the people that were working there, one of the production people, saying “Jo, if you leave then you know things are going to go crazy.” And, “Yeah, I have a daughter in college” you know, and this and that. And so I stayed an extra two years.
I felt stifled and like I said, if I had been able to do other projects… There was one time that they agreed to let me do another project and then the project got delayed and then when it was time to do it they said, “No, you can’t do it.” So, I just needed something extra to do, you know. How I explained it is, “A baker that loves to bake doesn’t want to stop baking. They just don’t always want to make chocolate cake or chocolate cookies. They want to try to do something else. Bake some bagels, do something else.” I never wanted to stop acting. I’ve been acting since I was six years old. It’s just that I was tired of doing that project, you know what I’m saying, I wanted to do something else.
I think the reason why some people have thought there was a problem was because you left mid-season, which was unusual.
Yes, yes. There were some things being said, and like I said, just ignore it because you know it’s not true. But it did hurt, because it made me look like this scandlous person, that was jealous of this kid [Jaleel]. I’m a very truthful person, and I shoot straight from the hip, just like my character, you know? I would be the first person in the world to apologize to someone if I thought I hurt their feelings or I said something that was untrue. But by the same token, you know, you just get to a point where sometimes you gotta say “Okay, alright, let’s back this up now.”
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/family-matters-jo-marie-payton-16891/
Well, you know, I think it probably was because the show was kind of running out of air, what they call “jumping the shark,” you know what I mean?
I know that prior to that, a year prior to that, I didn’t want to do it anymore. I had been offered an opportunity to do the Mahalia Jackson story and I wanted to do something else. And I think, like, four, three, four years prior to that I would go into ABC with my agent every year and we would ask for just another project, something else to do. Like, Bob Sagat was doing America’s Funniest Home Videos. I just wanted something else to do, just to energize me a little bit more, on the creative side. And so I wanted to leave before that and so at the end of the eighth season, which was my last contracted year — I think I might have had one of the longest contracts there — my contract was up.
So I was like a free agent and so when they went to CBS and all, they asked me to come back. And I really didn’t want to come back. I had just done my jazz album and all. And we agreed that I would come back just to kick off the move to CBS and that’s how that whole deal went. I was to do half of a season, eight of the episodes. And I had an option out and I exercised my option. I did.
As a matter of fact, I had long talk with [co-creator] Bob Boyett prior to my leaving, and he asked me, “When you said you really were ready to go, you were ready to go, weren’t you?” And I said, “Yeah, but they weren’t ready to let go, you know.” And so, I know there were a few people that were a little bit upset that I wanted to go, but I was just ready to leave. I was ready to go before then, but, I actually remember having one of the people that were working there, one of the production people, saying “Jo, if you leave then you know things are going to go crazy.” And, “Yeah, I have a daughter in college” you know, and this and that. And so I stayed an extra two years.
I felt stifled and like I said, if I had been able to do other projects… There was one time that they agreed to let me do another project and then the project got delayed and then when it was time to do it they said, “No, you can’t do it.” So, I just needed something extra to do, you know. How I explained it is, “A baker that loves to bake doesn’t want to stop baking. They just don’t always want to make chocolate cake or chocolate cookies. They want to try to do something else. Bake some bagels, do something else.” I never wanted to stop acting. I’ve been acting since I was six years old. It’s just that I was tired of doing that project, you know what I’m saying, I wanted to do something else.
I think the reason why some people have thought there was a problem was because you left mid-season, which was unusual.
Yes, yes. There were some things being said, and like I said, just ignore it because you know it’s not true. But it did hurt, because it made me look like this scandlous person, that was jealous of this kid [Jaleel]. I’m a very truthful person, and I shoot straight from the hip, just like my character, you know? I would be the first person in the world to apologize to someone if I thought I hurt their feelings or I said something that was untrue. But by the same token, you know, you just get to a point where sometimes you gotta say “Okay, alright, let’s back this up now.”
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/family-matters-jo-marie-payton-16891/