As Ms. Morello, the terminally Caucasian teacher on CW's Everybody Hates Chris (Mondays at 8 pm/ET), Jacqueline Mazarella earns laughs with racist quips that would land celebrities like Michael Richards in hot water. To (in)cite but a few examples, Ms. Morello, in an attempt to relate to Corleone Junior High's lone black student, has proudly pumped a black power fist, brought cans of food to his "ghetto" home at Christmas, and dubbed him a "sweet sweetback." Although Mazarella isn't a series regular, the TV newcomer is thrilled that her character has become one of the show's funniest, most wince-inducing recurring characters.
TVGuide.com: Everybody Hates Chris has been your big TV break. How did you land the part?
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Question: I don't care what anyone says about Tori Spelling — I loved Season 1 of So NoTorious. Any word on whether or not there will be a second season?
Answer: There won't be — and that seriously blows. Like you, I thought the show was ridiculously smart and funny. And I have a confession to make: I initially included Tori in our Dream Emmy Ballot for best actress in a comedy series. But then I was reminded that Tichina Arnold was left off the list. And, well, there was no way in hell Tichina Arnold was getting left off that list.
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Terry Crews and Tichina Arnold are as funny and direct with each other as their characters Julius and Rochelle are on UPN's Everybody Hates Chris (Thursdays at 8 pm/ET). While the first-year comedy was filming the spring's final episodes, the actors sat for a playful, and sometimes painfully honest, chat about the intersection of their real and TV lives.
TV Guide: Has success changed things for you?Terry Crews: I literally don't go anywhere without someone knowing who I am, loving the show. I have to think about whether I can go to the mall.
TV Guide: Did you anticipate it being a hit?Tichina Arnold: The show just felt right, even before it aired. When we did the pilot, going up the
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Question: I took your recommendation on Everybody Hates Chris and anticipated the show long before it first aired. It looked hilarious, the cast is great, it's about Chris Rock's youth, there was no laugh track: It seemed to have all the makings of a great show. And yet, with each episode I've seen, I grow less fond of it. While the "first kid to get hand-me-ups" joke was funny, I didn't laugh once at the Valentine's Day episode. Chris' little sister is an annoying brat, Chris' mom is a shrill, carbon copy of the Malcolm in the Middle mom, and seeing Chris' father threaten Tanya's little boyfriend was just ridiculous and mean. And while I root for young Chris, I'm tired of seeing the poor kid being subjected to so much grief, not the least of which is the heavy-handed racism. What do you think, Matt? Are you as finished with this show as I am?
Answer: Not a bit. I don't watch it every week (or let's just say I have a DVR library of episodes to catch up on, given how much Thursday
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Question: The only new show of the season I watch and love is Everybody Hates Chris. Tichina Arnold is awesome as Chris' mother and the soundtrack completes the show. My question is: How is the show doing in the ratings? I know the first week it did great and the following week they went down, but how are things going now? What do you think of the show?
Answer: Consider the time period, one of the week's most competitive. Then consider the UPN network, one of the industry's least competitive (most nights). By those standards, Everybody Hates Chris is a huge success. The show was never meant to win the time period or some such miracle, but for UPN, it's a home run. The show hasn't sustained the early breakthrough numbers (a result of the preseason hype, since viewing habits like Survivor are hard to break), but Chris still does so much better than any of the comedies that follow it, plus it has great media buzz. And it put UPN in the game on Thursday nights, which is easier said than
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