Wayans vs. Hughley: "There's No Feud"

Damon Wayans — who returns to the small screen on March 28 in the ABC sitcom My Wife and Kids (8 pm/ET) — insists that "there's no feud" between him and fellow sitcom star D.L. Hughley. This, despite the fact that last summer Hughley scolded Kids, claiming it was basically a rip-off of his comedy The Hughleys, which ABC axed last season. (The show was rescued by UPN and currently airs Mondays at 9 pm/ET.)

"You know, I understand... He was hurt," admits Wayans, who, in addition to starring in Kids, is its co-creator and executive producer. "And I think because [my show] was the next one coming along, he for some reason [blamed me]. But I've been in that situation where you get your show cancelled and you're just trying to justify it in your own mind. If it helps him get through it, then I'll be the bad guy that took his idea. The audience will determine whether I did or not."

My Wife and Kids — which Wayans says is based on his experiences as a husband and dad — is being described as The Cosby Show for the new millennium. "That was the plan, to kind of... pick the ball up from where [Cosby] put it down," he explains, "and just try to deal a little more with problems that kids are facing today."

The former In Living Color star also says the new series — co-starring Tisha Campbell-Martin — will focus on the male reclaiming his position as the head of the household. "Dads are back in the driver's seat," says the 40-year-old father of four, whose 16-year marriage to wife Lisa ended last year. "I really think it's important to have a good authority figure."