Television has always reflected the times, but for generations of Black audiences, sitcoms also provided something just as valuable: relief. From Sanford and Son and Good Times to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin, Living Single and The Jamie Foxx Show, comedy created shared moments that families anticipated every week. These shows weren’t just funny. They built stars, introduced unforgettable catchphrases and gave viewers characters who felt like relatives. They were us.
Over the last decade, however, the traditional multi-camera sitcom has become increasingly rare as streaming platforms have shifted toward dramas and reality programming. Veteran actor Carl Payne, whose work on The Cosby Show and Martin helped define an era of television comedy, believes something has been missing. That’s part of what drew him to Lot Patrol, a new comedy series that pairs seasoned performers with rising comedians, including Skeet Carter and Tamera Kissen aka Tee. The cast says the chemistry extended well beyond the script.
AllHipHop’s Quierra Luck spoke with the cast about finally bringing the project to audiences, learning from one another and why they believe television could use a few more laughs.
AllHipHop: Congratulations on Lot Patrol. How exciting is it to finally have the show ready for audiences?
Carl Payne: Amazing. Amazing. I think we have an amazing cast and we had a lot of fun doing it. We’re definitely looking forward to sharing that with everybody.
Tee: I feel the same way. All those laughs that we had on set, we finally get to share them with the world. It’s a really funny show and I think it’s very entertaining. People are going to want more and more once they see a little bit of it.
Skeet Carter: Yeah, it was a fun show. I’m excited for everybody to see it.
AllHipHop: Every actor gets scripts. What was different about this one?
Tee: For me, it was family. Everybody on set had crossed paths before somewhere along the journey. It just made sense. I thought, “Why not make this something special?” It didn’t even feel like work. It felt like hanging out with your friends.
Skeet Carter: Manny actually handed me the script about seven years ago. I read it and thought it had something. Then I completely forgot about it. Years later he called me and said, “We’re ready to go.”
I said, “Ready to go on what?”
He said, “Lot Patrol.“
I was like, “Oh, yeah. Let’s do it.”
Once I got into the character, I thought this could really help me show another side of myself. I’m known for stand-up, but I wanted people to see me acting too. Then I found out Carl Payne was in it. I said, “Oh, I made it.”
We’d worked together doing comedy shows before, but we’d never shared the screen. Being able to work alongside him and learn from him while having fun was incredible.
AllHipHop: Carl, you’ve played some iconic comedic roles. What attracted you to this character?
Carl Payne: I’m always looking for opportunities to show people another side of what I do. Once you’ve built up different characters over your career, you start looking for different ways to play comedy.
There are different levels to comedy.
With this character, I saw an opportunity to do something people haven’t really seen from me before. It’s still comedy, but the way I’m playing him and the way I deliver everything is completely different from what audiences are used to seeing.
Skeet Carter: Carl tries to downplay it, but he’s really like that. Watching him work, I realized there are levels. I’m funny because I’m being funny. Carl can just sit in a scene, play a pocket and have everybody laughing. I can’t wait for people to see what he’s doing.
Carl Payne: Everybody’s great in this thing. Trust me. Tee is amazing. Even TK. I think people are going to see everybody in a different light.
AllHipHop: Carl, what was it like working with performers coming from comedy, acting and social media?
Carl Payne: Honestly, it was really interesting because everybody wanted to make the show the best it could be. It felt like putting together a great team. It’s about knowing when to pass the ball and knowing when to shoot.
In my experience, when you have a bunch of jazz players and everybody wants to play the solo, it just sounds like noise. Comedy is the same way.
Stand-up comics are used to owning the stage by themselves. Television is a team sport. It’s learning when to hit your high note while making sure everyone else gets theirs too. That part was really fun to watch happen.
AllHipHop: Skeet, you’re coming from stand-up. Tee, you’re coming from social media. How do you convince audiences to see you in a different light?
Skeet Carter: I think it’s dope. The world is a big place and you’ve got to reach people everywhere. I believe I’m a superstar, so I have to show the world who I am. This is another platform for me to be great.
Hopefully people discover me on television, then they come to my stand-up shows, then they follow my social media. This isn’t going to be the last show. We’ve got a lot more coming, so I just want to keep putting myself in front of people.
Tee: I feel the same way. My brand is connected through everything I do. If people know me from social media or another show, it’s all connected.
Some people will discover me through Lot Patrol for the first time. Then they’ll come over to social media and continue the journey. I think that’s beautiful.
AllHipHop: Every time the cast talks about this show, everyone starts smiling. What were some of your favorite moments on set?
Carl Payne: There are moments we can talk about and then there are moments we can’t talk about.
A lot of my favorite moments aren’t even in the script. You’re never going to see them because they happened behind the scenes.
Skeet Carter: He’s talking about me because I’m silly.
Tee: Honestly, everybody collaborated. We respected the script, but we also made the show our baby. Everybody brought ideas. Everybody wanted to make each scene better. It was endless laughs.
I think that’s going to come through when people watch it. From scene one to the end, it’s comedy after comedy, laugh after laugh. It’s an experience.
Skeet Carter: Every scene felt like its own little movie. We’d shoot what was written, then we’d all get together and say, “I’ve got something better.”
If everybody approved it, we’d try it. Sometimes I’d do something and Carl would say, “It’ll work even better if you do this.” We all worked together to make every scene as funny as possible.
AllHipHop: Comedy feels especially important right now. What do you hope people take away from Lot Patrol?
Carl Payne: You hit the nail on the head. Laughter is healing. We need that now more than ever. We’ve got enough shows that depict our culture in one specific light. Having a show where we can just play, have fun and laugh together again is something that’s needed.
Where have all the sitcoms gone? That’s what we grew up on. Those are the shows that made television fun. You rushed home because you didn’t want to miss them.
Skeet Carter: Let’s make TV fun again. That’s the new shirt right there. Tuesday night should be family fun night. We don’t really have those shows anymore where everybody can sit around together and laugh from beginning to end.
Hopefully this is the start of something really big, and we get to be part of bringing that feeling back.
Tee: I agree with the guys.
Ski Carter: She’s being quiet today, but trust me, she’s usually one of the most vocal people in the room.
Tee: It’s early. I’m still trying to get my coffee. (laughs)
Lot Patrol airs Tuesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 p.m. CT on BET.
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