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The show also works because, in context, Bernie's outlandish threats--"I'm'a bust your head till the white meat shows"--are as innocuous as Jackie Gleason (another influence of Mac's) yelling, "To the moon, Alice!" Still, Mac acknowledges he will probably take heat for them. He even offers viewers a defense: "When I say I want to kill those kids, you know what I mean...Bernie Mac just say what you want to say but can't." If his show stays this funny and true, we're glad to let him.
--By James Poniewozik