Wanda at Large

*Wanda at Large*
Wanda at Large
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Bruce Helford; Les Firestein; Wanda Sykes; Lance Crouther
Starring	Wanda Sykes; Phil Morris; Dale Godboldo; Tammy Lauren; Jurnee Smollett; Robert Bailey Jr.
Composer	Mathematics
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	19 (5 unaired)
Production
Executive producers	Les Firestein; Brian Hargrove; Bruce Helford; Jack Kenny; Deborah Oppenheimer
Producers	Michael Attanasio; Jennifer Fisher; Ernest Johnson; Lisa Koontz; Wanda Sykes
Cinematography	Gregg Heschong; Julius Metoyer
Editor	Larry Harris
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	Mohawk Productions; Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	March 26 –; November 7, 2003

Wanda at Large is an American sitcom starring Wanda Sykes; Sykes also created the series alongside Bruce Helford, Les Firestein, and Lance Crouther. The series aired for two seasons on Fox from March 26 to November 7, 2003.

Synopsis

Sykes starred as Wanda Hawkins, a former government worker who decides to become a stand-up comedian. Through her friend Keith (Dale Godboldo), Wanda is tapped by WHDC-TV head Roger to become a new editorial correspondent for the low-rated political talk show The Beltway Gang .^[1] She is immediately seen as unprofessional and inexperienced by the show's moderators, Bradley (Phil Morris) and Rita (Ann Magnuson), whose conservative politics clash with Wanda's liberal views. At home, she must deal with her sister-in-law Jenny (Tammy Lauren), a widow raising Wanda's niece Holly (Jurnee Smollett) and nephew Barris (Robert Bailey Jr.), whom Wanda finds irritating. As the show progresses, Wanda begins to bond with her family and win over her colleagues, with some hinted attraction to Bradley.

Cast

Wanda Sykes as Wanda Hawkins
Phil Morris as Bradley Grimes
Dale Godboldo as Keith Townsend
Tammy Lauren as Jenny Hawkins
Jurnee Smollett as Holly Hawkins
Robert Bailey Jr. as Barris Hawkins

Recurring

Jason Kravitz as Roger
Ann Magnuson as Rita Bahlberg

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes	Originally released
Season	Episodes	First released	Last released
1	6	March 26, 2003 (2003-03-26)	April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30)
2	13	September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19)	November 7, 2003 (2003-11-07)

Season 1 (2003)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"Pilot"	Gerry Cohen	Bruce Helford & Les Firestein & Wanda Sykes & Lance Crouther	March 26, 2003 (2003-03-26)
2	2	"King Rat"	John Blanchard	Sue Murphy	April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02)
3	3	"Wanda and Bradley"	John Blanchard	Lance Crouther	April 9, 2003 (2003-04-09)
4	4	"Wanda's Party"	Bob Koherr	Dino Shorte & Jack Lugar	April 16, 2003 (2003-04-16)
5	5	"Death of a Councilman"	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	Wanda Sykes	April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23)
6	6	"Alma Mater"	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	Barton Dean	April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30)

Season 2 (2003)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
7	1	"The Favor"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Lance Crouther	September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19)
When Wanda looks to score an interview with a troubled athlete (Adam Lazarre-White), it forces her to reconnect with her ex-husband (Dave Chappelle).
8	2	"Where's Roger?"	Bob Koherr	Jack Kenny & Brian Hargrove	September 26, 2003 (2003-09-26)
9	3	"Bradley Has a Friend?"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Jack Kenny & Brian Hargrove	October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03)
10	4	"Leave Your Daughter at Home Day"	Bob Koherr	Jennifer Fisher	October 17, 2003 (2003-10-17)
11	5	"They Shoot Reporters, Don't They?"	Katy Garretson	Dino Shorte	October 31, 2003 (2003-10-31)
12	6	"Hurricane Hawkins"	Shelley Jensen	Alyson Fouse	October 31, 2003 (2003-10-31)
13	7	"Clowns to the Left of Me"	Bob Koherr	Wanda Sykes	November 7, 2003 (2003-11-07)
14	8	"Back to the Club"	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	Sue Murphy	November 7, 2003 (2003-11-07)
15	9	"Only Built for Cuban Wandas"	Bob Koherr	Lance Crouther	Unaired
16	10	"Did Wanda Say a 4-Letter Word?"	Bob Koherr	Lance Crouther	Unaired
17	11	"The Plane Trip"	Bob Koherr	Jennifer Fisher	Unaired
18	12	"The Un-Natural"	Linda Mendoza	Patrick Meighan	Unaired
19	13	"Twas the Knife Before Christmas"	Bob Koherr	Alyson Fouse	Unaired
Jenny comes down with appendicitis, forcing Wanda to look after Holly and Barris.

Production and cancellation

Fox premiered it on March 26, 2003. Fox renewed the show for a second season. The show returned with new episodes in September 2003, but in the so-called Friday night death slot at 8:00 pm. It was canceled on November 7, along with the new Fox comedy series Luis.

During an interview with the Urbanite magazine at Georgia State University, Sykes explained that the show was only supposed to be on Friday night for an interim basis. According to Sykes, "We were told if the new night didn't work out, we would be moved to another timeslot. But, that's part of the game television execs play." She also admitted in a January 2004 interview that she wished that the series would have launched on UPN instead of Fox.^[2]

Broadcast and syndication

Reruns began airing regularly on July 5, 2006 on American cable channel TV One. The unaired second-season episodes were aired for the first time on TV One on July 4, 2006, during the 4th of July launch marathon of the series.^{[citation needed]}

In 2022, the series was made available for streaming online on Fox Corporation's Tubi.^[3] It is not currently available as of August 2025.

Reception

Ratings

Wanda at Large premiered on Fox on March 26, 2003, following American Idol. It gradually decreased in the ratings, premiering with 14.3 million viewers, and diminishing to 10 million by the season finale. It still averaged 12.2 million for the six-episode season, however, making it the fourth highest-rated show on Fox that year out of 26, and leading Fox to renew the show. In September, the show returned with new episodes in the Friday night death slot at 8:30 pm.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
2004	BET Comedy Awards	Outstanding Comedy Series	Wanda at Large	Nominated
	BET Comedy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Wanda Sykes	Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical	Wanda Skyes	Nominated
2003	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Breakout Show	Wanda at Large	Nominated
		Choice TV Breakout Star - Female	Wanda Sykes	Nominated
		Choice TV Actress - Comedy	Wanda Sykes	Nominated

References

^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 1280. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
^ Huff, Dominique (April 13, 2006). "Wanda does Urbanite". gsusignal.com. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
^ "Watch Wanda at Large". Tubi. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

External links

[1] The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 1280. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.

[2] Huff, Dominique (April 13, 2006). "Wanda does Urbanite". gsusignal.com. Retrieved March 18, 2009.

[3] "Watch Wanda at Large". Tubi. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

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v t e Wanda Sykes
Stand-up specials	Comedy Central Presents (1998) Tongue Untied (2003) Sick and Tired (2006) I'ma Be Me (2009) What Happened... Ms. Sykes? (2016) Not Normal (2019)
TV shows created	Wanda at Large (2003) Wanda Does It (2004) The Wanda Sykes Show (2009–10)
TV shows produced and written	The Chris Rock Show (1997–2000) Last Comic Standing (2014) Roseanne (2018) Unprotected Sets (2018) Visible: Out on Television (2020)
TV shows written	The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show (1997–98) Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1999) The Downer Channel (2001) 74th Academy Awards (2002) Premium Blend (2002–03)