23-Year-Old Sitcom Finds New Life On Netflix’s Top 10 Chart

After premiering over two decades ago, My Wife and Kids has been climbing the charts on Netflix. Airing on ABC from 2001 to 2005, by co-creators Damon Wayans and Don Reo, My Wife and Kids focuses on the quest of Michael Kyle (Wayans) for the perfect traditional family — though his wife and kids have other ideas. The sitcom ran for 5 seasons and 123 episodes, with the My Wife and Kids cast that also included Tisha Campbell-Martin, George O. Gore II, Jazz Raycole, Parker McKenna Posey, Jennifer Nicole Freeman, Noah Gray-Cabey, and Brooklyn Sudano.

Though it’s been off the air for almost twenty years, My Wife and Kids is finding new life on Netflix. It debuted in the seventh slot on the streamer’s Top 10 rankings for TV shows in the U.S. for the week of February 5th. In the sitcom’s first appearance in the rankings, it comes in ahead of Young Sheldon season 1 and the hit limited series Fool Me Once which has been dominating the charts.

Why Was My Wife and Kids Cancelled?

Rewinding the clock back to the mid-2000s, American Idol was prominent in terms of cultural relevance and dominated TV ratings. This impacted the performance of ABC’s comedies, including My Wife and Kids. At the time, it was reported that ABC officials felt that My Wife and Kids had “played itself out.” This, too, was likely impacted by declining ratings. By the time the show ended, its ratings had reached less than 6 million viewers. It was a far cry from the level that the sitcom usually maintained, which hovered around the double digits.

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My Wife and Kids ended on something of a cliffhanger. In the series finale, which cast member Tisha Campbell-Martin directed, it’s revealed that the Kyle family could be growing. Janet (Campbell-Martin) reveals that she is pregnant. That storyline is unresolved, with Wayans mentioning that he believed the ABC series would be getting another season.

Despite the somewhat abrupt conclusion, My Wife and Kids is the type of show that has the right components to do well on streaming. It has a lot of charm and heart that will appeal to new viewers, in addition to a sense of nostalgia that will appeal to subscribers who remember the series fondly from their younger years.