CHICAGO — Don’t call “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” a reboot. According to South Side native and executive producer Ralph Farquhar it’s a revival. A revival that premiered on Disney+ on Wednesday.
“The Proud Family” animated series centers on Penny Proud, the eldest child of Oscar and Trudy Proud. Per Farquhar, the Proud series “is an irreverent look at Black family life through the eyes of a very current 14-year-old Black girl” — that life includes twin baby siblings BeBe and CeCe Proud; grandmother Suga Mama Proud, who is Oscar’s mother; uncle Bobby Proud; neighbors and friends. The show ran on the Disney Channel from 2001-2005, with “The Proud Family Movie” ending the series original run.
In “Louder and Prouder,” we pick up with the Proud family as puberty has settled among Penny and her friends — growth spurts and all. Oscar is not coping with all the ramifications that growing up entails. But Penny is doing her best with the help of her mother and grandmother, and pals Dijonay Jones, Zoey Howzer, LaCienega Boulevardez and Michael Collins. This season, Proud neighbors Maya and Francis “KG” Leibowitz-Jenkins add to the fun with their parents, Barry and Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins (voiced by Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter, respectively).
“That was the big thing we wanted to focus on in this first season — the LGBTQ consciousness we’ve all achieved in the ensuing 20 years when we first premiered,” Farquhar said. “It was something quite frankly back then we weren’t encouraged to talk about.”
As a result, the Michael character got “a major overhaul and upgrade,” he said.
“We voiced it with an authentic voice, EJ Johnson. I know EJ from when he was a kid, so I knew he was this kid, and would bring him to life,” Farquhar said. “In character designs, you see how we brought that to life to acknowledge his existence and who he is in a matter of fact way and not like ‘this is a special episode about Mike being gay.’ Michael is Michael. I know EJ, it’s interesting to hear him talk about it. He’s said that he’s bringing a confidence to Michael that he lacked himself as a kid, and that he wished every kid would have, that’s what you’re getting with Michael. He keeps it real, he’s self-assured.”
Fans of the show can expect to see Penny with a boyfriend named Kareem, played by Asante Blackk (“This Is Us”) and according to Farquhar, he plays the perfect boyfriend all the women want and embodies an impossible standard to live up to for the guys.
“We pride ourselves on having something for everyone,” Farquhar said. “We have references going fast and furious from both ends. We have a Solange reference. The over 35 crowd is going to be like ‘what was that about?’ When Penny goes: ‘Who is Prince?’ That’s real too. So, it goes both ways. KG is voiced by A Boogie wit da Hoodie (artist Julius Dubose). I defy one parent who knows who the heck that is? I don’t know either, but I got a lot of young writers and artists and directors who do know.”
It’s taken over 15 years, but the Proud family is back and that’s due to Farquhar and co-executive producer Bruce Smith’s persistence with pitching the revival to executives in Hollywood.
“Bruce and I always thought, we should still be on the air,” Farquhar said. “It was a couple of things that made us persist. When we first did the show, social media wasn’t what it is today. I’ve done a lot of live action shows that are very popular hit shows but this one is where I get a lot of comments from people. To be quite honest, it was a lot adults, I’m talking about grown people with no kids, saying ‘I love that show.’ In the ensuing years, Bruce and I often talked about we expected some other show to be made to occupy the space the Proud family did and it didn’t happen. That told us there’s still room for the show, a need for the show ... and no one’s providing that. That’s why we kept coming back.”
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