5/15: Keyshia Cole spinoff show set for BET
BET has announced a spinoff to its Atlanta-based reality program "The Keyshia Cole Show: The Way It Is," which ended its successful run last year after three seasons. It's called "Frankie & Neffe" and will debut August 18.
Frankie, Keyshia's troubled mom, and Neffe, her alcoholic sister, became stars on her own show, often overshadowing the R&B star with their arguments, tears and basic camera-friendly antics. Honestly, Keyshia herself wasn't that exciting from a reality show standpoint.
Thanks to Frankie and Neffe, the show became one of BET’s most successful original series ever. The most recent episode, the finale of the third season, in December, 2008 drew 2.1 million viewers. (While sizable, that was down from a peak of 2.9 million for season two finale in December, 2007.)
Would you watch a spinoff of "The Keyshia Cole Show" with Frankie and Neffe?
- Sure! They made the original show pure entertainment gold!
- No thanks. Those two are drama queens and hard to take.
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Producer James DuBose said "everyone has a Frankie and Neffe in their family," so they are very relatable. The show just wrapped taping this past Wednesday here in metro Atlanta and is set for eight half-hour episodes. "This will show their growth and independence in their personal lives," he said. The pair now live in Norcross.
The show itself has helped Frankie and Neffe because it has given them enough fame that they can now generate income via appearances. (And the show itself pays them an undisclosed amount of money, too.) They also received a major financial leg up from Keyshia, who will not be on the new show as she busies herself with her own musical career.
Will either Frankie or Neffe carve out their own careers down the road outside of being on a reality show? Not clear.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
