TBS's new show "The Good Life" featuring Cee Lo Green and his group the Goodie Mob on the surface looks like your standard reality show. Cameras document the shenanigans of a group of close Atlanta buddies who grew up together and had success as a musical act for a time.
But the reality of this "reality" show, which debuts Monday, June 23, is murky because some of it is staged and some of it isn't. The producers and the participants freely admit that they created situations for the four life-long friends to amp up the entertainment value.
At a panel discussion about the show in February for SCAD's aTVFest, executive producer Andrew Jameson described it as a "heightened version of what's going on in their lives."
In the first episode, set in Los Angeles, T Mo, Big Gipp, Khu Jo and Cee Lo are hanging in the studio when Big Gipp arranges for Cee Lo to throw out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game. Cee Lo also comes up with the idea of creating a limo service featuring hot women as drivers. T Mo and Big Gipp are shown trying to corral the new employees and get them to do their jobs. At one point, Cee Lo has to fire one of the ladies for incompetence.
T Mo, in an interview, insists that business was really Cee Lo's idea but it simply didn't get very far. And Cee Lo really did throw out that first pitch. The incompetent girl who was fired? Worst... actress... ever.
The second episode is set in Atlanta and features Cee Lo's battling his manager over his diet. Though Cee Lo himself is not exactly svelte, T Mo said that was more or less scripted. He also said any jealousy displayed in that episode over how fans tend to focus on Cee Lo and ignore the others? Not true. During the show, Goodie Mob visits actual businesses such as The Beautiful restaurant, the New Beginnings hair studio, WRFG-FM radio studios, Uptown Comedy Corner and Criminal Records.
In the third episode T Mo has trouble coming up with decent clothing for an upcoming event. T Mo admitted that was tomfoolery. "I know how to dress myself," he said.
Cee Lo, who has been working a lot in Vegas and Los Angeles, is moving back to Atlanta, T Mo said.
TV preview
"Cee Lo's The Good Life," 10:30 p.m., Monday (starting June 23), TBS for six episodes
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