Michael & Maddie

The Magic of "Michael & Maddie"

By Robert Gillian, Variety

November 1, 2018

No one thought it would be a hit.

When ABS announced earlier this year that comedian Morris Nelson and model-turned-actress Robyn McNamee would star in a new sitcom called "Michael & Maddie," it was considered a surefire dud. Nelson and McNamee didn't have similar fanbases, insisted the doubters, and they'd surely have no chemistry together. The show was predicted to become one of the fall season's biggest failures.

When the premiere episode of the show dominated the ratings on September 12, the doubters fell silent. The show has finished #1 in its Wednesday-night timeslot for several weeks now, becoming the fall season's biggest smash. It seems ABS executives knew what they were doing after all.

The brainchild of creator and showrunner Aaron Scott-Keith, "Michael & Maddie" stars McNamee as Madison "Maddie" Taylor, a supermodel from Perth, Western Australia left penniless after her crooked agent stole $30 million from her. Her best friend, the sexy black model Olivia Hughes (played by model Dianne French), convinces her brother, the music producer Michael Hughes (Nelson), to let Maddie stay at his Los Angeles house until she can get back on her feet.

In the early episodes, Michael and Maddie are the ultimate odd couple: Michael's party-boy ways and conspicuous consumption ("Lear jets and limousines, baby!" is his motto) clash with Maddie's low-key, eco-conscious lifestyle. Yet a mutual attraction develops between the two-an attraction that their friends assume has already become physical. (A running gag involves Michael and Maddie's pals constantly checking the bedrooms and couches for evidence of recent intercourse.)

Nelson and McNamee have a natural chemistry onscreen-so natural that one can't help wondering if the chemistry also exists offscreen, as has been rumored. Even in their most contentious scenes together, it seems as though Nelson, who bears a strong resemblance to Michael B. Jordan, just can't wait to put his muscular arms around McNamee-and that the auburn-haired, blue-eyed beauty, who resembles a young Elle Macpherson, can't wait to kiss him.

The print advertising for "Michael & Maddie" refers to the lead characters as "just good mates"; the pun is not just a reference to Aussie slang but to the characters' seemingly inevitable bedroom romp. (What else is Scott-Keith leading to with the constant jokes about how Michael and Maddie have destroyed their respective ability to get dates because of their living arrangement, as well as the bits about Michael always looking a little too long at Maddie's swimsuit photos, or running into her when she's just coming out of the shower?) Scott-Keith can't possibly string things out too long before Michael and Maddie end up rolling around on one of those beds or couches.

It cannot be overstated how much the camera adores both leads. McNamee's height, pale complexion and smile are endearing to the eye, as is Nelson's powerful physical presence, his smooth dark skin reminiscent of the late actor Calvin Lockhart. They make a natural couple-and they've made the show a natural hit.

-

Did Nelson and McNamee Make It Official?

By Anne Walsh, Hollywood Reporter

September 19, 2019

The rumors of a real-life relationship between the stars of the hit ABS sitcom "Michael & Maddie" grew stronger after the curious remarks made by Robyn McNamee and Morris Nelson in their Emmy acceptance speeches last night.

Accepting the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the Australian model gushed over co-star, declaring: "You are the funniest, sexiest man I have ever worked with...you're the most tender and compassionate and *passionate* person I know. You're the biggest blessing in my life, and I do mean the biggest!" McNamee winked at the camera as the audience gasped and laughed nervously.

Less than an hour later, Nelson won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and observed: "Robyn, there are so many things I want to say about you, but they can't be said on a family show...suffice it to say, I'll tell it to you in private. I might yell it to you in private. They told me you might be hard to work with, and I have to admit, it *is* very hard working with you!" Nelson quickly glanced at his waist before continuing, generating "oohs" from the audience. "And I certainly hope I've been the biggest blessing in your life...or at least in the top five."

Speculation about an offscreen romance between the co-stars has intensified since the airing of the show's season finale last spring; that episode featured Maddie Taylor and Michael Hughes finally consummating their relationship-and Maddie later calling Michael to inform him about the results of a post-coital pregnancy test. Numerous reports suggested that the filming of the love scene "got out of control," with McNamee and Nelson apparently having unsimulated intercourse on-camera; the love scene appeared to have been extensively edited upon broadcast.

The second-season premiere of "Michael & Maddie" airs October 2.