Malcolm-Jamal Warner Was Best Known For The Cosby Show, But I Want To Talk About Some Of His Other Great Performances

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was an actor I always greatly admired, which is why I was not only shocked but also deeply upset by his sudden passing at 54 from a drowning incident. Like most people, I discovered him through his Emmy-nominated performance on The Cosby Show as Theo Huxtable, which undoubtedly remains his best-known role, but it is not all I know him from.

Beyond catching reruns of the classic TV sitcom on Nick at Nite, Warner became a performer I always kept an eye out for and was delighted to see pop up in all kinds of titles that demonstrated his pristine versatility. I wanted to take a moment to look back on some of the relatively underrated Malcolm-Jamal Warner performances that made me think, Man, Theo has skills, and will have me missing him for years to come.

He Proved Himself As A Great Sitcom Lead In Malcolm & Eddie

Just a few years after The Cosby Show ended, Warner was given the chance to headline his own TV comedy, alongside comedian Eddie Griffin, with Malcolm & Eddie. I would describe the show, airing from 1996 to 2000, as the love child of The Odd Couple and Kenan & Kel (if that latter Nickelodeon show was for grown-ups), following the misadventures of the eponymous mismatched roommates and business partners.

This was another sitcom of Warner’s that I caught in reruns, partially because I did not have UPN while it still existed, and I really admired his chemistry with Griffin as the witty straight man to his goofier foil. I was surprised to hear recently, from an interview with DCP Entertainment, that the duo did not get along behind the scenes. However, things luckily cooled down between them, as one could see from Griffin’s heartfelt tribute to Warner that he shared with Variety.

He Proved His Dramatic Chops On The Dystopian Thriller Jeremiah

A couple of years after Malcolm & Eddie was cancelled, Warner was given the chance to prove that his talents were suited for more than just laughs on a series called Jeremiah. The short-lived dystopian sci-fi drama, which ran for two seasons on Showtime, starred Luke Perry, another actor taken too soon, as the title hero, who embarks on a quest to find a fabled sanctuary in a world nearly eradicated by a deadly virus that only pre-pubescent people were immune to.

This is another show that I caught in reruns (once again because I did not have the channel) and initially turned on because of Warner, as it was a role unlike anything I had ever seen from him before. As far as I am concerned, he absolutely nailed his performance as Kurdy, a wise and noble warrior who acts as Jeremiah’s trusted companion on his journey, which makes me want to revisit the series with my Amazon Prime subscription very soon.

He Made The Short-Lived Sitcom Listen Up Worth Sticking Around For

Warner’s follow-up to Jeremiah saw him heading back to sitcom territory, this time as a sidekick to none other than former Seinfeld cast member Jason Alexander. Listen Up was the George Costanza actor’s second attempt to lead his own comedy after the hit NBC series ended, and starred him as sports commentator and family man, Tony Kleinman.

Now, this one I actually watched in its prime and was, perhaps, one of the few people who did during its single-season run on CBS. Yet, despite my lifelong affinity for Seinfeld, especially George Costanza’s greatest hits, it was Warner who kept me coming back. He is a perfect fit for the scene-stealing role of Tony’s co-host and best friend, Bernie Widmer, who often steals the spotlight from the character on the show in funny ways.

He Left A Memorable Mark On Community

For all the guest stars on Community that some may have forgotten about, I would certainly not include Malcolm-Jamal Warner on that list. In fact, I think the actor has one of the most memorable appearances on the irreverent NBC comedy.

He appeared in four episodes as Shirley Bennett’s (Yvette Nicole Brown) ex-husband, Andre, and for what his stint lacks in length, Warner makes up for with his unquestionably radiant charm. The scene when he proposes to Shirley a second time, accompanied by a dancing quartet performing a Boyz II Men song, is one of the show’s most heartwarming moments, even if their second marriage does not pan out in the end.

He Gave An Arresting Performance On Accused

A key reason I became interested in watching Fox’s adaptation of a U.K. series depicting multiple stories of ordinary citizens in troubling legal situations was knowing that Warner was in the Accused cast. In fact, I would call his episode, “Kendall’s Story,” one of the best episodes of the anthology TV show.

Warner’s heartbreaking lead performance carries this story of a husband and father coerced by his friends and coworkers into taking matters into his own hands when his young daughter is sexually assaulted. It is a harrowing portrait of a man driven to unimaginable lengths by an unspeakable crime that might be his strongest dramatic role.

He Owned One Of The Best Key & Peele Cameos

Key & Peele is a great sketch comedy series lauded as much for Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s hilarious bits as for its sensational guest star appearances. I believe that Warner most definitely earns a spot on that list.

He shows up in a funny sketch taking place at a gathering for the Tallahassee Black Republicans, who, as the sketch comes to reveal, are not a particularly diverse group in terms of their personalities and even their wardrobe choices. Warner’s Arthur Washington is introduced as an expert in explaining the diversity among Black conservatives, but ends up having nothing new to offer to the conversation, essentially repeating what Key and Peele’s characters already said. However, the actor can’t seem to help but slip in some distinctive quirks to his performance that really help it stand out as one of Key & Peele’s most memorable and funniest cameos.

These are some of the performances outside of The Cosby Show that made me a fan of Malcolm-Jamal Warner. I only wish we had more to look forward to from the actor.