Method Man says he's unhappy with Fox for squeezing the "ghetto" out of his new sitcom.
"This is frustrating for me, and it's not turning out for me as expected," said the rapper-actor, who is co-star and executive producer of the network's comedy series "Method & Red."
"I'm trying to keep this show ghetto, and there's a way for it to be both ghetto and intelligent," he said. "But it's not going that way."
In the show, Method Man and fellow rapper Redman play two hugely successful hip-hop stars who move into an affluent, predominantly white gated community in the suburbs.
The comedy drew more than 8 million viewers in its debut Wednesday, but that didn't minimize Method Man's dissatisfaction. He told the Los Angeles Times the series has veered from his original vision because some executives or writers tried too hard to appeal to "Middle America" with "lame jokes."
"I know what I wanted this show to be, but there's been too much compromise on our side and not enough on their side," he said. He didn't know the series would have a laugh track, he said, adding, "This show doesn't need it."
Fox executives declined comment to the Times.
While the two stars share top billing, Method Man said they don't have enough control over content. He fears the show could potentially alienate their core hip-hop fans.
"I'm not Hollywood," he said. "In hip-hop, we didn't have to buck our teeth or do anything wrong to get an audience. We weren't trying to please the crowd. The audience came to us, buying our records. If we're allowed to do what we do, the audience will come."
