Malcolm-Jamal Warner On "Reed" Without Tracee Ellis-Ross

With Tracee Ellis-Ross now gone from Reed Between The Lines, fans of the BET family comedy are wondering just how the show will go on without her. Speaking with EBONY.com, Tracee’s now former co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, explains the new format of the show. He also answers whether or not we’ll see Tracee back in the upcoming second season.

EBONY.com: Last year, you, Tracee and I talked about the significance of seeing a professional African-American couple on-screen in love, and now you have to switch gears. Will this show still work?

MJW: I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised. Like I said, I was one of the biggest doubters. I was like, how are we going to make that work? But Felicia has such a great sense of story and character. Last year, our biggest asset was the chemistry between Tracee and I. I think this year our biggest asset is Felicia’s sense of character and storytelling.

EBONY.com We’ve read that she’s welcome back. Might we see Tracee in season two at all?

MJW: Well, our season two is eight episodes and we’re six episodes in, so…probably not.

EBONY.com: Got it. So where is this series going to pick up?

MJW: Last season was about this couple who love each other and their family. This year is about a cat who thought he had the perfect marriage and the perfect family and all of a sudden finds himself a single dad trying to pick up the pieces and figure out, wow, what happened? And the thing that’s really a trip is telling people about what the show is this year, just how many stories I’ve heard from men who are in that situation. I’ve met men who have been married 19, 20 years, and all of a sudden the wife decides one day she needs to find herself.