ABC picks up ‘Uncle Buck’ and ABC is still calling it ‘Uncle Buck’

And we're back to pre-upfronts craziness!

ABC announced on Friday (May 8) morning that it has given a series order to the comedy “Uncle Buck.”

And they're still calling it “Uncle Buck.”

Written by Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley, the Universal Television and ABC Studios production is an African-American-centric spin on the John Hughes movie that was previously adapted for TV in 1990 starring Kevin Meaney.

“Uncle Buck” stars Mike Epps, Nia Long, James Lesure, Iman Benson, Sayeed Shahidi and Aalyrah Caldwell.

Back in March, I wrote about why it was probably a bad idea for an African-American take on “Uncle Buck” to be called “Uncle Buck.” It's still true.

The ABC description of the core premise does nothing to assuage my concerns: “Based on the hit movie of the same name, Uncle Buck (Mike Epps) is a fun loving but irresponsible guy who needs a job and a place to stay.”

But ABC has a history of problems with comedy naming. We know this.

The “Uncle Buck” pickup is ABC's fourth sitcom order of the week. Yesterday the network announced that “The Muppets,” “Dr. Ken” and “The Real O'Neals” were all going to series.

Stay tuned for more upfronts mania!