ABC seems intent on disallowing us all to forget what happened on Broadway nearly four years ago–you know, when Diddy was cast as Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. We understand it had to be done back then. Diddy’s top billing packed the Royale Theatre for every performance and is credited for breaking house sales records throughout the show’s run. We can’t be mad at that; Hansberry’s masterful pageant of working-class Americana really needs to be seen by as broad an audience as possible.

So, in a way, it’s a good thing that next month, the network will debut a brand new made-for-TV film reuniting the 2004 cast, which includes Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, Sanaa Lathan, and Bill Nunn.

We are, however, sorry to report that it doesn’t look very good. Not very good at all. And most of the sour taste in our mouths is the result of Diddy’s involvement. More…