Famous musician adored by an ambitious and attractive wife? Check. Interracial couple? Check. Original comedic story lines? Check. Meet the aspirational Lucy and Ricky: Coco and Ice-T.
“There’s definitely a lot of hubby in the background, rolling his eyes and laughing at me,” said Coco of the couple’s new show, “Ice Loves Coco.” “We’re hoping to break the ridiculous trend of reality drama with some comic relief.”
Ice-T, who, as Det. Fin Tutuola on the hit show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” has been dodging bullets and hunting down psychopaths since 2000, is now arguing with his wife about whether to support their English bulldog, Spartacus, as he sets out on his own acting career.
“Ice may think I’m nuts, but ‘Spartacus’ has almost 6,000 Twitter followers,” says Coco, 32, laughing. “The dog is going to be a star one day.”
The rap legend is also perplexed when Coco leans on him for advice about assisting her sister, Kristy, deliver her fifth child.
“People already knew we were crazy,” says the Newark-born Ice-T, 53. “I showed the first episode to some of my homeboys from Brooklyn and they were hysterical. This isn’t what people are expecting from us.”
E! approached the eccentric couple four years ago about doing a show, but Ice-T and Coco passed after they couldn’t agree on content. Plus, the couple has been happily married for more than 10 years and couldn’t drum up any fake, reality-TV drama.
“We don’t throw drinks and threaten to kill each other,” says Ice-T. “That’s what they wanted us to do back then. So we said ‘no.’ ”
Now, basically given carte blanche by E!, the couple is allowing viewers into their lives. The nights are fairly tame. After a hard day’s work, they cook dinner, play Xbox and watch old, low-budget horror movies.
Coco’s hoping the series will give people a chance to see her as something other than a bodacious body. She’s most proud of her new clothing line, Licious, which offers dresses, jeans and swimwear for women from size 2 to size 14.
“This show has become my therapist,” said Coco, born Nicole Austin in Southern California.
“I have spent years being ripped a part in tabloids,” she says. “A lot of people have such awful opinions of me who don’t even know me. Do you know how many times I’ve been asked if I had butt implants?”
Ice-T, who has published a book about his unusual life journey, “Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption — from South Central to Hollywood,” isn’t concerned as much about altering his image as he is in making reality-TV that doesn’t revolve around family brawls or personal misery.
“You would think there isn’t one happy woman in the world when you watch TV now,” says Ice-T.
Money played no role in the couple agreeing to do the show, he says. His 11-year run on “SVU” pays the bills, he insists.
“People are getting fed up with watching train wrecks, all these unknown people acting crazy just to get a fan base,” he says. “We did this show to put some fun back into TV — and show that some famous couples always treat each other with love and respect.”
“There’s definitely a lot of hubby in the background, rolling his eyes and laughing at me,” said Coco of the couple’s new show, “Ice Loves Coco.” “We’re hoping to break the ridiculous trend of reality drama with some comic relief.”
Ice-T, who, as Det. Fin Tutuola on the hit show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” has been dodging bullets and hunting down psychopaths since 2000, is now arguing with his wife about whether to support their English bulldog, Spartacus, as he sets out on his own acting career.
“Ice may think I’m nuts, but ‘Spartacus’ has almost 6,000 Twitter followers,” says Coco, 32, laughing. “The dog is going to be a star one day.”
The rap legend is also perplexed when Coco leans on him for advice about assisting her sister, Kristy, deliver her fifth child.
“People already knew we were crazy,” says the Newark-born Ice-T, 53. “I showed the first episode to some of my homeboys from Brooklyn and they were hysterical. This isn’t what people are expecting from us.”
E! approached the eccentric couple four years ago about doing a show, but Ice-T and Coco passed after they couldn’t agree on content. Plus, the couple has been happily married for more than 10 years and couldn’t drum up any fake, reality-TV drama.
Now, basically given carte blanche by E!, the couple is allowing viewers into their lives. The nights are fairly tame. After a hard day’s work, they cook dinner, play Xbox and watch old, low-budget horror movies.
Coco’s hoping the series will give people a chance to see her as something other than a bodacious body. She’s most proud of her new clothing line, Licious, which offers dresses, jeans and swimwear for women from size 2 to size 14.
“This show has become my therapist,” said Coco, born Nicole Austin in Southern California.
“I have spent years being ripped a part in tabloids,” she says. “A lot of people have such awful opinions of me who don’t even know me. Do you know how many times I’ve been asked if I had butt implants?”
Ice-T, who has published a book about his unusual life journey, “Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption — from South Central to Hollywood,” isn’t concerned as much about altering his image as he is in making reality-TV that doesn’t revolve around family brawls or personal misery.
“You would think there isn’t one happy woman in the world when you watch TV now,” says Ice-T.
Money played no role in the couple agreeing to do the show, he says. His 11-year run on “SVU” pays the bills, he insists.
“People are getting fed up with watching train wrecks, all these unknown people acting crazy just to get a fan base,” he says. “We did this show to put some fun back into TV — and show that some famous couples always treat each other with love and respect.”