On a Wednesday night normally dominated by "Big Brother" and "America's Got Talent," 4.8 million viewers tuned in at 9:00 pm to watch "The Carmichael Show," a solid comedy starring Jerrod Carmichael, David Alan Grier, Loretta Devine, Lil Rel Howery, and Amber Stevens West. The show opened with the highest total-viewer tally of the last 12 comedies to premiere during summer since 2007. But strong viewership isn't the only reason why you should watch. Here are six more:

1. Jerrod Carmichael
Carmichael, a stand-up comic originally from North Carolina, both stars and executive produces this series, inspired by his life and stand-up routine. I had a smile on my face and was laughing the whole time the show was on, and I'm a tough critic of comedies.

2. Loretta Devine
Devine brings a new funny side to her character I never knew existed. She flips out because her son says he was thinking of registering Republican and she tells him, "We didn't raise you that way!" After he confesses to moving in with his girlfriend, Devine tells him he's living in sin. She also take away her husband's plate of ribs after he admits to voting for Bush in 2007. Too funny!

3. David Alan Grier
We all know Grier from way back in the "In Living Color," days, and he had me on the floor laughing here.After having triple bypass heart surgery, Grier's character walks into the room with a plate full of ribs, stating that the ribs help him forget how hard life is and he'll fight whoever tries to take them away. His son's girlfriend brings a bottle of white wine as a gift and asks the family, "Do you like white?" Greir shoots back with "Not as much as yo daddy!" OMG, I don't think you can get any funnier with this keepin' it real comedy line-up.

4. Lil Rel Howery
Howery stars as Carmichael's hustling brother. Howery has been on the comedy circuit many years, with appearances on "Chelsea Lately," "Shaq's All Star Comedy Jam, "Last Comic Standing," and "Russell Simmons Presents Stand-Up At the El-Rey," just to name a few. And his comedy special is also very funny. In "The Carmichael Show," he still lives with his ex wife and tells a story about how he came home one day and found her boyfriend naked on the couch watching TV. He was also trying to demonstrate how to cut a penny in half with a knife. His deliveries had me laughing in every scene.

5. Amber Stevens West
West ("22 Jump Street," "The Amazing Spiderman") plays Carmichael's girlfriend in the show. She had me laughing in a scene that involves a hilarious dance that she does to a Biggie Smalls song. She then proceeds to ask if the song was new. The next funny thing she does is goes out to a "black lives matter" protest with wedged shoes on, and then later comes home happy and excited that she got arrested.

6. It Is Funny, Funny, Funny, Baby
"The Carmichael Show" is a blast to watch; it had me smiling and laughing the whole hour. The whole cast is funny in pretty much every single scene. While writing this review, I rewatched both episodes and it still had me laughing.

Wendell Escott is a student at El Camino Community College and a contributor to Moviefone's Campus Beat. Are you a current college student with a love for all things movies and TV? Contribute to Campus Beat!