Since the show’s premiere a week ago, Coffey Anderson has heard from viewers all over the world telling him this is the perfect time for a show like “Country Ever After.”
“With COVID, the election, protests, and the financial situations people are dealing with,” he says, “it’s been the perfect storm for something like this, that’s family-friendly and uplifting.”
The show follows Anderson, an independent country singer, and his wife, Criscilla, a talented hip-hop dancer, as they pursue careers, raise three children, and balance two very different backgrounds while living together in Los Angeles.
“I think what makes our family special,” Criscilla explains in Episode One, “is that we’re completely different people. He’s a black country singer, I’m a white hip hop dancer. He’s from a small town of 1100 people, and I’m from Las Vegas.”
Through faith and lots of love, they make it work.
The show kicks off with Coffey and Criscilla marking 10 years of marriage. Their three children are Ethan (7), Emmarie (5), and Everleigh Rose (2).
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The docuseries, created and by Alex Baskin with Roma Downey an Executive Producer, shares the Andersons’ journey as they make career decisions, navigate daily challenges, and tackle Criscilla’s battle with Stage 3 colon cancer. Coffey says his wife was determined to share her struggle up close in the hope of helping others.
“Cancer has affected everyone directly or indirectly in our country, period. And a lot of people haven’t told the story from this perspective (especially in a reality show).”
Since shooting for the first season ended, Criscilla has learned her cancer has moved from Stage 3 to Stage 4. Anderson says she continues to fight with the same grace and courage.
“She’s still fighting and there’s progress. She’s doing an immunotherapy right now, that’s a trial. So, we’re trying to figure out the best combination for her with medicine and the type of treatment. We believe if one person can beat it, she can beat it. Our kids are understanding a little bit more of what Mom needs and how we can help, so it’s all hands-on-deck.”
As “Country Ever After” shares the family’s life now, it also looks back at how they came together.
Coffey is a country singer from Bangs, Texas who initially moved to Nashville to pursue his music, but after 11 months there, decided the independent route was the way to go. So, he headed to Los Angeles. He says in Nashville, he found himself lost in a crowd and wanted to chart his own course.
“Nashville is so saturated. They’re so used to gifted people there that I felt like I wanted to go where I was celebrated and not tolerated,” he explains. “I also looked at the business model there. Nashville is radio driven with booking agents only giving attention to the artists that have a single out. You have to wait a year and a half before you even get a shot at radio, so you’ve recorded 10 songs and given them 18 months and you’re going to put one single out and hopefully radio picks it up. I couldn’t do it. Not when the new radio was in my back pocket. Not when the new MTV was on YouTube.”
Coffey shares his entrepreneurial business approach to his music throughout “Country Ever After.” While he relies on various revenue streams (including live shows pre-COVID) much of his success comes through streaming his music.
“There’s so much opportunity for artists outside the Nashville business model to really make a significant income. My song, “Mr. Red White & Blue” went viral on TikTok in July. Two billion views, two billion flips of that song. Right now, there’s 99,000 videos that use that song a day.”
Although some of his other songs have also done well, the patriotic “Mr. Red White & Blue” is his most successful to date.
While Criscilla has had to currently pull back from dancing due to her health, she’s been extremely successful dancing for a long list of artists like Ludacris, Eminem, Britney Spears, and many others. In one of the episodes of “Country Ever After,” she uses her dancing and choreographing skills to create a music video for another of Coffey’s songs, one called “She’s Famous.”
One of the most interesting aspects of the Anderson’s family dynamic involves everyone’s relationship with Coffey’s dad. Stanley, better known as “Paw Paw,” raised Coffey as a single dad after Coffey’s mom died (of cancer). Now 80 years old, “Paw Paw” hails from the country, and as Coffey puts it – has no ‘filter’ which make some of the things he says both surprising, as well as entertaining. And although “Paw Paw” has clearly become one of the breakout stars of the show, he hasn’t had a chance to see himself on screen yet.
“We’re so country, he hasn’t seen one episode,” Coffey says. “He’s been at the farm and doesn’t have Netflix
Coffey says the positive response to the show has been exciting and he’s been especially pleased to hear people say they like that it’s the kind of show everyone can watch together.
“People have said they haven’t been able to watch a show as a family without covering the kids’ ears or making them close their eyes for several years. This is a show where you can laugh, you can cry, and you can do it as a family. That’s rare, that’s special, that IS “Country Ever After.”
“Country Ever After” is available on Netflix.
