CBS' new buddy cop show Battle Creek has some notable male stars in Josh Duhamel, Dean Winters, and Kal Penn. But there's one man on the scene you may have recognized, but couldn't name — and that's Edward "Grapevine" Fordham Jr. as Detective Aaron Funkhauser. (Yes, his real-life nickname is almost as awesome as his character name on Battle Creek.) He will be a regular on the new show since his character works in the police department with Winters' Russ Agnew and Duhamel's Milt Chamberlain (seriously, what is up with the names on this show?). Grapevine has been making his rounds on television since the early 2000s with bit parts and one show where he was a series regular. Although he isn't the focal point of the new police comedy, he's still getting some legitimate screen time.
Grapevine is from Harlem, N.Y. and he has a Twitter account where he posted one solitary live tweet during the premiere of Battle Creek on March 1. (Perhaps he'll decide to make live tweeting a more common event as the show picks up steam.) Considering Battle Creek is on CBS and was created by Breaking Bad 's Vince Gilligan and House 's David Shore (ahhh, that explains Penn's appearance), the show could be Grapevine's big break.
So what else have you seen Grapevine in? It turns out he specializes in comedy.
One on One & Cuts
One on One premiered in 2001 and was on UPN for five seasons. Grapevine portrayed Ace Fields on a few episodes and reprised his character in the spinoff of One on One — Cuts. Ace (and thus Grapevine) were series regulars on the sister show, but Cuts only lasted for two seasons.
Punk'd
Like many other comedians before they were famous, Grapevine was an anonymous field agent on the Ashton Kutcher-led Punk'd. Although he may not have gained notoriety in doing this, he still got to punk MTV-friendly celebrities, which is totally worth it.
My Name Is Earl
Grapevine was featured in the Season 3 premiere ("My Name is Inmate #28301-016, Part 1") of the NBC show My Name Is Earl. Although it was a tiny part, it still was a chance for him to be in a primetime sitcom.
Key & Peele
Grapevine has been in the Comedy Central show Key & Peele a few times in bit parts. In the above video, he shows up around 3:20 while comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele are hugging it out. He also joined another comedy duo — Garfunkel and Oates — on their (now canceled) IFC show.
Here's hoping that Battle Creek won't face the same fate as some of the other shows that Grapevine has been on. But something tells me that won't be the case.
Images: Robert Voets/CBS; selenaquintanilllas, stenrose, comedycentral/Tumblr
