Sam Adegoke Dishes on Dynasty Reboot, Playboy Jeff Colby & Casting Choices

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Bold, inclusive, and entertaining.

Those are the three words Sam Adegoke used to describe The CW's new fall drama Dynasty. 

“If we’re gonna go there, we’re going to go all the way there," he says of the modern re-telling of the '80s nighttime soap.

Jeff Colby 2017 - Dynasty

As most reboots, the series pays homage to the original, but is also making it unique; after all, we're living in completely different times. 

Aside from a new setting in Atlanta, the series is also updating some of the original characters fans have come to love.

Heather Locklear's Sammy Jo is now a gay man played by Rafael de la Fuente, while Krystle is a Latina woman with ties to Venezuela. 

Most noticeably, Jeff Colby is now an African American billionaire tech and music mogul portrayed by Adegoke.

When the casting was first announced, it left many fans of the original up in arms. 

However; the former Switched at Birth actor admits he totally understands the frustration from the series' "most challenging audience."

"As an artist, you want people to give you an opportunity, but then I thought about it like when I grew up with Fresh Prince and I was like don't ever make another Fresh Prince, just don't touch it," he said jokingly. 

"And it helped me understand and empathize," he followed up, revealing that the series is being careful because the cast and creators "understand the weight and severity of the task."

Dynasty Episode 1 Season 1 Episode 1

"We understand that this show shaped an entire generation. We are going to make it our own but we are definitely going to the honor [the original]," he said.

Adegoke is "abundantly grateful to The CW for the role" and wants viewers to give the new Colby a chance. 

"I think this Jeff Colby is a character we haven’t really seen on TV yet in terms of, he’s like a Mark Zuckerberg: he’s self-made, came from very little means and now has been catapulted into this world of the elite young tech gurus," he revealed. 

Adegoke, whose parents migrated to the states from Nigeria, also came from humble beginning and believes those experiences helped shape Colby's character. 

"There’s a lot of things I could pull from my own experiences. [Colby's] just a young man who really wants to be successful despite not having the same opportunities as others."

When Adegoke first read the script, he did a little "history homework" to get a sense of who Jeff Colby was. 

That history homework included watching the originals series and imaging what Jeff would have been like as a child; what his experiences would have been, what neighborhood he grew up in, and what his desires were as a young man. 

Since not much was established about Jeff from the get-go, Adegoke was allowed to fill in the blanks. 

"It's fun for me cause I get to create choices and make decisions about what that background and what that character could be so that we could bring the most fully leveled and layered individual to the screen," he said. 

Jeff Colby on Dynasty  Season 1 Episode 1

That's not to say that there aren't some similarities between Adegoke's and John James' Colby.

“I feel like they're both young, kind of fun, charismatic guys, that we want to win. But it's Dynasty: everyone has their own agenda, which I think is the funnest part of the show," he states.

Similar to the original, there's a huge emphasis on sex, money, and power.

Colby has quite the affinity for Fallon, Blake's career-oriented daughter.

Adegoke believes "it is definitely going to impact both their personal relationship and their business relationship in a very heavy way."

While he cannot disclose if they'll jump into bed together as quickly as they did into business during the premiere, he believes they are both "strong intelligent people."

"They’re both go-getters, and in a way, they kind of see and progress with each other," he said reminding the audience that it is still a CW drama so things become "convoluted and twisted and you never know if everyone has the best intentions."

Jeff and Fallon  - Dynasty Season 1 Episode 1

In an era where reboots reign supreme, Adegoke has somehow managed to avoid them. 

Still, he does give love to Netflix's "Fuller House" and hopes that Dynasty will follow in their footstep while "scoring some wins with the audience."

"These are all very real human people," he said of the cast. "I hope it speaks to that audience, who within their own right are going to be critical, and they should be! I would be too if anyone ever brought back a Fresh Prince so don’t do it!"

The Dynasty Season 1 Episode 1 premiere left fans with a major cliffhanger and obviously, we're all dying to know who Matthew's killer is.

Matthew's wife blamed Cristal and in my review, I pointed fingers at Blake since I feel he's the only one with actual motive. 

Understandably, Adegoke couldn't disclose many spoilers, though he was able to reveal that we can expect some turns in the murder plot.

"We might get closer to finding out who’s actually responsible for it," he hinted.

Adegoke encourages fans of the iconic original and new viewers -- who may be too young to even remember it -- to give the series an honest chance.

“I feel like we’re making really great television," he said. The cast "have something special that is going to come across on screen."

After such an enticing first episode, we couldn't agree more. 

If you missed the premiere, you can watch Dynasty online right here via TV Fanatic. Don't let it pass you by!

Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..

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Dynasty Quotes

Everyday, I take one mans dirt and turn it into diamonds. And digging up insider info is even easier when they assume I work for the airline, instead of owning the plane.

Fallon

Like it or not, we live in an age of dynasties. Who else can you trust to run the family business?

Fallon