Essence Atkins, Amir O'Neil, Marlon Wayans and Notlim Taylor in "Marlon"

When you think of Marlon Wayans, chances are you associate him with such R-rated, big-screen comedy fare as "Scary Movie" (2000), "A Haunted House" (2013) (and their respective sequels), and last year's parodic "Fifty Shades of Black." One of the many famous members of the vast Wayans brood, the actor/writer/producer is dialing back the potty humor and turning up the family fun as he returns to the small screen with "Marlon," a half-hour comedy series based loosely on his own life. The series bows Wednesday, Aug. 16, on NBC.

It's tough keeping all those Wayans men straight -- try not to confuse Marlon with his brother and frequent collaborator Shawn Wayans ("White Chicks," 2004). Don't mix him up with his other brother, Damon Wayans ("My Wife and Kids"), either -- who, in turn, should be recognized as a separate entity from his son, Damon Wayans Jr. ("Let's Be Cops," 2014). The Wayanses are one of the entertainment industry's biggest families.

There are 10 of them in Marlon's generation alone -- most of whom act and/or write for TV and film -- and the fame trickles down into their progeny, of whom there are more than I care to count. They don't seem to age, they frequently collaborate, and a lot of them have the same names (Shawn named his son Marlon, Marlon named his son Shawn, Elvira begat another Elvira, and it just gets more confusing from there).

It's no surprise at all that Marlon, the youngest of the 10, developed a desire to perform from an early age, standing out from the pack with his over-the-top sense of humor. In "Marlon," he plays Marlon Wayne, a loosely fictionalized version of himself, co-parenting his two kids (Notlim Taylor, "Real Husbands of Hollywood," and Amir O'Neil, "Mann and Wife"), with his ex-wife Ashley (Essence Atkins, "Are We There Yet?").

Rounding out the cast are Bresha Webb ("Ride Along 2," 2016) and Diallo Riddle ("Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"). Webb plays Yvette, Ashley's best friend and Marlon's worst enemy. She's never been a fan of Marlon's and has never hesitated to let everyone know it. Though her own life is hardly on track, that doesn't stop her from bombarding her pal with advice at every turn. Riddle plays Kevin, a guy who calls himself Marlon's best friend and occasional "business manager" but doesn't do a whole lot aside from crash on Marlon's couch and eat his food.

As for all those other Wayanses, will they be making any cameo appearances in the show? Don't count on it, at least not any time soon. It's true that the myriad family members crop up in a lot of the same projects together, but Marlon wants this to be his own thing, for now anyway.

"Hopefully one day," he said at a press event, when asked whether any of his siblings would be making an appearance. "But for right now, I just called the show 'Marlon' because there's too many damn Wayanses. They always want a check. It's really good to step out on my own, and be mature enough for this moment to do a show with my point of view."

Bresha Webb as seen in "Marlon"

The series is a take on the family sitcom that we don't see all the time; Marlon and Ashley may be divorced, but they maintain a very close and friendly relationship as they raise their kids together as a team. While a loving father, Marlon is also an inappropriate, over-the-top goofball and basically a big (loud) kid himself. Ashley, on the other hand, is his polar opposite: highly responsible, calm and the straight man to his clown. It's plain that the two still have a lot of affection for one another, and, whatever their relationship status, there's no doubt that Marlon still greatly respects and appreciates the mother of his children.

"I think the approach about a divorced family, but really the divorced family staying together, it's more of a family show than it is a show about divorce," Wayans said at the press event. "You know, it's scrapping divorce and going, 'Nah, divorce is what you make it. This is my family for life, and it's all about love.'"

"This is something that a lot of people can relate to," Atkins said at an NBC roundtable. There's a lot of people raising children together that aren't together, and I think [Marlon and Ashley's situation] is going to resonate with a lot of people."

Even if you can't relate, Wayans's antics are sure to keep you entertained. The guy is a veritable ball of energy and looniness, and Marlon's unconventional parenting techniques and fatherly advice appear to draw genuine laughter from the two moppets playing his kids as he riffs and clowns his way through his scenes.

Catch the debut of the latest Wayans project when "Marlon" premieres Wednesday, Aug. 16, on NBC.