Somewhere between the semi-snarky plotlines of “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” and the acrimonious matrimonial discord of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” a ’90s rap star has carved out a family reality show that viewers may find appealingly normal.

A&E’s “Hammertime” (premieres Sunday) features MC Hammer, who is best known as the flashy, parachute-panted rapper/dancer behind the Grammy-winning hit “U Can’t Touch This.” He’s a gregarious family man, living the quiet suburban life with his wife, Stephanie; their children, Stanley Jr., Samuel, Sarah, Jeremiah and A’Keiba, ages 3 to 22; and Jamaris, his 18-year-old nephew who lives with them.
“The essence of the show is family. It’s a cross between the Huxtable family on ‘The Cosby Show and Good Times,’” says Hammer, aka Stanley Burrell, 47.
Burrell’s rags-to-riches-to-rags-and-back saga, which took him from Oakland A’s batboy to A-list celebrity worth $33 million to bankruptcy by 1996, is well-documented.
Less known are his close family ties, spirituality and his entrepreneurial side, which includes interests in Web site dancejam.com and record labels. He has lectured at Harvard and Stanford about the Internet and social-media applications. An early adopter of Twitter, Burrell claims 750,000 followers.
Burrell was offered a sitcom after a 2003 stint on VH1’s “Surreal Life.” He spurned subsequent reality-show concepts, until his kids spurred his interest.
“I started thinking there might be something we could bring to the genre,” he says. “There are not a lot of family-oriented shows that speak to families sticking together and love being the underlying common denominator.”
Burrell hopes viewers also get a look at how to cope in hard times.
“We’re in a recession, but there are a great number of people who haven’t experienced adversity and aren’t able to adjust,” he says. “I can tell you that even through hardships, you can rear a family you can be proud of.”
The 10-episode series was filmed at the Burrells’ home in Tracy, Calif., a sleepy San Joaquin Valley bedroom community 60 miles east of San Francisco.
To be sure, some viewers may find “Hammertime” mundane. Early episodes focus on spring cleaning, missed homework assignments and Take Your Dad to School days. Still, Burrell says those tired of “train-wreck TV” might find “Hammertime” a welcome relief.
The family went through a two-week adjustment when production began last fall. “I didn’t understand it until I became part of the reality world,” says Stephanie, who met Burrell at a church revival meeting and married him in 1985.
Neither parent allows potential TV stardom to go to their kids’ heads.
“We try to live as normal as possible. Once you leave this house, you’re going to have to go out into the real world, and the real world isn’t going to cater to you,” Stephanie says. “You have to know how to talk and be polite and cooperative.”
And she says she’s pleased with “Hammertime.” “To see how supportive the kids are of each other, it really makes me proud to be a mother.”
A&E execs appear happy, too.
“What you get is this incredibly authentic family,” says A&E programming executive Robert Sharenow. “They have a real marriage. The family is outrageously cute and very natural. You’re not getting another docu-soap.”