Moesha

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Moesha
Moesha cast.gif
Season 1 cast
Genre Sitcom
Created by Ralph Farquhar
Sara V. Finney
Vida Spears
Starring Brandy Norwood
William Allen Young
Countess Vaughn (1996–1999)
Sheryl Lee Ralph
(1996–2000)
Marcus T. Paulk
Lamont Bentley
Yvette Wilson
(1996–2000)
Shar Jackson
Fredro Starr
(1996–1998)
Ray J (1999–2001)
Theme music composer Kurt Farquhar
Composer(s) Kurt Farquhar
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 6
No. of episodes 127 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 22-24 min
Broadcast
Original channel UPN
Picture format 4:3
Original run January 23, 1996 – May 14, 2001
Chronology
Related shows The Parkers

Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in Los Angeles.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The show focused on the life of an upper middle class, African-American family through the eyes of a typical girl. Her father Frank, a widower and Saturn car salesman, has married Dee, the vice-principal at Moesha's school, much to Moesha's dismay. The series was created by Ralph Farquhar, along with the writing team of Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The settings for the show include the Mitchell household and the teen hang-out, The Den.

[edit] Issues addressed

See also: Very special episode

The show dealt with "real teen social issues", such as teen pregnancy, drug use, race relations, premarital sex, the death of a parent, and day-to-day issues faced by teenagers at home and in school. In one of the most controversial episodes, "Secrets & Lies", the Mitchell family learned from Frank's Aunt Hattie that he is the biological father of Dorian, who both the Mitchells and Dorian himself believed to be Frank's nephew. The shocking news of Frank's infidelity (during his first marriage) turned the family upside-down and resulted in Moesha moving out of the house and Dorian's rebellion.

[edit] Cast and characters

[edit] Primary cast

  • Moesha Mitchell (played by Brandy Norwood) - Like many teens, Moesha is trying to find her place in life. At every turn, Moesha — along with her friends and family —experiences new challenges and hilarious situations associated with the pressures and demands of growing up in an often confusing world.
  • Frank Mitchell (played by William Allen Young) - A Saturn dealer and father to Moesha and Myles. Originally believed to be Dorian's uncle, he is later revealed to be the young man's father.
  • Deidra "Dee" Mitchell (played by Sheryl Lee Ralph, Seasons 1–5, recurring Season 6) - An educator attempting to master two additional careers — as wife and stepmother to Moesha and Myles.
  • Kimberly "Kim" Parker (played by Countess Vaughn, Seasons 1–4) - Moesha's boy-crazy best friend who has a crush on Hakeem.
  • Myles Mitchell (played by Marcus T. Paulk) - Myles is Moesha's pesky younger brother.
  • Hakeem Campbell (played by Lamont Bentley) - A frequent visitor to the Mitchell household, as Moesha’s lifelong friend and neighbor, and then later boyfriend.
  • Andell Wilkerson (played by Yvette Wilson, Seasons 1–5) - Moesha's older friend and owner of the neighborhood hangout, The Den.
  • Niecy Jackson (played by Shar Jackson, Seasons 2–6, recurring Season 1) - Moesha's friend and confidante.
  • Quinton "Q" Brooks (played by Fredro Starr, Seasons 2–3, recurring thereafter) - Moesha's longest-running love interest.
  • Dorian Long (played by Ray J, seasons 5-6) - Moesha and Myles' cousin, who is later revealed to be their half-brother.

[edit] Recurring cast

[edit] Guest stars

Moesha is known for its large number of guest stars in several episodes such as Mary J. Blige, Mya, Usher, Kobe Bryant, Mo'Nique, Bernie Mac, Kyla Pratt, Kellie Shanygne Williams, Jo Marie Payton, Darius McCrary, Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A. Fox and many more.

[edit] Episodes

See List of Moesha episodes

[edit] Spin-off

Given her popularity for four seasons on Moesha, Countess Vaughn left the show in 1999 for her own show, The Parkers, which premiered on August 30, 1999 on UPN. It centered the adventures of Kim attending college along with her mother played by comedian Mo'Nique. Leaving Moesha, Yvette Wilson joined the cast as Andell in 2000.[1]

Several Moesha cast members (including Brandy Norwood) made crossover appearances on The Parkers. [2]

[edit] Opening credits

There have been four versions of opening credits theme song.

  1. Used for Season 1
  2. Used for Season 2
  3. Used for Season 3, which was nearly identical to the season 2 version, but with elements from the first theme, as well
  4. Used for the last three seasons

Although the same recording of the theme song was used for the last three seasons, A different opening was used for each of the last three seasons.

  1. Season 4 showed the cast around the neighborhood and shows Moesha, Kim, and Niecy dancing at the fountain.
  2. Season 5 showed the cast as Norwood lip-syncs to the theme song.
  3. Season 6 showed the cast as Norwood lip-syncs to the theme song. The same as Season 5 but with a twist. Since Yvette Wilson left to join the cast for The Parkers and Sheryl Lee Ralph's character became a recurring cast member in the show, Norwood is shown lip-syncing over where Yvette Wilson and Sheryl Lee Ralph once were in the Season 5 opening.

[edit] Cancellation

By the sixth season, ratings for Moesha had dropped and UPN opted not to renew the series for a seventh season. The series ended on an unresolved cliffhanger with Myles being kidnapped by a rival of Dorian and an unknown pregnancy test was found in the trash at Moesha's dorm room. Entertainment Weekly reported that certain plots were to be resolved on The Parkers,[3] but the storylines were never resolved.

[edit] Syndication

The series aired in syndication on UPN from 1999–2002, then on WGN America from 2005 to 2009. It has been airing on The N since 2005. Moesha has also aired on Nickelodeon UK, Paramount Channel UK and Trouble TV UK.

Since 2008, The show has been running in syndication in Spain, Italy, Israel, Russia, France, Germany, Ireland, Holland, UK, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Liberia, Japan, China, India, Korea, Singapore, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico.

[edit] Awards

Year Award Category Recipient
1997 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress Brandy Norwood
1998 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Countess Vaughn
2000 SHINE Awards Comedy Episode For episode "Let's Talk About Sex"

[edit] References

  1. ^ "'The Parkers' Win Big Laughs As No. 1 Show In Black Households". Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 97 (18): 58. 2000-04-10. ISSN 0021-5996. 
  2. ^ "Why TV's 'The Parkers' Remains a Hit With Black Viewers For a Second Season". Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 98 (20): 62–63. 2000-10-23. ISSN 0021-5996. 
  3. ^ Rice, Lynette (2001-06-06). "'Band' On the Run". ew.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,129333,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moesha"