On Our Own (1994 TV series)

On Our Own
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	David W. Duclon
Developed by	Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett
Written by	David Chambers Michael Din David W. Duclon Gregory Thomas Garcia Ralph Greene Lore Kimbrough Gary Menteer Fred Rubin Timothy Stack
Directed by	Richard Correll Kelly Sandefur John Tracy Joel Zwick
Starring	Ralph Louis Harris Jojo Smollett Jazz Smollett Jake Smollett Jussie Smollett T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh Jurnee Smollett Jocqui Smollett Roger Aaron Brown Kimberley Kates
Theme music composer	Jesse Frederick Bennett Salvay
Opening theme	"Love, Tried and True" performed by Joe Turano
Composers	Jesse Frederick Bennett Salvay
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	20
Production
Executive producers	David W. Duclon Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett Suzanne de Passe Suzanne Coston
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	Lightkeeper Productions de Passe Entertainment Miller-Boyett Productions Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	September 13, 1994 (1994-09-13) – April 14, 1995 (1995-04-14)

On Our Own is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1994 until April 14, 1995. The series stars Ralph Louis Harris and six real life siblings: Jazz, Jocqui, Jake, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jussie Smollett.

The series was created and executive produced by David W. Duclon, one of the executive producers of Family Matters. The series was also produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, who developed the show. Suzanne de Passe (who also executive produced Sister, Sister and later Smart Guy) the and Suzanne Coston were additional executive producers, with Duclon's longtime colleague Gary Menteer acting as co-executive producer (who also was a producer/writer on Family Matters, to which he returned when On Our Own was canceled).

The series was produced by Miller-Boyett Productions, with associates Lightkeeper Productions (Duclon's company) and de Passe Entertainment. On Our Own was the first Miller-Boyett sitcom to be produced by Warner Bros. Television for its entire run.

Synopsis

The series centers on the Jerrico family, consisting of seven brothers and sisters (all of whom have names that start with "J") in the O'Fallon Park neighborhood of St. Louis who lose their parents and are being raised by the eldest brother, Josh (Harris). The early episodes focused on the siblings attempting to not be split up by authorities. This leads to Josh, the eldest brother who was trying to raise the family alone, to dress in drag and pose as older guardian, Aunt Jelcinda (also known as "Mama J"), to fool their case worker, Alana Michaels (Kimberley Kates). Alana quickly sees through the charade, but decides to help the family stay together. Alana and the family attempt to fool Alana's boss, Mr. Gordon Ormsby (Roger Aaron Brown), that "Mama J" is actually taking care of the family. Problems arise when Mr. Ormsby becomes enamored with "Mama J" and pursues her. Ultimately, "Mama J" tells Mr. Ormsby that she cannot enter into a relationship with him because she is focused on the well being of the children.

The pilot episode also featured Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly as Hannah, a young neighbor girl and friend of the Jerricos. She was originally slated to be a regular cast member, as she was credited in the opening title sequence (with "and Rae'Ven Kelly as Hannah" appearing last in the cast credit procession), but she did not appear ever again after the prologue segment of the pilot.

In December 1994, the series was put on hiatus and retooled. When it returned to the air in March 1995, Josh was granted full custody of his siblings, thus ending the need for the Aunt Jelcinda/Mama J character. The characters of Alana Michaels and Mr. Ormsby were also written out of the show, and a new character, Scotti Decker (T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh) was introduced. Scotti, a young, attractive professional contractor, rented a room from the Jerricos in exchange for the work she was doing on their home (in her debut episode, rotted beams caused the bathroom tub to crash through the living room ceiling). She became a sister figure to the younger kids, while fighting off sexual advances from Josh and Jimi and turning them into more responsible "men of the house". Suki (Karen Kim) and Nails (Laura Ponce) were the carpenters who worked for Scotti.

Having aired on Sunday nights at 7:30/6:30c during the first half of the season, On Our Own was moved to the 9:30/8:30c time slot following Step by Step on TGIF when it returned in March 1995. The changes to the series in the spring didn't help ratings, and after six more episodes, the show had the plug pulled by ABC.

Cast

Cast of On Our Own

Main

• Ralph Louis Harris as Josh Jerrico/Aunt Jelcinda ("Mama J")
• Jurnee Smollett as Jordee Jerrico
• Jussie Smollett as Jesse Jerrico
• Jake Smollett as Joc Jerrico
• Jazz Smollett as Jai Jerrico
• Jocqui Smollett as Jarreau Jerrico
• Jojo Smollett as Jimi Jerrico
• Kimberley Kates as Alana Michaels (1994)
• Roger Aaron Brown as Mr. Gordon Ormsby (1994)
• Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly as Hannah (pilot only)
• T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh as Scotti Decker (1995)
• Karen Kim as Suki (1995)
• Laura Ponce as Nails (1995)

Recurring

• Cindy Herron as Shannon
• Deon Richmond as Kevin
• Bumper Robinson as Nat

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Pilot"	Joel Zwick	David W. Duclon	September 13, 1994 (1994-09-13)
After their parents die in an automobile accident, twenty-year-old Josh takes over as the authority figure of his six younger siblings. But the by-the-rules head of Department of Children Services, Gordon Ormsby, hears of the Jerricos' case and sends new social worker Alana Michaels to investigate and, if accurate, prepare for foster care. Josh assumes the identity of "Aunt Jelcinda" to combat the authorities.
2	"Last Tango in St. Louis" "Dog Day After Groom"	John Tracy	Fred Rubin	September 18, 1994 (1994-09-18)
Josh has a problem: Gordon asks "Aunt Jelcinda" for a date, and he cannot refuse if he wants the family to stay together.
3	"Matchmaker Mama"	Unknown	Unknown	September 25, 1994 (1994-09-25)
"Aunt Jelcinda" finds a distraught young woman in a restaurant ladies' room and sets her up with her alter ego, Josh. She eventually becomes his girlfriend.
4	"A Matter of Principal"	John Tracy	David Chambers	October 2, 1994 (1994-10-02)
When Jesse is unjustly suspended from school for fighting, Jimi poses as Jesse's grandfather for a meeting with the principal.
5	"Nok 'Til You Drop"	Joel Zwick	Ralph Greene	October 9, 1994 (1994-10-09)
Jimi loses money he doesn't have to a con man on a game of Nok-Hockey. Meanwhile, Jai readies for her first dance.
6	"Swiss Family Jerrico's"	Unknown	Unknown	October 16, 1994 (1994-10-16)
Josh thinks a camping trip will provide relief from his impersonation, but Gordon tags along.
7	"Bargain Basement"	Unknown	Unknown	October 23, 1994 (1994-10-23)
The Jerricos discover a trunk full of memories of their parents – and Alana too may soon be a memory, since Gordon wants to take her off their case.
8	"Bonnie is Really Clyde"	John Tracy	Gregory Thomas Garcia	October 30, 1994 (1994-10-30)
"Aunt Jelcinda" befriends a runaway teen while Joc threatens to do so.
9	"A Family Affair"	Joel Zwick	Lore Kimbrough	November 13, 1994 (1994-11-13)
Josh is getting serious about his new girlfriend. "The trouble is," sighs Jimi, "if a girl gets serious with Josh, she gets a free six-pack of assorted Jerricos."
10	"Baby Blues"	Richard Correll	Lore Kimbrough	December 4, 1994 (1994-12-04)
The kids try to raise money for tickets to a Whitney Houston concert, with mixed success. Meanwhile, Josh gets stuck in an elevator with a very pregnant woman.
11	"That's My Car and I'm Sticking to It"	Richard Correll	Timothy Stack	December 11, 1994 (1994-12-11)
Neighborhood gossip gets the Jerricos investigated.
12	"All I Want for Christmas"	Richard Correll	David W. Duclon & Gary Menteer	December 18, 1994 (1994-12-18)
When a kindergarten bully tells Joc that Santa Claus doesn't exist, Josh dons a Santa suit to prove the bully wrong – and succeeds only too well.
13	"Parents' Night"	Joel Zwick	David Chambers	December 28, 1994 (1994-12-28)
Josh can not attend parents' night at Jordee's school because he has to finish an article.
14	"The Boarder"	Kelly Sandefur	Fred Rubin	March 3, 1995 (1995-03-03)
Josh wins custody of the kids, and the family takes in a boarder: live-in contractor Scotti.
15	"Obstacle Illusion"	Joel Zwick	David Chambers	March 10, 1995 (1995-03-10)
Jordee gets into remote-control cars. Meanwhile, Jimi is shot down by a girl who admits she is a jinx and proves it.
16	"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"	Joel Zwick	Lore Kimbrough	March 17, 1995 (1995-03-17)
While poking around in the attic, Josh discovers love letters to his mom from his dad – who was not the father of his siblings.
17	"Girl Talk"	Kelly Sandefur	Gregory Thomas Garcia & Ralph Greene	March 24, 1995 (1995-03-24)
A football star eyes Jai, who wants a particular shy boy to ask her out. Meanwhile, Josh gets in trouble with his girlfriend because of Scotti.
18	"Little Rascals"	Kelly Sandefur	Michael Din & Timothy Stack	March 31, 1995 (1995-03-31)
Josh, a cracker-jack coffee shop manager, has a crisis to manage: his staff has the flu. Enter the replacement staff: his siblings and Scotti.
19	"The Easy Way"	Kelly Sandefur	David Chambers & Fred Rubin	April 7, 1995 (1995-04-07)
Jordee takes the easy way out of a geography exam: she cheats. And a girl with a "bad rep" has her eye on Jimi.
20	"The Tonsil Tale"	Joel Zwick	Fred Fox, Jr. & Jim Geoghan	April 14, 1995 (1995-04-14)
Joc needs a doc – "Someone pulled a Christmas tree from my throat" – so it's tonsillectomy time for the first-grader. Meanwhile, Jesse takes up hypnosis.

Syndication

The series was briefly re-aired on TV One in 2007.

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
1995	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance by an Actor Under Ten in a TV Series	Jake Smollett	Nominated
		Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a TV Series	Jurnee Smollett	Nominated

External links

• On Our Own at IMDb
• On Our Own at epguides.com