The Royal Family (TV series)
| The Royal Family | |
|---|---|
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| Also known as | Chest Pains |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Eddie Murphy |
| Written by | Greg Antonacci Mark E. Corry Rob Dames David Garber Mark McClafferty Mike Milligan Jay Moriarty Eddie Murphy Leonard Ripps B. Mark Seabrooks Clint Smith |
| Directed by | Shelley Jensen Jack Shea |
| Starring | Redd Foxx Della Reese Mariann Aalda Sylver Gregory Jackée Harry Barry Shabaka Henley Naya Rivera Larenz Tate |
| Theme music composer | David Allen Jones |
| Composer(s) | Dan Foliart |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Eddie Murphy Mark McClafferty Greg Antonacci |
| Producer(s) | David Garber Shelley Jensen Deborah Leschin Leslie Ray David Steven Simon |
| Editor(s) | Richard Russel |
| Cinematography | Mikel Neiers |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Eddie Murphy Productions Paramount Network Television |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | September 18, 1991 – May 13, 1992 |
The Royal Family is an American sitcom starring Redd Foxx and Della Reese. The series was created and produced by Eddie Murphy (as part of a development deal with CBS),[1] who had previously worked with Redd Foxx and Della Reese in the 1989 film Harlem Nights. It ran for one season on CBS from 1991-1992. The working title for the series was Chest Pains.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Premise
The series chronicled the lives of Atlanta mailman Alexander Alphonso "Al" Royal (Redd Foxx) and wife Victoria (Della Reese), who were anticipating peaceful retirement years, until marital problems brought an extended visit from their daughter Elizabeth (Mariann Aalda) and her three children: Kim (Sylver Gregory), Curtis (Larenz Tate) and Hillary (Naya Rivera).
[edit] Redd Foxx's death and aftermath
The series was intended to be a comeback vehicle for Foxx (best known for Sanford and Son), but on October 11, 1991, he suffered a fatal heart attack during rehearsals on the set.[3] Having only completed seven episodes before his death, the producers opted to end the series. However, they ultimately decided to continue. Special promotions were run by CBS (run in memory of Foxx) stating "Like any family, The Royal Family will go on."
The producers immediately added Jackée Harry to the show as Victoria's younger sister Ruth, who moved in to help the family cope with the sudden loss of Al.[4] The Royal Family then went on hiatus after November sweeps, and returned the following April. By then, Harry's character had been altered; while she was still named Ruth, she had now become Al and Victoria's sexy eldest daughter, and went by the name nickname "CoCo".[5] An additional seven episodes were completed (bringing the total to 15) in order to finish up the episode run originally ordered by CBS.
Before Foxx's death, ratings for the series were high,[6] but shortly after the retooled version returned, the series was cancelled by CBS due to poor ratings.[7]
[edit] Cast
- Redd Foxx .... Alexander Alfonso Royal (September–October 1991)
- Della Reese .... Victoria Royal
- Mariann Aalda .... Elizabeth Royal Winston
- Sylver Gregory .... Kim Winston
- Jackée Harry .... Ruth "CoCo" Royal (November 1991–May 1992)
- Barry Shabaka Henley .... Willis Tillis
- Naya Rivera .... Hillary Winston
- Larenz Tate .... Curtis Winston
[edit] Episodes
| Series # | Title | Notes | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | Atlanta mailman Al Royal and wife Victoria are anticipating peaceful retirement years, until marital problems bring an extended visit from their daughter and her three children, including 15-year-old Curtis who borrows Grandpa's truck in this opener. | September 18, 1991 |
| 2 | "Homework Bound" | Thanks to, or in spite of, Al's history tutelage (at the bowling alley), Curtis scores an A on a test, but not without having something up his sleeve. | September 25, 1991 |
| 3 | "Me and My Stuff" | No synopsis available. | October 2, 1991 |
| 4 | "Talkin' Baseball" | Her knuckleball success against Curtis and a friend inspires Kim to try out for varsity baseball, starting a rhubarb with Al about a woman's place in a man's game. | October 9, 1991 |
| 5 | "A Mid-Summer Night's Barbeque" | No synopsis available. | October 30, 1991 |
| 6 | "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | The budding relationship between Elizabeth and a doctor thrills Al, but Victoria notices there's something missing, and something missing between her and Al as well. | November 13, 1991 |
| 7 | "Educating Al" | Victoria turns the house into a preschool, but the flu makes her hand over the reins to Al for "a day of fun and accomplishment." | November 20, 1991 |
| 8 | "New Beginnings" | The passing of Al Royal is marked by warm goodbyes from friends and family, including sister-in-law Ruth, whose arrival at a time of need may be as much for her own need as for Victoria's. | November 27, 1991 |
| 9 | "The Sneakin' Deacon" | Victoria sees a match with Elizabeth and the new church deacon, but the deacon makes a play for Ruth, who doesn't like his game plan. | April 8, 1992 |
| 10 | "Status, Bro" | Ruth regrets being cool towards Willis, while Curtis is anything but cool after being gifted with a discount version of an expensive jacket. | April 15, 1992 |
| 11 | "Hello, I Must Be Going" | Ruth takes off after Victoria takes her to task for being a poor influence on Kim and Curtis. | April 22, 1992 |
| 12 | "The Frame Game" | Curtis gets a swelled head after being chosen to appear with Dr. Dre and Ed Lover of Yo! MTV raps. | May 6, 1992 |
| 13 | "Mo' Money" | Curtis finds his part-time job taxing timewise when he has to work extra hours to cover the taxman's share, previously earmarked for other expenses. | May 13, 1992 |
| 14 | "Cocoa in Charge" | No synopsis available. | Unaired |
| 15 | "The Big Stink" | No synopsis available. | Unaired |
[edit] Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Under Ten | Naya Rivera |
| Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series | Larenz Tate | |||
| Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series | Sylver Gregory |
[edit] References
- ^ "Blacks and the 1991 Television Season". Ebony (Johnson Publishing Company) 46 (12): 25. 1991-10. ISSN 0012-9011.
- ^ Ingram, Billy (2006). Tvparty!: Television's Untold Tales. Bonus Books, Inc.. pp. 262. ISBN 1-566-25184-2.
- ^ "Fames Comedian Redd Foxx Is Celebrated In New Book, 'The Life and Times of Redd Foxx'". Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 96 (7). 1999-07-19. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ^ "Della and Jackie Become TV Sisters In 'Royal Family'". Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 81 (8): 58, 59. 1991-12-09. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (2006). Historical Dictionary of African-American Television. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 376. ISBN 0-810-85335-3.
- ^ Smith, Sande; Bowman, John (1995). Who's Who in African-American History. Smithmark. pp. 58. ISBN 0-831-79190-X.
- ^ Carter, Bill; Rutenberg, Jim (2003-09-13). "ABC Mourning Star of Series That Was Key To Its Lineup". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/13/business/abc-mourning-star-of-series-that-was-key-to-its-lineup.html. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
