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The Steve Harvey Show

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The Steve Harvey Show
File:Steve harvey show.jpg
Opening title sequence for The Steve Harvey Show
Created byWinifred Hervey
Directed byStan Lathan
StarringSteve Harvey
Cedric the Entertainer
Merlin Santana
William Lee Scott
Wendy Raquel Robinson
Terri J. Vaughn
Lori Beth Denberg
Tracy Vilar
Netfa Perry
Ariyan Johnson
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes123
Production
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time30 minutes (approx. 22 min)
Production companiesBrillstein-Grey Entertainment
Stan Lathan TV
Universal TV (1999-2001)
Winifred Hervey Productions
Original release
NetworkThe WB
ReleaseAugust 25, 1996 –
February 24, 2002

The Steve Harvey Show is an American sitcom that aired for six seasons from August 25, 1996 to February 24, 2002 on The WB Television Network. It was directed by Stan Lathan.

Synopsis

Former funk singer Steve Hightower (Steve Harvey) is now a music teacher/Vice-principal at Booker T. Washington High in Chicago. Budget cutbacks meant Steve also had to teach drama and art, which he didn't know. Cedric Robinson (Cedric the Entertainer) is a chubby coach and Steve's friend. Regina Grier (Wendy Raquel Robinson), Steve's former classmate, who was fat when they were in high school and was bullied by Steve, is now the principal.

Steve seemingly met his match in a pair of his students: Romeo Santana (Merlin Santana), a stylish, charismatic ladies' man, and Romeo's dense, horny sidekick, Stanley Kuznocki, nicknamed Bullethead (William Lee Scott).

In 1997, Regina hired as her secretary Lovita Jenkins (Terri J. Vaughn), who soon started a passionate relationship with Cedric. The show also featured a succession of young actresses who served as female foils to Romeo and Bullethead; the longest-lasting of these was Lori Beth Denberg as Lydia Liza Guttman. Rapper The Lady of Rage also had a recurring role as Coretta Cox, a bully in romantic pursuit of Romeo.

Steve was part of a fictional singing group called "Steve Hightower and the Hi-Tops," who would temporarily reunite to perform on occasion. The members consisted of Steve, T-Bone (played by T.K. Carter, later by Don 'D.C.' Curry), Pretty Tony (played by Ronald Isley), and Clyde (played by Jonathan Slocumb). Two of their signature songs (performed several times on the show) were "When the Funk Hits the Fan," and "Break Me Off A Piece of That Funk." Though Cedric was not an original member of the group, he usually sang with them on several events.

Cast

Penultimate Episode

In the episode before the series finale, Lydia, Bullethead and Romeo graduate from high school. This episode is always shown after the series finale on TBS.

Series Finale

In the series finale, Regina is offered a job to be a principal at a private school in California and is debating whether or not to take the job. Steve doesn't want her to go but he acts supportive because he thinks that a woman's man is supposed to be supportive even if he doesn't mean it. Meanwhile, Lovita goes into labor several times which turns out to be false alarms. Regina takes the job and Steve feels alone. He finally goes after her with encouragement from Lydia, Bullethead and Romeo. Meanwhile, Cedric and Lovita win the lottery and Lovita goes into labor for real, though the audience never gets to see the baby. (During the final season, the real-life pregnancy of Terri J. Vaughn had been incorporated into the storyline.)

Death of Merlin

Merlin Santana, who played Romeo, was murdered by gunfire in Los Angeles several months after the last episode aired. On November 9, 2002, Merlin was sitting in a parked car when a person approached the car and shot him. Santana died before any help could arrive. News of his death was not reported until the following Monday (November 11, 2002). He was buried on November 18, 2002 at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in Bronx, New York. Merlin was survived by 2 daughters. He was 26 years old.

Damien Andre Gates was convicted of the first-degree murder of Santana and the attempted murder of another man in the car, and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 70 years in prison. Brandon Douglas Bynes received 23 year sentence after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon. An officer involved in the case testified that Monique King, reportedly the girlfriend of Gates and aged 15 at the time of Santana's death, falsely claimed that Santana had tried to rape her, which prompted Gates and Bynes to attack the car. King received eight years in juvenile custody.

Syndication

Reruns currently air on TBS, BET and ION Television. In syndication, they cut out seconds of episodes, leaving lines to be cut, and scenes to change or go to commercial early(?What???).

Awards and Nominations

ALMA Award

  • Nominated: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Merlin Santana (1999)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Merlin Santana (1998)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Tracy Vilar (1998)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Comedy Series (1998)

NAACP Image Awards

  • Won: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Terri J. Vaughn (2003)
  • Won: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Steve Harvey (2002)
  • Won: Outstanding Comedy Series (2002)
  • Won: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Cedric the Entertainer (2002)
  • Won: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Terri J. Vaughn (2002)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Wendy Raquel Robinson (2002)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Merlin Santana (2002)
  • Won: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Steve Harvey (2001)
  • Won: Outstanding Comedy Series (2001)
  • Won: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Cedric the Entertainer (2001)
  • Won: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Terri J. Vaughn (2001)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Wendy Raquel Robinson (2001)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Merlin Santana (2001)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, William Lee Scott (2001)
  • Won: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Steve Harvey (2000)
  • Won: Outstanding Comedy Series (2000)
  • Won: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Cedric the Entertainer (2000)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Terri J. Vaughn (2000)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Wendy Raquel Robinson (2000)
  • Won: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Steve Harvey (1999)
  • Won: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Cedric the Entertainer (1999)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Comedy Series (1999)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Comedy Series (1998)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Steve Harvey (1998)

NCLR Bravo Awards

  • Nominated: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series, Merlin Santana (1996)
  • Nominated: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series, Tracy Vilar (1996)
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