The Parkers
| The Parkers | |
|---|---|
| File:The parkers show opening title 2002-2004.jpg The Parkers title card 2002-2004 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Ralph Farquhar Sara V. Finney Vida Spears |
| Starring | Countess Vaughn Mo'Nique Jenna von Oÿ Ken Lawson Yvette Wilson Dorien Wilson |
| Theme music composer | Rodney Jerkins Countess Vaughn |
| Composer | Kurt Farquhar |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 111 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Bill Boulware Ralph Farquhar Sara V. Finney Vida Spears Andrea Wiley |
| Producers | Andrea Allen Michelle Listenbee Brown Gary M. Goodrich Stacey Evans Morgan Stephen K. Rose Andrea Wiley |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production companies | Big Ticket Television Saradipity Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network |  UPN Trouble |
| Release | August 30, 1999 – May 10, 2004 |
| Related | |
| Moesha | |
The Parkers is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004. A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki (played by Mo'Nique) and Kim Parker (played by Countess Vaughn). The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.
Premise
The series centered around a mother and daughter who both attend Santa Monica College. Nikki Parker (played by Mo'Nique) was forced to drop out of high school when she discovered she was pregnant with daughter Kim (played by Countess Vaughn). After Kim reaches adulthood, Nikki finally decides to go back to school. Kim is initially mortified with this decision, but eventually accepts the situation. Nikki and Kim's mother-daughter relationship evolves as roommates and as students. Nikki adjusts to the fact that her daughter is old enough to live on her own, while Kim realizes that Nikki has more going on than just being her mom. The show is a production of Saradipty Productions and Big Ticket Television. It is distributed by Paramount Domestic Television.
Main characters
- Kimberly Ann "Kim" Parker (played by Countess Vaughn) is the first of the two protagonists of the series. Kim is funny and lovable, but very dimwitted. Though she is usually behind most people when it comes to academics, her big heart and dreams makes up for it. Kim is also a lead singer in her group named Free Style Unity. She is one of the most well known members of the cast, aside from Nikki. Although, at the end of the show her grades are so bad, she does not graduate from Santa Monica Community College, she goes on to become a successful fashion designer (Kim originated as a regular character on Moesha).
- Nicole Ann "Nikki" Parker-Oglevee (née Alexander) (played by Mo'Nique) is the second of the two protagonists of the series. Nikki cares a lot for her family, and lets nothing stand in the way of love. Although affectionate, she can also be violent, especially towards Kim. Throughout the series, she has several relationships with other people but her love always remains steadfast for the Professor Oglevee, despite his apparent hatred of her. In the series finale, she finally wins him over after five years of chasing him. He proposes to her, she accepts and they marry on that same day.
- Stevie Van Lowe (played by Jenna von Oÿ) is bitter about the relationship between her and her mother, but she still is a good friend towards "T" and Kim. She always talks about how she does not need companionship but in the end she realizes that's all she ever wanted. She is the back up singer in the group Free Style Unity. She goes to UCLA at the end of the series and goes into business with Kim. She briefly dated "T" earlier in the series.
- Thaddeus "T" Radcliffe (played by Ken Lawson) is best friends with Kim and Stevie. Although his duty as a loyal friend, T can sometimes be side-tracked when he and the professor let their wannabe mack daddy status get in the way of true values. He is also the rapper in his, Kim, and Stevie's, group, Free Style Unity. He goes to Berklee College of Music at the end of the series. He also briefly dated Stevie earlier in the series.
- Professor Stanley Oglevee (played by Dorien Wilson) is constantly being pursued by Nikki. He loses several companions (particularly Veronica), because Nikki either scares them off or completely sabotages the relationship. He is a type of role model to "T" and often counsels him about love—sometimes with disastrous results. Twice during the series he is convinced he loves Nikki, but changes his mind. The second time he has a vision of himself in the mirror, which ultimately convinces him to crash Nikki's wedding to a man she met several weeks prior, and propose marriage. Nikki, of course, accepts and they marry on that same day.
- Andell Wilkerson (played by Yvette Wilson, Andell originated as a regular character on Moesha) is Nikki Parker's ever loving and loyal best friend. She is the owner of the Andell's, a restaurant that is the setting for several episodes in the show. Throughout the show, she is usually the one keeping a level head. Though sometimes she can be pessimistic, in cases where she tries to convince Nikki that the professor will never like her or that Kim is hopelessly lost. At the end of the series, she gets married to her boyfriend Lester. Originally, Andell was in a relationship with Moesha's uncle Bernie (Bernie Mac) but he is never seen or mentioned on The Parkers.
Recurring characters
- Desiree Littlejohn (Mari Morrow) - Originally, the Parkers' neighbor and Nikki's best friend. Credited as a regular in the first Season but is not seen after.
- Regina Foster (Kara Brock) - Snobbish and stuck-up classmate of Nikki and Kim's at Santa Monica Community College.
- Chandra Carrington (Lark Voorhies) - Classmate of Nikki and Kim's at Santa Monica Community College.
- Mel Parker (Thomas Mikal Ford) - Nikki's well-off ex-husband and Kim's father.
- Jerel Goodrich (Trent J. Cameron) - Kim's boyfriend turned fiance.
- George and Shirley West (Earl Billings and Aloma Wright) - Nikki's adoptive parents.
- Constance McFarland (Suzzanne Douglass) - Nikki's haughty older sister.
- Tiffany (Cherie Johnson) - Nikki's niece.
- Quincy DeJohn (George Wallace) - Nikki's biological father.
- Aunt Rita (Nancy Wilson) - Nikki's aunt who turned out to be her biological mother.
- Evelyn "Nana" Smith (Isabel Sanford) - Nikki's grandmother who comes onto Professor Oglvee while visiting Nikki.
- Veronica Cooper (Paulette Braxton) - On-and-off girlfriend/ex-girlfriend of Professor Oglevee and occasional nemesis of Nikki.
Episodes
Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Premiere | Finale | U.S. ratings (in millions) |
Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999-2000 | 22 | August 30, 1999 | May 22, 2000 | 2.6 million[1] | #127[1] |
| 2 | 2000-2001 | 23 | September 4, 2000 | June 29, 2001 | 2.3 million[2] | #156[2] |
| 3 | 2001-2002 | 22 | September 10, 2001 | May 20, 2002 | 4.26 million[3] | #126[3] |
| 4 | 2002-2003 | 25 | September 23, 2002 | May 19, 2003 | 3.74 million[4] | #136[4] |
| 5 | 2003-2004 | 19 | September 15, 2003 | May 10, 2004 | 3.6 million[5] | #177[5] |
Series finale
The Parkers series finale aired on May 10, 2004 and drew in 3.6 million viewers.[6] In the finale, Professor Oglevee finally realizes his true feelings for Nikki just as she is about to marry another man (Mel Jackson).[7]
Syndication
The Parkers had formerly aired in syndication on BET J before that channel's September 2009 conversion to Centric.
Since Tuesday September 6, 2011, The Parkers returned to BET after a three year hiatus and reacquired.
In Europe, the show has aired in Ireland and the UK. In Ireland, it aired on RTÉ Two from 2000 to 2005, usually airing Thursdays as 7.00pm. The first four seasons were aired in this evening time slot, with season five beginning in this timeslot and with the few remaining episodes moved to a late night timeslot on Fridays. After the series finished on RTÉ Two, there have been no re-runs and no current plans to run the show again. It was also shown on UK channel Trouble,[9] which was also available in Ireland. It usually aired weekdays from 2000 to 2004 but after it was completely removed, it was shown on a one-off weekend in late 2006, with episodes airing all day.
Reunion
In 2009, the cast members of The Parkers, Countess Vaughn, Jenna Von Oy, Ken Lawson and Dorien Wilson appeared on The Mo'Nique Show after five years, for a full length episode, The Parkers Reunion. Creator, Sara V. Finney was part of the audience for the special episode, and Yvette Wilson didn't appear due to her busy work schedule.[10]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | NAACP Image Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Comedy Series | |
| Won | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Mo'Nique | ||
| 2002 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Yvette Wilson | |
| Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Dorien Wilson | ||
| Won | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Mo'Nique | ||
| 2003 | Nominated | Outstanding Comedy Series | ||
| Nominated | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Mo'Nique | ||
| 2004 | Won | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Dorien Wilson | |
| Won | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Mo'Nique | ||
| 2005 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Dorien Wilson | |
| Nominated | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Mo'Nique | ||
| 2003 | Young Artist Award | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Guest Starring Young Actor | Christopher Massey |
| 2004 | BET Comedy Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | |
| Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Dorien Wilson | ||
| Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Mo'Nique | ||
| Nominated | Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | |||
| Nominated | Outstanding Comedy Series |
DVD Release
To date, The Parkers has not been released on DVD.[11]
References
- ^ a b "TV Ratings 1999-2000". chez.com. 26 July, 2002. Retrieved 3 April, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b "TV Ratings 2000-2001". chez.com. 26 July, 2002. Retrieved 3 April, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b "TV Ratings 2001-02". chez.com. 26 July, 2002. Retrieved 3 April, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b "Nielsen's TOP 156 shows for 2002-03". rec.arts.tv. Retrieved 3 April, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "I.T.R.S Ranking Report". abcmedianet.com. 2 June, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 3 April, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Susman, Gary (May 19, 2004). "Goodnight, Seattle". ew.com. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ^ "Who will Nikki tie the knot with in the final episode of 'The Parkers'?". Jet. May 10, 2004. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Shows on BETJ: The Parkers". bet.com. Retrieved August 22, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Trouble - The Parkers". dooyoo.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "The Mo'Nique Show: The Cast from "The Parkers"". goodlookvideos.com. Retrieved 9 April, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "The Parkers (1999)". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved 5 July, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
External links
- Use mdy dates from September 2010
- 1999 television series debuts
- 2004 American television series endings
- 1990s American television series
- 2000s American television series
- Black sitcoms
- College television series
- English-language television series
- Fictional families
- Television series by CBS Paramount Television
- Television shows set in California
- Television spin-offs
- UPN network shows