On Our Own (1994 TV series)

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On Our Own

Opening title sequence for On Our Own
Format Sitcom
Directed by Richard Correll
Joel Zwick
Kelly Sandefur
John Tracy
Starring Ralph Louis Harris
Kimberley Kates
Roger Aaron Brown
T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh
Jurnee Smollett
Jussie Smollett
Jake Smollett
Jazz Smollett
Jocqui Smollett
Jojo Smollett
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 20
Production
Running time 30 minutes (approx. 22 min)
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run September 13, 1994 – April 14, 1995
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

On Our Own is a 1994 ABC sitcom that starred six real life siblings: Jazz, Jocqui, Jake, Jojo, Jurnee, & Jussie Smollett. The sitcom also starred comedian Ralph Louis Harris.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Cast of On Our Own
Cast of On Our Own

The series centered around seven brothers and sisters in the O'Fallon Park neighborhood of St. Louis who lose their parents and are being raised by the eldest brother, Josh Jerrico (Ralph Louis Harris). The early episodes focused on the siblings attempting to not be split up by authorities. This lead 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 (Kimberly 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. 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 series was criticized for ripping off the 1993 comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire, though the situation of a man pretending to be a woman was not a new concept, and the situations on the show did not necessarily resemble the movie.

In 1995, the show was retooled and the Aunt Jelcinda/Mama J storyline was abandoned. The episode entitled, The Boarder, depicted Josh being 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 (T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh) was introduced.

[edit] Cancellation

The changes to the series didn't help ratings, and after 6 more episodes, the show was canceled by ABC. The last episode,The Tonsil Tale, aired on April 14, 1995.

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

[edit] Cast

[edit] Awards and nominations

Young Artist Award

  • Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor Under Ten in a TV Series, Jake Smollett (1995)
  • Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a TV Series, Jurnee Smollett (1995)

[edit] External links

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