The Royal Family (TV series)
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The Royal Family is a situation comedy starring Redd Foxx and Della Reese. It was produced by Eddie Murphy (as part of a development deal with CBS), who had previously worked with Redd Foxx and Della Reese on the 1989 film Harlem Nights. It ran for one season on CBS from 1991-1992.
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[edit] Premise
The Royle Family was about Atlanta mailman Alfonso "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 (Mariann Aalda) and her three children (Larenz Tate, Sylver Gregory, and Naya Rivera).
[edit] Redd Foxx's death and aftermath
It was supposed to be a comeback vehicle for Foxx (best known for Sanford and Son), but he died of a heart attack, after completing the first seven episodes, on the set on October 11, 1991. It should be noted that immediately following Redd Foxx's sudden death, the producers opted to end the series. However, they ultimately decided to continue, as special, touching promotions by CBS (ran in memory of Foxx) stated "Like any family, The Royal Family will go on." They 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. The Royal Family then went on hiatus after November sweeps, and returned the following April. By then, Harry's character had been altered; she had become Coco, Victoria's sexy eldest daughter. More episodes were only filmed (bringing the total to 15) in order to finish up the episode run originally ordered by CBS. Ironically, the working title for The Royal Family (considering the ultimate circumstances with Redd Foxx's fatal heart attack) was Chest Pains. Shortly after the show returned, it was cancelled by CBS. It had never achieved true ratings success, due to being broadcast opposite NBC's Top 20 hit Unsolved Mysteries.
The Royal Family was not the first nor last sitcom to try to continue production despite the sudden death of its star. Chico and the Man (starring Freddie Prinze) and 8 Simple Rules (starring John Ritter) are other notable examples of television shows that tried to soldier on after the death of its star.
[edit] Cast
- Redd Foxx .... Alfonso Royal (1991)
- Della Reese .... Victoria Royal
- Mariann Aalda .... Elizabeth Royal Winston
- Sylver Gregory .... Kim Winston
- Jackée Harry .... Ruth/Coco Royal (Nov 1991-May 1992)
- Barry Shabaka Henley .... Willis Tillis
- Naya Rivera .... Hillary Winston
- Larenz Tate .... Curtis Winston
