''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

, that originally aired on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

from 1998 to 2002. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life is changed when his strange cousin, Skeeter, comes to stay with his family. With Skeeter's help, Bobby learns life lessons and tackles the ups and downs of growing up. The show also included

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good (born August 8, 1981) is an American actress and model. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film '' Eve's Bayou'' (1997) prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom '' Cousin Skeeter'' (199 ...

as Bobby's friend Nina, Rondell Sheridan as Bobby's father Andre, and Angela Means as Bobby's mother Vanessa. Skeeter is portrayed by a hand puppet with

Bill Bellamy William Bellamy (born April 7, 1965) is an American actor and stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he is credited for creating or coining the phrase "bo ...

providing his voice, and Drew Massey performing the puppetry, assisted by Alice Dinnean. Within the show, Skeeter is treated like a regular human and no mention of him being a puppet is made. Although the series was shot in a single-camera format, the show used a

laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is an audio recording consisting of laughter (and other audience reactions) usually used as a separate soundtrack for comedy productions. The laugh track may contain live audience reactions or artificial laught ...

. The show's theme song is an alternate version of 702's

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

debut single " Steelo", co-written by and featuring

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

Overview

''Cousin Skeeter'' first aired on September 1, 1998, on Nickelodeon, sharing the 8–9pm programming block with ''

The Wild Thornberrys ''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays the zany hijinks of a family o ...

''. ''Cousin Skeeter'' was one of many shows at this time to touch on the idea of multicultural themes, with notable shows such as '' The Brothers García'' originating around this time as well. Skeeter frequently causes mischief, which is often balanced out by Bobby having to correct the situation.

Episodes

Characters

Main

* Skeeter (performed by Drew Massey, voiced by

) - Skeeter is the namesake character of the series, a puppet whose life changed when he moved from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to live with his cousin Bobby. He is loud-mouthed, impulsive, and reckless, but also affable, confident, good-hearted and charismatic. He spends each episode getting Bobby into trouble trying to help him solve problems and stand up to life's challenges. Skeeter is also friends with several notable celebrities, including

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

(whose life he apparently saved), and

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

. He is not easily angry, unless someone remarks on his extreme shortness, which causes him to fly into a rage. The fact that he is a puppet is never acknowledged on the series. * Bobby Walker (portrayed by Robert Ri'chard) - Originally from Inglewood, California, Bobby is smart and well-behaved. Often the victim of his cousin's mischief, Bobby often gets mad at Skeeter for his antics, but Bobby sees the good intentions behind his actions and likes him nonetheless. * André Walker (portrayed by Rondell Sheridan) - Bobby's father who is a music producer. * Nina Jones (portrayed by

) - Nina is Bobby's best friend. She and Bobby have a crush on each other at the start of the show and later start dating. She is a fast talker and Nicole's best friend. * Vanessa Walker (portrayed by Angela Means) - Bobby's mother, a lawyer, is often annoyed by Skeeter just like Bobby is. She and Andre can't wait for the boys to go to college, and the couple will do anything to get Skeeter and Bobby out of their hair.

Supporting

* Nicole (voiced by Tisha Campbell) - A female puppet character, Nicole has more class and manners than Skeeter. She first appeared as a new student in the second season's TV movie, "New Kids on the Planet". Nicole quickly became best friends with Nina and they are like sisters. She is depicted as tough, once wanting to join the high school football team and threatening to hurt the school bully if he hurt Skeeter. * Duke - Bobby's friend Duke appeared in the first and second seasons of the series. * Geoff - One of Bobby's friends from school, Geoff always seems to be a bad role model for the boys. * Brenda (portrayed by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes)

Reception

Critical

''Cousin Skeeter'' received mixed reviews. A writer from ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' described the shows characters as "undeveloped" and "dependent on a one-liner approach". Others note that the contrast between Bobby and Skeeter is meant to act as a kind of role model for children, but the message is lost in the strange behavior of Skeeter. Many viewers found it odd that the fact that Skeeter is an actual puppet is never acknowledged by any other characters, which left them to wonder why he was even a puppet in the first place. Ray Richmond, a writer for '' Variety'', found the content borderline offensive, calling it an "a half-hour entrant in Nickelodeon’s primetime "Nickel-O-Zone" lineup" that sends "TVs view of black culture careening back to the Stone Age". However, Rotten Tomatoes rated it as one of five 1990s children's shows that helped "pave the way for black representation on TV", with the article citing the episode "The Bicycle Thief" which tackled the issue of police interacting with black children.

Ratings

According to a ''Variety'' article from February 1999, ''Cousin Skeeter'' was "consistently ranked as the top-rated live-action series for the ickelodeonnetwork".

Award and nominations

* 1999 ** Young Artist Award nominated for best performance in a TV Drama or Comedy series - Leading Young Actor: Robert Ri'chard ** Outstanding Performance in a Youth or Children's Series/Special:

* 2000 ** Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special ** Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs: Johnathan Winfrey ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Guest Starring Young Performer: Rachel Glenn ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actor: Robert Ri'chard * 2001 ** Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special ** African American Achievement award for supporting actresses - Rissa JB Milhouse (episode 14) ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actor: Robert Ri'chard

References

External links

*
Cousin Skeeter
at TV Tango {{Former Nickelodeon original series 1998 American television series debuts 2002 American television series endings 1990s Nickelodeon original programming 2000s Nickelodeon original programming 1990s American black sitcoms 2000s American black sitcoms 1990s American single-camera sitcoms 2000s American single-camera sitcoms 1990s American teen sitcoms 2000s American teen sitcoms American English-language television shows Television series about cousins Television series about families American television series about teenagers American television shows featuring puppetry Television series by Tollin/Robbins Productions Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in New York City African-American characters in television Nickelodeon sitcoms