''Soul Man'' 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 ...

starring

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...

that aired on ABC from April 15, 1997, to May 26, 1998. A total of 25 half-hour episodes were produced over two seasons. The series premiered on April 15, 1997, and was picked up for a second season of 22 half-hour episodes after only three episodes aired for the first season. Despite ranking 29th in its 2nd and final season, it ended on May 26, 1998, with 25 half-hour episodes produced in total. A four-year-old Spencer Breslin made his TV debut and was a series regular for the three-episode-long 1997 first season, in which he played the youngest child of Aykroyd. The theme song was " Soul Man" written by

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

and David Porter. Aykroyd was closely associated with the song, having released a cover of it in 1979 with his band

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul music, soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast ...

Premise

Mike Weber (played by Aykroyd) is a widowed Episcopal priest who must deal with his four children, his quirky parishioners in

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Royal Oak is located roughly north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cens ...

, and a wet-behind-the-ears curate who happens to be the nephew of his bishop.

Cast

as Rev. Mike Weber * Anthony Clark as Rev. Todd Tucker *Kevin Sheridan as Kenny Weber, Mike's first son * Brendon Ryan Barrett as Andy Weber, Mike's second son *Courtney Chase as Meredith Weber, Mike's daughter * Spencer Breslin (season 1) & Michael Finiguerra (season 2) as Fred Weber, Mike's third son * Dakin Matthews as Bishop Peter Jerome

''Home Improvement'' connection

Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...

appeared as Tim Taylor in the second episode, "Communion Wine and Convicts", who ended up cutting the hole too big, causing the basin to fall through the floor. In the Season 1 finale episode "Cinderella and the Funeral",

Richard Karn Richard Karn (born Richard Karn Wilson; February 17, 1956) is an American actor, author and former game show host. He starred as Home Improvement (TV series)#Characters, Al Borland in the ABC series ''Home Improvement (TV series), Home Improveme ...

appeared as Al Borland who came to fix the church's furnace. Reference was made to Tim and the holy water basin falling through the hole he cut. In the second season, Zachary Ty Bryan appeared in the episode "Public Embarrassment and Todd's First Sermon" playing Brad Taylor. Mike Weber later appeared on ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electr ...

'' as the priest of Al Borland. He was hired to put in a new stand for a holy water basin in the season seven episode "Losing My Religion".

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1997)

Season 2 (1997–98)

References

External links

* {{Home Improvement 1990s American multi-camera sitcoms 1997 American television series debuts 1998 American television series endings American television spinoffs American English-language television shows Television series by ABC Studios Television shows set in Michigan Home Improvement (TV series) Religious comedy television series American Broadcasting Company sitcoms