''The Parkers'' is an American television

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 ...

created by

Ralph Farquhar Ralph Farquhar (born September 19, 1951) is an American film and television producer and screenwriter. Biography Farquhar attended the United States Military Academy at West Point before receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications ...

, Sara V. Finney and

Vida Spears Vida Spears (born April 8, 1956) is an American television producer and writer. She is best known as the co-creator, with Ralph Farquhar and Sara Finney-Johnson, of the UPN sitcoms ''Moesha'', starring Brandy, and ''The Parkers'', starring Cou ...

. The series ran for five seasons from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004, on

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

as a spin-off to

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

. It stars

Mo'Nique Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes; born December 11, 1967), known mononymously as Mo'Nique, is an American comedian and actress. She debuted as a member of The Queens of Comedy and earned recognition as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. In 2 ...

, Countess Vaughn, Mari Morrow, Dorien Wilson,

Jenna von Oÿ Jenna von Oÿ (born Jennifer Jean von Oy; May 2, 1977) is an American actress. She played the role of Six LeMeure in the 1990–1995 sitcom ''Blossom'' and Stevie Van Lowe in the 1999–2004 sitcom ''The Parkers''. Early life and career Bo ...

, Ken L. and Yvette Wilson. The show centers on the relationship between a mother and daughter, Nikki and Kim Parker, who reside outside of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, with both attending

Santa Monica College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a Public university, public community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. The coll ...

. The series was produced by

Big Ticket Television Big Ticket Television, Inc. (also known as Big Ticket Entertainment and Big Ticket Pictures) is an American production company. Big Ticket is a subsidiary of CBS Studios (formerly CBS Paramount Television and CBS Television Studios), a division of ...

, in association with Saradipity Productions and Regan Jon Productions, with

Bill Boulware Bill Boulware is an American producer and screenwriter. He was the creator of the sitcom television series '' 227'' along with Michael G. Moye. Boulware produced and wrote for television programs including, ''The Parkers'', '' Cosby'', '' New ...

, Ralph Farquhar, Sara V. Finney,

and Andrea Wiley serving as executive producers. 110 episodes were produced.

Premise

This comedy series centers around a mother and daughter who both attend

. Nikki Parker was forced to drop out of high school, nearly 20 years earlier, when she discovered she was pregnant. As the time arrived for her daughter to go to college, Nikki decided to go as well as a way to get an experience and education that was taken from her so many years earlier. Through a series of hilarious situations, Nikki has to adjust to the fact that her daughter is growing up, while Kim realizes that Nikki has a lot more going on in her life beyond being a mother.

Cast and characters

Main

* Kim Parker ( Countess Vaughn): A ditzy college student and Nikki's daughter. Although she can be shallow, Kim has a kind heart and is close with Nikki. Kim is also a lead singer in the music group Free Style Unity, which also includes Stevie and T. At the end of the series, she fails out of Santa Monica College but becomes a successful

fashion design Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion design ...

er. * Nikki Parker, née Alexander (

): A boisterous, confident single mother, who embraces college life to the fullest. She is in love with Professor Oglevee, despite his apparent hatred of her. In the series finale, she eventually wins him over after five years of chasing him and they get married. * Desiree Littlejohn ( Mari Morrow): Initially, the Parkers' neighbor and Nikki's friend. She only appears in the first season and is uncredited as a regular after six episodes. She is not seen after episode 13. It was stated that creator,

, wrote her off because he wanted a stronger dynamic with another one of his characters. She was replaced by Yvette Wilson. * Professor Stanley Oglevee ( Dorien Wilson): A handsome professor at Santa Monica College. Although he prides himself on his intelligence, he often becomes embroiled in hare-brained schemes, often due to his own foolishness. Although he is initially repulsed by Nikki's affections, he eventually declares his love for her, and they marry in the series finale. * Stevie Alison Van Lowe (

): A sarcastic, intelligent white college student as well as Kim's best friend. Stevie is from an affluent family and has a tempestuous relationship with her mother. She is also a member of the music group Free Style Unity, alongside Kim and T. Upon graduating from Santa Monica College, Stevie attends

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and goes into business with Kim. * Thaddeus Tyrell "T" Radcliffe ( Ken Lawson): A flirtatious, attractive college student as well as friend to Kim and Stevie. He is also a member of the music group Free Style Unity. At the end of the series, T goes on to attend

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

. * Andell Wilkerson ( Yvette Wilson): Nikki's level-headed best friend. Andell originated as a regular character on ''

'' and appears on ''The Parkers'' in a recurring role during the first season; she became a main character in the middle of Season 1. From Season 3 onward, she is the owner of a restaurant called Andell's. At the end of the series, she marries her boyfriend, Lester.

Recurring

* Mel Parker (

Thomas Mikal Ford Thomas Mikal Ford (September 5, 1964 – October 12, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as Thomas "Tommy" Strawn in the sitcom ''Martin (TV series), Martin'', which originally aired from 1992 until 1997. He a ...

): Nikki's rich ex-husband and Kim's father * Erica Willis (Porscha Coleman) * Regina Foster ( Kara Brock): A snobbish and stuck-up colleague of Nikki, Kim, and Stevie's at

and also a member of the Triple-A Sorority. * Joe Woody (Dwight Woody): Works in the cafeteria at Santa Monica College. He previously played Coach Vines on ''Moesha''. * Veronica Cooper (Paulette Braxton): On-and-off girlfriend of Professor Oglevee and occasional nemesis of Nikki. * Sophia Van Lowe (

Shannon Tweed Shannon Lee Tweed Simmons (born March 10, 1957) is a Canadian model and actress. One of the most successful actresses of mainstream erotica, she is identified with the genre of the erotic thriller cinema. Tweed has appeared in more than 60 film ...

): Stevie's mother. * Gertrude "Gertie" Lowe ( Kym Whitley): The organ player at Mount Zion, where Nikki is the choir director. She is occasionally a nemesis of Nikki. She has also known Nikki and Andell since high school. * Frederick "Freddy" Jones (

Kel Mitchell Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, rapper, singer, and TV host. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series '' All That'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he ...

): A flamboyant fashion design student who often has a conflict with Kim. * Hakeem Campbell (

Lamont Bentley Lamont Bentley (October 25, 1973 – January 19, 2005) was an American actor and rapper best known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on the UPN sitcom ''Moesha''. Bentley was also known for his role as Crazy K in the 1995 horror film ''Tales from ...

): Kim's longtime friend and former crush. He was previously on ''

.'' * Niecy Jackson (

Shar Jackson Sharisse Jackson (born August 31, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Niecy Jackson on the UPN sitcom ''Moesha'' (1996–2001). She was crowned the winner of MTV reality show '' Celebrity Rap Superstar'' in 2007. ...

): Kim's best friend. She was also on ''

.'' * Symone (Samantha Becker): A backup singer in the group Free Style Unity in Season 1. * Chandra Carrington (

Lark Voorhies Lark Voorhies (born Lark Holloway; March 25, 1974) is an American actress. She played Lisa Turtle on the NBC sitcom '' Saved by the Bell'' (1989–1993) and was nominated for the Young Artist Award six times, winning in 1990 and 1993 for her wo ...

): Colleague of Nikki and Kim's at Santa Monica College and also a member the Triple A Sorority. * Jerel Goodrich (Trent Cameron): Kim's boyfriend turned fiancé; later ex-husband. * George and Shirley West/Alexander ( Earl Billings and

Aloma Wright Aloma Wright (born 10 March 1950) is an American actress. Her television roles include Laverne Roberts on the NBC/ ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009), Maxine Landis on the NBC daytime drama series ''Days of Our Lives'' (2008– ...

): Nikki's adoptive parents. * Constance McFarland (

Suzzanne Douglas Suzzanne Douglas (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) was an American actress. She was best known for her role as matriarch Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson on The WB sitcom ''The Parent 'Hood'', starring Robert Townsend, which originally ran from 1995 ...

): Nikki's haughty older sister. * Tiffany McFarland (

Cherie Johnson Cherie Johnson (born November 21, 1975) is an American actress, writer, film producer, and author. She is known for her roles on ''Punky Brewster'' as Punky's best friend Cherie and '' Family Matters'', where she played Laura Winslow's best f ...

): Nikki's niece. * Quincy DeJohn (

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

): Nikki's biological father. * Camille Oglevee ( Veronica Redd): Professor Oglevee's mother. She tried to convince Kim to drop out of college to work for her. * Aunt Rita ( Nancy Wilson): Nikki's aunt, who turned out to be her biological mother. She explained that she was unable to raise Nikki due to her career. * Evelyn "Nana" Smith (

Isabel Sanford Isabel Sanford (born Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford; August 29, 1917 – July 9, 2004) was an American stage, film, and television actress and comedian best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Mills Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms ''All in the Fam ...

): Nikki's grandmother, who comes onto Professor Oglevee while visiting Nikki.

Episodes

Broadcast

Syndication

''The Parkers'' has aired in syndication on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

, Centric (previously BET J), Fuse, UP, TV One,

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

, and

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...

. Currently, the series airs reruns on

Cleo TV TV One is an American basic cable television channel targeting African American adults. It is owned by Urban One, and headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Originally launched as a joint venture with Comcast, Urban One would acquire the f ...

and

Dabl Dabl () is an American digital multicast television network owned by the CBS Media Ventures subsidiary of Paramount Global and operated by Weigel Broadcasting. Dabl launched in September 2019 with a female-targeted lifestyle format. It aired r ...

. The series started streaming on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on October 1, 2020.

International airings

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, the show has aired in Ireland and the UK. In Ireland, it aired on

RTÉ Two (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Republic of Ireland, Irish Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, television, RT� ...

from 2000 to 2005, usually airing Thursdays at 7.00 pm. 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 Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

, 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. In Australia, it aired on Fox8 and in Jamaica on TVJ.

Reception

Critical response

Although ''The Parkers'' premiered to mixed reviews and was criticized for its outrageous characters, the series was a ratings success for UPN. Its debut season ranked as the number one comedy on the network; it was the most popular show among black audiences, ahead of

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

’s ''

The Steve Harvey Show ''The Steve Harvey Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan that aired on The WB from August 25, 1996 to February 17, 2002, with a total of 122 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. Syn ...

''. The success of the series has been credited to its ability to relate to many audiences, especially young people.

Ratings

''The Parkers'' series finale aired on May 10, 2004, and drew in 3.6 million viewers.

Awards and nominations

Reunion

In 2009, cast members Countess Vaughn, Jenna von Oÿ, Ken Lawson, and Dorien Wilson appeared on ''

The Mo'Nique Show ''The Mo'Nique Show'' is an American talk show hosted by comedian and actress Mo'Nique. Airing on BET, the series began October 5, 2009. The show's second and final season premiered on Monday, October 4, 2010. Overview The show ran all-new episo ...

'' for a full-length episode, "The Parkers Reunion." Series creator Sara V. Finney was part of the audience for the episode. Yvette Wilson didn't appear due to her busy work schedule.

Home media

''The Parkers: The Complete Collection'', containing all five seasons, was released on region 1 DVD in Canada via Visual Entertainment in a 14-disc set on 18 March 2016.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parkers, The 1990s American college television series 1999 American television series debuts 2004 American television series endings 1990s American black sitcoms 2000s American black sitcoms 2000s American college television series American television spinoffs American English-language television shows American television series about families Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in Santa Monica, California UPN sitcoms