Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B; singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in Los Angeles.
Overview
The show focused on the life of an upper middle class,
African-American family through the eyes of a typical girl. Her father Frank, a widower and
Saturn car salesman, has married Dee, the vice-principal at Moesha's school, much to Moesha's dismay. The series was created by Ralph Farquhar, along with the writing team of Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The settings for the show include the Mitchell household and the teen hang-out, The Den.
Issues addressed
The show dealt with "real teen social issues", such as
teen pregnancy, drug use,
race relations,
premarital sex, the death of a parent, and day-to-day issues faced by teenagers at home and in school. In one of the most controversial episodes, "Secrets & Lies", the Mitchell family learned from Frank's Aunt Hattie that he is the biological father of Dorian, who both the Mitchells and Dorian himself believed to be Frank's nephew. The shocking news of Frank's
infidelity (during his first marriage) turned the family upside-down and resulted in Moesha moving out of the house and Dorian's rebellion.
Cast and characters
Primary cast
Moesha Mitchell (played by Brandy Norwood) - Like many teens, Moesha is trying to find her place in life. At every turn, Moesha — along with her friends and family —experiences new challenges and hilarious situations associated with the pressures and demands of growing up in an often confusing world. Moesha is headstrong, independent and at times stubborn but stands up for what she believes is right.
Frank Mitchell (played by William Allen Young) - A Saturn dealer and father to Moesha and Myles. Originally believed to be Dorian's uncle, he is later revealed to be the young man's father.
Deidra "Dee" Mitchell (played by Sheryl Lee Ralph, Seasons 1–5, recurring Season 6) - An educator attempting to master two additional careers — as wife to Frank and stepmother to Moesha and Myles.
Kimberly "Kim" Parker (played by Countess Vaughn, Seasons 1–4) - Moesha's boy-crazy best friend who has a crush on Hakeem.
Myles Mitchell (played by Marcus T. Paulk) - Myles is Moesha's pesky younger brother. He is an excellent dancer.
Hakeem Campbell (played by Lamont Bentley) - A frequent visitor to the Mitchell household, as Moesha’s lifelong friend and neighbor, and then later boyfriend.
Andell Wilkerson (played by Yvette Wilson, Seasons 1–5) - Moesha's older friend and owner of the neighborhood hangout, The Den.
Niecy Jackson (played by Shar Jackson, Seasons 2–6, recurring Season 1) - Moesha's friend and confidante.
Quinton "Q" Brooks (played by Fredro Starr, Seasons 2–3, recurring thereafter) - Moesha's longest-running love interest.
Dorian Long (played by Ray J, seasons 5-6) - Moesha and Myles' cousin, who is later revealed to be their paternal half-brother.
Recurring cast
Bernie Mac as Bernie Mitchell, Moesha's uncle and Frank's brother; Andell's boyfriend (Seasons 1–5)
Ricky Harris as Javon 'J.W.' Willis, a mechanic working for Frank and Andell's boyfriend (Seasons 1–3)
Merlin Santana as Ohagi, Moesha's first boyfriend (Season 1)
Kara Brock as Sara, a friend of Moesha, Kim and Niecy (Season 1)
Christian Coleman as Freddie (Seasons 1-2)
Nicole Pantenberg as Teresa, a friend of Moesha who butts heads with Kim (Season 2)
Dwight Woody as Coach Vines (Seasons 2-3)
Antwon Tanner as Michael, Kim's boyfriend (Seasons 2-3)
Usher as Jeremy Davis, a love interest of Moesha who attended Bridgewood (Season 3)
Dru Mouser as Haley Dillard, Moesha's first friend at Bridgewood (Season 3)
Dante Basco as Marco, a classmate of Moesha's at Bridgewood (Season 3)
Jaime Elysee as Morgan, a classmate of Moesha's at Bridgewood (Season 3)
Monica McSwain as Mary Ellen, a classmate and rival of Moesha's at Bridgewood (Season 3)
Jo Marie Payton as Bernetta Campbell, Hakeem's mother (Seasons 4–6)
Alexis Fields as Alicia, a rival and later roommate of Moesha and Niecy (Seasons 4–6)
Jon Huertas as Antonio, a friend of Hakeem (Season 4)
Brandon Quintin Adams as Aaron, Moesha's boyfriend (Season 4)
Lahmard Tate as Jerome, Hakeem's friend and love interest of Niecy (Seasons 5–6)
Marissa Jaret Winokur as Theresa, Moesha's roommate (Season 5)
Olivia Brown as Barbara Lee, Dorian's birth mother (Season 6)
Episodes
:
See List of Moesha episodes
U.S. Television Ratings
Spin-off
Given her popularity for four seasons on
Moesha, Countess Vaughn left the show in
1999 for her own show,
The Parkers, which premiered on
August 30,
1999 on
UPN. It centered the adventures of Kim attending college along with her mother played by comedian
Mo'Nique. Leaving
Moesha, Yvette Wilson joined the cast as Andell in 2000.
Several Moesha cast members (including Brandy Norwood) made crossover appearances on The Parkers.
Opening credits
There have been four versions of opening credits theme song.
# Used for Season 1
# Used for Season 2
# Used for Season 3, which was nearly identical to the season 2 version, but with elements from the first theme, as well
# Used for the last three seasons
Although the same recording of the theme song was used for the last three seasons, A different opening was used for each of the last three seasons.
# Season 4 showed the cast around the neighborhood and shows Moesha, Kim, and Niecy dancing at the fountain.
# Season 5 showed the cast as Norwood lip-syncs to the theme song.
# Season 6 showed the cast as Norwood lip-syncs to the theme song. The same as Season 5 but with a twist. Since Yvette Wilson left to join the cast for The Parkers and Sheryl Lee Ralph's character became a recurring cast member in the show, Norwood is shown lip-syncing over where Yvette Wilson and Sheryl Lee Ralph once were in the Season 5 opening.
Cancellation
By the sixth season, ratings for
Moesha had dropped and UPN opted not to renew the series for a seventh season. The series ended on an unresolved
cliffhanger with Myles being kidnapped by a rival of Dorian and an unknown pregnancy test was found in the trash at Moesha's dorm room.
Entertainment Weekly reported that certain plots were to be resolved on
The Parkers, but the storylines were never resolved.
Syndication
The series aired in syndication on
UPN from 2000–2003, then on
WGN America from 2005 to 2009. It began airing on
The N in 2005, but ceased in 2009.
Moesha has also aired on
Nickelodeon UK, Paramount Channel UK and
Trouble TV UK.
Since 2008, The show has been running in syndication in Spain, Italy, Israel, Russia, France, Germany, Ireland, Holland, UK, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Liberia, Jamaica, Japan, China, India, Korea, Singapore, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico.
Awards
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;"
|- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center"
! style="background-color: #BCBCBC"|Year
! style="background-color: #BCBCBC"|Award
! style="background-color: #BCBCBC"|Category
! style="background-color: #BCBCBC"|Recipient
|-
| 1997 || rowspan=2|
NAACP Image Awards || Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress || Brandy Norwood
|-
| 1998 ||
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series || Countess Vaughn
|-
| 2000 ||
SHINE Awards || Comedy Episode || For episode
"Let's Talk About Sex"
|}
References
External links
Moesha at The-N.com
Category:1996 television series debuts
Category:2001 American television series endings
Category:1990s American television series
Category:2000s American television series
Category:American television sitcoms
Category:Black sitcoms
Category:Black television drama series
Category:English-language television series
Category:High school television series
Category:Teen sitcoms
Category:Teen dramas
Category:Television series by CBS Paramount Television
Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles, California
Category:UPN network shows
Category:Brandy Norwood
