You Take the Kids
| You Take the Kids | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by |
Paul Haggis Stephen Nathan |
| Directed by |
Peter Baldwin Frank Bonner Paul Haggis Marcia L. Leslie William Levinson J.D. Lobue |
| Starring |
Nell Carter Roger E. Mosley Dante Beze Caryn Ward Marlon Taylor Trent Cameron Leila Danette |
| Theme music composer | Jeff Moss |
| Opening theme | "Nobody's Got It Easy" performed by Nell Carter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Paul Haggis |
| Cinematography | Bill Williams |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Paul Haggis Productions MTM Enterprises |
| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | December 15, 1990 – January 12, 1991 |
You Take the Kids is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from December 15, 1990 to January 12, 1991. The series starred Nell Carter, who also performed the theme song "Nobody's Got It Easy". You Take the Kids, which was perceived as being the black answer to Roseanne due to its portrayal of a working-class African-American family, featured Carter as a crass, no-nonsense mother and wife.
Synopsis
Carter stars as Nell Kirkland, the opinionated matriarch of a blue collar African American family living in Pittsburgh. Nell's husband Michael (Roger E. Mosley) worked as a bus driver while Nell gave piano lessons at the family home for extra money. The Kirklands had four children: the oldest, Raymond (Dante Beze), boy crazy daughter Lorette (Caryn Ward), 12-year-old Peter (Marlon Taylor), and 10-year-old Nate (Trent Cameron). In addition to the kids, Nell and Michael also had to contend with Nell's equally opinionated mother Helen (Leila Danette), who lived in the couple's basement.[1]
The series was scheduled on Saturdays at 8pm (EST).[1] It was canceled after six episodes (five were aired, but the sixth was pre-empted by CBS' special coverage of the Gulf War).
Cast
- Nell Carter as Nell Kirkland
- Roger E. Mosley as Michael Kirkland
- Dante Beze as Raymond Kirkland
- Caryn Ward as Lorette Kirkland
- Marlon Taylor as Peter Kirkland
- Trent Cameron as Nate Kirkland
Production notes
You Take the Kids was executive produced by Paul Haggis. The series was produced by MTM Enterprises and Paul Haggis Productions, and distributed by 20th Television.
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Notes | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | Nell and Michael's plans for a romantic getaway are complicated by Nate's new job: delivering stolen audio equipment. | December 15, 1990 |
| 2 | "Merry Christmas to All and a Pointy Hat to You" | The Christmas tree and presents are stolen by a homeless family. | December 22, 1990 |
| 3 | "The Eggs & I" | Lorette's folks misunderstand when she teams with a cute boy in a school parenting project to care for eggs. | December 29, 1990 |
| 4 | "Fishes Are Like Sisters... You Can't Flush Them Without Feeling Guilty" | Lorette asks out Raymond's cool and sexually active friend spunk; Nate has plans to assassinate an unwanted goldfish. | January 5, 1991 |
| 5 | "What I Did For Love" | Raymond borrows from high school loan shark Dewayne to take out the most materialistic girl in school and then steals to repay his debt. | January 12, 1991 |
| 6 | "Bad Boy" | Peter steals the family car in hopes of finally getting his parents' attention.[2] | Unaired |
References
- 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1554. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.
- ↑ http://www.tv.com/shows/you-take-the-kids/episodes/