Thea (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Thea is an American sitcom
that premiered September 3, 1993 on ABC
, and last aired on February 14, 1994, for a total of 19 episodes. Starring comedienne Thea Vidale
, the series marked the first time an African American
female comedienne was the star of a series named after her.
starred as the sassy Thea Turrell (known for her trademark one-liner of "See ya!"), a widowed mother of 4 who works in a Houston, Texas
supermarket by day and runs a 1-chair beauty salon on the corner of her porch in the evenings.
The show was the first to feature Brandy Norwood
, who later went on to become a Grammy
-winning singer and the star of her own sitcom, Moesha
, (with Yvette Wilson
as a member of the supporting cast).
Although the show garnered high ratings at first, ratings steadily fell, and the series was canceled after only 19 episodes. It ended the season in 43rd place.
in May 2008 on Mother's Day
. However, a few months later the reruns ceased to air.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that premiered September 3, 1993 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and last aired on February 14, 1994, for a total of 19 episodes. Starring comedienne Thea Vidale
Thea Vidale
Thea Vidale , is an American stand-up comedian and actress.She began her career doing stand-up comedy in comic clubs in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles...
, the series marked the first time an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
female comedienne was the star of a series named after her.
Synopsis
Thea VidaleThea Vidale
Thea Vidale , is an American stand-up comedian and actress.She began her career doing stand-up comedy in comic clubs in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles...
starred as the sassy Thea Turrell (known for her trademark one-liner of "See ya!"), a widowed mother of 4 who works in a Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
supermarket by day and runs a 1-chair beauty salon on the corner of her porch in the evenings.
The show was the first to feature Brandy Norwood
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
, who later went on to become a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning singer and the star of her own sitcom, Moesha
Moesha
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 the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
, (with Yvette Wilson
Yvette Wilson
Yvette Wilson in Los Angeles, California is an American comedian and actress. She is best known for her role as Andell Wilkerson on the UPN sitcom Moesha and its spinoff The Parkers. She has appeared on many comedy films such as House Party 2, House Party 3, Friday, and on Russell Simmons' Def...
as a member of the supporting cast).
Although the show garnered high ratings at first, ratings steadily fell, and the series was canceled after only 19 episodes. It ended the season in 43rd place.
Cast
- Thea VidaleThea VidaleThea Vidale , is an American stand-up comedian and actress.She began her career doing stand-up comedy in comic clubs in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles...
— Thea Armstrong-Turrell, the show's titularTitularTitular means existing in title only. It may refer to:*Titular ruler, a person in an official position of leadership who possesses few, if any, actual powers*Titular , bishop or titular cardinal, whose see is in name only**titulus**titular see...
character; the no-nonsense widow and matriarch of four children - Adam JeffriesAdam JeffriesAdam Berry Jeffries Adam Berry Jeffries Adam Berry Jeffries (born on November 3, 1976, is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freeman on the Fox sitcom True Colors, and as Jarvis Turrell, Jr. on the ABC sitcom Thea.-Career:...
— Jarvis Turrell, Jr. - Brandy NorwoodBrandy NorwoodBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
— Danesha Turrell - Jason WeaverJason WeaverJason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
— Jerome Turrell - Brenden Jefferson — James Turrell
- Yvette WilsonYvette WilsonYvette Wilson in Los Angeles, California is an American comedian and actress. She is best known for her role as Andell Wilkerson on the UPN sitcom Moesha and its spinoff The Parkers. She has appeared on many comedy films such as House Party 2, House Party 3, Friday, and on Russell Simmons' Def...
— Lynette Armstrong-Russell - Cleavant DerricksCleavant Derricks (actor)Cleavant Derricks, Jr. is an American actor and singer-songwriter, who is best known for his role of Rembrandt Brown on Sliders.-Biography:...
— Charles Russell
Supporting cast
- Kenny Ford, Jr. — Leonard, Danesha's boyfriend
- Miguel A. Nunez Jr.Miguel A. Núñez Jr.Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in The Return of the Living Dead and Life and a leading role in Juwanna Mann....
— Rickey, Thea's supervisor - Arvie Lowe, Jr. — Otis
- Venus DeMilo ThomasVenus DeMiloVenus DeMilo Thomas is an American actress best known for her work as a part of Nickelodeon's Salute Your Shorts. Later in her career, she guest starred as Laura's friend K.C. on Family Matters...
— Desiree - Blake ClarkBlake ClarkBlake Clark is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, and veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a Captain with the 101st Airborne Division....
— Roy Bennett, Thea's boss at Mickey's Barbecue - Dennis BurkleyDennis BurkleyDennis Henry Burkley is an American character actor from Texas who has appeared in numerous films and television series since the 1970s.-Early life:...
— Walt Henderson, regular customer at Mickey's - Scotch Byerley — Claude Cooper, regular at Mickey's
- Marcus T. PaulkMarcus T. PaulkMarcus Paulk is an American actor, rapper and dancer best known for his role as Myles Mitchell in the UPN sitcom Moesha, which aired from 1996 through 2001....
— Cedric - Countess VaughnCountess VaughnCountess Danielle Vaughn is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role as Kim Parker on the UPN television sitcom Moesha and its spin-off The Parkers.-Early life and career:...
— Charlene - Wendy Raquel RobinsonWendy Raquel RobinsonWendy Raquel Robinson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as high school principal Regina Grier on the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as sports agent Tasha Mack on the CW/BET comedy-drama The Game....
— Patrice Washington, Thea and Lynette's "baby sister"; an attorneyLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Episodes
| Series # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 3, 1993 |
| We are introduced to Thea's hectic routine, working at the supermarket checkout by day, dressing hair by night, and supervising her four demanding children. James gives his mother $25 which he earned delivering sandwiches during his school lunch hour, but she insists that he keep the money and eat his own lunch in the cafeteria. Danesha returns from taking Jerome clothes-shopping, and Jerome blabs that he had to keep trying on ill-fitting clothes while she talked on the phone to her new boyfriend Leonard, whom she's meeting at the library later. Thea insists that Leonard pick Danesha up at home so she can inspect him. Meanwhile, Jarvis is supposedly at a friend's house doing a geography assignment, but Thea finds his geography book and knows that he has been at the video arcade instead, and grounds him before she leaves to attend a memorial service. It's the night of a big video-game competition, and Jarvis sneaks out despite James' attempts to keep him at home--then must face Thea's wrath. | ||
| 2 | "Jerome Makes the Grade" | September 10, 1993 |
| Jerome is failing English because of his desperate attempts to make the school basketball team. When Thea forces him to finish his book report on "To Kill a Mockingbird", he doesn't make the team--but gets an A on his report. Meanwhile, Danesha attempts to submit a video to America's Funniest Home Videos. | ||
| 3 | "Dirty Laundry" | September 22, 1993 |
| The washing machine breaks down, which means endless trips to the laundromat. Meanwhile, Danesha's boyfriend is in hot water after he kisses another girl' Thea puts him through the wringer before he can come clean with Danesha. | ||
| 4 | "How I Got Over" | September 25, 1993 |
| Thea gets a chance to train for manager, but Jerome plans a boxing-match party while Thea is at her night-school class. | ||
| 5 | "To Tell the Truth" | October 6, 1993 |
| Jarvis lets his younger brother drive and they get into an accident. but it's no accident that the boys don't tell their mom who was behind the wheel. To punish them, she cooks up a scheme with Lynette, who pretends to have lost her wedding ring in her trash, now at the bottom of a very fragrant dumpster. | ||
| 6 | "Artie's Party" | October 13, 1993 |
| Conflict brews when Arthur plans his bachelor party and invites Jerome, whom Thea thinks is too young to attend. | ||
| 7 | "Here Comes Mr. Gordon" | October 15, 1993 |
| Thea acquires an unwanted admirer. | ||
| 8 | "Birthday Girl" | November 3, 1993 |
| On her birthday, Thea's treasured gift of hot tickets to a Motown reunion concert goes flat when her boss calls her in to work a replacement shift. | ||
| 9 | "Danesha Loooves Leonard" | November 17, 1993 |
| When Danesha's romance with Leonard disrupts the household, Jarvis and Jerome hatch a plan to split them up. | ||
| 10 | "Mama, I'm Full" | November 24, 1993 |
| Thea must work at the market on Thanksgiving, so she entrusts Danesha with the cooking of the family feast. | ||
| 11 | "Good Stock" | December 1, 1993 |
| Jerome finds he has a knack with stocks, which leads Thea to lend him a real investment stake. | ||
| 12 | "A Christmas Story" | December 15, 1993 |
| Jarvis procrastinates putting up the Christmas lights because he's afraid of heights. | ||
| 13 | "Danesha Project" | December 22, 1993 |
| Danesha has a social-studies project on single parents to do and she's teamed up with Cliff Croverd, the most popular guy in school. Guess who they choose to interview about the single-parenthood experience? | ||
| 14 | "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" | January 12, 1994 |
| Thea finds herself in a hairy situation when she can't afford mandated improvements to her in-home salon and an inspector wants to close it down. | ||
| 15 | "Who's Zoomin' Who" | January 16, 1994 |
| Marcella uses Jerome to make her boyfriend Dwayne jealous, while Jerome uses the relationship to meet his own needs. Meanwhile, Thea decides to fix her own plumbing after Charles can't make time to do it for her. | ||
| 16 | "Of Fish and Men" | January 29, 1994 |
| Danesha is paired with a basketball star for a school project, but he tries to passs all the work off on her. | ||
| 17 | "Call Me Thea" | February 4, 1994 |
| Thea takes a day off, leaving the kids to do the household chores. She visits her favorite barbecue joint, Mickey's, but Mickey has died and new owner Roy's cooking doesn't come close. Enter new head chef Thea. | ||
| 18 | "T.C.B." | February 11, 1994 |
| Barbecue-sauce chef Thea is offered a restaurant partnership. | ||
| 19 | "The Pie Queen and the Loan Duck" | February 19, 1994 |
| Jarvis needs space and privacy to study for his college SATs. Meanwhile, Thea is outraged when she learns that Mitch Mallard, the banker who holds the mortgage on the diner, eats there for free--Thea's kids have to pay. | ||
Syndication
Reruns of the show returned on BETBet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
in May 2008 on Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
. However, a few months later the reruns ceased to air.
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series | Brandy Norwood, Jason Weaver, Brenden Jefferson and Adam Jeffries |