The Sinbad Show
| The Sinbad Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Sinbad |
| Written by |
Gary Apple Michael Carrington Ralph Farquhar Sharon D. Johnson Sinbad Marc Sotkin Michael J. Weithorn Tom Whedon |
| Directed by |
Debbie Allen Rob Schiller Chuck Vinson |
| Starring |
Sinbad T. K. Carter Erin Davis Willie Ray Norwood, Jr. Hal Williams Salma Hayek Nancy Wilson Rita Ghall |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (2 Unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Ralph Farquhar Michael Jacobs Gary Murphy Marc Sotkin Larry Strawther Michael J. Weithorn |
| Producer(s) | Michael Petok |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
David & Goliath Productions Touchstone Television |
| Distributor | Disney-ABC Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | September 16, 1993 – April 21, 1994 |
The Sinbad Show is an American sitcom starring comedian Sinbad that premiered on September 16, 1993 on Fox. The show's main plot is about a bachelor taking in two orphaned children. Chuck Brown performed this sitcom's theme music. It was canceled after one season on April 21, 1994, with two episodes left unaired.
Overview
The series follows the life of David Bryan (Sinbad), a carefree bachelor, who becomes a single parent when he adopts two orphaned children, Zana (Erin Davis) and L.J. Beckley (Ray J), who face several issues which they work through together.
The show follows David as he helps L.J. and Zana deal with their new lives, L.J. dealing with school, friendships, girls and being a teenager, and Zana learning how to function in everyday life. Meanwhile, Clarence shares his antics and David's parents helping him deal with raising kids.
Characters
| Character | Played by | Description |
|---|---|---|
| David Bryan | Sinbad | Dave is the father of the family. His friends often refer to him as "Red" and he is known for acting out flamboyant scenes for Zana and hitting on attractive women. He designs video games. |
| L.J. Beckley | Ray J (credited as Willie Ray Norwood, Jr.) |
L.J. is the older brother of Zana. He is 12 years old, but turns 13 in the duration of the show. He is one of the more sarcastic characters on the show. He often states he can look after himself, but wants Zana to be safe. He tries to control what Dave does for Zana. He doesn't do that well in school, and he gets tutored by Ms. Page. He is often very surly and disrespectful towards David and other authoritative figures. |
| Zana Beckley | Erin Davis | Zana is 6 years old, and has greatly depended on L.J. in the past. She loves David very much but is still insecure about moving away from him, due to her experiences with various foster homes. |
| Clarence Hall | T. K. Carter | Clarence works at the Big and Tall store, and has been friends with David since grade school. He is often teased about his difficulties with women, although he remains boastful about his exploits. He is known for his cluelessness. |
Regular guests
- Hal Williams - Rudy Bryan (12 episodes)
- Nancy Wilson - Louise Bryan (12 episodes)
- Patrice Chanel — Claudette (2 episodes)
- Trina McGee — Faith (2 episodes)
- Michael Ralph — Leon (2 episodes)
- Peter Brost — Young Leon (1 episode)
Cancellation
The Sinbad Show was cancelled after its first season, and aired its last episode on April 21, 1994. It aired at 8:30 p.m., following The Simpsons, Thursday nights on Fox. The series was one of several shows featuring predominately black casts that were canceled by Fox around the same time (others included Roc, South Central and In Living Color).[1] Activist Jesse Jackson protested the cancellations and called for a boycott of the network for their "institutional racism".[2] Fox maintained that the series were low rated and the decision to cancel was not racially motivated.[3]
Episode list
| Series # | Title | Notes | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | David Bryan, a footloose and carefree bachelor, meets two orphaned children and learns the authorities will have to split them up unless someone adopts them both. | September 16, 1993 |
| 2 | "The Toothfairy Has Landed" | L.J. objects to David telling Zana about the Tooth Fairy when she loses her milk teeth. | September 23, 1993 |
| 3 | "The Par-Tay" | David takes a domestic engineering course and believes that the instructor has fallen for him. | September 30, 1993 |
| 4 | "Petty Larceny" | David believes that L.J. may be stealing from him until he catches Zana stealing in the mall and realises that L.J. is lying to protect his sister. | October 7, 1993 |
| 5 | "My Daughter's Keeper" | Zana joins a club and learns that only light-skinned blacks are accepted. | October 14, 1993 |
| 6 | "Strictly Business" | Since L.J. has not been doing his homework assignments, he is not allowed to go to Disneyland with David's parents. | October 21, 1993 |
| 7 | "David's Van" | David has trouble parting with his beloved car in order to buy another. | November 4, 1993 |
| 8 | "I Coulda Been the Man" | David has a hard time enjoying his annual ski vacation when the kids keep calling him at the lodge. | November 11, 1993 |
| 9 | "Shades of Acceptance" | David falls for a past love. | November 18, 1993 |
| 10 | "It's My Party, I'll Cry If I Want To" | When David is unable to get a TV character to come to Zana's party because of the cost, he creates one. | December 9, 1993 |
| 11 | "Breaking the Pattern" | L.J. invites his girlfriend over when no one is home. | December 16, 1993 |
| 12 | "Keep the Faith" | L.J. doesn't believe in God. | January 6, 1994 |
| 13 | "The Dog Episode" | Zana wants to keep a dog after he follows her home. | January 13, 1994 |
| 14 | "David Goes Skiing" | David has a hard time enjoying his annual ski vacation when the kids keep calling him at the lodge. | January 27, 1994 |
| 15 | "The Mr. Science Show" | No synopsis available. | February 3, 1994 |
| 16 | "Black History Month" | L.J. can't decide who to write his Black History Month essay on, and Zana volunteers to play Rosa Parks. | February 10, 1994 |
| 17 | "The Telethon" | David convinces his father to coach a basketball team after he retires. | March 3, 1994 |
| 18 | "Neighborhood Watch" | David starts a neighborhood watch. | March 10, 1994 |
| 19 | "Love Lessons" | L.J. gets a bad grade in a black history class, and is tutored by his favorite teacher | March 17, 1994 |
| 20 | "Can We Talk?" | David and Clarence go on a talk show. | March 22, 1994 |
| 21 | "The Family Reunion" | L.J. and Zana meet David's family. | March 31, 1994 |
| 22 | "Adoption (Part 1)" | No synopsis available. | April 7, 1994 |
| 23 | "Adoption (Part 2)" | L.J. and Zana's uncle want them to live with him. | April 14, 1994 |
| 24 | "Girls Unda-Hoodz" | Zana gets her hair done and Clarence teaches L.J. how cool men drive. | April 21, 1994 |
| 25 | "In the Beginning" | No synopsis available. | Unaired |
| 26 | "Pinch Sitter" | David learns how difficult it is to find a good babysitter. | Unaired |
Syndication
The show aired in syndication on The Family Channel Monday to Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and weekend mornings at 11:30. It also aired on Disney Channel for a short time during the mid-1990s.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Actor Under Ten in a Television Series or Show | Erin Davis |
| 1995 | Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Television Actor | Sinbad |
References
- ↑ Zook, Kristal Brent (1999). Color by Fox: The Fox Network and the Revolution in Black Television. Oxford University Press US. p. 11. ISBN 0-19-510612-1.
- ↑ Rosenberg, Howard (1994-10-19). "Did Jackson Save FOX Series With Boycott Threat?". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
- ↑ Dines, Gail; McMahon Humez, Jean (2002). Gender, Race, and Class in Media. SAGE. p. 590. ISBN 0-7619-2261-X.
External links
- The Sinbad Show at the Internet Movie Database
- The Sinbad Show at TV.com
- The Sinbad Show at epguides.com