You Take the Kids
You Take the Kids is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from December 15, 1990, to January 19, 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.
| You Take the Kids | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created 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 | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Paul Haggis |
| Cinematography | Bill Williams |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | CBS Entertainment Productions Paul Haggis Productions MTM Enterprises |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | December 15, 1990 – January 19, 1991 |
Synopsis
Carter stars as Nell Kirkland, the opinionated matriarch of a blue collar African American family living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Nell's husband Michael (Roger E. Mosley) worked as a school bus driver while Nell gave piano lessons at the family home for extra money. Nell and Michael had four children: eldest son 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 basement.[1]
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
- Leila Danette as Helen
Production
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).
You Take the Kids was executive produced by Paul Haggis. The series was produced by CBS Entertainment Productions, MTM Enterprises and Paul Haggis Productions, and is currently distributed by CBS Television Distribution.
Episodes
| No. | Title [2][3] | Directed by [3] | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Paul Haggis | Paul Haggis & Stephen Nathan | December 15, 1990 | 1458 |
| Nell and Michael's plans for a romantic weekend getaway are complicated by Nate's new job: delivering stolen car stereos. | |||||
| 2 | "Merry Christmas to All and a Pointy Hat to You" | Frank Bonner | Paul Haggis & Stephen Nathan | December 22, 1990 | 0707 |
| The Kirklands' Christmas tree and presents are stolen by a homeless family. | |||||
| 3 | "The Eggs and I" | J. D. Lobue | Kathy Slevin | December 29, 1990 | 0704 |
| Nell and Michael get the wrong idea when Lorette is partnered with a classmate (Larenz Tate) in a school parenting project caring for eggs. | |||||
| 4 | "Fishes Are Like Sisters...You Can't Flush Them Without Feeling Guilty" | Peter Baldwin | Paul Haggis & Stephen Nathan | January 5, 1991 | 0706 |
| Lorette asks Raymond's cool friend Spunk (Carl Anthony Payne II) to the school dance, where he and his other friends plan to humiliate her. Meanwhile, Nate tries to do away with an unwanted goldfish. | |||||
| 5 | "What I Did for Love" | J.D. Lobue | William Levinson | January 12, 1991 | TBA |
| Raymond borrows money from high school loan shark Dewayne to take out the most materialistic girl in school and then steals to repay his debt. | |||||
| 6 | "Bad Boy" | J.D. Lobue | Marcia L. Leslie | January 19, 1991 | 0711 |
| Peter steals the family car in hopes of finally getting his parents' attention.[4] | |||||
References
- Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (October 17, 2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1554. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search search: "You Take the Kids""". Writers Guild of America, West. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
- "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search search: "You Take the Kids""". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2017-06-19.