Moesha

Moesha Information

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. It was originally ordered as a pilot for the CBS network's 1995-1996 television season, who passed. It was then picked up by UPN, who aired it as a mid-season replacement. It went on to become the biggest success for the nascent network and one of the greatest hits over the course of the network's entire run.

Overview

The show focuses on the life of a middle class African-American family through the eyes of a typical girl. Her father Frank, a widower and Saturn car salesman (and later owner of his own dealership, Brothers Saturn), 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 hangout, The Den. The sitcom was portrayed to take place in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, California.

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 teenagers faced at home and school. In one of the most controversial episodes, "Secrets and Lies," the Mitchell family learned from Aunt Hattie that Frank is the biological father of Dorian, whom 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 Dorian's rebellion and Moesha's relocation from her home.

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 in Season 6)"?An educator attempting to master two additional careers "? as wife to Frank and stepmother to Moesha, Myles and Dorian.
Kimberly "Kim" Parker (played by Countess Vaughn) (Seasons 1"4)"?Moesha's boy-crazy best friend who has a crush on Hakeem, but later dated Michael.
Myles Mitchell (played by Marcus T. Paulk) (Seasons 1-6)"?Moesha's pesky younger brother. During the beginning of the series he was known mostly in the for playing practical jokes on his sister and her friends. In the sixth season of the show, Myles is kidnapped, however the show is cancelled before his whereabouts are revealed.
Hakeem Campbell (played by Lamont Bentley)"? A frequent visitor to the Mitchell household, he is Moesha's lifelong friend and neighbor, and later boyfriend. on the spinoff, [[The Parkers]], it was revealed that he and Moesha was no longer together. He dated Kim's best friend, Stevie Van Lowe (played by Jenna von Oÿ).
Andell Wilkerson (played by Yvette Wilson) (Seasons 1"5)"?Moesha's older friend and owner of the neighborhood hangout, The Den. Andell is featured on the spin-off show The Parkers, where she owns her own self-named restaurant and bar.
Niecy Jackson (played by Shar Jackson) (Seasons 2"6, recurring in Season 1)"?Moesha's best friend and confidante who could never keep a secret.
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; Andell's boyfriend (Seasons 1"3)
Merlin Santana as Ohagi, Moesha's first boyfriend (Season 1, guest appearance Season 4)
Kara Brock as Sara, a friend of Moesha, Kim and Niecy (Season 1)
Christian Coleman as Freddie, Hakeem's best friend and also a friend of Moesha, Kim and Neicy (Seasons 1"2)
Nicole Pantenberg as Teresa, a friend of Moesha who butts heads with Kim and Hakeem's girlfriend (Season 2)
Dwight Woody as Coach Vines, coach of the Crenshaw High basketball team (Seasons 2"3)
Antwon Tanner as Michael, Kim's boyfriend and Q's teammate on the basketball team (Seasons 2"3, guest appearance Season 1)
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 college 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 freshman year (Season 5)
Olivia Brown as Barbara Lee, Dorian's birth mother (Season 6)
Bree Turner as Brenda, one of Moesha and Niecy's roommates (Season 6)

Estelle Harris
Bo Jackson
Wesley Jonathan
Khalil Kain
Andrew Keegan
Sanaa Lathan
Kenny Lattimore
Lisa Leslie
Emmanuel Lewis
Jazsmin Lewis
Jenifer Lewis
Jodeci
Lil' Kim
Nia Long
Master P
MC Lyte
Maureen McCormick
Darius McCrary
Carlos Mencia
Mo'Nique
Shemar Moore
Phil Morris
Clifton Powell
Kyla Pratt
Jenni Pulos
Retta
LeAnn Rimes
Deion Sanders
Chaz Lamar Shepherd
Russell Simmons
Sinbad

Kellita Smith
Octavia Spencer
Soul for Real
A Tribe Called Quest
Tyrese
Gabrielle Union
Iyanla Vanzant
Marsha Warfield
Hal Williams
Kellie Shanygne Williams
Malinda Williams
Dorien Wilson
Nancy Wilson
Kym Whitley
Xscape
112
702

Episodes

See List of Moesha episodes

U.S. television ratings

Season	Season premiere	Season finale	TV season	Ranking	Viewers (in millions)
1st	January 23, 1996	May 21, 1996	1996	#141	3.5
2nd	August 27, 1996	May 20, 1997	1996-1997	#134	3.5
3rd	August 26, 1997	May 19, 1998	1997"1998	#141	4.0
4th	October 6, 1998	May 25, 1999	1998"1999	#137	3.3
5th	August 23, 1999	May 22, 2000	1999"2000	#130	2.4
6th	September 4, 2000	May 14, 2001	2000"2001	#130	3.3

DVD release

On September 27, 2011, CBS Home Entertainment released Moesha- The First Season on DVD in Region 1 via Amazon.com's CreateSpace program. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Amazon.com.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release dates
DVD Name	Ep #	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The Complete 1st Season	14	September 27, 2011	N/A	N/A
The Complete 2nd Season	24	TBA	N/A	N/A
The Complete 3rd Season	23	TBA	N/A	N/A
The Complete 4th Season	22	TBA	N/A	N/A
The Complete 5th Season	22	"TBA	N/A	N/A
The Complete 6th Season	22	TBA	N/A	N/A

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 on the adventures of Kim attending community college with her mother, played by comedian Mo'Nique. Leaving Moesha, Yvette Wilson joined the cast of The Parkers as Andell, a childhood best friend of Nikki's in 2000.

Several Moesha cast members (including Brandy Norwood) made crossover appearances on The Parkers.

Opening credits

There have been four versions of the 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 1 showed Moesha dancing in front of a fountain, walking with friends, dancing in a driving car,and playing a game of Chess,..winning, while waving at a guy as he walks away.
Season 2 & 3 had the same scenario as season one but had some changes. Moesha was still dancing in front of the fountain but with a bass player behind her. Instead of being with just her friends, she was shown to be playing basketball and baseball with her friends and family, driving with her friends and once again having a meal at the diner served by Andell with her family.
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, Moesha considering moving in with Hakeem, and an unknown positive pregnancy test being 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, Fox and The WB affiliates from 2000 to 2005, then on WGN America from 2005 to 2009. Then the series aired on BET from November 2005 to September 2009. It began airing on The N in 2005, but ceased in 2009. In April 2012, gmc began airing the show.

In the UK, Moesha aired on Channel 4 from 1996 until 1998, only showing the first three seasons. It also aired on Nickelodeon (edited for kids viewing) from 1996 to 2000 showing the first four seasons, Paramount Channel and Trouble.

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, South Sudan, Australia, and Mexico.

In 2012 Moesha airs on GMC TV, Centric, and BET.

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Recipient
1997	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress	Brandy Norwood
1998	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Countess Vaughn
2000	SHINE Awards	Comedy Episode	For episode "Let's Talk About Sex"

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