Our House (American TV series)

Our House is an American drama television series that aired on NBC for two seasons from September 11, 1986 to May 8, 1988. The series centers on the Witherspoon family and the challenges they face adjusting to life with three generations living in the same house.

Our House
GenreDrama
Created byJames Lee Barrett
Starring
Theme music composerBilly Goldenberg
Composer(s)Joel McNeely
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes46
Production
Producer(s)Frank Fischer
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production company(s)
DistributorWarner Bros. Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Audio format
Original releaseSeptember 11, 1986 (1986-09-11) –
May 8, 1988 (1988-05-08)

The series was created by James Lee Barrett, who died the year after its cancellation.

Synopsis

After his son John dies, retired widower Gus Witherspoon (Wilford Brimley) invites his daughter-in-law Jessica Witherspoon (Deidre Hall) and her three children to move to California and live with him until Jessie gets back on her feet financially.

Despite protests from her children—15-year-old daughter Kris (Shannen Doherty); 12-year-old son David (Chad Allen); and 8-year-old daughter Molly (Keri Houlihan)—they, Jessie, and their basset hound Arthur leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, to start life anew in California. As they settle in with Gus, they realize just how difficult he can be to live with. The majority of the plots each week centered on the conflicts which tend to arise when an extended family must live together in the same house. As man of the house, Gus imposed rules on his three grandkids the same way he had raised John (and also John's brother Ben, who was seen in a two-part episode); ultimately, however, he learned ways of conveying lessons to the kids without being gruff. Jessie and the kids eventually learned that beneath Gus's stern facade was a wise man, well versed in the ways of the world, who cared about them very much.

In a feature reminiscent of the 1960s TV series The Wild Wild West, each of the episode's five acts (before the commercial break) ended with a freeze-frame shot which then occupied one of several rooms in an abstract rendering of a house figure. As the episode unfolded, more rooms were filled until finally—when the dilemma had been resolved—the final piece was put in place, completing the house.

John Witherspoon (played by Patrick Duffy) was seen in one episode and in the occasional flashback.

Cast

Episodes

Season 1 (1986–87)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Home Again"TBATBASeptember 11, 1986 (1986-09-11)
22"The Money Machine"TBATBASeptember 14, 1986 (1986-09-14)
33"Families and Friends"TBATBASeptember 21, 1986 (1986-09-21)
44"That Lonesome Old Caboose"TBATBASeptember 28, 1986 (1986-09-28)
55"The Third Question"TBATBAOctober 5, 1986 (1986-10-05)
66"See You in Court"TBATBAOctober 12, 1986 (1986-10-12)
77"Small Steps up a Small Mountain"TBATBAOctober 19, 1986 (1986-10-19)
88"Choices"TBATBAOctober 26, 1986 (1986-10-26)
99"First Impressions"TBATBANovember 2, 1986 (1986-11-02)
1010"Different Habits"TBATBANovember 9, 1986 (1986-11-09)
1111"Off We Go..."TBATBANovember 16, 1986 (1986-11-16)
1212"Heart of a Dancer"TBATBANovember 23, 1986 (1986-11-23)
1313"Green Christmas"TBATBADecember 14, 1986 (1986-12-14)
1414"Family Secrets"TBATBAJanuary 4, 1987 (1987-01-04)
1515"A Point of View"TBATBAJanuary 11, 1987 (1987-01-11)
1616"The Best Intentions"TBATBAJanuary 18, 1987 (1987-01-18)
1717"The 100 Year Old Weekend"TBATBAFebruary 1, 1987 (1987-02-01)
1818"Past Tense, Future Tense: Part 1"Ray AustinTBAFebruary 8, 1987 (1987-02-08)
1919"Past Tense, Future Tense: Part 2"TBATBAFebruary 15, 1987 (1987-02-15)
2020"Friends"TBATBAFebruary 22, 1987 (1987-02-22)
2121"Giving 'em the Business"TBATBAMarch 1, 1987 (1987-03-01)
2222"Growing Up, Growing Old"TBATBAMarch 15, 1987 (1987-03-15)
2323"The Road out of Briarpatch"TBATBAMarch 22, 1987 (1987-03-22)
2424"The Children's Crusade"TBATBAMay 3, 1987 (1987-05-03)

Season 2 (1987–88)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
251"Sounds from a Silent Clock: Part 1"TBATBASeptember 13, 1987 (1987-09-13)
262"Sounds from a Silent Clock: Part 2"TBATBASeptember 20, 1987 (1987-09-20)
273"A Silent, Fallen Tree"TBATBASeptember 27, 1987 (1987-09-27)
284"Dancing in the Dark"TBATBAOctober 4, 1987 (1987-10-04)
295"The Witherspoon War"TBATBAOctober 18, 1987 (1987-10-18)
306"The Haunting"TBATBAOctober 25, 1987 (1987-10-25)
317"Candles and Shadows"Chuck ArnoldWilliam BlinnNovember 1, 1987 (1987-11-01)
328"The Springtown Treasure"Chuck ArnoldE. F. WallengrenNovember 15, 1987 (1987-11-15)
339"They Also Serve"Ray AustinKim C. FrieseNovember 22, 1987 (1987-11-22)
3410"Like Father, Like Son"TBATBANovember 29, 1987 (1987-11-29)
3511"Sunday's Hero, Monday's Goat"TBATBADecember 6, 1987 (1987-12-06)
3612"Balance of Power"TBATBAJanuary 10, 1988 (1988-01-10)
3713"Call It a Draw"Ray AustinMichael MarksJanuary 17, 1988 (1988-01-17)
3814"Finish the Day"TBATBAJanuary 24, 1988 (1988-01-24)
3915"Two-Beat, Four-Beat"TBATBAFebruary 7, 1988 (1988-02-07)
4016"Trouble in Paradise: Part 1"TBATBAFebruary 14, 1988 (1988-02-14)
4117"Trouble in Paradise: Part 2"TBATBAFebruary 21, 1988 (1988-02-21)
4218"Out of Step"TBATBAFebruary 28, 1988 (1988-02-28)
4319"The Ashton Street Gang"TBATBAMarch 6, 1988 (1988-03-06)
4420"The Fifth Beatle"TBATBAMarch 13, 1988 (1988-03-13)
4521"Neighborhood Watch"TBATBAMay 1, 1988 (1988-05-01)
4622"Artful Dodging"TBATBAMay 8, 1988 (1988-05-08)

Reception

Upon the show's 1986 premiere, the Associated Press called it "a family show suitable for framing." Despite positive reviews, the series was not a ratings success, likely owing to being scheduled Sundays at 7 PM (EST) opposite CBS's powerhouse 60 Minutes and numerous overruns by NFL games on its own network. The series ranked 59th in its first season (12.9 rating) [1] and 70th in its second season (11.1 rating).[2] Viewers who saw the show gave it mixed reviews, with some viewers liking the show a lot, and others hating it.

The Inspiration Network re-aired syndicated episodes of Our House in the US from October 18, 2010, to December 31, 2011.[3] Prior to that, reruns of the show aired on The Family Channel in the early 1990s and on the Faith & Values Channel, Pax TV and Odyssey Channel later that decade.

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References
  1. "The Fifth Estate : Broadcasting" (PDF). Americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. "List of Season's Top-Rated TV Shows With AM-TV Ratings Bjt". Apnewsarchive.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. "INSP to Air "The Waltons" and "Our House"" (Press release). INSP – Inspiration. 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
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