The Sinbad Show
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.[1]
| The Sinbad Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Gary Murphy Larry Strawther Sinbad |
| Developed by | Michael Jacobs David.A Caplan Brian Lapan |
| Starring | Sinbad T. K. Carter Erin Davis Willie Ray Norwood, Jr. Hal Williams Salma Hayek Nancy Wilson |
| Theme music composer | Chuck Brown |
| Opening theme | "Hah Man" |
| Composer(s) | Kurt Farquhar |
| 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 | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Michael Jacobs Productions David & Goliath Productions Gary Murphy-Larry Strawther Productions Touchstone Television |
| Distributor | Disney-ABC Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | September 16, 1993 – April 21, 1994 |
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 (Willie Ray Norwood, Jr.), 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 | 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 explains 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. He was the former roommate of David, but his lease was voided due to nonpayment, allowing Sinbad to make room for the kids. Despite his eviction, Clarence gained a new lease in an adjoining residence and frequently visits David. |
Supporting 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)
- Salma Hayek - Gloria Contreras (3 episodes)
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).[2] Activist Jesse Jackson protested the cancellations and called for a boycott of the network for their "institutional racism".[3] Fox maintained that the series were low rated and the decision to cancel was not racially motivated.[4]
Episode list
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | David Trainer | Teleplay by: Gary Murphy & Larry Strawther & Michael Jacobs & David A. Caplan & Brian Lapan Story by: Gary Murphy & Larry Strawther & Sinbad | September 16, 1993 | |
| 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. | |||||
| 2 | "The Toothfairy Has Landed" | Jim Drake | Gary Apple & Michael Carrington | September 23, 1993 | |
| L.J. objects to David telling Zana about the Tooth Fairy when she loses her milk teeth. | |||||
| 3 | "The Par-tay" | Robert Berlinger | Sharon D. Johnson | September 30, 1993 | |
| David takes a domestic engineering course and believes that the instructor has fallen for him. | |||||
| 4 | "Petty Larceny" | Rob Schiller | Michael J. Weithorn & Ralph Farquhar | October 7, 1993 | |
| 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. | |||||
| 5 | "My Daughter's Keeper" | Debbie Allen | Michael Carrington & Gary Apple | October 14, 1993 | |
| Zana joins a club and learns that only light-skinned blacks are accepted. | |||||
| 6 | "Strictly Business" | Rob Schiller | Ralph Farquhar & Michael J. Weithorn | October 21, 1993 | |
| Since L.J. has not been doing his homework assignments, he is not allowed to go to Disneyland with David's parents. | |||||
| 7 | "David's Van" | Debbie Allen | Mike Langworthy | November 4, 1993 | |
| David has trouble parting with his beloved car in order to buy another. | |||||
| 8 | "I Coulda' Been the Man" | Debbie Allen | Calvin Brown, Jr. | November 11, 1993 | |
| David friend is a successful basket ball player and he learns he could have had the same opportunity. | |||||
| 9 | "Shades of Acceptance" | Neema Barnette | Daniel Palladino | November 18, 1993 | |
| David falls for a past love. | |||||
| 10 | "It's My Party, I'll Cry If I Want To" | Debbie Allen | Calvin Brown, Jr. | December 9, 1993 | |
| When David is unable to get a TV character to come to Zana's party because of the cost, he creates one. | |||||
| 11 | "Breaking the Pattern" | Chuck Vinson | Sharon D. Johnson | December 16, 1993 | |
| L.J. invites his girlfriend over when no one is home. | |||||
| 12 | "Keep the Faith" | Debbie Allen | Gary Apple & Michael Carrington | January 6, 1994 | |
| L.J. doesn't believe in God. | |||||
| 13 | "The Dog Episode" | Debbie Allen | Orlando Jones & Mike Langworthy | January 13, 1994 | |
| Zana wants to keep a dog after he follows her home. | |||||
| 14 | "David Goes Skiing" | Debbie Allen | Orlando Jones | January 27, 1994 | |
| David has a hard time enjoying his annual ski vacation when the kids keep calling him at the lodge. | |||||
| 15 | "The Mr. Science Show" | Chuck Vinson | Marc Sotkin | February 3, 1994 | |
| David takes a job on a kids TV show, much to L.J.'s objection. | |||||
| 16 | "Black History Month" | Chuck Vinson | Tom Whedon | February 10, 1994 | |
| L.J. can't decide who to write his Black History Month essay on, and Zana volunteers to play Rosa Parks. | |||||
| 17 | "The Telethon" | Chuck Vinson | TBA | March 3, 1994 | |
| David convinces his father to coach a basketball team after he retires. | |||||
| 18 | "Neighborhood Watch" | Chuck Vinson | Orlando Jones & Mike Langworthy | March 10, 1994 | |
| David starts a neighborhood watch. | |||||
| 19 | "Love Lessons" | Chuck Vinson | Michael Carrington & Gary Apple | March 17, 1994 | |
| L.J. gets a bad grade in a black history class, and is tutored by his favorite teacher. | |||||
| 20 | "Can We Talk?" | Chuck Vinson | Sharon D. Johnson | March 22, 1994 | |
| David and Clarence go on a talk show. | |||||
| 21 | "The Family Reunion" | Chuck Vinson | Arnie Kogen | March 31, 1994 | |
| L.J. and Zana meet David's family. | |||||
| 22 | "Adoption: Part 1" | Chuck Vinson | Mike Langworthy | April 7, 1994 | |
| L.J. and Zana's uncle want them to live with him. | |||||
| 23 | "Adoption: Part 2" | Chuck Vinson | Orlando Jones | April 14, 1994 | |
| L.J. and Zana's uncle want them to live with him. | |||||
| 24 | "Girls Unda Hoodz" | Howard Ritter | Teleplay by: Orlando Jones & Arnie Kogen Story by: Gary Apple & Mike Langworthy | April 21, 1994 | |
| Zana gets her hair done and Clarence teaches L.J. how cool men drive. | |||||
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
- Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 441–444. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.
- Zook, Kristal Brent (1999). Color by Fox: The Fox Network and the Revolution in Black Television. Oxford University Press US. pp. 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. pp. 590. ISBN 0-7619-2261-X.
External links
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