In the House

I looked up "In the House" and was surprised that it only had one season on NBC before being dropped only to be picked up by UPN. I never remember it even being on NBC. I'm certainly glad UPN decided to run with it.

This was LL's first real T. V. gig. He was satisfactory as the retired football player Marion Hill. As for Alfonso Ribiero and Kim Wayans, this was their second go around. Alfonso Ribiero was fresh off of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and Kim Wayans was just coming off of "In Livin' Color." They were two professional additions to help a newbie like LL Cool J.

The one thing I never got was why LL always wore something on his head.

LL Cool J in his first TV show? Who would've thought that such a combination can be so successful. Not the least of which is that it has some of the best comedy antics from recent years such as Kim Wayans, one of the funniest characters on the show. Although the first season was good, but not funny, the second and subsequent seasons were by far the best. Sadly, it was canceled after six seasons. It was good while it lasted;hey I watched not just for the laughs, but also the scantily clad babes that would(quite often) permeate throughout the show. But in the end, it's all good and I'm glad to had have the opportunity to watch it while it was on the air because by far and large, In The House is one of the funniest shows that ever came out on the small screen.

I really enjoyed watching the first few seasons of In The House when it was just Marion Hill, and the Warren clan Jackie, Austin and Tiffany. It was very funny and enjoyable to watch.

I found the mother Jackie played by veteran actress Debbie Allen (of Fame, erm fame!) hilarious to watch at times, especially as I thought she had great delivery and comic timing, as well as the funnier lines.

Her constant barracking of her ex-husband and the mickey taking of his bald head had me in stitches.

To many people, especially the elder generation, Debbie is best known for her associations with 'Fame','A Different World'. For those of us who were born after 1980 and too young to remember either of those shows and of whom are fans of Debbie Allen, it was this show 'In The House' in 1995 that first introduced us to her as an actress, producer, director.

Of course it is never easy for a show such as 'In The House' to carry on from where it's so called 'predecessor'the Fresh Prince had left off. Although the only comparisons I can draw from both sitcoms is that Debbie Allen was the executive producer of the first two seasons of The Fresh prince and In The House, and in that in both sitcoms the lead roles were played by then famous rappers in Will Smith and LL cool J. Not forgetting also that Alfonso Ribeiro appeared in both shows, so a lot of similarities can be drawn between the pair.

However, as soon as Jackie and Austin- who for me wasn't a bad sitcom kid- departed, this sitcom was never the same as it was, afterwards. As in their place were Kim Wayans and Alfonso himself. Kim played Tonya, of whom was at first a crazed, obsessed stalker of Marion's and she was just funny. Eventually she had mellowed down afterwards and wasn't as much the same crazy Tonya as she was a few seasons ago. Alfonso played Dr maxwell Stanton and whilst his role was supposed to be a far cry from his Fresh Prince days as Carlton Banks, in truth he was basically another version of Carlton- only slightly more arrogant. Both Kim and Alfonso are very talented actors, but i felt that their talents had been wasted when they became regular characters from season 3 onwards.

In all, I preferred it when it was just Jackie, Marion, Austin and tiffany... and so by the time the mother and her son went, In The House was no longer as funny as it was when they were around. If the show had retained those two characters and not added Maxwell, Tonya and the gym, then maybe perhaps In The House would've had a slightly longer run.

But In The House was good, i really liked it... up until the changes were made in the show.

"In the House" could have been a marquee African American-led sitcom in the mid to late 90s, following end of the Fresh Prince. It wasn't short on star power as it brought together Quincy Jones as an executive producer, and LL Cool J and Debbie Allen in lead roles. The first two seasons were the crowning glory of the show. LL stepped up to the plate admirably as the level headed, injured NFL-turned landlord Marion Hill; but it was Allen's portrayal of the hapless divorcée and mother of two Jackie Warren which really brought the show to life. Their interactions provided plenty of laughter, as the more spiritual Marion clashed with the sarcastic Jackie (in addition to her clashes with her kids, her boss, her ex-husband and everyone in-between!).

The move from NBC to UPN completely modified the show's premise as well as writing out Debbie Allen's character. For me, her departure was ultimately the show's undoing. Season 3 was quite good as Marion ventured out into setting up a clinic in partnership with Tonia Harris (Kim Wayans) and Maxwell Stanton (Alfonso Ribeiro). Wayans' eccentric character somewhat made up for the lack of Debbie Allen. Ribeiro was essentially playing Carlton Banks again. There was also more emphasis on Maia Campbell's character Tiffany Warren (the only member of the Warren clan left on the show). She was easily identifiable as the guy crazy, partying type teenager. This aspect provided a challenge to Marion who was acting as her guardian after Jackie left.

By the time "In The House" entered its fourth season, it was clear that the producers were running out of ideas. Once a family oriented show, now became more targeted at the late teen/young adult audience. The result was a less comedic, more melodramatic show. I truly believe that much of it pertains to the lack of Debbie Allen at this stage. The final season was very short and probably served as a procedural one before it got cancelled.

Looking back at "In the House", it was enjoyable overall, but was inevitably let down by major casting changes. I'd have kept Debbie Allen and Jeffery Wood on the show, and perhaps introduced the clinic in Season 4. One of the earliest themes of the show was Jackie hoping to find love again. The finale could have easily centred on her getting married or something, had she stayed on.

"IN THE HOUSE," in my opinion, is an absolute NBC turned UPN classic! I haven't seen every episode, but I still enjoyed it. It's hard to say which episode was my favorite. However, I think it was always funny when a mishap occurred. I always laughed at that. If you ask me, it was nice that all of the main characters had stayed with the show throughout its entire run. It seems that no one stays with a show throughout its entire run. Everyone always gave a good performance, the production design was spectacular, the costumes were well-designed, and the writing was always very strong. In conclusion, if some network ever airs it in reruns again, I hope you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.