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.

I loved watching the show when we had the single Mom and her kids living in a mansion with Marion. Lots of the humor derived from Debbie and her interactions with her kids and navigating life, wrangling in her daughter and dealing with a boss that was a stereotype but done well enough to enjoy her character

Austin was an Urkel lite character that I feel didn't overstay his welcome and was a good balance

Then came Season 3 and no Jackie. I felt Jackie was the heart of the show and grounded it

After Season 3 I lost interest and it seemed like a carbon copy rather than the fun romp it used to be dealing with two headstrong leads that learned to respect one another.

I feel Kim Wayans was added to fill the Jackie void and why Tiffany stayed was just a massive plot hole, and adding Alfonso Ribeiero was just Carlton personality with another name.

I simply watch to Season 2 and leave it. I've watched some of the later episodes but it just feels a massive letdown from the earlier gold seasons.

Nothing was actually bad per se about any of the four seasons of this show (well, maybe the fourth season), but looking at it from a casting point of view, it was all over the place. The first season revolved around the Warrens--mother, Jackie (Debbie Allen); daughter, Tiffany (Maia Campbell); and son, Austin (Jeffery Wood)--who lived in a duplex alongside the landlord, a retired football player named Marion Hill (LL Cool J). Tonia Harris (Kim Wayans) changed from chasing Marion to becoming his best friend--as well as changing from a recurring character to a permanent character--as the season changed. Also, at the end of the season, Jackie and Austin moved away, leaving Tiffany to live with Marion. In order to afford to take care of her, Marion opened a health clinic with Tonia.

Several new characters popped up in the second season. The main new character was Dr. Maxwell "Max" Stanton (Alfonso Ribeiro), a conceited clinical doctor who also became part owner of the clinic. Also, Tiffany was given some friends, Carl (Ken Lawson) and Raynelle (Gabrielle Carmouche), who popped up here and there. But the most unnecessary character was a kid named Rodney (Deejay Daniels). He came out of nowhere and nobody ever bothered to ask whose kid he was. He didn't bring much to the show, which is probably why he was gone by mid-season.

Things were going fine until the beginning of the fourth (and final) season. The only people that were left were Marion, Max, and for some reason Carl and Raynelle. Because Carl and Raynelle were still merely recurring characters, the fourth season had more guest stars than regular cast members (the beginning credits only listed LL Cool J and Alfonso Ribeiro). The plots were very bland and uninteresting, particularly because the funniest characters and jokes were brought out by actors that were no longer there.

Overall, In The House was a good show, but it would have been better if the producers could make up their minds about the cast.

"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.

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.