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Me and the Boys is an American sitcom that aired on the ABC network from September 20, 1994 until February 28, 1995. The series features comedian Steve Harvey, who also served as a writer, in his first starring role. The series was created by Bob Myer, Rob Dames and Lenny Ripps, and produced by a.k.a. Productions and Bob Myer Productions in association with ABC Productions.
| Me and the Boys | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Rob Dames Bob Myer Leonard Ripps |
| Starring | Steve Harvey Chaz Lamar Shepherd Wayne Collins, Jr. Benjamin LeVert Madge Sinclair |
| Composer | Donald Markowitz |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 19 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Rob Dames Bob Myer John J. Strauss |
| Producers | Rita Dillon Kim C. Friese |
| Cinematography | Daniel Flannery |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production companies | Bob Myer Productions ABC Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 20, 1994 – February 28, 1995 |
Synopsis
editSet in Dallas, Me and the Boys stars Steve Harvey as Steve Tower, a widower with three sons who ran a video store called The Video Depot. Madge Sinclair (in her last acting role before her death in December 1995) co-starred as Steve's mother-in-law, Mary Cook. Chaz Lamar Shepherd, Wayne Collins, Jr., and Benjamin LeVert played Steve's sons Artis, William, and Andrew, respectively.
The series was scheduled on Tuesdays following Full House (which co-creators Dames and Ripps had previously written and produced on) and preceding Home Improvement. Despite ranking #20 in the ratings, ABC canceled the series after one season.[1]
Cast
editMain
edit- Steve Harvey as Steve Tower
- Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Artis Tower, Steve's eldest son
- Wayne Collins, Jr. as William Tower, Steve's middle son
- Benjamin LeVert as Andrew Tower, Steve's youngest son
- Madge Sinclair as Mary Tower, Steve's mother-in-law
Recurring
edit- Karen Malina White as Janet Tower, Steve's sister, an insurance agent
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Andrew D. Weyman | Bob Myer Leonard Ripps | September 20, 1994 | 49401 | 25.0[2] |
|
Steve teaches his middle son William a lesson about honesty when he catches William at the movies watching a horror movie that he isn't allowed to see. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Hunt for Miss October" | Andrew D. Weyman | Michael Poryes | September 27, 1994 | 49402 | 22.1[3] |
|
When Steve finds out that Artis and William both own girlie magazines, he tells his sons to get rid of them because he does not want them objectifying women. When all of Andrew's classmates have great art projects that their parents did for them, while Andrew is left with his own crude work, Steve proudly announces that Andrew is to be commended for self-sufficiency and craftsmanship as he did the work on his own. The collision of both plotlines causes Steve to be the one explaining everything to the principal. | ||||||
| 3 | "Your Cheatin' Heart" | Andrew D. Weyman | Sheryl North | October 4, 1994 | 49405 | 19.6[4] |
|
Steve offers William an incentive to turn his black history grade from an F to an A: a CD player. | ||||||
| 4 | "Curfew, God Bless You" | Andrew D. Weyman | Steve Young | October 11, 1994 | 49406 | 19.5[5] |
|
Artis sneaks out to a party; Andrew forgets to do his homework. | ||||||
| 5 | "Crushed" | Andrew D. Weyman | Bob Myer Leonard Ripps | October 18, 1994[6] | 49403 | 19.7[7] |
|
Steve tries to prevent William from being humiliated when William wears his heart on his sleeve for an uninterested older girl. | ||||||
| 6 | "Every Good Boy Does Fine" | Andrew D. Weyman | Bob Myer Leonard Ripps Rob Dames | October 25, 1994 | 49404 | 19.9[8] |
|
Steve and Mary must face the music and tell Andrew that he can't play the piano as well as his older brothers. | ||||||
| 7 | "Black Dads Can't Jump" | Andrew D. Weyman | Gary Hardwick | November 1, 1994 | 49407 | 22.2[9] |
|
Steve assigns himself as Artis' personal basketball coach. | ||||||
| 8 | "Talent Show" | Jay Sandrich | Ed Decter John J. Strauss | November 15, 1994[10] | 49409 | 22.1[11] |
|
Steve can hardly stop his head from spinning when the Four Tops pay a surprise visit to Mary's church fundraiser and wind up performing. | ||||||
| 9 | "Bad Influence" | Andrew D. Weyman | Leonard Ripps Rob Dames | November 22, 1994 | 49410 | 19.1[12] |
|
Steve and William have a falling out when William falls in with the wrong crowd at school. Meanwhile, Mary is slow to tell Andrew that she accidentally drove over his pet turtle. | ||||||
| 10 | "We're Off to See the Lizard" | Andrew D. Weyman | Lee Aronsohn | November 29, 1994 | 49408 | 19.1[13] |
|
Artis gets all wound up over the fact that his father is paying a video store co-worker more money per house, and takes a job at a pizza joint, which requires him to dress like a lizard. Meanwhile, Steve spends some quality time with Andrew. | ||||||
| 11 | "Oops, There It Is?" | Andrew D. Weyman | J. Anthony Brown Rushian McDonald | December 6, 1994 | 49412 | 21.0[14] |
|
Andrew's teacher (Denise Dowse) draws the wrong conclusion when Andrew hands in a picture that he drew of Steve and his girlfriend kissing...naked. | ||||||
| 12 | "Christmas Story" | Andrew D. Weyman | Bob Myer Leonard Ripps Rob Dames | December 13, 1994 | 49411 | 21.2[15] |
|
Andrew won't pose for a family Christmas photo. | ||||||
| 13 | "Blast From the Past" | Andrew D. Weyman | Bob Myer Leonard Ripps Rob Dames | January 3, 1995 | 49414 | 21.2[16] |
|
Steve picks up bad vibrations when members of his former band, The Four Vibes, ask Artis to join them in a performance at their high school reunion. | ||||||
| 14 | "Money to Burn" | Andrew D. Weyman | Bob Myer Leonard Ripps Rob Dames | January 10, 1995 | 49413 | 21.8[17] |
|
Steve's joy at winning $1,000 in the lottery gradually disappears -- along with the money -- as the demands of friends and family mount. | ||||||
| 15 | "The Kiss-Off" | Andrew D. Weyman | Bob Myer Leonard Ripps Rob Dames | January 17, 1995 | 49415 | 18.8[18] |
|
Steve appears on a local television talk show. | ||||||
| 16 | "The Age of Reason" | Andrew D. Weyman | Kim Friese Jane Espenson | February 7, 1995 | 49416 | 21.2[19] |
|
Steve starts feeling a little long in the tooth when he bites off more than he can chew trying to impress attractive doctor Sheryl during a physical exam. | ||||||
| 17 | "Goldilocks" | Andrew D. Weyman | John J. Strauss Bob Myer | February 14, 1995 | 49417 | 19.7[20] |
|
Steve has his eye on attractive police officer Nina, who's assigned to keep an eye on his house after a Goldilocks-style burglar breaks in several times to make himself temporarily at home. | ||||||
| 18 | "The 'B' Word" | Andrew D. Weyman | J. Anthony Brown Rushion McDonald Steve Harvey | February 21, 1995 | 49418 | 18.4[21] |
|
Steve continues to pursue a romantic relationship with police officer Nina, but he remains at arm's length when it seems that her feelings for him are more of the brotherly kind. | ||||||
| 19 | "When Stanley Met Shirley" | Andrew D. Weyman | Leonard Ripps Rob Dames Ed Decter | February 28, 1995 | 49419 | 20.9[22] |
|
Artis has his friends sneak him into a dance club for his 17th birthday, but the celebration hits a sour note when he realizes that Steve is there also. | ||||||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top TV Series | Donald Markowitz | Won |
| Young Artist Awards | Best New Family Television Series | Me and the Boys | Nominated | |
| Best Performance by an Actor Under Ten in a TV Series | Benjamin LeVert | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Richmond, Ray (1996-09-06). "The Steve Harvey Show". Variety. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 28, 1994. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 5, 1994. p. 3D.
- ^ Graham, Jefferson (October 12, 1994). "CBS edges into No. 1 spot, but can it stay?". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (October 19, 1994). "Regular series put ABC back on top". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ "TV Listings for October 18, 1994". TV Tango. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (October 26, 1994). "'Grace' leads ABC to tie with CBS". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (November 2, 1994). "ABC is 'Home' alone at the top". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (November 9, 1994). "'Cagney & Lacey' makes winning return". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ "TV Listings for November 15, 1994". TV Tango. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (November 23, 1994). "'Scarlett,' CBS' sweeping epic". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (November 30, 1994). "Reason for CBS to love 'Rockford'". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 7, 1994. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 14, 1994. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (December 21, 1994). "ABC's winning way with comedy". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. January 11, 1995. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (January 18, 1995). "'ER' rolls into the No. 1 spot". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (January 25, 1995). "'ER' helps NBC to No. 1". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. February 15, 1995. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. February 22, 1995. p. 3D.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. March 1, 1995. p. 3D.
- ^ DeRosa, Robin (March 8, 1995). "'Murphy,' 'Dust' help push CBS to No. 1 tie". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.