The Parkers

The Parkers
The Parkers title card
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Ralph Farquhar Sara V. Finney Vida Spears
Starring	Countess Vaughn Mo'Nique Mari Morrow (Season 1) Jenna von Oÿ Ken L. Dorien Wilson Yvette Wilson
Theme music composer	Rodney Jerkins Countess Vaughn
Opening theme	"We're The Parkers" performed by Countess Vaughn
Ending theme	"We're The Parkers" (instrumental)
Composer	Kurt Farquhar
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	110 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Bill Boulware Ralph Farquhar Sara V. Finney Vida Spears Andrea Wiley
Producers	Andrea Allen Michelle Listenbee Brown Gary M. Goodrich Stacey Evans Morgan Stephen K. Rose Andrea Wiley
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	Saradipity Productions Regan Jon Productions (1999–2000) (season 1) Big Ticket Television
Distributor	CBS Television Distribution
Release
Original network	UPN
Picture format	NTSC (Seasons 1–3) HDTV 1080i (Seasons 4–5)
Original release	August 30, 1999 (1999-08-30) – May 10, 2004 (2004-05-10)
Chronology
Related shows	Moesha

The Parkers is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004. A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers features the mother-daughter team of Nikki (played by Mo'Nique) and Kim Parker (played by Countess Vaughn).

Premise[]

The series centers around a mother and daughter who both attend Santa Monica College. Nikki Parker was forced to drop out of high school when she discovered she was pregnant with her daughter Kim. After Kim reaches adulthood, Nikki decides to go back to school and graduates along with Kim. When Nikki reveals she wants to attend Santa Monica College too, Kim is initially mortified with this decision, but eventually accepts the situation. Nikki and Kim's mother-daughter relationship evolves as roommates and as students. Nikki adjusts to the fact that her daughter is old enough to live on her own, while Kim realizes that Nikki has more going on than just being her mom.

Cast and characters[]

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Main[]

The Parkers main characters of Season 1: (l-r) Nikki Parker, Desiree Littlejohn, Kim Parker and Professor Oglevee (center)

The Parkers main characters of Seasons 1–5 with Jenna von Oÿ and Ken Lawson becoming regulars and the addition of Yvette Wilson (replacing Mari Morrow) joining the cast: (l-r) Professor Oglevee, Thaddeus "T" Radcliffe (back row), Andell Wilkerson, Nikki Parker, Kim Parker and Stevie Van Lowe (front row)

• Kimberly Ann "Kim" Parker (played by Countess Vaughn^{[note 3]}) - A ditzy college student and Nikki's daughter who was born when her parents were still young teenagers. Her birthday is on October 31, 1981 on Halloween. Although she can be shallow, Kim has a kind heart and is fully close with Nikki. Kim is also a lead singer in the music group Free Style Unity, which also includes Stevie and T. At the end of series, she fails out of Santa Monica Community College but still becomes a successful fashion designer. (Kim originated as a regular character on Moesha).
• Nicole Ann "Nikki" Parker (née West) (played by Mo'Nique) - A boisterous, confident single mother, who embraces college life to the fullest. She had got pregnant at 17 by her ex-husband, Mel which lead to her having to drop out of high school to raise Kim. She is in love with Professor Oglevee, despite his apparent hatred of her. In the series finale, she eventually wins him over after five years of chasing him and they marry.
• Desiree Littlejohn (played by Mari Morrow) - Initially, the Parkers' neighbor and Nikki's friend. She only appears in the first season and is uncredited as a regular after five episodes. She is not seen after episode 13. It was stated that creator, Ralph Farquhar wrote her off because he wanted a stronger dynamic with another one of his characters. She was replaced by Yvette Wilson. It was stated she moved after Season 1.
• Stevie Alison Van Lowe (played by Jenna von Oÿ) - A sarcastic, intelligent white college student as well as Kim's best friend. Stevie is from a affluent family and has a tempestuous relationship with her mother. She is also a member of the music group Free Style Unity, alongside Kim and T. Upon graduating from Santa Monica Community College, Stevie attends UCLA and goes into business with Kim.
• Thaddeus Tyrell "T" Radcliffe (played by Ken Lawson) - A flirtatious, attractive college student as well as friend to Kim and Stevie. He is also a member of the music group Free Style Unity, alongside Kim and Stevie. At the end of the series, T goes on to attend Berklee College of Music.
• Professor Stanley DéVante (DeShaun/Wayne) Oglevee (played by Dorien Wilson) - A handsome professor at Santa Monica Community College. Although he prides himself on his intelligence, he often becomes embroiled in hare-brained schemes, often due to his own foolishness. Although he is initially repulsed by Nikki's affections, he eventually declares his love for her and they marry in the series finale.
• Andell Wilkerson (played by Yvette Wilson) - Nikki's level-headed best friend. Andell originated as a regular character on Moesha and appears on The Parkers in a recurring role during the first season but becoming a main character introducing from mid-season 1. From Season 3 onwards, she is the owner of a restaurant, "Andell's." At the end of the series, she marries her boyfriend Lester.

Recurring[]

• Mel Parker (Thomas Mikal Ford) – Nikki's rich ex-husband and Kim's father who got Nikki pregnant at a young age.
• Erica Willis (Porscha Coleman) – Guest-starring television role.
• Regina Foster (Kara Brock) – Snobbish and stuck-up colleague of Nikki, Kim and Stevie's at Santa Monica Community College and also a member of the Triple A Sorority.
• Joe Woody (Dwight Woody) – Works in the "Grub Hub" cafeteria at Santa Monica Community College. He previously played Coach Vines on Moesha.
• Veronica Cooper (Paulette Braxton) – On-and-off girlfriend of Professor Oglevee and occasional nemesis of Nikki.
• Sophia Van Lowe (Shannon Tweed) – Stevie's mother with whom she does never have a close relationship.
• Gertrude "Gertie" Lowe (Kym Whitley) – Is the organ player at "Mount Zion" church in which Nikki is the choir director. She is occasionally a nemesis of Nikki. She has also known Nikki and Andell since high school.
• Frederick "Freddy" Jones (Kel Mitchell) – A flamboyant fashion design student at Santa Monica College who often has conflict with Kim.
• Hakeem Campbell (Lamont Bentley) - Kim's long-life friend. He was previously on Moesha
• Niecy Jackson (Shar Jackson) - Also Kim's best friend and was on Moesha
• Symone (Samantha Becker) – Originally a backup singer in the group Free Style Unity in the first season but is not seen after.
• Chandra Carrington (Lark Voorhies) – Colleague of Nikki and Kim's at Santa Monica Community College and also a member the Triple A Sorority.
• Jerel Goodrich (Trent Cameron) – Kim's boyfriend turned fiancé, later ex-husband.
• George and Shirley West/Alexander (Earl Billings and Aloma Wright) – Nikki's adoptive parents.
• Constance McFarland (Suzzanne Douglas) – Nikki's haughty older sister.
• Tiffany McFarland (Cherie Johnson) – Nikki's niece and daughter of her older sister.
• Quincy DeJohn (George Wallace) – Nikki's biological father.
• Camille Oglevee (Veronica Redd) – Professor Oglevee's mother. She tried convince Kim to drop out of college to work for her, much to Nikki's disapproval.
• Aunt Rita (Nancy Wilson) – Nikki's aunt who turned out to be her biological mother. She explained that was unable to raise Nikki due to her career.
• Evelyn "Nana" Smith (Isabel Sanford) – Nikki's grandmother who comes onto Professor Oglevee while visiting Nikki.

Episodes[]

Series finale[]

The Parkers series finale aired on May 10, 2004, and drew in 3.6 million viewers.^[1]

Production[]

The Parkers was produced by Saradipity Productions, Regan Jon Productions (season 1 only), and Big Ticket Television. Reruns are currently distributed by CBS Television Distribution.

Broadcast[]

Reception[]

Although The Parkers initially received mixed reviews and was criticized for its outrageous characters, the series was a ratings success for UPN. Its debut season ranked as the No. 1 comedy on the network and was the most popular show among black audiences, ahead of The WB’s “The Steve Harvey Show”. The success of the series has been credited to its ability to relate to many audiences, especially young people.^[2]

Syndication[]

The Parkers has aired in syndication on Centric (previously BET J),^[3] UP, TV One, VH1, MTV2, and Nick@Nite.

Currently, the series airs reruns on BET, Fuse and Cleo TV.

The series started streaming on Netflix on October 1, 2020.^[4][5]

International airings[]

In Europe, the show has aired in Ireland and the UK. In Ireland, it aired on RTÉ Two from 2000 to 2005, usually airing Thursdays as 7.00pm. The first four seasons were aired in this evening time slot, with season five beginning in this timeslot and with the few remaining episodes moved to a late night timeslot on Fridays. After the series finished on RTÉ Two, there have been no re-runs and no current plans to run the show again. It was also shown on UK channel Trouble,^[6] which was also available in Ireland. It usually aired weekdays from 2000 to 2004 but after it was completely removed, it was shown on a one-off weekend in late 2006, with episodes airing all day. In Australia, it aired on Fox8 and in Jamaica on TVJ.

Reunion[]

The cast of The Parkers on The Mo'Nique Show: (l-r) Ken Lawson, Dorien Wilson (back row), Jenna von Oÿ, Mo'Nique and Countess Vaughn (front row)

In 2009, the cast members Countess Vaughn, Jenna von Oÿ, Ken Lawson and Dorien Wilson appeared on The Mo'Nique Show for a full-length episode, "The Parkers Reunion". Series creator Sara V. Finney was part of the audience for the episode. Yvette Wilson didn't appear due to her busy work schedule.^[7]

Home media[]

The Parkers: The Complete Collection, containing all five seasons, was released on region 1 DVD in Canada via Visual Entertainment in a 14-disc set on 18 March 2016.^[8]

Ratings[]

Awards and nominations[]

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• The Parkers at IMDb
• The Parkers at epguides.com