The Sinbad Show

*The Sinbad Show*
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	Kurt Farquhar
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producers	Ralph Farquhar; Michael Jacobs; Gary Murphy; Marc Sotkin; Larry Strawther; Michael J. Weithorn
Producer	Michael Petok
Production companies	Michael Jacobs Productions; David & Goliath Productions; Gary Murphy-Larry Strawther Productions; Touchstone Television
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	September 16, 1993 –; April 21, 1994

The Sinbad Show is an American sitcom starring comedian Sinbad that was premiered on September 16 of 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]

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.

Cast and characters[]

Main[]

Sinbad as David Bryan: 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.
Willie Ray Norwood, Jr. as L.J. Beckley: 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.
Erin Davis as Zana Beckley: 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.
T. K. Carter as Clarence Hall: 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.

Recurring[]

Hal Williams as Rudy Bryan
Nancy Wilson as Louise Bryan

Guest stars[]

Patrice Chanel as Claudette (2 episodes)
Trina McGee as Faith (2 episodes)
Michael Ralph as Leon (2 episodes)
Peter Brost as Young Leon
Salma Hayek as 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]

Episodes[]

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Pilot"	David Trainer	Story by : Gary Murphy & Larry Strawther & Sinbad Teleplay by : Gary Murphy & Larry Strawther & Michael Jacobs & David A. Caplan & Brian Lapan	September 16, 1993 (1993-09-16)
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 (1993-09-23)
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 (1993-09-30)
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 (1993-10-07)
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 (1993-10-14)
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 (1993-10-21)
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 (1993-11-04)
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 (1993-11-11)
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 (1993-11-18)
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 (1993-12-09)
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 (1993-12-16)
L.J. invites his girlfriend over when no one is home.
12	"Keep the Faith"	Debbie Allen	Gary Apple & Michael Carrington	January 6, 1994 (1994-01-06)
L.J. doesn't believe in God.
13	"The Dog Episode"	Debbie Allen	Orlando Jones & Mike Langworthy	January 13, 1994 (1994-01-13)
Zana wants to keep a dog after he follows her home.
14	"David Goes Skiing"	Debbie Allen	Orlando Jones	January 27, 1994 (1994-01-27)
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 (1994-02-03)
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 (1994-02-10)
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 (1994-03-03)
David convinces his father to coach a basketball team after he retires.
18	"Neighborhood Watch"	Chuck Vinson	Orlando Jones & Mike Langworthy	March 10, 1994 (1994-03-10)
David starts a neighborhood watch.
19	"Love Lessons"	Chuck Vinson	Michael Carrington & Gary Apple	March 17, 1994 (1994-03-17)
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 (1994-03-22)
David and Clarence go on a talk show.
21	"The Family Reunion"	Chuck Vinson	Arnie Kogen	March 31, 1994 (1994-03-31)
L.J. and Zana meet David's family.
22	"Adoption: Part 1"	Chuck Vinson	Mike Langworthy	April 7, 1994 (1994-04-07)
L.J. and Zana's uncle want them to live with him.
23	"Adoption: Part 2"	Chuck Vinson	Orlando Jones	April 14, 1994 (1994-04-14)
L.J. and Zana's uncle want them to live with him.
24	"Girls Unda Hoodz"	Howard Ritter	Story by : Gary Apple & Mike Langworthy Teleplay by : Orlando Jones & Arnie Kogen	April 21, 1994 (1994-04-21)
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 a.m.. It also aired on Disney Channel for a short time during the mid-1990s.

Awards and nominations[]

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
1994	Young Artist Awards	Best Actor Under Ten in a Television Series or Show	Erin Davis	Nominated
1995	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Television Actor	Sinbad	Nominated

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[]

The Sinbad Show at IMDb
The Sinbad Show at epguides.com

[1] Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 441–444. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.

[2] 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.

[3] Rosenberg, Howard (1994-10-19). "Did Jackson Save FOX Series With Boycott Threat?". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2008-12-12.

[4] Dines, Gail; McMahon Humez, Jean (2002). Gender, Race, and Class in Media. SAGE. pp. 590. ISBN 0-7619-2261-X.

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