The Parkers is an American television sitcom created by Ralph Farquhar, Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The series ran for five seasons from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004, on UPN as a spin-off to Moesha. It stars Mo'Nique, Countess Vaughn, Mari Morrow, Dorien Wilson, Jenna von Oÿ, Ken L. and Yvette Wilson. The show centers on the relationship between a mother and daughter, Nikki and Kim Parker, who reside outside of Los Angeles in Santa Monica, California, with both attending Santa Monica College. The series was produced by Big Ticket Television, in association with Saradipity Productions and Regan Jon Productions, with Bill Boulware, Ralph Farquhar, Sara V. Finney, Vida Spears and Andrea Wiley serving as executive producers. 110 episodes were produced.
Contents
Premise
This comedy series centers around a mother and daughter who both attend Santa Monica College. Nikki Parker was forced to drop out of high school, nearly 20 years earlier, when she discovered she was pregnant. As the time arrived for her daughter to go to college, Nikki decided to go as well as a way to get an experience and education that was taken from her so many years earlier. Through a series of hilarious situations, Nikki has to adjust to the fact that her daughter is growing up, while Kim realizes that Nikki has a lot more going on in her life beyond being a mother.
Cast and characters
Main
Countess Vaughn as Kim Parker, a ditzy college student and Nikki's daughter. Although she can be shallow, Kim has a kind heart and is 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 the series, she fails out of Santa Monica College but becomes a successful fashion designer.
Mo'Nique as Nikki Parker, a boisterous, confident single mother, who embraces college life to the fullest. 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 get married.
Mari Morrow as Desiree Littlejohn, the Parkers' neighbor and Nikki's friend. She only appears in the first season and is uncredited as a regular after six 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.
Dorien Wilson as Professor Stanley Oglevee, a handsome professor at Santa Monica College. Although he prides himself on his intelligence, he often becomes embroiled in hare-brained schemes, often due to his own foolishness.
Jenna von Oÿ as Stevie Alison Van Lowe, a sarcastic, intelligent white college student as well as Kim's best friend. Stevie is from an 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 College, Stevie attends UCLA and goes into business with Kim.
Ken L. as Thaddeus Tyrell "T" Radcliffe, 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. At the end of the series, T goes on to attend Berklee College of Music.
Yvette Wilson as Andell Wilkerson, 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; she became a main character in the middle of Season 1. From Season 3 onward, she is the owner of a restaurant called Andell's. At the end of the series, she marries her boyfriend, Lester.
Recurring
Thomas Mikal Ford as Mel Parker, Nikki's rich ex-husband and Kim's father
Porscha Coleman as Erica Willis
Kara Brock as Regina Foster, a snobbish and stuck-up colleague of Nikki, Kim, and Stevie's at Santa Monica College and also a member of the Triple-A Sorority
Dwight Woody as Joe Woody, a worker in the cafeteria at Santa Monica College. Woody previously played Coach Vines on Moesha.
Paulette Braxton as Veronica Cooper, the on-and-off girlfriend of Professor Oglevee and Nikki's nemesis
Shannon Tweed as Sophia Van Lowe, Stevie's mother
Kym Whitley as Gertrude "Gertie" Lowe, the organ player at Mount Zion, where Nikki is the choir director. She has known Nikki and Andell since high school.
Kel Mitchell as Frederick "Freddy" Jones, a flamboyant fashion design student who often has a conflict with Kim
Lamont Bentley as Hakeem Campbell, Kim's longtime friend and former crush
Shar Jackson as Niecy Jackson, Kim's best friend
Samantha Becker as Symone (season 1), a backup singer in the group Free Style Unity
Lark Voorhies as Chandra Carrington, a colleague of Nikki and Kim's at Santa Monica College and also a member the Triple A Sorority
Trent Cameron as Jerel Goodrich, Kim's boyfriend turned fiancé
Broadcast
Syndication
The Parkers has aired in syndication on BET, Centric (previously BET J), Fuse, UP, TV One, VH1, and MTV2.
Currently, the series airs reruns on Cleo TV and Dabl.
The series started streaming on Netflix on October 1, 2020.
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 at 7.00 pm. 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, 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.
Reception
Critical response
Although The Parkers premiered to mixed reviews and was criticized for its outrageous characters, the series was a ratings success for UPN. Its debut season ranked as the number one comedy on the network; it 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.
Ratings
The Parkers series finale aired on May 10, 2004, and drew in 3.6 million viewers.
Reunion
In 2009, 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.
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.