You Take the Kids is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from December 15, 1990, to January 12, 1991. The series starred Nell Carter, who also performed the theme song "Nobody's Got It Easy". You Take the Kids, which was perceived as being the black answer to Roseanne due to its portrayal of a working-class African-American family, featured Carter as a crass, no-nonsense mother and wife.

You Take the Kids
GenreSitcom
Created byPaul Haggis
Stephen Nathan
Directed byPeter Baldwin
Frank Bonner
Paul Haggis
Marcia L. Leslie
William Levinson
J.D. Lobue
StarringNell Carter
Roger E. Mosley
Dante Beze
Caryn Ward
Marlon Taylor
Trent Cameron
Leila Danette
Theme music composerJeff Moss
Opening theme"Nobody's Got It Easy" performed by Nell Carter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (1 unaired)
Production
Executive producerPaul Haggis
CinematographyBill Williams
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesCBS Entertainment Productions
Paul Haggis Productions
MTM Enterprises
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseDecember 15, 1990 (1990-12-15) –
January 12, 1991 (1991-01-12)

Synopsis

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Carter stars as Nell Kirkland, the opinionated matriarch of a blue collar African American family living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Nell's husband Michael (Roger E. Mosley) worked as a school bus driver while Nell gave piano lessons at the family home for extra money. Nell and Michael had four children: eldest son Raymond (Dante Beze), boy-crazy daughter Lorette (Caryn Ward), 12-year-old Peter (Marlon Taylor), and 10-year-old Nate (Trent Cameron). In addition to the kids, Nell and Michael also had to contend with Nell's equally opinionated mother Helen (Leila Danette), who lived in the basement.[1]

Cast

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Production

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The series was scheduled on Saturdays at 8pm (EST).[1] It was canceled after six episodes (five were aired, but the sixth was pre-empted by CBS' special coverage of the Gulf War).

Episodes

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No.Title [2][3]Directed by [3]Written byOriginal air dateProd.
code [3]
1"Pilot"Paul HaggisPaul Haggis & Stephen NathanDecember 15, 1990 (1990-12-15)1458
Nell and Michael's plans for a romantic weekend getaway are complicated by Nate's new job: delivering stolen car stereos.
2"Merry Christmas to All and a Pointy Hat to You"Frank BonnerPaul Haggis & Stephen NathanDecember 22, 1990 (1990-12-22)0707
The Kirklands' Christmas tree and presents are stolen by a homeless family.
3"The Eggs and I"J. D. LobueKathy SlevinDecember 29, 1990 (1990-12-29)0704
Nell and Michael get the wrong idea when Lorette is partnered with a classmate (Larenz Tate) in a school parenting project caring for eggs.
4"Fishes Are Like Sisters...You Can't Flush Them Without Feeling Guilty"Peter BaldwinPaul Haggis & Stephen NathanJanuary 5, 1991 (1991-01-05)0706
Lorette asks Raymond's cool friend Spunk (Carl Anthony Payne II) to the school dance, where he and his other friends plan to humiliate her. Meanwhile, Nate tries to do away with an unwanted goldfish.
5"What I Did for Love"J.D. LobueWilliam LevinsonJanuary 12, 1991 (1991-01-12)TBA
Raymond borrows money from high school loan shark Dewayne to take out the most materialistic girl in school and then steals to repay his debt.
6"Bad Boy"J.D. LobueMarcia L. LeslieUnaired0711
Peter steals the family car in hopes of finally getting his parents' attention.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (October 17, 2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1554. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  2. ^ "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search search: "You Take the Kids""". Writers Guild of America, West. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  3. ^ a b c "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search search: "You Take the Kids""". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  4. ^ [1] [dead link]
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