The Hughleys
Encyclopedia
The Hughleys is an American sitcom
that aired on ABC
from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on the UPN network
from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian
D. L. Hughley
as the main character, Darryl Hughley and Elise Neal
as Yvonne, his hard-working wife who move their family from the inner city
neighborhood to the suburban California
.
salesman Darryl Hughley. Elise Neal
portrayed Darryl's wife, Yvonne. Alongside starring in the series was ex-Living Single
co-star, John Henton
who portrayed the couple's best friend, Milsap, from the "old neighborhood", most often visit them and stopped by to help the family out (much resemblance to Willona visiting James
and Florida
on Good Times
.), and including Yvonne and Darryl's two children: 12-year old Sydney, played by Ashley Monique Clark
and 10-year old Michael, played by Dee Jay Daniels
, who both sometimes acted out or got into complete chaos. Michael's best friends included: Ronnie (played by Preston Wamsley
), Otto (originally played by Connor Matheus in Season 1 and 2, then Ian Meltzer from Season 3 and 4), and Miles (played by Martin Spanjers
).
The initial plot for the story is Darryl Hugley, who owns his own vending machine business, moving out of a South Los Angeles
ghetto to West Hills
, a predominately white neighborhood within the San Fernando Valley
. Darryl and his family try to adjust to living in an all white area, at the same time trying to not forget who they are and where they came from. Darryl and Yvonne befriend their new neighbors Sally and Dave who are literally the polar opposite of Darryl. The story has many racial themes to it but are usually comedic as Darryl makes fun of other races, especially his white and Korean neighbors.
Marietta DePrima
and Eric Allan Kramer
played Dave and Sally Rogers, a primary, friendly, wholesome white couple
that live in the suburbs, and Darryl's happy-go-lucky mother Hattie Mae Hughley, played by Marla Gibbs
and his father, Henry Hughley, played by Ellis Williams.
In return, Telma Hopkins
portrayed Yvonne's mother, Paulette Williams; opposite Hopkins, Sherman Hemsley
portrayed Yvonne's father, Mr. Williams–who did not get along with Darryl, because in Darryl's own words, thought of him as a "jackass", including Patricia Belcher
as the family's Aunt Jessie Mae Hughley. Adele Givens
portrayed Yvonne's older sister Shari Williams, a wise-cracking, back-talking evil sister-in-law to Darryl.
The show spent two seasons on ABC
. In its first season, it followed Home Improvement, but was canceled when ABC decided to revamp its TGIF lineup. UPN
picked up the show in the fall of 2000 and it aired in the Monday night lineup along Moesha
, The Parkers
and Girlfriends
. While The Parkers
and Girlfriends
had improved ratings, The Hughleys aired its series finale after its fourth season.
The series had many guest stars including Ashley Tisdale
, Kelly Rowland
, Lil' Romeo
, Gary Coleman
, Adele Givens
, Telma Hopkins
, Sherman Hemsley
, Vivica A. Fox
, Martin Spanjers
, Mo'Nique, Tyra Banks
, among others.
. On the two-part series finale entitled "It's a Girl!" (aired on May 13 and May 20, 2002), Darryl Hughley's niece, Carly (guest star Kelly Rowland
) is preparing for college
(the college was unknown), with peace, tranquility and no expectation of her relatives coming to annoy her (implying the entire Hughleys clan). Carly then receives an unexpected visit from her cousins Sydney and Michael. Darryl and Milsap go to their twentieth high school reunion
and Milsap learns that his "old" girlfriend, Shandra, has a child, and he is the father.
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on the UPN network
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
D. L. Hughley
D. L. Hughley
Darryl Lynn "D. L." Hughley is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as the star of the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy. Additionally, he has been the host of CNN's D. L...
as the main character, Darryl Hughley and Elise Neal
Elise Neal
Elise Neal is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Neal, a Memphis, Tennessee native, was born on March 14, 1966, the daughter of a nurse and a construction worker. She attended Lakeview Elementary. She was a ballet dancer and a cheerleader...
as Yvonne, his hard-working wife who move their family from the inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
neighborhood to the suburban California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Plot summary
The show's main cast consisted of D. L. Hughley as the main character, vending machineVending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
salesman Darryl Hughley. Elise Neal
Elise Neal
Elise Neal is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Neal, a Memphis, Tennessee native, was born on March 14, 1966, the daughter of a nurse and a construction worker. She attended Lakeview Elementary. She was a ballet dancer and a cheerleader...
portrayed Darryl's wife, Yvonne. Alongside starring in the series was ex-Living Single
Living Single
Living Single is an American television sitcom which aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 29, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.Throughout its run, Living...
co-star, John Henton
John Henton
John Henton is an American actor and comedian and a graduate of Shaw High School. He has a 22 year old brother , Lindsay Henton...
who portrayed the couple's best friend, Milsap, from the "old neighborhood", most often visit them and stopped by to help the family out (much resemblance to Willona visiting James
James Evans, Sr.
James Evans Sr. was a supporting character portrayed by TV actor John Amos in the 1970s American sitcom Good Times, from the first season in 1974, until the end of the third season in 1976....
and Florida
Florida Evans
Florida Evans Dixon was the fictional supporting character on the sitcom Maude and the lead character in its spin-off, Good Times. She was the hard-working mother of the Evans family...
on Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
.), and including Yvonne and Darryl's two children: 12-year old Sydney, played by Ashley Monique Clark
Ashley Monique Clark
Ashley Monique Clark is an American television actress best known for the role as Sydney Hughley on the ABC and UPN television program, The Hughleys....
and 10-year old Michael, played by Dee Jay Daniels
Dee Jay Daniels
Dee Jay Daniels is an American television actor.Daniels is best known for his role as Michael Hughley on D.L. Hughley's sitcom, The Hughleys...
, who both sometimes acted out or got into complete chaos. Michael's best friends included: Ronnie (played by Preston Wamsley
Preston Wamsley
Preston Maki Wamsley is an American television actor.Wamsley is best known for his recurring role as "Ronnie Wilson" on the late 1990s sitcom, The Hughleys. Wamsley has also made appearances on other sitcoms including My Wife and Kids, The Nanny, and Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.- External links :...
), Otto (originally played by Connor Matheus in Season 1 and 2, then Ian Meltzer from Season 3 and 4), and Miles (played by Martin Spanjers
Martin Spanjers
Martin Ryan Spanjers is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Rory Hennessy in the short-lived ABC television sitcom 8 Simples Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.-Life and career:...
).
The initial plot for the story is Darryl Hugley, who owns his own vending machine business, moving out of a South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
ghetto to West Hills
West Hills
West Hills can refer to several places in the United States:* West Hills, New York* West Hills, Pennsylvania* West Hills, Los Angeles, California...
, a predominately white neighborhood within the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. Darryl and his family try to adjust to living in an all white area, at the same time trying to not forget who they are and where they came from. Darryl and Yvonne befriend their new neighbors Sally and Dave who are literally the polar opposite of Darryl. The story has many racial themes to it but are usually comedic as Darryl makes fun of other races, especially his white and Korean neighbors.
Other cast members and characters
Originally, Martin's Tisha Campbell Martin was in cast for the role of Yvette & was later replaced by Elise Neal, for unknown reasons.Marietta DePrima
Marietta DePrima
Marietta DePrima is an American TV actress best known for playing the role Sally Rogers, opposite her television husband, veteran actor, Eric Allen Kramer, on the ABC/UPN sitcom, The Hughleys....
and Eric Allan Kramer
Eric Allan Kramer
Eric Allan Kramer is an American actor, perhaps best known as Little John in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, as Thor in The Incredible Hulk Returns, as Whitey van de Bunt in Bob and as Dave Rogers in The Hughleys...
played Dave and Sally Rogers, a primary, friendly, wholesome white couple
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
that live in the suburbs, and Darryl's happy-go-lucky mother Hattie Mae Hughley, played by Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs is an American television and film actress and singer. She is best remembered for playing Louise and George Jefferson's sarcastic maid, Florence Johnston, on The Jeffersons and spinoff Checking In...
and his father, Henry Hughley, played by Ellis Williams.
In return, Telma Hopkins
Telma Hopkins
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
portrayed Yvonne's mother, Paulette Williams; opposite Hopkins, Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Alexander Hemsley is an American actor, most famous for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, a Triceratops named B.P...
portrayed Yvonne's father, Mr. Williams–who did not get along with Darryl, because in Darryl's own words, thought of him as a "jackass", including Patricia Belcher
Patricia Belcher
Patricia Belcher is an American film and television actress, best known for her role as the strict Estelle Dabney on the Disney Channel Original sitcom, Good Luck Charlie and as attorney Caroline Julian on Bones. She also appeared in the film Jeepers Creepers as a psychic.-Biography:Belcher was...
as the family's Aunt Jessie Mae Hughley. Adele Givens
Adele Givens
Adele Givens is an African American actress and comedian from Chicago, Illinois. She currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.- Career :*Her television appearances include The Hughleys, Moesha, The Parkers, Comedy Central Presents, Def Comedy Jam, Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, Martin, Tracey...
portrayed Yvonne's older sister Shari Williams, a wise-cracking, back-talking evil sister-in-law to Darryl.
The show spent two seasons on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. In its first season, it followed Home Improvement, but was canceled when ABC decided to revamp its TGIF lineup. UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
picked up the show in the fall of 2000 and it aired in the Monday night lineup along Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
, The Parkers
The Parkers
The Parkers is an American sitcom . A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki and Kim Parker . The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.-Premise:The series centered around a mother and daughter who...
and Girlfriends
Girlfriends
Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
. While The Parkers
The Parkers
The Parkers is an American sitcom . A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki and Kim Parker . The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.-Premise:The series centered around a mother and daughter who...
and Girlfriends
Girlfriends
Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
had improved ratings, The Hughleys aired its series finale after its fourth season.
The series had many guest stars including Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series...
, Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, Lil' Romeo
Romeo Miller
Percy Romeo Miller, Jr. , better known by his stage name Romeo , is an American rapper, actor, basketball player, entrepreneur, and model. He is the son of rapper and entrepreneur Master P and former rapper Sonya C. He is the nephew of rappers C-Murder and Silkk the Shocker and the brother of...
, Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman
Gary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, known for his childhood role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars". After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman...
, Adele Givens
Adele Givens
Adele Givens is an African American actress and comedian from Chicago, Illinois. She currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.- Career :*Her television appearances include The Hughleys, Moesha, The Parkers, Comedy Central Presents, Def Comedy Jam, Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, Martin, Tracey...
, Telma Hopkins
Telma Hopkins
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
, Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Alexander Hemsley is an American actor, most famous for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, a Triceratops named B.P...
, Vivica A. Fox
Vivica A. Fox
Vivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,Kill Bill and Juwanna Mann....
, Martin Spanjers
Martin Spanjers
Martin Ryan Spanjers is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Rory Hennessy in the short-lived ABC television sitcom 8 Simples Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.-Life and career:...
, Mo'Nique, Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...
, among others.
Series finale
The Hughleys ended with a cliffhangerCliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
. On the two-part series finale entitled "It's a Girl!" (aired on May 13 and May 20, 2002), Darryl Hughley's niece, Carly (guest star Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
) is preparing for college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
(the college was unknown), with peace, tranquility and no expectation of her relatives coming to annoy her (implying the entire Hughleys clan). Carly then receives an unexpected visit from her cousins Sydney and Michael. Darryl and Milsap go to their twentieth high school reunion
Class reunion
A class reunion is a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around an anniversary of their graduation. Former teachers may be invited as well...
and Milsap learns that his "old" girlfriend, Shandra, has a child, and he is the father.
Ratings
| Season | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | September 22, 1998 | May 11, 1999 | 1998–1999 | #37 | 12.4 |
| 2nd | September 24, 1999 | April 28, 2000 | 1999–2000 | #77 | 8.46 |
| 3rd | September 11, 2000 | May 14, 2001 | 2000–2001 | #130 | 3.4 |
| 4th | September 3, 2001 | May 20, 2002 | 2001–2002 | #135 | 3.6 |
Syndication
Reruns of The Hughleys started airing in syndication in mid-September 2002. The series currently airs on TV OneTV One (Radio One)
TV One is an American television channel based in Silver Spring, Maryland and primarily owned by Radio One and Comcast Corporation. It targets African American adults with a broad range of programming...
.