All of Us is an American sitcom that premiered on the UPN network in the United States on September 16, 2003, where it aired for its first three seasons. On October 1, 2006, the show moved to The CW, a new network formed by the merger of UPN and The WB (whose sister company Warner Bros. Television produced this series), where it aired for one more season before being cancelled on May 15, 2007.[1]

All of Us
Promo
GenreSitcom
Created by
Starring
Opening theme
  • "All of Us", performed by Sheléa (seasons 1–3)
  • "All of Us", performed by Toni Estes (season 4)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time20 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkUPN
ReleaseSeptember 16, 2003 (2003-09-16) –
May 15, 2006 (2006-05-15)
NetworkThe CW
ReleaseOctober 1, 2006 (2006-10-01) –
May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14)

Synopsis

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The series, loosely based on the blended family of creator and executive producers Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith,[2] revolved around Robert James Sr. (Duane Martin), a divorced television entertainment reporter with a young son, Robert "Bobby" James Jr. (Khamani Griffin), and his fiancée Tia Jewel (Elise Neal), a kindergarten teacher who helped him through the breakup of his first marriage.

Robert shares custody of his son with his ex-wife Neesee (LisaRaye McCoy), with whom he shares a tenuously friendly relationship for the sake of their son.

Robert also finds himself in a difficult situation, attempting to maintain the peace, however uneasy, between his ex-wife and his fiancée. Friends of the couple include Dirk Black (Tony Rock), Robert's single best friend and producer, and Tia's best friend and fellow teacher Jonelle Abrahams (Terri J. Vaughn).

In season three, Tia breaks her engagement to Robert, leaving a newly single Robert faced with a situation where Neesee must move in with him and Bobby temporarily after her apartment building is destroyed by fire. In addition to Tia, two other supporting characters, Jonelle and Turtle (James Vincent), were written out of the series. In season four, Laivan Greene joined the cast as Courtney, Dirk's long-lost daughter previously portrayed by Raven Goodwin in the third season's two-part episodes titled "Surprise, Surprise".

Cast and characters

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Main

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Character Portrayed by Appearances
Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4
Robert James Sr. Duane Martin Main
Neesee Harrison James LisaRaye McCoy Main
Robert "Bobby" James Jr. Khamani Griffin Main
Dirk Black Tony Rock Main
Tia Jewel Elise Neal Main Does not appear
Jonelle Abrahams Terri J. Vaughn Main Guest
Turtle James Vincent Recurring Main Guest
Courtney Laivan Greene Main

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
122September 16, 2003 (2003-09-16)May 18, 2004 (2004-05-18)UPN
222September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21)May 24, 2005 (2005-05-24)
322September 19, 2005 (2005-09-19)May 15, 2006 (2006-05-15)
422October 1, 2006 (2006-10-01)May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14)The CW

Production

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Cast changes

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In June 2005, Elise Neal, who portrayed Tia Jewel, announced that she would not be returning for the third season of the series, claiming that marital issues between Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith were negatively impacting the show's work environment.[3] In August 2005, Terri J. Vaughn who played Jonelle Abrahams, and James Vincent, who played Turtle, also announced they would not be returning to the series due to contract issues.

In November 2005, Terri J. Vaughn returned to play Jonelle in a guest appearance for the third season's two-part episodes, titled "Legal Affairs". James Vincent returned to play Turtle in a guest appearance in the third season episode "Creeping with the Enemy".

Cancellation

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On May 15, 2007, The CW canceled All of Us, along with many other programs that originated from UPN and The WB.[1][4]

Broadcast

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First run

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All of Us debuted on UPN on September 16, 2003. The series aired on Tuesdays at 8:30 PM (EST) for its first season. The second season aired on Tuesday nights at 8:00 PM and was paired up with fellow UPN sitcom Eve.

For its third season, UPN moved the series to Mondays at 8:30 PM (EST) airing after One on One. After three seasons of average ratings, and with the fall 2006 launch of The CW necessitating the cancellations of many of UPN and The WB's lower-rated programs, All of Us was slated to be cancelled after the 2005-2006 television season. However, the series was saved at the last minute and placed on The CW's Fall 2006 lineup, airing on Sundays at 7:30 PM (EST) after Everybody Hates Chris.

Due to lackluster ratings, the show returned to its former slot on Monday nights on October 16, 2006. During its single season on The CW, All of Us averaged around 2.74 million viewers per week. All of Us finished the season at #140 in the ratings, surpassing only The Game, America's Next Top Model (encore presentations), and Runaway.

Syndication and reruns

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In 2006, TV One began broadcasting the series as part of an agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. Along with Eve, All of Us marked the first time in which the channel acquired the rights for shows that were currently airing on network television.[5]

On September 24, 2007, The CW began airing reruns of All of Us as part of the network's daytime programming block. Reruns of the show aired weekdays at 3 p.m. EST, alongside What I Like About You and Reba, remaining until September 2008.[6] It also aired in Australia on the Nine Network and in the United Kingdom on Trouble.

Streaming

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The series is streaming on Philo.[7] In March 2021, the series began streaming on Hulu.[8]

Ratings

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Season Episodes Premiere Season finale Viewers
(in millions)
Rank
1 2003–04 22 September 16, 2003 May 18, 2004 3.4[9] #176[9]
2 2004–05 22 September 21, 2004 May 24, 2005 2.6[10] #147[10]
3 2005–06 22 September 19, 2005 May 15, 2006 3.2[11] #135[11]
4 2006–07 22 October 1, 2006 May 14, 2007 2.45[12] #249[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b Adalian, Josef (May 15, 2007). "CW picks up dramas". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  2. ^ Williams, Jean A. (March 2007). "Will Smith in Pursuit of Excellence". Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  3. ^ Alexander, Brenda (July 20, 2020). "Elise Neal Alludes to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's Potential Marital Trouble as the Reason She Quit 'All Of Us'". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  4. ^ "2007 Cancelled Shows: CW Drops Old Favorites". canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale. 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  5. ^ "TV One and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution Ink Comprehensive, Multi-Year Programming Agreement for Movies, Series Including Off-Network Premiere of All of Us and Eve, as Well as Rights to Martin and Living Single". The Futon Critic. March 10, 2006. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017.
  6. ^ "WPIX Fall 2007 Schedule; Fox Revamps Fall Schedule". sitcomsonline.com. 2007-08-03. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  7. ^ All of Us, retrieved 2021-03-29
  8. ^ "All of Us". Hulu. Archived from the original on 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  9. ^ a b "I. T. R. S. Ranking Report: 01 Thru 210". ABC Medianet. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
  10. ^ a b "Primetime series". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 27, 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  11. ^ a b "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 26, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-12-08. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  12. ^ a b "Season Program Rankings from 09/18/06 through 06/03/07". ABC Medianet. June 3, 2007. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
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