On Our Own (1994 TV series)

For other uses, see On Our Own (disambiguation).

On Our Own
Opening title sequence
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	David W. Duclon
Written by	David Chambers Michael Din David W. Duclon Gregory Thomas Garcia Ralph Greene Lore Kimbrough Gary Menteer Fred Rubin Timothy Stack
Directed by	Richard Correll Kelly Sandefur John Tracy Joel Zwick
Starring	Ralph Louis Harris Kimberley Kates Roger Aaron Brown T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh Jurnee Smollett Jussie Smollett Jake Smollett Jazz Smollett Jocqui Smollett Jojo Smollett
Theme music composer	Jesse Frederick Bennett Salvay
Opening theme	"Chances Are" performed by Joe Turano
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	20
Production
Executive producer(s)	David W. Duclon Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett Suzanne de Passe Suzanne Coston
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Lightkeeper Productions de Passe Entertainment Miller-Boyett Productions Warner Bros. Television
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original run	September 13, 1994 (1994-09-13) – April 14, 1995 (1995-04-14)

On Our Own is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during the 1994-1995 season. The series starred six real life siblings: Jazz, Jocqui, Jake, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jussie Smollett.^[1]

The series was created and executive produced by David W. Duclon, one of the executive producers of Family Matters. The series was also produced by Tom Miller and Robert Boyett, who developed the show (this time, without associates William Bickley and Michael Warren), Suzanne dePasse and Suzanne Coston, and Gary Menteer (who also was a producer/writer Family Matters, and who returned to that show when On Our Own was cancelled).

The series was produced by Miller-Boyett Productions and is the only short-lived Miller-Boyett sitcom that was produced by Warner Bros. Television for its entire run.

Synopsis

The series centered on seven brothers and sisters (all of whom have names that start with "J") in the O'Fallon Park neighborhood of St. Louis who lose their parents and are being raised by the eldest brother, Josh Jerrico (Ralph Louis Harris). The early episodes focused on the siblings attempting to not be split up by authorities. This leads to Josh, the eldest brother who was trying to raise the family alone, to dress in drag and pose as older guardian, Aunt Jelcinda (also known as "Mama J"), to fool their case worker, Alana Michaels (Kimberley Kates). Alana quickly sees through the charade, but decides to help the family stay together. Alana and the family attempt to fool Alana's boss, Mr. Ormsby (Roger Aaron Brown), that "Mama J" is actually taking care of the family. Problems arise when Mr. Ormsby becomes enamored with "Mama J" and pursues her. Ultimately, "Mama J" tells Mr. Ormsby that she cannot enter into a relationship with him because she is focused on the well being of the children.

In December 1994, the series was put on hiatus and retooled. When it returned to the air in March 1995, Josh was granted full custody of his siblings thus ending the need for the Aunt Jelcinda/Mama J character. The characters of Alana Michaels and Mr. Ormsby were also written out of the show, and a new character, Scotti Decker (T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh) was introduced. Scotti, a young, attractive professional contractor, rented a room from the Jerricos in order to help the family make ends meet.

Having aired on Sunday nights at 7:30/6:30c during the first half of the season, On Our Own was granted the 8:30/7:30c time slot following Family Matters on TGIF when it returned in March 1995 (temporarily bumping Boy Meets World off the schedule). The changes to the series in the spring didn't help ratings, and after six more episodes, the show was canceled by ABC.^[2]

Cast

Main

• Ralph Louis Harris - Josh Jerrico/Aunt Jelcinda ("Mama J")
• Jurnee Smollett - Jordee Jerrico
• Jussie Smollett - Jesse Jerrico
• Jake Smollett - Joc Jerrico
• Jazz Smollett - Jai Jerrico
• Jocqui Smollett - Jarreau Jerrico
• Jojo Smollett - Jimi Jerrico
• Kimberley Kates - Alana Michaels
• Roger Aaron Brown - Gordon Ormsby
• T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh - Scotti Decker

Recurring

• Cindy Herron - Shannon
• Deon Richmond - Kevin
• Bumper Robinson - Nat

Episodes

Cast of On Our Own

Series #	Season #	Title	Notes	Original air date
1	1	Pilot	After their parents die in an automobile accident, twenty-year-old Josh takes over as the authority figure of his six younger siblings. But the by-the-rules head of Department of Children Services, Gordon Ormsby, hears of the Jerricos' case and sends new social worker Alana Michaels to investigate and, if accurate, prepare for foster care. Josh assumes the identity of "Aunt Jelcinda" to combat the authorities.	September 13, 1994
2	2	"Last Tango in St. Louis" a.k.a. "Dog Day After Groom"	Josh has a problem: Gordon asks "Aunt Jelcinda" for a date, and he cannot refuse if he wants the family to stay together.	September 18, 1994
3	3	"Matchmaker Mama"	"Aunt Jelcinda" finds a distraught young woman in a restaurant ladies' room and sets her up with her alter ego, Josh. She eventually becomes his girlfriend.	September 25, 1994
4	4	"A Matter of Principal"	When Jesse is unjustly suspended from school for fighting, Jimi poses as Jesse's grandfather for a meeting with the principal.	October 2, 1994
5	5	"Nok Till You Drop"	Jimi loses money he doesn't have to a con man on a game of Nok-Hockey. Meanwhile, Jai readies for her first dance.	October 9, 1994
6	6	"Swiss Family Jerrico's"	Josh thinks a camping trip will provide relief from his impersonation, but Gordon tags along.	October 16, 1994
7	7	"Bargain Basement"	The Jerricos discover a trunk full of memories of their parents -- and Alana too may soon be a memory, since Gordon wants to take her off their case.	October 23, 1994
8	8	"Bonnie is Really Clyde"	"Aunt Jelcinda" befriends a runaway teen while Joc threatens to do so.	October 30, 1994
9	9	"A Family Affair"	Josh is getting serious about his new girlfriend. "The trouble is," sighs Jimi, "if a girl gets serious with Josh, she gets a free six-pack of assorted Jerricos."	November 13, 1994
10	10	"Baby Blues"	The kids try to raise money for tickets to a Whitney Houston concert, with mixed success. Meanwhile, Josh gets stuck in an elevator with a very pregnant woman.	December 4, 1994
11	11	"That's My Car and I'm Sticking to It"	Neighborhood gossip gets the Jerricos investigated.	December 11, 1994
12	12	"All I Want for Christmas"	When a kindergarten bully tells Joc that Santa Claus doesn't exist, Josh dons a Santa suit to prove the bully wrong -- and succeeds only too well.	December 18, 1994
13	13	"Parents' Night"	Josh can not attend parents' night at Jordee's school because he has to finish an article.	December 28, 1994
14	14	"The Boarder"	Josh wins custody of the kids, and the family takes in a boarder: live-in contractor Scotti.	March 3, 1995
15	15	"Obstacle Illusion"	Jordee gets into remote-control cars. Meanwhile, Jimi is shot down by a girl who admits she is a jinx and proves it.	March 10, 1995
16	16	"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"	While poking around in the attic, Josh discovers love letters to his mom from his dad -- who was not the father of his siblings.	March 17, 1995
17	17	"Girl Talk"	A football star eyes Jai, who wants a particular shy boy to ask her out. Meanwhile, Josh gets in trouble with his girlfriend because of Scotti.	March 24, 1995
18	18	"Little Rascals"	Josh, a cracker-jack coffee shop manager, has a crisis to manage: his staff has the flu. Enter the replacement staff: his siblings and Scotti.	March 31, 1995
19	19	"The Easy Way"	Jordee takes the easy way out of a geography exam: she cheats. And a girl with a "bad rep" has her eye on Jimi.	April 7, 1995
20	20	"The Tonsil Tale"	Joc needs a doc -- "Someone pulled a Christmas tree from my throat" -- so it's tonsillectomy time for the first-grader. Meanwhile, Jesse takes up hypnosis.	April 14, 1995

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
1995	Young Artist Awards	Nominated	Best Performance by an Actor Under Ten in a TV Series	Jake Smollett
			Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a TV Series	Jurnee Smollett

Syndication

The series was briefly re-aired on TV One in 2007.

References

1. ^ "The '94 TV Season: Who's New and Who's Back". Ebony (Johnson Publishing Company) 49 (12): 27. October 1994. ISSN 0012-9011. 
2. ^ "The '95 TV Season: Who's Gone? Who's New? Who's Back?". Ebony (Johnson Publishing Company) 50 (12): 94. October 1995. ISSN 0012-9011. 

External links

• On Our Own at the Internet Movie Database
• On Our Own at TV.com
• On Our Own at epguides.com