''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American children's

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

, that originally aired on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

from 1998 to 2001. It starred

Robert Ri'chard Robert Andrew Ri'chard (born January 7, 1983) is an American television and film actor, known for his roles as Arnaz Ballard on the UPN sitcom '' One on One'' and Bobby Walker on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Cousin Skeeter''. Early life Ri'chard wa ...

as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With Skeeter's help, Bobby learns life lessons and tackles the ups and downs of growing up. The show also included

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Cousin Skeeter'' (1998–2001). Good received further ...

as Bobby's friend Nina,

Rondell Sheridan Rondell Jerome Sheridan (born August 15, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and television director, best known for his four-year portrayal of Victor Baxter, the goofy-yet-lovable father of a psychic teenager, in the Disney Channel sitcom ...

as Bobby's father Andre, and Angela Means as Bobby's mother Vanessa. Skeeter is portrayed by a hand puppet with

Bill Bellamy William Bellamy (born April 7, 1965) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he is credited for creating or coining the phrase "booty call", descri ...

providing his voice, and

Drew Massey Drew Massey (born April 4, 1972) is an American voice actor, puppeteer and director for Nickelodeon and the Jim Henson Company. He has worked extensively with the Muppets and has performed in many films, television series, and commercials. He h ...

performing the puppetry, assisted by

Alice Dinnean Alice Catherine Dinnean (born May 23, 1969) is an American puppeteer, voice actress and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as '' The Puzzle Place'', ''Sesame Street ...

. Within the show, Skeeter is treated like a regular human and no mention of him being a puppet is made. Although the series was shot in a single-camera format, the show used a

laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...

. The show's theme song is a parody of

702 __NOTOC__ Year 702 ( DCCII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 702 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...

's 1996 hit " Steelo", written by Missy Elliott.

Overview

''Cousin Skeeter'' first aired on September 1, 1998, on Nickelodeon, sharing the 8–9pm programming block with ''

The Wild Thornberrys ''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays an American family of wildlife documentary ...

''. ''Cousin Skeeter'' was one of many shows at this time to touch on the idea of multicultural themes, with notable shows such as ''

The Brothers García ''The Brothers García'' is an American teen sitcom created by Jeff Valdez, Mike Cevallos, and Gibby Cevallos. It was among the first projects of Sí TV, an effort to produce programming featuring Latino characters that are aimed at a diverse a ...

'' originating around this time as well. The show focused primarily on issues that many African Americans were facing during this time period, by presenting them in a comical way via the use of Skeeter. Skeeter frequently causes mischief, which is often balanced out by Bobby having to correct the situation.

Episodes

Characters

Main

* Skeeter (performed by

, voiced by

) - Skeeter is the namesake character of the series, a puppet teenage boy whose life changed when he moved from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to live with his cousin Bobby. He is loud-mouthed, impulsive, and reckless, but an affable, confident, and good-hearted charismatic guy, from instant popular student to charming ladies' man, who spends each episode getting Bobby into trouble trying to help him solve problems and stand up to life's challenges. Skeeter is also friends with several notable celebrities, including Michael Jordan,

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

(whose life he apparently saved), and

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best reboundin ...

. He's not easily angry, unless someone remarks on his extreme shortness, which causes him to fly into a rage. The fact that he is a puppet is never acknowledged on the series. * Bobby Walker (portrayed by

) - Originally from Inglewood, California. Bobby is smart and well-behaved. Often the victim of his cousin's mischief, Bobby often gets mad at Skeeter for his antics, but Bobby sees the good intentions behind his actions and likes him nonetheless. * André Walker (portrayed by

) - Bobby's father who is a music producer. * Nina Jones (portrayed by

) - Nina is Bobby's best friend. She and Bobby have a crush on each other at the start of the show and later start dating. She is a fast talker and Nicole's best friend. * Vanessa Walker (portrayed by Angela Means) - Bobby's mother, a lawyer, is often annoyed by Skeeter just like Bobby is. She and Andre can't wait for the boys to go to college, and the couple will do anything to get Skeeter and Bobby out of their hair.

Supporting

* Nicole (voiced by

Tisha Campbell Tisha Michelle Campbell (born October 13, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut appearing in the 1986 rock musical comedy film '' Little Shop of Horrors'', and later starred on the short-lived NBC musical comedy dra ...

) - A female puppet character, Nicole has more class and manners than Skeeter. She first appeared as a new student in the second season's TV movie, "New Kids on the Planet". Nicole quickly became friends with Nina and they are like sisters. She is depicted as tough, once wanting to join the high school football team, and threatening to hurt the school bully if he hurt Skeeter. * Duke - Bobby's friend Duke appeared in the first and second seasons of the series. * Geoff - One of Bobby's friends from school, Geoff always seems to be a bad role model for the boys. * Brenda (portrayed by

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besid ...

)

Reception

Critical

''Cousin Skeeter'' received mixed reviews. A writer from ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' described the shows characters as "undeveloped" and "dependent on a one-liner approach". Others note that the contrast between Bobby and Skeeter is meant to act as a kind of role model for children, but the message is lost in the strange behavior of Skeeter. Many viewers found it odd that the fact that Skeeter is an actual puppet is never acknowledged by any other characters, which left them to wonder why he was even a puppet in the first place. Ray Richmond, a writer for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', found the content borderline offensive, calling it an "a half-hour entrant in Nickelodeon’s primetime "Nickel-O-Zone" lineup" that sends "TVs view of black culture careening back to the Stone Age". However, Rotten Tomatoes rated it as one of five 1990s children's shows that helped "pave the way for black representation on TV", with the article citing the episode "The Bicycle Thief" which tackled the issue of police interacting with black children.

Ratings

According to a ''Variety'' article from February 1999, ''Cousin Skeeter'' was "consistently ranked as the top-rated live-action series for the ickelodeonnetwork".

Award and nominations

* 1999 ** Young Artist Award nominated for best performance in a TV Drama or Comedy series - Leading Young Actor:

** Outstanding Performance in a Youth or Children's Series/Special:

* 2000 ** Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special ** Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs: Johnathan Winfrey ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Guest Starring Young Performer: Rachel Glenn ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actor:

* 2001 ** Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special ** African American Achievement award for supporting actresses - Rissa JB Milhouse (episode 14) ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actor:

References

; Other sources *

External links

* {{Former Nickelodeon original series 1998 American television series debuts 2001 American television series endings 1990s Nickelodeon original programming 2000s Nickelodeon original programming 1990s American teen sitcoms 2000s American teen sitcoms 1990s American black sitcoms 2000s American black sitcoms 1990s American single-camera sitcoms 2000s American single-camera sitcoms English-language television shows Television series about cousins Television series about families Television series about teenagers American television shows featuring puppetry Television series by Tollin/Robbins Productions Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in New York City Fictional African-American people