''Under One Roof'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from March 14 to April 18, 1995. A family drama, the series starred

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

Joe Morton Joseph Thomas Morton Jr. (born October 18, 1947) is an American stage, television and film actor. He has worked with film director John Sayles in ''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), '' City of Hope'' (1991) and '' Lone Star'' (1996). Oth ...

and

Vanessa Bell Calloway Vanessa Bell Calloway ( Bell; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress. Beginning her career as a dancer, Bell Calloway became known for her film roles as Princess Imani Izzi in the 1988 comedy ''Coming to America'', as well as for her roles ...

Synopsis

''Under One Roof'' follows the lives of three generations of a middle class

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

family sharing a two-family house in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

."James Earl Jones stars in new TV drama 'Under One Roof.'"
'' JET'', March 27, 1995. Retrieved July 16, 2010. The lower unit is occupied by family

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

Nesbit "Neb" Langston (Jones), a recently widowed

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

who has adopted a troubled

foster child Foster care is a system in which a underage, minor has been placed into a ward (law), ward, group home (Residential Child Care Community, residential child care community, Treatment centre, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-ce ...

, Marcus Henry ( Merlin Santana). Neb's daughter Ayesha (Monique Ridge) also lives with them. The upper unit is occupied by Neb's adult son Ron (Morton), his wife and his children. Ron is a former

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

who is attempting to deal with the stress of opening his own business. Meanwhile, Ron's wife Maggie (Calloway) is having reservations about re-entering the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for the couple's two children, son Derrick (Ronald Joshua Scott), a Type 1 diabetic, and daughter Charlie (

Essence Atkins Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career appearing on television sitcoms, before her regular role on the short-lived first African-American prime-time drama '' Under One Roof'' ( CBS, 1995). Atkin ...

). The series, which was a

midseason replacement In American network television scheduling, a mid-season replacement is a television show that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between December and May. Mid-season replacements usually take place after a ...

for CBS, was cancelled after six episodes. It later reran on cable network TV One in the mid-2000s.

Cast and characters

Main

as Ron Langston *

as Margaret "Maggie" Louise Langston *

as Nesbit "Neb" Langston *

as Charlotte "Charlie" Langston * Merlin Santana as Marcus Henry *Monique Ridge as Ayesha (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Beverly) Langston *Ronald Joshua Scott as Derrick Langston

Recurring

Terence Knox Terence Knox (born December 16, 1946) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He made his debut in Robert Zemeckis's ''Used Cars'' (1980), and appeared in numerous television series, including lead roles in ''St. Elsewhere'' (1982–84) ...

as Matt "Siggy" Sigalos

Production

Many scenes were filmed in the old Ballard High School and the Phinney Neighborhood Center in Seattle.

Episodes

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0112205, title=Under One Roof 1995 American television series debuts 1995 American television series endings 1990s American black television series 1990s American drama television series CBS original programming English-language television shows Television series about families Television shows set in Seattle