''Nikki'' is an American

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 ne ...

television series that aired on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

from October 9, 2000, to January 27, 2002. ''Nikki'' was a starring vehicle for

Nikki Cox Nicole Avery Cox (born June 2, 1978) is an American actress known mostly for her roles on the television series ''Unhappily Ever After'', ''Las Vegas'', ''The Norm Show'', and ''Nikki''. Career Cox began her career at the age of four, when s ...

, who had previously starred in another WB sitcom, ''

Unhappily Ever After ''Unhappily Ever After'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for 100 episodes on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of five seasons. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. Synopsis The series fo ...

'', which ran for five seasons. Looking to capitalize on Cox's popularity,

Bruce Helford Bruce Lewis Helford (born January 28, 1952) is an American television writer and producer. Career Helford was the co-creator of ''The Drew Carey Show''. He served as executive producer of the series for its entire run, from 1995 to 2004. Helfo ...

created a sitcom that featured her as the title character.

Synopsis

Cox portrays Nikki White, a

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

showgirl A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity. History Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...

living in Las Vegas with her husband Dwight White (

Nick von Esmarch Nick von Esmarch (born November 2, 1976) is a former American actor. Born in San Mateo, California, he played high school football and did a small bit of amateur acting before being convinced by a friend to audition for the part of Dwight White f ...

), a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. The couple is portrayed as

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

, attempting to follow their passions while finding fame and fortune in Las Vegas. Also in the cast are Nikki's best friend and fellow dancer Mary (

Susan Egan Susan Farrell Egan (born February 18, 1970) is an American actress, singer and dancer, known for her work on the Broadway stage. She is best known for originating the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1 ...

), and Dwight's boss Jupiter (

Toby Huss Tobias Huss (born December 9, 1966) is an American actor, known for portraying Artie in the Nickelodeon series ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993–1996). He is also known for his voice-over work on the long-running animated series ''King of ...

). Also a recurring character were Dwight's mother Marion (

Christine Estabrook Christine Estabrook (born Mary Christine Estabrook; September 13, 1952) is an American actress, known for her roles on the television series '' The Crew'', ''Nikki'', '' Desperate Housewives'' and ''American Horror Story''; she had a recurring ...

), who is angry with Nikki for "luring" her son into a marriage and away from a safe, secure job with a future as a tax attorney; Ken and Alice Gillespie (Todd Robert Anderson and Jacqueline Heinze), Nikki and Dwight's conservative neighbors; In season one, each episode started with a musical number, where Nikki and her fellow showgirls at "the worst casino in Las Vegas" perform a dance. Their costumes included Godzilla, cockroaches (dancing to " We Are Family"), brides who remove their dresses and veils to reveal red devil costumes and horns, and once she appeared as the severed head of Marie Antoinette. In the second episode of season two, Nikki loses her job when the casino is sold. Similar to ''

Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...

'', all of the episodes in season one, plus some in season two, have a different song be the theme song, while Nikki performed a dance routine. However, in season two, the theme song changed to a standardized intro, to a remixed version of "

She's a Lady "She's a Lady" is a song written by Paul Anka and released on his album ''Paul Anka '70s'' (RCA 4309, 1970). The most successful recording was performed by Tom Jones and released at the beginning of 1971. It is Jones's highest-charting single in ...

" by Tom Jones.

Cast

Main

as Nikki White *

as Dwight White *

as Mary Campbell *

as Jupiter

Recurring

Brad William Henke Brad William Henke (April 10, 1966 – November 29, 2022) was an American actor and National Football League and Arena Football League player. He was best known for his role as Corrections Officer Desi Piscatella on ''Orange Is the New Black'', f ...

as Thor *

Steve Valentine Stephen John Valentine (born 26 October 1966) is a Scottish actor and magician. He is known for his roles as Nigel Townsend on NBC's crime drama series ''Crossing Jordan'', the voice of Harry Flynn in the video game '' Uncharted 2: Among Thieve ...

as Martine *

as Marion *

Marina Benedict Marina Benedict is an American actress best known for her role in the Golden Globe nominated series ''Flesh and Bone'' as Toni Cannava; '' Prison Break: Resurrection'' as Emily "A&W" Blake; '' Gotham'' as Cherry; '' ER'' as Lois Landry; '' Torch ...

as Luna * Todd Robert Anderson as Ken Gillespie * Jacqueline Heinze as Alice Gillespie *

Arturo Brachetti Arturo Brachetti (; born 13 October 1957) is an Italian quick-change artist considered the best quick change performer in the world. In the Guinness Book of Records he is described as the quickest and most prolific quick change artist in the wo ...

as Antonio

Notable guest stars

Ever Carradine Ever Dawn Carradine is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Tiffany Porter and Kelly Ludlow on the ABC television series '' Once and Again'' and '' Commander in Chief'', respectively and as Naomi Putnam and Janet Stein on the Hu ...

as Patti ("Fierce") *

Lisa Marie Varon Lisa Marie Varon (née Sole; born February 10, 1971) is an American retired fitness competitor, bodybuilder and professional wrestler best known for her tenure with WWE under the ring name Victoria and her time spent as an Impact Wrestling Knoc ...

as Chickasaurus ("Topless") *

Phil LaMarr Phillip LaMarr (born January 24, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. LaMarr was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series ''Mad TV''. His voice acting roles in animated series include Jo ...

as Richard ("The Next Step", "Milli Vanikki") *

Arden Myrin Arden VanAmringe Myrin () is an American actress and comedian. Myrin was a cast member on the Netflix series '' Insatiable'', playing the role of Regina Sinclair, and starred in the world premiere of Steve Martin's play ''Meteor Shower'' at the ...

as Cheryl ("The Ex Factor") *

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his r ...

as The Big Easy ("Stealing Nikki", "Gimme Shelter") *

The Fabulous Moolah Mary Lillian Ellison (July 22, 1923 – November 2, 2007) was an American professional wrestler better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildr ...

as herself ("The Jupiter and Mary Chain") *

Kathy Kinney Kathy Kinney (born November 3, 1954, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin) is an American actress, voice actress, and comedian. She gained considerable popularity in the late 1990s for playing Mimi Bobeck, the outrageously made-up, flamboyantly vulgar, a ...

("Let It Ride") *

Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...

as Pretty Boy ("Fallback" 14) *

Joel McKinnon Miller Joel McKinnon Miller (born February 21, 1960) is an American actor who is best known for portraying Don Embry on ''Big Love'' and Detective Norm Scully on ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine''. Life and career Joel McKinnon Miller was born in Rockford, Minnes ...

as Mr. Higgins ("Fallback") *

Amanda Bearse Amanda Bearse (born August 9, 1958) is an American actress, comedian and director. She starred in the 1985 supernatural horror film ''Fright Night'', and later starred as Marcy Rhoades D'Arcy in the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children'' (1987- ...

as Marcy Rhoades ("Technical Knockup") *

David Garrison David Earl Garrison (born June 30, 1952) is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he is best known as the character Steve Rhoades in the television series, '' Married... with Children''. He has also appeared in numerous theat ...

as Steve Rhoades ("Technical Knockup") *

Meredith Bishop Meredith Anne Bishop (born January 15, 1976) is an American actress, writer and producer. Bishop is best known for her role as Annie Mack in Nickelodeon's ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'', which ran on the network from 1994–1998. Bishop has ap ...

as Lurleen ("Technical Knockup", "Vaya Con Nikki") *

Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, ''The Drew Carey Show'', an ...

as Barry Tenzer, a business magnate who buys CWF ("Superhero Blues") *

Sheryl Underwood Sheryl Patrice Underwood (born October 28, 1963) is an American comedian, actress and television host. She first rose to prominence in the comedy world as the first female finalist in 1989's Miller Lite Comedy Search. Currently, Underwood is one ...

as Janet ("Working Girl") *

Ian Gomez Ian Braque Gomez (born December 27, 1964) is an American actor known for his comedic TV work, which include series-regular roles as Javier on '' Felicity'' and Andy on ''Cougar Town''. Early life He was born in New York City, New York, to an art ...

The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...

Carrie Ann Inaba Carrie Ann Inaba (born January 5, 1968) is an American television personality, dancer, choreographer, actress, and singer. She is best known for her work on ABC TV's ''Dancing with the Stars'' for which she has served as a judge since 2005. She c ...

Cris Judd Cristan Lee Judd (born 1968-1970) is an American actor, dancer, and choreographer known for his brief marriage to Jennifer Lopez. Dance career At age 21, Judd became interested in dance. Within a year, he switched jobs and began dancing prof ...

Lane Napper Lane Napper (born June 22, 1967) is an American actor, choreographer, dancer, acting coach, and dancing teacher. Filmography As actor Lane Napper participated acting in some television shows and series. As choreographer Napper is a prof ...

, and

Nancy O'Meara Nancy O'Meara is an American dancer, choreographer and occasional actress. O'Meara was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts with a strong technical background, trained in all forms of dance. Her choreography is known to be fast-paced and po ...

appeared in multiple episodes as dancers and in various minor roles.

Production

In July 1999, The WB placed a straight-to-order series from ''

The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995 to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized ...

'' co-creator Bruce Helford as a vehicle for ''

'' and ''

Norm Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the envir ...

'' co-star Nikki Cox. ''Nikki'' was formally ordered to series in May 2000, and was placed on The WB's fall lineup for a Sunday Night comedy block. On October 31, 2000, The WB ordered a full 22-episode season of ''Nikki''. The network renewed the show for a 22-episode second season at its upfronts in May 2001. However, in January 2002, the network pulled the series, and shut down production after only 19 episodes due to very low ratings. Six episodes were left unaired in the United States.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2000–01)

Season 2 (2001–02)

Syndication

The show currently airs in the Netherlands on Comedy Central Family,

MTV3 Sarja MTV Sarja was a Finnish television channel owned and operated by MTV3, in cooperation with the TV4 Group. It was a Finnish version of TV4 Guld TV4 Guld is a Swedish television channel devoted to "classic" programmes such as older television dra ...

in Finland, and

Kanal 9 Kanal 9 (''Channel 9'') is a Swedish free-to-air television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It targets the 25-59 age group, which is a slightly older age group than the sister channel Kanal 5. The channel launched on 25 February 2007. ...

in Sweden.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nikki 2000s American sitcoms 2000 American television series debuts 2002 American television series endings English-language television shows Television series by Mohawk Productions Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series created by Bruce Helford Television shows set in Las Vegas The WB original programming