''Our House'' 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

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

for two seasons from September 11, 1986 to May 8, 1988. The series centers on the Witherspoon family and the challenges they face adjusting to life with three generations living in the same house. The series was created by

James Lee Barrett James Lee Barrett (November 19, 1929 – October 15, 1989) was an American author, producer and screenwriter. Biography Barrett was born in 1929 in Charlotte, North Carolina and graduated in 1950 from Anderson University (South Carolina). ...

, who died the year after its cancellation.

Synopsis

After his son John dies, retired widower Gus Witherspoon (

Wilford Brimley Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the l ...

) invites his daughter-in-law Jessica Witherspoon (

Deidre Hall Deidre Ann Hall is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama ''Days of Our Lives'', whom she has played for over 45 years. Hall has won many awards for her portrayal of Marlena, including ...

) and her three children to move to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and live with him until Jessie gets back on her feet financially. Despite protests from her children—15-year-old daughter Kris (

Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty (, born April 12, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in ''Girls Just Want to Have Fun'' (1985); Kris Witherspoon in '' Our Hous ...

); 12-year-old son David ( Chad Allen); and 8-year-old daughter Molly (Keri Houlihan)—they, Jessie, and their

basset hound The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog in the hound family. The Basset is a scent hound that was originally bred for the purpose of hunting hare. Their sense of smell and ability to ''ground-scent'' is second only to the Bloodhound.Har ...

Arthur leave

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, to start life anew in California. As they settle in with Gus, they realize just how difficult he can be to live with. The majority of the plots each week centers on the conflicts which tend to arise when an extended family must live together in the same house. As man of the house, Gus imposes rules on his three grandkids the same way he had raised John (and also John's brother Ben, who is seen in a two-part episode); ultimately, however, he learns ways of conveying lessons to the kids without being gruff. Jessie and the kids eventually learn that beneath Gus's stern facade is a wise man, well versed in the ways of the world, who cares about them very much. Each of the episode's five acts (before the commercial break) ends with a

freeze-frame shot In film and video, a freeze frame is when a single frame of content shows repeatedly on the screen—"freezing" the action. This can be done in the content itself, by printing (on film) or recording (on video) multiple copies of the same source fr ...

which then occupies one of several rooms in an abstract rendering of a house figure. As the episode unfolds, more rooms are filled until finally—when the dilemma has been resolved—the final piece is put in place, completing the house. John Witherspoon (played by

Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas'', where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the nicest brother of J.R. Ewing (pla ...

) is seen in one episode and in the occasional flashback.

Cast

as Gus Witherspoon *

as Jessica "Jessie" Witherspoon *

as Kris Witherspoon * Chad Allen as David Witherspoon *Keri Houlihan as Molly Witherspoon * Gerald S. O'Loughlin as Joe Kaplan

Episodes

Season 1 (1986–87)

Season 2 (1987–88)

Reception

Upon the show's 1986 premiere, the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

called it "a family show suitable for framing." Despite positive reviews, the series was not a ratings success in spite of a promising start, likely owing to being scheduled Sundays at 7 PM (EST) opposite

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 ...

's powerhouse ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

'' and numerous overruns by NFL games on its own network. The series ranked 59th in its first season (12.9 rating) and 71st in its second season (10.9 rating).

The Inspiration Network INSP (formerly The Inspiration Network; the initialism is sounded out letter-by-letter) is an American digital cable television network that features primarily westerns (both shows and movies) and is headquartered in Indian Land, South Carolina - ...

re-aired the show in the US from October 18, 2010, to December 31, 2011. Prior to that, reruns of the show aired on The Family Channel in the early 1990s and on the

Faith & Values Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...

Pax TV Ion Television is an American broadcast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented ente ...

and Odyssey Channel later that decade.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Our House (1986 Tv Series) 1986 American television series debuts 1988 American television series endings 1980s American drama television series English-language television shows NBC original programming Television series by Lorimar Television Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series by Lorimar-Telepictures