Aired: 1995 (CBS)
DAD: Neb Langston (James Earl Jones) / Widower
DAD’S JOB: Police officer
KIDS: Ron (Joe Morton) (30’s), Ayesha (Monique Ridge) (20?), Marcus (Merlin Santana) (16), Charlotte (Essence Atkins) (15), Derrick (Ronald Joshua Scott) (10)
WHERE’S MOM?: Dead
STAND-IN “MOM”: Unknown
This show is Empty Nest without the comedy. Chicago policeman Neb Langston raised bunches of kids, then most of them moved away, then his wife died, then the adult kids moved BACK. As if that weren’t enough, Officer Neb adopted Troubled Youth Marcus, who said stuff like “You’re NOT my father — you CAN’T tell ME what to do.” Heartwarming by a writing committee. It was dead after 4 episodes. Although, with James Earl Jones on the payroll, I would imagine the commercial bumpers for the show (“Next time, on an all new episode of Under One Roof…”) must have been AWESOME.
Is it too obvious to point out that James Earl Jones was also the voice of one of the most famous Movie Single Dad? You know — Darth Vader in Star Wars 4,5,6 and 3?