The PJs
The PJs | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy |
Voices of | Eddie Murphy |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 43 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | FOX The WB |
Original run | January 10, 1999 – May 20, 2001 |
External links | |
IMDb profile | |
TV.com summary |
The PJs is a claymation television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It centered around life in a Detroit urban public housing project. The show starred Eddie Murphy, and was produced by Imagine Entertainment by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, & Will Vinton Studios in association with Touchstone Television.
40 episodes were aired during the show's three-year run. But there was still 6 episodes left over, which were produced by the WB. Each episode took over two months to produce, owing to the laborious claymation process. Originally broadcast on FOX, the show later moved to The WB in 2000-2001, but was soon cancelled due to its high budget.[citation needed]The last three episodes were not seen until 2003. Reruns previously aired on Trio, a cable television network.
The PJs won three Emmy Awards and one Annie Award during its run. Some social activists, including director Spike Lee, accused the show of depicting a negative racial view of the projects.[1] Quincy Jones' son QD3 along with George Clinton produced the theme music for the show.
The Pj's Will return in re-runs starting November 5, 2007 on TV One at 9:30/8:30 C. http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2007/09/tv-one-schedule-changes-november.html
Contents |
Characters
- Thurgood Stubbs - The superintendent of the projects. He is short-tempered and usually gets himself in trouble. Played by Eddie Murphy.
- Muriel Stubbs - Thurgood's wife - the voice of reason. Played by Loretta Devine.
- Ms. Avery - The senior citizen, who was known notoriously as the one who shot the mailman...and the garbage man.
- Calvin & Juicy - Two children who are best friends and who idolize Thurgood. Juicy is the fat slow-witted boy.
- Smokey - The crackhead who always angers Thurgood. His real name is Elister, but was referred to as "Mr. Crackhead" and "Mr. Crack" in the first two episodes of the series. He is often insulted with the phrase "You damn stupid crackhead!" by the Super.
- Jimmy Ho - A Korean tenant (married to Bebe) who acts black. He opened a casino in an unaired episode.
- Bebe Ho - Muriel's trash-talking sister. She hates Thurgood.
- Mambo "Haiti Lady" Garcel - A voodoo practicing tenant at the Hilton Jacobs Project
- Sanchez - Thurgood's friend who is unable to talk because he smoked a lot. He has to use an electronic voicebox held up to his throat in order to communicate.
- HUD Lady - The social worker at HUD always seen in silhouette who never gives Thurgood what he wants and simply yells, "Next," at the end of every sentence. Her son's name is Chevron and her daughter's name is Lasagne.
- Walter- The parole officer with a past as a crooked cop. His past is regularly alluded to, as many people around the projects owe him favours.
Due to a rumoured dispute between Eddie Murphy and the Fox network (apparently over unfavorable scheduling of the show), actor Phil Morris took over the role of Thurgood in several late episodes. Some sources indicate that Murphy was actually busy on a film role at the time.
Episode list
Season 1 [FOX]: 1999
Pilot: Unaired Pilot Episode
- Hangin' With Mr. Super [1/10/1999]
- Bones, Bugs, & Harmony [1/12/1999]
- The Door [1/19/1999]
- The Journal [1/26/1999]
- Rich Man, Porn Man [2/2/1999]
- Bougie Nights [2/9/1999]
- A Hero Aint Nothin But A Super [2/16/1999]
- He's Gotta Have It [Nominated for an Emmy] [2/23/1999]
- Boyz N The Woods [4/6/1999]
- Operation Gumbo Drop [4/13/1999]
- U Go Kart [5/4/1999]
- House Potty [5/11/1999]
- Haiti Sings The Blues [5/18/1999]
Christmas Special: 14. How the Super Stole Christmas [12/17/1999]
Season 2: 1999-2000
- Home School Dazed [5/30/2000]
- The Preacher's Life [6/6/2000]
- The HJs [6/13/2000]
- Haiti & The Tramp [6/27/2000]
- Weave's Have A Dream [6/27/2000]
- Let's Get Ready To Crumble [7/4/2000]
- Who Da Boss? [7/4/2000]
- Ghetto Superstars [7/11/2000]
- Fear Of A Black Rat [7/11/2000]
- What's Eating Juicy Hudson? [7/18/2000]
- The Jeffersons [7/25/2000]
- Robbin HUD [8/1/2000]
- Cliffhangin With Mr. Super [8/15/2000]
- The Last Affirmative Action Hero [8/29/2000]
- Parole officer & A Gentleman [9/5/2000]
Season 3 [WB]: 2000-2001
- Boyz Under The Hood [10/8/2000]
- New Years Eve Special: 32. Scathroat [12/31/2000]
- Smoke Gets In Your High Rise [2/4/2001]
- National Buffoon's European Vacation [2/11/2001]
- Cruising For A Bluesing [2/18/2001]
- It Takes A Thurgood [2/25/2001]
- Miracle Cleaner on 134th Street [4/29/2001]
- Survival: In Tha Hood [5/6/2001]
- Let's Get Ready To Rumba [5/13/2001]
- A Race To His Credit [5/20/2001]
- Red Man's Burdem [Unaired]
- Clip Show [Unaired]
- Untitled Episode [Unaired]
- Thurgood, Boxer [Unaired]
- Untitled Episode [Unaired]
- Untitled Episode [Unaired]
- Untitled Episode [Unaired]
- Untitled Episode [Unaired]
- Untitled Episode [Unaired]
- Last Episode: Untitled [Unaired]
- Note: The final unaired episodes have been shown in some markets, such as by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in 2003.
Soundtrack
- It's Nothing (Featuring R.O.C.) -- Jermaine Dupri & Da Brat
- Talkin' Trash (Featuring Bassy) -- Timbaland
- Life In The Projects -- Snoop Dogg
- Hat Low -- Goodie Mob
- Way 2 Strong -- Bizzy Bone
- The Ghetto (Featuring O) -- Krayzie Bone
- Giant Size -- Raekwon Feat. American Cream Team
- Rapid Fire -- O
- Holiday (Featuring Marie Antoinette) -- Earth Wind & Fire
- Get Involved -- Raphael Saadiq & Q Tip
- What I Am -- Smith, Sy
- No More Rainy Days -- Destiny's Child
- Here I Go -- Infamous Syndicate
- Til It's Over -- Krumbsnatcha
- Always Been You -- Imajin
- PJs -- George Clinton
References in other series
- The manhole cover that served as the show's title card had made appearances on Futurama as an entry point into the mutant-populated sewers of New New York. After seeing this, the writers put a picture of Fry, the main character on Futurama, on a milk carton. This is in tune with the plot of Futurama, in which Fry is frozen in 2000 and thawed in 3000.
- In the episode of The Simpsons entitled "Missionary: Impossible", Thurgood is one of the phone operators at the Fox Network fundraising drive.
- The show was parodied in an episode of Robot Chicken called Celebutard Mountain during the "VH1's Top 100 Final Episodes ever" skit.