'It's the Quintessential '90s Sitcom': 30 Years of Robert Townsend's 'The Parent 'Hood'
There was not a day that went by in the '90s where a Black sitcom was not on the air. Shows such as Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992), Sister, Sister (1994), and Moesha (1996), just to name a few, were finding their way onto the airwaves and into the living rooms of families all around America and the world. It seemed like there was an endless number of sitcoms for Black households to choose from that depicted their everyday lives. And among this group of would-be classics was a show called The Parent 'Hood.
Robert Townsend had a vision
Created by renowned writer, director and actor Robert Townsend, along with Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers, The Parent 'Hood follows the lives of upper middle-class African-American family, The Petersons. Robert Peterson (played by Townsend), is a former English professor who has to face the reality of his wife, Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson (played by the late Suzzanne Douglas), a lawyer, going back to work, which prompts him to become a more hands-on father to their four children: Michael (played by Kenny Blank), Zaria (played by Reagan Gomez-Preston), Nicholas (played by Curtis Williams) and CeCe (played by Ashli Adams).
The show also starred comedian Faizon Love (Friday, 1995 & Elf, 2003) who played Robert's childhood friend Wendell Wilcox; actor Kelly Perine (One On One, 2001 & Knight Squad, 2018), who played Robert's brother, Kelly Peterson; and Tyrone Burton, who played street kid-turned-honorary-Peterson T.K. Anderson.
The Parent 'Hood, which premiered 30 years ago on January 18, 1995, and aired on The WB on Wednesday nights for the first two seasons, before switching to Sunday nights, had a setup similar to other Black sitcoms such as Family Matters (1989) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) where the parents were hardworking and well educated, and the children, who were often paired as older and younger siblings, were all trying to navigate life while facing almost inevitable challenges as Black kids.
Yet, despite this somewhat formulaic style, it was Townsend's vision that made the show stand out from the rest.
"Robert Townsend is what makes the show different from every other show. I think people fell in love with the characters. We were a very real family. The parents were educated but relatable," says Gomez-Preston.
"I remember him, especially during season one, when we were still trying to find our footing. Mind you, The WB was a brand-new network. We were one of their premier shows, so the network was starting as we were starting. And I remember Robert having passionate conversations with studio heads about the vision that they saw for the show versus the vision he saw for the show.
"I think him being so involved and so hands-on –– he wrote, he directed, and he pulled a lot of new comedians in to be on the show. A lot of actors that he grew up with, he pulled them to be on the show. And I think that was the theme back then for a lot of our (Black) shows. But Robert Townsend, he was the show. It was his vision."
Gomez-Preston, who was just 14 when the show started, says she was already a fan of Townsend after seeing him in The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Douglas in Tap (1989) with the late Gregory Hines. She notes that being a teenager during the show taught her how to be independent and financially responsible and recalls the lasting influence the pair had on her.
"I'm a stickler for time. If I am on time, I'm late. I need to be early. I got that from Robert," she says. "Because as a teenager, I had my own car, and it was my job to get myself to work. He was really like, 'Ok, look. This is not a game, this is work, and you need to be here early. Not on time, early.'
"And I feel like a lot of the lessons that I learned from him and from Suzzanne were very much, 'We are Black; we have to be three, four times better. We have to be three, four times more prepared.' And these are lessons for Black people, in general, but since we were in that specific career, he tailored it toward work. But I learned a lot from him."
She adds, "[He taught me] that you can never give up full control to any one person. If it's your baby, you need to be involved. You need to be nice to people, treat your crew well, take care of your crew because they take care of you. But mostly, that it's supposed to be fun.
"If your set is chaotic, then it's going to be a domino effect for everyone else on set. So, as the leader, as Robert was, he definitely set the tone for the kind of sets that I love to be on. And when it's my turn to have my own show, I want to follow his lead, as far as everything comes down from the top. Tone, how you speak to people, how you show up, matters. These are conversations we're having now, but we were also having them back then."
'It was the quintessential '90s sitcom'
Ashli Adams, who played Cecelia "CeCe" Peterson, the youngest sibling, says her fondest memories are of a sense of community and feeling safe.
"I remember being surrounded by such talented, excellent Black folks and it was blowing my mind," she says.
"Because back then, we had a lot of representation on TV, of course, still not enough, but we had tons of representation. But you also saw the other side of that. So, it was a beautiful community and I think that's what sticks out to me the most -- the overall feeling of family and feeling loved and protected and nurtured on set."
Adams, 33, who is now a kids acting coach, was just three years old when she landed the role of CeCe, but already had impeccable comedic timing when delivering her lines, something she thinks came naturally.
"People tell me all the time that I'm funny. I never truly believed it and I think I've always fancied myself as more of a dramatic actress because that was what spoke to me and felt cool to me," she says.
"I remember specifically the writers [giving me material] sometimes and me telling them I don't want to do that because I don't want people laughing at me and making fun of me. And they had to explain to me, they're not laughing at me, they're laughing because it's funny because I'm doing it well. So, that was a bit of a shift for me, but ultimately I realized it's a talent and a gift to be able to make people laugh."
She describes The Parent 'Hood as "the quintessential '90s sitcom" and admits everyone brought something unique to the show.
"I think we followed the blueprint that a lot of '90s family sitcoms followed, but each person that was on the show brought their own flavor and energy to it, and I think that's ultimately what set it apart."
'They are giving us our flowers'
A true testament to the legacy of a film or TV show that debuted pre-social media is audiences who grew up watching now using their platforms to celebrate the work. And thanks to streaming services, new generations being introduced to what once was. Needless to say, The Parent 'Hood has stood the test of time.
"I appreciate TikTok because they are kind of giving us all our flowers," says Gomez-Preston. "[Fans would say] I couldn't tell you back in '97, but I love the show. Or with Zaria, they would send me a fan-cam of her outfits and stuff. We didn't have that back then, so we really didn't know. But I think with social media, we are definitely seeing how much people appreciated the show."
And while the actress, known for films such as Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003) and Beauty Shop (2005) appreciates the love from fans all these decades later, she admits that wasn't always the case in Hollywood.
"We knew we were doing a great show, we loved our show, but mainstream awards shows weren't really checking for us," she says. "As a teenager, I definitely noticed how [the media] were treating [white] kids. They wanted to take their picture, but didn't want to take our picture, so it was very much racism, for sure. And as someone who was 14/15 years old when we started, I noticed immediately."
However, the Queen Sugar (2016) actress says The Parent 'Hood cast never felt like that on set.
"We very much felt loved and protected."
30 Years of The Parent 'Hood, 30 Years of Black television
TV and film have evolved tremendously over the past three decades. Today, there are works being made by Black people, particularly women, for Black audiences, such as Issa Rae's Insecure (2016), Lena Waithe's Twenties (2020), and Quinta Brunson's Abbott Elementary (2021), that span all genres, with the classics as the foundation -- which Gomez-Preston, 44, says is the goal.
"There's a lot of great Black television out there. That's now, that's back in the '90s, that's in the '70s. Every new iteration, we're continuing to push culture forward. And maybe conversations we could not have in the '90s, we can have now," she says.
In fact, even Townsend, 68, who directed classics such as the 1987 semi-autobiographical film Hollywood Shuffle, Eddie Murphy's first stand-up comedy film Eddie Murphy Raw (1987), and B*A*P*S* (1997) starring Halle Berry and the late Natalie Desselle Reid, can still be found in the director's chair on the set of some of today's biggest TV hits, such as Black Lightning (2019), Power Book IV: Force (2023) and Poppa's House (2024). And is still flexing his acting chops as Emmanuel Adamu, father of Ayo Edibiri's character Sydney Adamu, on The Bear (2023-2024) and as Jackson on Before (2024).
But no matter if he is in front of or behind the camera, there is no denying that whatever Townsend touches turns to gold.
"Even in my own work where I write and direct all my stuff, it is family based because I think those bonds are really fascinating, especially as people get older and leave the home and get to come back," says Gomez-Preston, who is excited for fans to see the progression of her character in seasons seven and eight of The Chi (2024).
"I think our shows have always been good. And with someone like Robert who is still out there creating and inspiring others, our shows will continue to be good."
As for her thoughts on if the show would resonate with today's audience, the mom of two teenagers says she thinks people would love it.
"Obviously, it wouldn't be the same because we don't have Suzzanne (who passed away in 2021), and Robert would have to greenlight anything that happens, but I think it would be interesting to see how this family has evolved in 30 years -- where everyone is and how everyone is doing. Now the kids are the parents in their own parenthood."
