Good News
Main cast
Also known asThe Good News
GenreSitcom
Created byEd. Weinberger
Written byDavid Chambers
Rob Dames
Richard Dubin
Robert Howe
Leonard Ripps
Danice Rollins
Directed byCharlotte Brown
Stan Daniels
Kim Friedman
Anna Maria Horsford
Tony Singletary
Ed. Weinberger
StarringDavid Ramsey
Roz Ryan
Guy Torry
Jazsmin Lewis
Tracey Cherelle Jones
Alexia Robinson
ComposerBill Maxwell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22
Production
Executive producersReuben Cannon
Robi Reed-Humes
Ed. Weinberger
Samm-Art Williams
ProducersBruce Johnson
DeShawn Schneider
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companiesThe Weinberger Company
MTM Enterprises (1997)
20th Century Fox Television (1998)
Original release
NetworkUPN
ReleaseAugust 25, 1997 (1997-08-25) –
May 19, 1998 (1998-05-19)
Related
Sparks

Good News (also known as The Good News) is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from August 25, 1997, to May 19, 1998. The series was the final television series produced by MTM Enterprises, which was folded into 20th Century Fox Television,[1] in 1997 (MTM's then-remaining programs, Good News and The Pretender (1996–2000), were produced by 20th Century Fox Television for the rest of their runs).

Synopsis

The series focused on David Randolph (David Ramsey), a young acting pastor designated to Compton, California's African American Church of Life. Initially, the majority of the church's members balk at the young pastor's new position and resent him replacing their former pastor. With the help of the church's secretary, Vera Hudson (Rose Jackson Moye), Randolph attempts to reunite the church and help his congregation.[2][3]

Other cast members included Roz Ryan as Hattie, the church's cook, Tracey Cherelle Jones as the church's youth director, Guy Torry as a choir member and janitor.[2]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Ed. WeinbergerEd. WeinbergerAugust 25, 1997 (1997-08-25)4.44[4]
Pastor Randolph arrives at his new church, only to find that the ministers & staff are quite upset that their previous pastor had chosen an outsider to be his replacement, and all have decided to quit and form their own church and take half the congregation with them. Even the cute church secretary has to quit because of her mom.
2"Writing on the Wall"Stan DanielsLenny Ripps & Rob DamesSeptember 1, 1997 (1997-09-01)4.23[5]
Pastor Randolph decides its time to remove the gang graffiti from the walls outside the church. This angers the gang members and strikes fear into the hearts of the church congregation. Now the pastor has to find a way to mend fences, stand up for his faith, and bring everyone together in peace, love and harmony.
3"Ashes to Ashes"Stan DanielsSamm-Art WilliamsSeptember 8, 1997 (1997-09-08)4.34[6]
Pastor Randolph loses one of his members and has to prepare for preaching his first funeral. A stuttering man gets "in the Spirit" during the funeral and begins to speak fluently for the first time.
4"The Baby on the Door Step"Stan DanielsSamm-Art Williams & David ChambersSeptember 15, 1997 (1997-09-15)4.10[7]
Pastor Randolph must play Solomon when his parishioners square off over their rights to adopt Joey (Evijan Watson), a four-year-old found abandoned in the church.
5"The Dinner Party"Kim FriedmanRon Nelson & Mark SteenSeptember 22, 1997 (1997-09-22)3.75[8]
Pastor Randolph abstains from handing out condoms that have been donated to the church.
6"A Joyful Noise"Anna Maria HorsfordBernadette LuckettSeptember 29, 1997 (1997-09-29)4.87[9]
Mona, a new member at the church, tries to host a party. But things get out of hand when rival gangs show up.
7"Try a Little Tenderness"Stan DanielsMyra J.October 13, 1997 (1997-10-13)4.79[10]
Pastor Randolph tries to convince young bride-to-be Cynthia Porter to reconcile with her estranged father before her wedding and to include him in the ceremony. Cynthia is ashamed of her father because he is a little person. Meanwhile, Mr Porter makes a big jump for Mrs Dixon.
8"The Fallen Woman"Stan DanielsDavid ChambersOctober 27, 1997 (1997-10-27)4.62[11]
Pastor Randolph needs a root canal, but his dentist and his bride-to-be are having problems in their relationship because of her past, and he is in no condition to perform the root canal. Pastor Randolph needs to hurry up and patch their relationship back up, so his can get his painful tooth problem fixed.
9"Show Me the Money: Part 1"Kim FriedmanRobert HoweNovember 3, 1997 (1997-11-03)3.94[12]
The church choir agrees to sing in a televised 24-hour telethon.
10"Show Me the Money: Part 2"Ed. WeinbergerRobert HoweNovember 10, 1997 (1997-11-10)4.48[13]
The church choir has a hard time completing the telethon they agreed to sing in. They try to finish it in order to receive the money that's been promised to them.
11"There's an Old Flame: Part 1"Kim FriedmanRob Dames & Lenny RippsNovember 17, 1997 (1997-11-17)5.20[14]
One of Pastor Randolph's old girlfriends comes to town and attempts to seduce him. However, Pastor Randolph is reluctant to respond to her advances because it would make his image look bad.
12"There's an Old Flame: Part 2"Charlotte BrownRob Dames & Lenny RippsNovember 24, 1997 (1997-11-24)4.42[15]
Rev. Randolph realizes his true calling when a romantic moment with Joanne (Tanya Boyd) is interrupted by a suicidal man who's perched on the ledge of her suite.
13"A Christmas Story"Charlotte BrownLeilani DownerDecember 16, 1997 (1997-12-16)3.45[16]
The Christmas pageant is fouled up when Joey's duck eats one of Mrs. Dixon's earrings. Meanwhile, a snowstorm reminds Pastor Randolph of home at the holidays.
14"Love, Honor & Obey"Anna Maria HorsfordDavid Chambers & Darice RollinsJanuary 12, 1998 (1998-01-12)4.58[17]
Pastor Randolph intercedes on behalf of a wife-turned-comedienne (Amelia McQueen) whose husband finds her choice of profession no laughing matter.
15"The Reunion"Charlotte BrownDavid Chambers & Darice RollinsJanuary 19, 1998 (1998-01-19)4.12[18]
Pastor Randolph's plan to raise money for a new furnace hinges upon whether Mrs. Dixon will take a little person (Dana Woods) to her class reunion.
16"Back in the Day: Part 1"UnknownUnknownFebruary 16, 1998 (1998-02-16)3.80[19]
The church decides to put on a talent show to raise money for the children's summer camp, bringing together a collection of some strange talents from the congregation.
17"Back in the Day: Part 2"UnknownUnknownFebruary 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)3.02[20]
Randolph takes steps to keep Beans (Reynaldo Rey) sober, but faces a higher power, stage fright, when the two perform at the church's variety show.
18"Amazing Grace"Michael EliasMichael EliasMarch 2, 1998 (1998-03-02)3.72[21]
Race relations become an issue when a parishioner dies, leaving his kids in the care of his brother, who has been passing himself off as white.
19"Gospelfest: Part 1 (AKA Lift Every Voice)"UnknownUnknownApril 28, 1998 (1998-04-28)2.91[22]
Part 1. Pastor Randolph hits a sour note with Mrs. Dixon after he gives away her gospel-competition solo to Cassie's aunt Shirley (Shirley Caesar).
20"Gospelfest: Part 2"UnknownUnknownMay 5, 1998 (1998-05-05)3.17[23]
Part 2. Lou Rawls aids Pastor Randolph in pepping up the choir as the prepare for a national competition.
21"Driving Blind"Charlotte BrownRob Dames & Lenny RippsMay 12, 1998 (1998-05-12)2.38[24]
After devouring a batch of rum-spiked cookies, a tipsy Pastor Randolph labors to get a blind man and his pregnant wife to the hospital safely.
22"Under the Influence"Michael EliasRob Dames & Lenny RippsMay 19, 1998 (1998-05-19)2.42[25]
Pastor Randolph faces the legal system when he's arrested for drunkenly allowing a blind man to drive his expectant wife to the hospital.

References

  1. ^ "Fox, UPN each likely to add 4 new shows". Variety. 1997-05-19. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  2. ^ a b Rosenberg, Howard (1997-08-25). "A Wobbly Start, That's for Sure". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  3. ^ James, Caryn (1997-08-25). "Television in Review". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  4. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Aug. 25-31)". The Los Angeles Times. September 4, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  5. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. September 10, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  6. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 8–12)". The Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  7. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. September 24, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  8. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times. October 1, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  9. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  10. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  14. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  15. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 24-30)". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  16. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 15-21)". The Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  17. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 12-18)". The Los Angeles Times. January 21, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  18. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 19-25)". The Los Angeles Times. January 28, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  19. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 16-22)". The Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  20. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 23-March 1)". The Los Angeles Times. March 4, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  21. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 2-8)". The Los Angeles Times. March 11, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  22. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 27-May 3)". The Los Angeles Times. May 6, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  23. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 4-10)". The Los Angeles Times. May 13, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  24. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 11-17)". The Los Angeles Times. May 20, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  25. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 18-24)". The Los Angeles Times. May 28, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon

External links

MTM Enterprises
UPN
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