Grown Ups
The Grown Ups cast (from left to right), Dave Ruby as Gordon Hammel, Marissa Ribisi as Shari Hammel and Jaleel White as J. Calvin Frazier
GenreSitcom
Created byMatthew Miller
Written byValerie Ahern
Mark Amato
Mark Bluntman
Howard Busgang
Pamela Eells
Arthur Harris
Bob Hilgenberg
John Hunter
Stephen Lloyd
Christian McLaughlin
Matthew Miller
Rick Newberger
Rob Muir
Jeny Quine
Billy Riback
Scott J. Rosenbaum
Dan Signer
Chuck Snyder
Van Whitfield
Directed byRichard Correll
Matthew Diamond
Iris Dugrow
Sheldon Epps
Joyce Gittlin
Lillah McCarthy
Jeffery L. Melman
Jonathan Prince
Brian K. Roberts
Tony Singletary
John Tracy
John Whitesell
Steve Zuckerman
StarringJaleel White
Dave Ruby
Marissa Ribisi
Theme music composerQuincy Jones III
Opening themePerformed by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins
ComposersBecky Kneubuhl
Jonathan Wolff
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22
Production
Executive producersCraig Baumgarten
Pamela Eells
Alan Haymon
Rick Newberger
Jonathan Prince
Billy Riback
ProducersArthur Harris
Patricia Fass Palmer
Lyah LeFlore
Jaleel White
CinematographyDonald A. Morgan
EditorJesse Hoke
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesAlan Haymon Productions
Columbia TriStar Television
Original release
NetworkUPN
ReleaseAugust 23, 1999 (1999-08-23) –
May 22, 2000 (2000-05-22)

Grown Ups is an American television sitcom that aired on the UPN network from August 23, 1999, to May 22, 2000. Starring Jaleel White, the series was created by Matthew Miller and based on a story written by White.[1]

Plot

Grown Ups follows the lives of three post-college friends who are coming to terms with adulthood. J. Calvin Frazier is a 24-year-old man whose roommate just left town nearly leaving him homeless. J. also learns that his high school crush Melissa (Tammy Townsend) is engaged to another man. With the help of his best friend Gordon (Dave Ruby) and Gordon's wife Shari (Marissa Ribisi), J. attempts to deal with his problems and adjust to life as a grown up.

In the pilot episode, Soleil Moon Frye appeared as Robin Carlucci, J.'s new roommate who wrongly assumes that J. is gay. The series was retooled after the pilot and Frye's character was dropped.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Reception

Grown Ups premiered on August 23, 1999, at 8:30 EST/7:30 CST. On August 30, 1999, the series moved to Mondays at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST, following the Moesha spin-off The Parkers.[2] The series initially garnered good ratings,[3] but ratings soon dropped and UPN canceled the series (on a cliffhanger that was never resolved)[4] in May 2000.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Pilot"John WhitesellMatthew MillerAugust 23, 1999 (1999-08-23)
J has recently discovered that his roommate has moved out and now he has to find a new one. He gets a roommate in the form of Robin, who thinks he's gay. One of Gordon's coworkers, Marcus, is dating one of J's old girlfriends. J now has to deal with his new roommate and the feelings he has for his old flame.
2"Truth Be Told"Rich CorrellJeny QuineAugust 30, 1999 (1999-08-30)
While playing the game of "Truth Be Told," J discovers that his girlfriend is still a virgin, while Gordon discovers that he wasn't Sherri's first experience. J and Melissa decide to have sex, and J experiences some bedroom problems.
3"The Out of Work-Out"Rich CorrellMatthew MillerSeptember 6, 1999 (1999-09-06)
J quits his job and tries to get another one. He hangs out at a spa to mingle with important business professionals. He eventually gets a new job when he runs into a female member of the club that has her own company.
4"A Comic Tragedy"Jeff MelmanMark AmatoSeptember 13, 1999 (1999-09-13)
J and Gordon fight over ownership of a comic book that Shari put on Ebay. The comic puts their friendship in jeopardy. The book turns out to be worthless since Gordon cut an ad out of it; the only winner was Marcus, who cashed in on the legal fees.
5"Bachelor Auction"John TracyMark Blutman & Howard BusgangSeptember 20, 1999 (1999-09-20)
J enters a bachelor auction to make his new girlfriend jealous. He gets bought by Gordon's boss' daughter who has a fatal attraction to him.
6"J Says"Brian K. RobertsJeny QuineOctober 4, 1999 (1999-10-04)
J takes an encounter with a newspaper columnist who annoyed him, and turns it into a chance at getting his own nationally syndicated column.
7"Family Circus"Brian K. RobertsArthur HarrisOctober 18, 1999 (1999-10-18)
Against Melissa's wishes, J arranges to meet her parents while they're in town visiting, but quickly discovers why she was so reluctant to introduce him to her germaphobic mother and crazy father. Meanwhile, Gordon and Shari try their hand at writing a children's book, hoping to win a contest that awards the winning author $50,000.
8"Two Divided by J Equals Ex"Steve ZuckermanRick NewbergerNovember 8, 1999 (1999-11-08)
J's brother comes to town with news of his impending marriage to Donna, who just happens to have had a fling with J years ago.
9"Vegas, a Place in the Sun"Steve ZuckermanArthur Harris & Mark AmatoNovember 15, 1999 (1999-11-15)
J goes to Las Vegas to try to stop his brother's wedding to Donna.
10"Why Can't We Not Be Friends?"Matthew DiamondBilly RibackNovember 22, 1999 (1999-11-22)
J's girlfriend Melissa returns from abroad in time for Thanksgiving, but their relationship isn't the same after months of separation.
11"Online Romance"Matthew DiamondValerie Ahern & Christian McLaughlinDecember 6, 1999 (1999-12-06)
J and Gordon go crazy with their fantasies, as Gordon loves Shari in her new Scully wig. J dates a former Chicago Bulls cheerleader.
12"Housesitter"Joyce GittlinValerie Ahern & Christian McLaughlinJanuary 3, 2000 (2000-01-03)
J tries to score points with his boss by watching his log cabin during a blizzard; J brings his friends along and everything goes bad.
13"Instant Karma"Sheldon EppsMatthew MillerJanuary 24, 2000 (2000-01-24)
J tells a blind date that he'll call her and doesn't, so his karma suddenly go bad; he gets locked out of his apartment, gets an infection on his butt and loses to Gordon in basketball. Meanwhile, Gordon investigates his maid and finds out what she really does.
14"Action"John TracyMark Blutman & Howard BusgangFebruary 7, 2000 (2000-02-07)
J, Gordon and Shari get cast as extras in Cameron Russell's new movie. J discovers the other side of his favorite action hero.
15"Valentine's J"John TracyJeny QuineFebruary 14, 2000 (2000-02-14)
J and Marcus battle to see who can get the most attractive date. J gets multiple dates and everything backfires in his face.
16"New Job"John TracyPamela EellsFebruary 21, 2000 (2000-02-21)
J thinks he hit the jackpot when he goes to work for a computer genius. Sheri gets to edit her first book.
17"Sons & Lovers"Tony SingletaryStephen LloydMarch 20, 2000 (2000-03-20)
J meets an older woman and begins dating her. Unknown to him, she's Logan's mother, and Logan discovers them in bed together. Logan claims that it doesn't bother him, but he has J doing more work. It's not until Logan's mother finds out that J's suffering comes to an end, as does their relationship.
18"J's Pet Peeve"Rich CorrellVan WhitfieldApril 10, 2000 (2000-04-10)
J agrees to watch Melissa's dog, who doesn't like him.
19"The Car Makes the Man"Iris DugowScott RosenbaumMay 1, 2000 (2000-05-01)
J buys a Mercedes to pretend to be successful, and ends up going into poverty to pay off the expensive bill.
20"Out of Sync"Rich CorrellStory by : Jaleel White
Teleplay by : Billy Riback		May 8, 2000 (2000-05-08)
J creates his own boy band, the Macho Five. It backfires in his face when the group dumps him and makes Gordon a member.
21"Match Breaker J"Lillah McCarthyJohn Hunter & Chuck SnyderMay 15, 2000 (2000-05-15)
J tries to match Logan up with the new intern.
22"Nerds of a Feather Gawk Together"John TracyDan SignerMay 22, 2000 (2000-05-22)
J tries to help some of his coworkers with dating by offering them tips. He also discovers that Melissa is getting married after he sees her with a wedding ring; he realizes that he loves her and proposes to her. Melissa agrees, and reveals that the ring was her girlfriend's ring for her marriage.

References

  1. ^ "Jaleel White Biography (1976-)". filmreference.com. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  2. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew. "'Grown Ups': Weak sitcom bodes tough season for UPN". medialifemagazine.com. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  3. ^ Tucker, Ken (1999-09-10). "Mo' and More". ew.com. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  4. ^ Huff, Dominique (2006-02-02). "UPN and WB shut down and create The CW". gsusignal.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2009-03-24.

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