Under One Roof (1995 TV series)

This article is about the 1995 CBS drama series. For other uses, see Under One Roof.

Under One Roof is an American drama television series that aired on CBS from March 14 to April 18, 1995. A family drama, the series starred James Earl Jones, Joe Morton and Vanessa Bell Calloway.^[1]

Under One Roof
Genre	Drama
Created by	Paul Aaron Michael Henry Brown
Written by	Paul Aaron Michael Henry Brown Carol Evan McKeand Rogers Turrentine Valerie Woods Martha Williamson
Directed by	Thomas Carter Michael Engler Eric Laneuville Ian Sander Michael W. Watkins
Starring	Joe Morton Vanessa Bell Calloway Essence Atkins Merlin Santana Monique Ridge Ronald Joshua Scott James Earl Jones
Theme music composer	Stephen James Taylor
Composers	Greg De Belles Kurt Farquhar Stephen James Taylor
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer	Thomas Carter
Producers	Penelope Foster Jeanne Marie Van Cott
Running time	45-48 minutes
Production companies	The Thomas Carter Company CBS Entertainment Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	March 14 (1995-03-14) – April 18, 1995 (1995-04-18)

Synopsis

Under One Roof follows the lives of three generations of a middle class African American family sharing a two-family house in Seattle, Washington.^[2] The lower unit is occupied by family patriarch Nesbit "Neb" Langston (Jones), a recently widowed police officer who has adopted a troubled foster child, Marcus Henry (Merlin Santana). Neb's daughter Ayesha (Monique Ridge) also lives with them.

The upper unit is occupied by Neb's adult son Ron (Morton), his wife and his children. Ron is a former Marine who is attempting to deal with the stress of opening his own business. Meanwhile, Ron's wife Maggie (Calloway) is having reservations about re-entering the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for the couple's two children, son Derrick (Ronald Joshua Scott), a Type 1 diabetic, and daughter Charlie (Essence Atkins).

The series, which was a midseason replacement for CBS, was cancelled after six episodes. It later reran on cable network TV One in the mid-2000s.

Cast and characters

Main

• Joe Morton as Ron Langston
• Vanessa Bell Calloway as Margaret "Maggie" Louise Langston
• Essence Atkins as Charlotte "Charlie" Langston
• Merlin Santana as Marcus Henry
• Monique Ridge as Ayesha (née Beverly) Langston
• Ronald Joshua Scott as Derrick Langston
• James Earl Jones as Nesbit "Neb" Langston

Recurring

• Terence Knox as Matt "Siggy" Sigalos

Production

Many scenes were filmed in the old Ballard High School and the Phinney Neighborhood Center in Seattle.

Episodes

No.	Title [3]	Directed by [3]	Original release date [3]	Prod. code
1	"Rooms"	Thomas Carter	March 14, 1995 (1995-03-14)	101
The Langston family adjusts to the new, multi-generational living arrangements. In order to ensure that his new hardware store opens on the scheduled date, Ron breaks his promise to join Derrick in a father-son competition at school. Marcus continues to grapple with memories of his biological mother, who died of a drug overdose when he was 13. Charlie steals Maggie's credit card in order to buy a new dress for a party.
2	"Daddy's Girl"	Ian Sander	March 21, 1995 (1995-03-21)	103
Neb's interference complicates Ayesha's relationship with her boyfriend Roger (Michael Jace), but the biggest obstacle is Roger's womanizing. A client of the hardware store exhibits racist attitudes towards Ron, who is furious when Siggy wants to do business with him anyway. When Derrick wants to change his image, Marcus introduces him to gangsta rap music and revamps his wardrobe. Unfortunately, his attitude experiences a revamp as well.
3	"Pilot"	Thomas Carter	March 28, 1995 (1995-03-28)	100
Maggie finally earns her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Administration. Dietary choices are a major issue for Derrick, who is a Type 1 diabetic. Marcus' plan to get a new pair of shoes for the graduation ceremony backfires, as does Ron and Maggie's plan to spend the evening together alone.
4	"Sophisticated Lady, Not!"	Eric Laneuville	April 4, 1995 (1995-04-04)	102
Fifteen-year-old Charlie secretly goes out with one of Ayesha's design students (Jon Clair), but finds herself way over her head when she goes back to the college man's house. Maggie goes through a minor midlife crisis after her age prevents her from landing a new job. When talking to his classmates, Derrick makes Neb's job on the police force sound much more exciting than it is in reality.
5	"Secrets"	Michael Watkins	April 11, 1995 (1995-04-11)	104
One of Charlie's African-American friends (Malinda Williams) lets her racist feelings show when Charlie starts spending more time with a White classmate. Problems arises when Maggie's overbearing mother (Leslie Uggams) visits. Neb goes out with a high school teacher (Joan Pringle) — his first date since his wife's death.
6	"Ronnie's Got a Gun"	Michael Engler	April 18, 1995 (1995-04-18)	105
After he inadvertently walks in on an armed robbery at the hardware store, Ron has difficulty coping with the trauma surrounding the incident; Siggy gives him a handgun. Marcus deduces the identity of the robbers – and that one of them is an old friend of his. Charlie tries to win the prize in a bake-off sponsored by a local morning show.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
1995	Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	James Earl Jones	Nominated
1996	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	Vanessa Bell Calloway	Nominated
		Outstanding Drama Series	Under One Roof	Nominated