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Roundhouse (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Roundhouse is an American sketch comedy
television series that aired on Nickelodeon
from August 15, 1992 through January 27, 1996.
lineup on Nickelodeon in 1992 and continued airing on the network through 1996.
Buddy Sheffield
, a former writer for In Living Color
, and Rita Sheffield Hester created and produced the series. Recording artist Benny Hester
was the music producer as well as co-producer of the series. They titled the show in reference to the roundhouse
s used by train companies to redirect railroad cars in any direction. This was in line with the show's theme song, in which the characters stated "we can go anywhere from here". In addition, the set for the show mirrored the interior of a roundhouse.
was diagnosed with lymphoma
. He left the show for treatment, returning for several episodes in the show's third season. One month before the show's final episode was taped, Lucero died on July 1, 1994 at the age of 26. At Lucero's request, his illness was never mentioned on television. The final show, however, was dedicated to his memory. Despite his absence, Dominic's name remained in the opening and closing credits throughout all four seasons of the show. His condition was largely unknown to the viewing audience as information on his illness was not made public. After his departure at the end of Season 1, Natalie Nucci stepped into his role as a principal dancer and became a more prominent vocal talent in the show as well.
in Orlando, Florida
. Remaining seasons were shot at CBS Studio Center
in Hollywood, California.
, reruns aired on both BET
and MTV
.
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television series that aired on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
from August 15, 1992 through January 27, 1996.
Background
Roundhouse debuted as a part of the original SNICKSNICK
SNICK was a two-hour programming block on the American cable television network Nickelodeon, geared toward general audiences, that ran from August 15, 1992 until August 28, 2004. It was aired on Saturdays starting at 8 p.m and ending at 10 p.m. ET. In 2004, SNICK was revamped as the Saturday night...
lineup on Nickelodeon in 1992 and continued airing on the network through 1996.
Buddy Sheffield
Buddy Sheffield
Morris Taylor "Buddy" Sheffield is an American comedy writer, producer and composer. He is probably best known as Emmy-nominated head writer on Fox TV's breakthrough sketch comedy series, In Living Color, having written such favorites as "Homey Claus", "Homeboy Shopping Network", "This Old Box" and...
, a former writer for In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
, and Rita Sheffield Hester created and produced the series. Recording artist Benny Hester
Benny Hester
Benny Hester is a music artist and songwriter. He is best known for his chart-topping songs, "When God Ran" and top 40 crossover hit "Nobody Knows Me Like You"...
was the music producer as well as co-producer of the series. They titled the show in reference to the roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
s used by train companies to redirect railroad cars in any direction. This was in line with the show's theme song, in which the characters stated "we can go anywhere from here". In addition, the set for the show mirrored the interior of a roundhouse.
Episode format
Each episode revolved around the Anyfamily and their problems in daily life. The half-hour show, taped in front of a visible live audience, was broken up into sketches, dance sequences, and musical performances by both cast members and the house band. All music used on the show was written specifically for Roundhouse. Crystal Lewis and Shawn Daywalt were the principal vocalists for many of the songs in the first season. After Lewis left the series to pursue a career in Christian contemporary music, she was replaced by Lisa Vale, who left the series after Season 2 due to her pregnancy and was replaced by Amy Erlich and Jennifer Cihi for Season 3. Natasha Pearce became the series principal vocalist in Season 4, but Vale returned for several episodes as well.Cast
- Alfred Carr, Jr.
- John CraneJohn CraneJohn Rene Crane is an American writer and actor, best known as the head writer, executive producer and occasional performer on Fox's Saturday late night sketch comedy program, MADtv.-Career:...
- Mark David
- Shawn Daywalt
- Ivan Dudynsky
- Micki Duran
- Seymour Willis Green
- Natalie Nucci
- Julene Renee
- David Sidoni
- Crystal LewisCrystal LewisCrystal Lewis is an American contemporary Christian/Gospel vocalist, songwriter and author.-Early years:Lewis grew up singing in her father's church...
(Season 1) - Dominic LuceroDominic LuceroDominic Lucero was an American actor, dancer and singer. He was born in Orange County, California.Early on he starred in stage productions such as Chorus Line, The Pajama Game, and Grease. His stage career led him to dancing. He danced with Michael Jackson on his Bad Tour...
(Seasons 1 and 3) - Lisa Vale (Seasons 2 and 4)
- Jennifer CihiJennifer CihiJennifer Cihi is a singer who performed several songs for animated series and films. For instance, the main theme of City Hunter as the best known animation among Asia countries is Without You....
(Season 3) - Amy Ehrlich (Season 3)
- Shawn Munoz (Season 3)
- Bryan Anthony (Season 4)
- David Nicoll (Season 4)
- Natasha Pearce (Season 4)
Dominic Lucero
Following the first season, cast member Dominic LuceroDominic Lucero
Dominic Lucero was an American actor, dancer and singer. He was born in Orange County, California.Early on he starred in stage productions such as Chorus Line, The Pajama Game, and Grease. His stage career led him to dancing. He danced with Michael Jackson on his Bad Tour...
was diagnosed with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. He left the show for treatment, returning for several episodes in the show's third season. One month before the show's final episode was taped, Lucero died on July 1, 1994 at the age of 26. At Lucero's request, his illness was never mentioned on television. The final show, however, was dedicated to his memory. Despite his absence, Dominic's name remained in the opening and closing credits throughout all four seasons of the show. His condition was largely unknown to the viewing audience as information on his illness was not made public. After his departure at the end of Season 1, Natalie Nucci stepped into his role as a principal dancer and became a more prominent vocal talent in the show as well.
House band
- Jack Kelly - drums
- John Pena - bass
- James Raymond - keyboards
- Marty Walsh - guitar
- Will MacGregor - bass (Season 3)
- Abe Laboriel Jr.Abe Laboriel Jr.Abe Laboriel Jr. is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr. and brother of producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel....
- drums (Season 4)
Season 1
- New Kid in Town (Pilot)
- You Can't Fire Your Family
- Last One Picked
- School Daze
- First Date
- Abusement Park
- TV on Trial
- Meat Market
- The Clock Strikes Back
- Conflict
- Lifestyles
- The School Play
- What If?
Season 2
- The Game of Popularity
- Environment
- Pets
- Step Family Feud
- In Trouble
- Independence
- Fears
- Best Friends
- And Baby Makes Three
- Summertime Blues
- Technobabble
- The Economy
Season 3
- Happy Holidays
- Women vs. Men
- Gang Violence
- Jealousy
- Talent
- Rock Stars
- Greed
- Prejudice
- Generation Gap
- Puberty
- Privacy
- Self-Esteem
- The Joke's On You
- Running Away
- Lies
Season 4
- The Big Quake
- Summer Camp
- Change
- Nobody's Perfect
- Dropout
- The History of Anyfamily - Part I
- The History of Anyfamily - Part II
- Justice
- Superstitions
- Stress and Success
- Obsession
- War & Peace
- Endings
Sets
The first season was filmed on Stage 18 at Nickelodeon StudiosNickelodeon Studios
Nickelodeon Studios was a television taping studio as well as an original attraction at Universal Studios Florida.-History:...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Remaining seasons were shot at CBS Studio Center
CBS Studio Center
CBS Studio Center is a television and film studio located in the Studio City district of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. It is located at 4024 Radford Avenue and takes up a triangular piece of land, with the Los Angeles River bisecting the site...
in Hollywood, California.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Won | Young Artist Awards | Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Youth Series or Variety Show | Cast |
| 1994 | Nominated | Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Cable or Off Primetime Series | Cast | |
| 1993 | Won | CableACE Award CableACE Award The CableACE Award was an award that was given from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in American cable television programming... |
Original Song ("I Can Dream") | Benny Hester and Buddy Sheffield |
| 1995 | Nominated | Original Song ("Second Chance") | Eric Hester | |
| 1994 | Won | Youth In Film Awards | Best Original Song ("Can't Let Go") | |
| 19?? | Won | Ollie Award | |
|
Syndication
YTV in Canada also aired the series during its initial run on Nickelodeon. After the show ceased production in 19941994 in television
The year 1994 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1994.For the American TV schedule, see: 1994-95 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
, reruns aired on both BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
VHS release
To date, two episodes have been released on VHS.| Episode | VHS Title |
|---|---|
| "New Kid In Town" | SNICK: Volume 1: Nick SNICKS Friendship |
| "You Can't Fire Your Family" | SNICK: Volume 2: Nick SNICKS The Family |