Smart Guy
Encyclopedia
Smart Guy is an American
sitcom created by Danny Kallis
. The series ran on The WB
for three seasons from April 2, 1997 to May 16, 1999.
) centers on the misadventures of boy genius T.J. Henderson (Tahj Mowry
), who at the age of 10 moves from elementary school and gets transferred to Piedmont High School, where he ends up becoming a high school sophomore with 15-year-olds as his classmates. He must adjust to the life with older but not necessarily wiser high school teenagers — his brother Marcus (Jason Weaver
) and Marcus's best friend Mo (Omar Gooding
). He often deals with the usual missteps of trying to fit in as a kid genius, while being a small kid in high school.
Older brother Marcus, the suave and underachieving middle child, also deals with teenage problems, such as finding a date, and doing homework (though he sometimes tries to get T.J. to do his homework for him). Their father Floyd (John Marshall Jones
), a single father who owns his own roofing business, deals with the problems of raising his three kids, Yvette, Marcus and T.J. since his wife's death. Floyd's only daughter, and Marcus and T.J.'s older sister Yvette (Essence Atkins
), is (usually) the level-headed one of the family and is the typical overachieving student.
Episodes deal with T.J.'s attempts to fit in high school, as well as the contrast between his smarts and his brother's underachieving nature.
. The youngest child in his family. He's 10 years old in seasons 1 and 2 (and 12 in season 3), and, as the title suggests, is smart, with an I.Q. of 180. He skipped from 4th grade to 10th, knows several different languages and has a photographic memory. Outside of the occasional moments of awkwardness that are bound to occur when a child interacts with high schoolers, T.J. has a peaceable existence in the school, and is eager to be involved in school functions. So much so, that he becomes the mascot for his school basketball team, which leads to occasional bullying. T.J. later is promoted to being the equipment manager for the Piedmont High basketball team. He spends a fair amount of time at school with his older brother, Marcus, and Marcus' and T.J.'s best friend, Mo Tibbs. Although they have some tense moments, it is obvious that the two brothers care for each other deeply. Though T.J. spends much of his time around teenagers, he is occasionally seen spending time with kids his own age. T.J. plays keyboard for Marcus's band in several episodes after the other member broke his finger from an accident (and was also briefly the manager of the band in the episode "Achy Breaky Heart").
, is T.J.'s older brother. He is fairly popular and reacts remarkably well to his younger brother sharing nearly every one of his classes, although tensions do arise from time to time (this is especially true in the pilot episode). He gets average (or below average) grades, simply because he does not apply himself. He's a forward on his school's basketball team and has several love interests throughout the run of the show, none of which are seen for more than one episode. He is the lead vocalist for the band which he created, Mackadocious (in which Mo is the bassist and T.J. is the keyboardist).
. He is Marcus and T.J.'s best friend. It's been revealed that he was adopted and his birth mother is a fortune teller. Floyd is often annoyed with Mo's antics, such as eating from their fridge and sleeping in T.J.'s bed. He pretty much lives there and he hates eating at his own house (he once cracked a tooth off his mother's oatmeal). He works out and is very muscular. He plays bass guitar in Marcus' band, Mackadocious, and is a talented chef and barber. He is portrayed in the show as someone who is sometimes dimwitted and gullible. . A recurring catchphrase of his is, "Hello der!" ("hello there").
. The sister of Marcus and T.J., Yvette is intelligent, (usually) level-headed and is a women's rights activist. She has a fake I.D. that says she's 28, as revealed in the season one episode "The Code". Yvette sometimes finds it hard being the only girl out of three males in the Henderson family, as seen in the season two episode "Men Working Badly". She is in 11th grade in season 1 and graduates high school at the end of season 3. After being rejected from Princeton, Yvette planned to attend Georgetown University
as the series ends. Although the character of Yvette is in her late teens, Essence Atkins (who was born in 1972) is actually only ten years younger than John Marshall Jones, who plays her father.
, is the father of the family and owns a roofing business, called Floyd Henderson Contracting. Unfortunately, his wife Christina (as mentioned in an episode) died of a heart attack. After the loss of his wife, he would have trouble finding another woman to date. However, he does date in a few episodes: in season two's "Dateline", T.J. sets Floyd up on a date with a woman named Jamie (Jackie Mari Roberts), who T.J. gets jealous of after Floyd spends less time with him; and in the season three episode "Beating is Fundamental", he dates a woman whose son T.J. dislikes (and later punches). He is frequently a comic foil to most characters including T.J. He also gives good moral advice to all of his children (and even Mo).
The series was taped at Sunset-Gower Studios in Hollywood, California. The establishing shot of the fictional Piedmont High School later appeared on another DC
-based Disney series, the Disney Channel Original Series Cory in the House
.
The opening sequence for the first two seasons was fully computer animated with the exception of the cast video headshots. The show's title logo was shown at the beginning and again at the end of the sequence when the main characters (minus Mo) are shown above it. The season three opening titles were made to resemble a music video (the sequence was choreographed by Russell Clark).
from September 1999 and continued to air until September 2003, and again in a "Back to School" themed marathon of the show in August 2004. Smart Guy was aired on The N, Noggin's television programming block, from April 7, 2002 (along with Sister, Sister
) until April 23, 2004. The show was recently removed from the Canada-based Family Channel and was replaced by Wizards of Waverly Place
though it is still on Disney Channel in the United Kingdom
, but not on a recurring basis in the UK. In late 2006, the show started airing on Disney Channel in Australia
and New Zealand
. In 2006, the UK Disney Channel pulled the show, which at the time was only aired during working days in the early afternoon.
The series began airing on BET
on September 6, 2008-June 6, 2009 and again from July to September 2009, but episodes airing on BET omit the Walt Disney Television production tag at the end of most episodes. Episodes aired internationally also do so, but replace the WDTV logo with the Buena Vista International Television logo.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom created by Danny Kallis
Danny Kallis
Danny Kallis is a television writer and producer. He has written for such programs as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, The Suite Life on Deck, The JammX Kids, The Sausage Factory, Smart Guy , Who's the Boss?, The Upper Hand, The Charmings, Silver Spoons, Mama's Family and Taxi.He has a company...
. The series ran on The WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
for three seasons from April 2, 1997 to May 16, 1999.
Premise
The show (which is set in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) centers on the misadventures of boy genius T.J. Henderson (Tahj Mowry
Tahj Mowry
Tahj Dayton Mowry , is an American actor, dancer, and singer, mostly known for his role of T.J. Henderson on the hit sitcom Smart Guy and Wade on Kim Possible.-Personal life:...
), who at the age of 10 moves from elementary school and gets transferred to Piedmont High School, where he ends up becoming a high school sophomore with 15-year-olds as his classmates. He must adjust to the life with older but not necessarily wiser high school teenagers — his brother Marcus (Jason Weaver
Jason Weaver
Jason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
) and Marcus's best friend Mo (Omar Gooding
Omar Gooding
Omar M. Gooding is an American actor. He is the younger brother of veteran actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. and the son of singer Cuba Gooding, Sr....
). He often deals with the usual missteps of trying to fit in as a kid genius, while being a small kid in high school.
Older brother Marcus, the suave and underachieving middle child, also deals with teenage problems, such as finding a date, and doing homework (though he sometimes tries to get T.J. to do his homework for him). Their father Floyd (John Marshall Jones
John Marshall Jones
John Marshall Jones is an American actor and director. He is originally from Detroit, Michigan. He is perhaps best known as Floyd Henderson from the TV series Smart Guy...
), a single father who owns his own roofing business, deals with the problems of raising his three kids, Yvette, Marcus and T.J. since his wife's death. Floyd's only daughter, and Marcus and T.J.'s older sister Yvette (Essence Atkins
Essence Atkins
Essence Uhura Atkins is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Dee Dee Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half and as Yvette Henderson on the The WB sitcom Smart Guy...
), is (usually) the level-headed one of the family and is the typical overachieving student.
Episodes deal with T.J.'s attempts to fit in high school, as well as the contrast between his smarts and his brother's underachieving nature.
T.J. Henderson
The character of T.J. Henderson (whose full first and middle name was never revealed), played by Tahj MowryTahj Mowry
Tahj Dayton Mowry , is an American actor, dancer, and singer, mostly known for his role of T.J. Henderson on the hit sitcom Smart Guy and Wade on Kim Possible.-Personal life:...
. The youngest child in his family. He's 10 years old in seasons 1 and 2 (and 12 in season 3), and, as the title suggests, is smart, with an I.Q. of 180. He skipped from 4th grade to 10th, knows several different languages and has a photographic memory. Outside of the occasional moments of awkwardness that are bound to occur when a child interacts with high schoolers, T.J. has a peaceable existence in the school, and is eager to be involved in school functions. So much so, that he becomes the mascot for his school basketball team, which leads to occasional bullying. T.J. later is promoted to being the equipment manager for the Piedmont High basketball team. He spends a fair amount of time at school with his older brother, Marcus, and Marcus' and T.J.'s best friend, Mo Tibbs. Although they have some tense moments, it is obvious that the two brothers care for each other deeply. Though T.J. spends much of his time around teenagers, he is occasionally seen spending time with kids his own age. T.J. plays keyboard for Marcus's band in several episodes after the other member broke his finger from an accident (and was also briefly the manager of the band in the episode "Achy Breaky Heart").
Marcus Henderson
The character of Marcus Henderson, played by Jason WeaverJason Weaver
Jason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
, is T.J.'s older brother. He is fairly popular and reacts remarkably well to his younger brother sharing nearly every one of his classes, although tensions do arise from time to time (this is especially true in the pilot episode). He gets average (or below average) grades, simply because he does not apply himself. He's a forward on his school's basketball team and has several love interests throughout the run of the show, none of which are seen for more than one episode. He is the lead vocalist for the band which he created, Mackadocious (in which Mo is the bassist and T.J. is the keyboardist).
Morris L. "Mo" Tibbs
The character of Mo Tibbs was played by Omar GoodingOmar Gooding
Omar M. Gooding is an American actor. He is the younger brother of veteran actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. and the son of singer Cuba Gooding, Sr....
. He is Marcus and T.J.'s best friend. It's been revealed that he was adopted and his birth mother is a fortune teller. Floyd is often annoyed with Mo's antics, such as eating from their fridge and sleeping in T.J.'s bed. He pretty much lives there and he hates eating at his own house (he once cracked a tooth off his mother's oatmeal). He works out and is very muscular. He plays bass guitar in Marcus' band, Mackadocious, and is a talented chef and barber. He is portrayed in the show as someone who is sometimes dimwitted and gullible. . A recurring catchphrase of his is, "Hello der!" ("hello there").
Tasha Yvette Henderson
The character of Yvette Henderson was played by Essence AtkinsEssence Atkins
Essence Uhura Atkins is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Dee Dee Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half and as Yvette Henderson on the The WB sitcom Smart Guy...
. The sister of Marcus and T.J., Yvette is intelligent, (usually) level-headed and is a women's rights activist. She has a fake I.D. that says she's 28, as revealed in the season one episode "The Code". Yvette sometimes finds it hard being the only girl out of three males in the Henderson family, as seen in the season two episode "Men Working Badly". She is in 11th grade in season 1 and graduates high school at the end of season 3. After being rejected from Princeton, Yvette planned to attend Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
as the series ends. Although the character of Yvette is in her late teens, Essence Atkins (who was born in 1972) is actually only ten years younger than John Marshall Jones, who plays her father.
Floyd Henderson
The character of Floyd Henderson, played by John Marshall JonesJohn Marshall Jones
John Marshall Jones is an American actor and director. He is originally from Detroit, Michigan. He is perhaps best known as Floyd Henderson from the TV series Smart Guy...
, is the father of the family and owns a roofing business, called Floyd Henderson Contracting. Unfortunately, his wife Christina (as mentioned in an episode) died of a heart attack. After the loss of his wife, he would have trouble finding another woman to date. However, he does date in a few episodes: in season two's "Dateline", T.J. sets Floyd up on a date with a woman named Jamie (Jackie Mari Roberts), who T.J. gets jealous of after Floyd spends less time with him; and in the season three episode "Beating is Fundamental", he dates a woman whose son T.J. dislikes (and later punches). He is frequently a comic foil to most characters including T.J. He also gives good moral advice to all of his children (and even Mo).
Recurring characters
- Nina Walsh - Played by Tinsley GrimesTinsley GrimesTinsley Grimes is an actress notable for some primary and secondary roles she has played in TV series, as well as guest starring in some episodes*Nina Walsh in Smart Guy *Bobbie Wagner on Promised Land...
, Nina is one of Yvette's friends and is seen with her most of the time, however she is only seen during the third season (Yvette had a revolving door of friends up through that point). She works at the store in the mall, where in the episode "Get A Job", she was forced to follow "black people" because her boss Ms. Hendra thought that African-Americans who were in the store would steal. She is deep and poetic and drools over cute guys. - Deion Lavon White - Played by Arvie Lowe, Jr., Deion is a teenager who attends Piedmont High. His usual hijinks include taking pictures of Marcus and Mo and selling them to a company for profit (in season two's "My Two Dads"), and scamming Marcus and Moe into selling health bars in a pyramid scheme which he involves every other student in school to sell them as well (in season two's "Goodbye, Mr. Chimps"), among other things (Marcus refers to him as "a little shrimp"). In the season two episode "The Dating Game", Deion had a crush (more like an obsession) on Yvette and asked her out to the school dance, which Yvette rejects repeatedly (and prompts her to go with T.J.'s plan to make Deion think that she is dating Mo).
- Mackey Nagle - Played by J.D. Walsh, Mackey is a student who is in Marcus and Mo's grade. He is fairly popular and is definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He tries to fit in at school by buying new clothes and speaking slang, but most of the time makes a fool of himself and ends with a comment stating "It's because I'm white, isn't it?" (which is usually replied with nods by everyone who was listening, this particular gag was only seen in the season two episode "Sit In (a.k.a Dawgburger Rebellion)"). In the season three episode "Perchance to Dream", he has a dream about Yvette kissing him as she tells him about her dreams about Mo. He often wears flannel shirts. He actually ends up streaking during the graduation ceremony in the season three episode "The Graduate?" (after T.J.'s plan of a revenge prank on the Seniors backfires).
- Mr. Militich - Played by James K. Ward, he is the vice-principal of the school. He is cheap when it comes to school necessities, and sometimes is presented as incompetent.
- Coach Gerber - Played by Dann FlorekDann FlorekEzekial Dann Florek , professional name Dann Florek, is an American actor and director.-Early life:Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan. He attended Eastern Michigan University, but never graduated...
, he is the gym teacher and basketball coach at the school. He is bald and aging and went through a divorce (which includes paying 800 dollars to his wife monthly). He once taught math and gets angry easily. He sleeps in his office since he can no longer afford a home of his own. He once mentioned that he has prostate problems. - Brandi Andréa Dixon - Played by Kyla PrattKyla PrattKyla Alissa Pratt is an American actress and singer.-Early life:Pratt was born in Los Angeles, the oldest of five children of Kecia Pratt-McCullar, a schoolteacher, and Johnny McCullar, a semi-professional basketball player....
, Brandi is a girl around T.J.'s age, and met T.J. at the arcade in season two's "Bad Boy". She is very good at basketball and joined the team T.J. plays on in season three's "She Got Game", but she stopped playing due to T.J. being upset with her when she begins starting and T.J. is benched. She wears "ghetto fabulous" clothing and depicts an exaggerated stereotype of youth. It is obvious that they have crushes on each other, but it is never focused on. Brandi only appears in two episodes: "Bad Boy" in season two, and "She Got Game" in season three (though Pratt previously appeared in season one as Lillie, one of T.J.'s three prom dates in "Baby, It's You and You and You").
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | First air date | Last air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 7 | April 2, 1997 | May 7, 1997 |
| Season 2 | 22 | September 10, 1997 | May 13, 1998 |
| Season 3 | 22 | September 20, 1998 | May 16, 1999 |
Production notes
Tahj Mowry and Omar Gooding are the only cast members not to appear in every episode (which in the case of Mowry is quite unusual for the lead actor for a television series to not appear in all episodes). Tahj Mowry did not appear in the Season 3 episode "Get a Job" and Omar Gooding did not appear in "A Little Knowledge".The series was taped at Sunset-Gower Studios in Hollywood, California. The establishing shot of the fictional Piedmont High School later appeared on another DC
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
-based Disney series, the Disney Channel Original Series Cory in the House
Cory in the House
Cory in the House is an American television sitcom, which aired on the Disney Channel from January 12, 2007 to September 12, 2008 and was a spin-off from the Disney show That's So Raven. The show focuses on Cory Baxter, who moved from San Francisco, California to Washington, D.C., after Victor...
.
The Henderson house
A majority of the show's scenes take place in the Henderson house or the school. Originally, most of the family scenes took place in the kitchen, with no living room area seen during the first season. The living room set when it was added in season two had a window and the front door at stage center, and the stairs and kitchen doorway at stage right. The kitchen set was scaled back as well with the back stairs that lead to the bedrooms removed. The layout changed again in season three with the kitchen remaining the same, but the living room layout changes including the front door now located at stage left. Marcus and T.J.'s bedroom is the only set to remain the same during the course of the entire series.Piedmont High School
Piedmont High is the high school that Yvette, Marcus, Mo and T.J. attend. The four main sets seen in the show are the classroom, the hallway, the cafeteria and the auditorium. The hallway changes its layout twice during the series.Theme song and opening sequences
The theme song for the first and second seasons was produced and written by Kristian Rex who also scored the music for the entire second season. The theme song for Smart Guyss third and last season was performed by Hami and featured cast member Omar Gooding. A short version of the season three theme, which is different from the regular theme song was used in episodes in which ran over the allotted time.The opening sequence for the first two seasons was fully computer animated with the exception of the cast video headshots. The show's title logo was shown at the beginning and again at the end of the sequence when the main characters (minus Mo) are shown above it. The season three opening titles were made to resemble a music video (the sequence was choreographed by Russell Clark).
Reruns/syndication
Three months after Smart Guy was canceled on The WB, reruns began airing on the Disney ChannelDisney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
from September 1999 and continued to air until September 2003, and again in a "Back to School" themed marathon of the show in August 2004. Smart Guy was aired on The N, Noggin's television programming block, from April 7, 2002 (along with Sister, Sister
Sister, Sister
Sister, Sister may refer to:* Sister, Sister , a TV movie starring Diahann Carroll* Sister, Sister , a thriller starring Eric Stoltz* Sister, Sister , by Andrew Neiderman...
) until April 23, 2004. The show was recently removed from the Canada-based Family Channel and was replaced by Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009...
though it is still on Disney Channel in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but not on a recurring basis in the UK. In late 2006, the show started airing on Disney Channel in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In 2006, the UK Disney Channel pulled the show, which at the time was only aired during working days in the early afternoon.
The series began airing on 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...
on September 6, 2008-June 6, 2009 and again from July to September 2009, but episodes airing on BET omit the Walt Disney Television production tag at the end of most episodes. Episodes aired internationally also do so, but replace the WDTV logo with the Buena Vista International Television logo.
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | American Cinema Foundation | Nominated | Television Series - Comedy | |
| 2000 | Humanitas Prize Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious... |
Nominated | 30 Minute Category | Steve Young Steve Young (writer) Steve Young is a television writer for The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with David Letterman. He is a Harvard University graduate and former writer for the Harvard Lampoon. He also wrote The Simpsons season eight episode "Hurricane Neddy". Steve Young adapted the holiday book... For episode "Never Too Young" |
| 1999 | NAACP Image Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress | Tahj Mowry |
| 2000 | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress | Tahj Mowry | ||
| 1998 | Young Artist Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... |
Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Performer | Tahj Mowry |
| 1999 | Best Family TV Comedy Series | |
||
| 1998 | YoungStar Awards | Nominated | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series | Tahj Mowry |