The Parent 'Hood is a sitcom that aired on The WB from 1995 to 1999.
The show centers around the Petersons, a middle-class black family living in Harlem. Robert (Robert Townsend), the father, is a college professor, while his wife Jerri (Suzzanne Douglas) is a law student. Together, they raise their four children; teenagers Michael (Kenny Blank) and Zaria (Reagan Gomez-Preston), elementary school-aged Nicholas (Curtis Williams), and toddler Cece (Ashli Adams). Also part of the cast was Robert's friend Wendell (Faizon Love). In the final season, the Petersons take in a troubled youth named T.K. (Tyrone Burton).
Not to be confused with Parenthood.
Tropes:
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: Each of the Peterson children have had their turn with this.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: In "To Kiss or Not to Kiss", Nicholas pretends to be a bad boy when his crush (played by Kyla Pratt) said that he wasn't her type and she likes "roughnecks". In the end, she likes Nicholas for who he is.
- Annoying Younger Sibling:
- Nicholas and Cece are this for Michael and Zaria.
- Robert's brother Kelly is this for him.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Zaria wants to break up with both of her love interests in "House Arrest" so as to resume casual dating. She just didn't count on both guys wanting to break up with her and beating her to the punch, no less.
- Black and Nerdy: Zaria's classmate, Gordon, is the resident nerd of the show.
- Big Applesauce: The series takes place in Harlem.
- Boyfriend-Blocking Dad:
- Robert is not particularly happy about Zaria dating, with Jerri pointing out the words "drastic" and "stupid" often come into play. He actually double subverts this in "The Rake, the Fake and the Gopher Snake" with Troy. He initially had a positive impression of him (likening any boasting as just the kind of fronting he did back in the day), but Michael's persistent warnings get him worked up into doing something (as you can guess) drastic and stupid.
- "Not with My Daughter" flips this around by making Jerri a boyfriend-blocking mom, after she learns Zaria is interested in a former gang member who's still friendly with his old buddies. By contrast, Robert is perfectly fine with the guy, due to knowing him through a prep course he's been teaching, and only wobbles in the face of Jerri's fierce insistence. It takes some doing for the guy to convince Jerri he's not the person he used to be.
- Breakout Character: Wendell as his popularity led to him brcoming a main character.
- Brick Joke: To save T.K. from being sent to a worse facility, Jerri volunteers to be his guardian. Robert objects to her agreeing to this without even talking to him, pointing out they had to have a two-week conversation about Nicholas getting a simple goldfish. Later, when the folks announce that T.K. is moving in, Nicholas bemoans how this is happening and that he never got that goldfish he wanted.
- Bros Before Hoes: The eponymous ceremony in "Wendell and Muriel's Wedding" goes south when Jerri overhears the bride's intention to immediately cheat on Wendell. Robert warns Wendell of this during the vows, but Muriel angrily refutes this and asks Wendell who he's going to believe. Ultimately, Wendell takes his best friend at face value and denounces Muriel.
- Category Traitor: Robert objecting to Michael's rap song in "Robert in the 'Hood" leads to an accusation that he and Jerri are sell-outs that turned their back on their roots. Aside from pointing out that Michael enjoys a host of luxuries paid for by supposed sell-outs, Robert puts him through a bit of Cool and Unusual Punishment in Harlem to teach him that life there isn't like his rap song. Michael is also surprised to learn that Robert is a regular presence in Harlem, due to teaching a course at the community center to help people achieve their college ambitions.
- Celebrity Star: Many African American celebrities guest starred as themselves.
- Christmas Episode: "The Man Who Canceled Christmas" from Season 2. Robert cancels Christmas because of the kids' greedy attitudes. That night, the kids are visited by elves that resemble Robert and Wendell and get lessons about their greedy desires.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Several characters disappear without explanation during the show's run, including Wendell's mother and, in the final season, Wendell himself. Even Michael disappears in the final season, with a throwaway line that he was attending college.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The Imagine Spot in "An American Class President" depicts Wendell as President and threatening to use the full might of the American military to punish a pizza place for not delivering within a specified time period. Robert is an aid desperately trying to talk him out of it.
- Drop-In Character: Wendell, to the extent that Nicholas once claimed that Wendell spent more time at his house then he did. He gets phone calls, mail, and even a newspaper at the Peterson house, not to mention lots of free food.
- Double Standard: Michael is given permission to attend a basketball game, but Zaria is denied a chance to go to a concert. Robert and Jerri realized that they were wrong and allow Zaria to go to the concert, but they follow her.
- Easily Forgiven: T.K.'s actions in "'Hood Sweet 'Hood, Part 1" result in Robert getting shot and ending up in the hospital. In Part 2, Jerri is so outraged that she wants to kick T.K. out of the house, and Zaria fully supports that decision. Robert, however, thinks that's an extreme overreaction, saying T.K. made a mistake and that family should be shown forgiveness.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: For four seasons, we see Robert as an accomplished professor and solid father. In the last season, we meet his younger brother, Kelly. In the span of a few minutes, Kelly is established to be out of work, in debt, needing a place to crash, and generally goofy.
- Freudian Excuse: T.K.'s repeated troubles with the law and life on the streets stem from his father being in prison and his mother abandoning him when he was a child.
- Friendship Moment: "Wendell and Muriel's Wedding" hits Wendell hard, as his would-be bride was planning all along to cheat on him. Wendell saves himself from a bad marriage, but he's left thinking he'll never have what Robert has.Wendell: I'm just tired of bein' alone, man.
Robert: There's somebody out there for you; you just haven't found them yet. And until that time, I want to you know that you'll always be part of this family.
Wendell: Thanks, man. That means a lot. [hugs Robert] - Ghost Story: The Taxi Man story in, well, "The Taxi Man". As Wendell explains, a stockbroker was trying in vain to hail a cab, but they wouldn't stop because he was black. Frustrated, the guy jumped in front of a cab, shouting "taxi" three times. Killed in the collision, he comes back as a ghost and will take anyone who says "Taxi Man" three times out for a horrifying ride. While Nicholas is scared to hear this, Robert questions why he's not just going after cab drivers, to which Wendell says the guy isn't thinking straight after his messy death.
- Halloween Episode: "The Taxi Man" from Season 2. Nicholas is scared by the eponymous Ghost Story, so Robert and a just as scared Wendell try to help him. Sick of constantly being pranked, Zaria tries to put a scare into Michael. Jerri struggles to make Cece a costume for trick-or-treating.
- Happily Married: Robert and Jerri are this.
- Hard Truth Aesop: "Don't Go There" deals with Nicholas's friend, Drew, being abducted at school. Nicholas is left both deeply worried about his friend and too scared to leave the house out of fear he'll be next. Robert finds himself unable to reassure Nicholas like with the usual problems on this show, while Jerri becomes increasingly overprotective and frantic. Though Drew is ultimately saved, it's stressed that such a thing can happen again because abductors don't always look like monsters and that kids must always be on the alert.
- Honor Before Reason: T.K. gets increasingly evasive in "Wendell and I Spy" about cutting school and other misbehavior. Robert and Wendell then overhear what sounds like a plan to sell drugs in the house, so they prepare to break it up. In actuality, T.K. was organizing a party for his elderly Parental Substitute (a relation of a good friend of his), with his earlier misbehavior being getting the supplies. Robert apologizes for jumping the gun, but it's also noted T.K. preferred to be thought of as the smooth rebel rather than just be honest about showing appreciation to an old lady he cares about.
- Imagine Spot: Robert has them Once an Episode.
- Mistaken for Murderer: Kelly thinks the next door neighbor is a murderer.
- Mistaken for Pregnant: In the episode where the kids think Jerri's pregnant.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: Wendell is shown doing a variety of jobs throughout his time on the series, from minor gags to plot specific material (like being the substitute teacher for Nicholas's class). A Season 1 episode explains that Wendell has no long-term job like Robert or Jerri, due to wanting to keep his options open, and that he takes assorted online courses to be qualified for whatever of interest becomes available.
- Nice Guy: Daryl (Zaria's date in "Nice Guys Finish Lust") says all the right when meeting Robert and is a perfect gentleman at the restaurant. Michael is certain he's running some kind of scam, believing no one could possibly be that nice for the sake of it. Zaria in turn gets irritated that a guy she likes is so buddy buddy with her father and the rest of the family.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Robert tries to get T.K. to reconnect with his Disappeared Dad, but it blows up and gets him yelled at by both men. Jerri later tells T.K. that Robert can actually relate to this situation, due to having had the same angry feelings about his own distant father and how it ultimately worked out because someone (i.e. her) meddled when told not to.
- Not What It Looks Like: Wendell's subplot in "An American Class President" has him working for the Cooke campaign and trying to get an incriminating photo of Olsen (the opposing candidate). He thinks he got a true prize (Olsen kissing a woman who's not his wife) and rushed it out to the newspapers, only to learn the woman in question was simply receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Olsen is hailed as a hero and gains enough last-minute support to win the election, leaving Wendell in hot water with the Cooke campaign.
- N-Word Privileges: One Very Special Episode is essentially an Author Tract about how one shouldn't have this.
- Only Known by Initials: T.K. is only referred to his initials. The only exception is his first episode appearance where he's known as Thomas Kevin Anderson in a courtroom appearance.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: One memorable example sees Robert bemoaning the broken water heater and saying he just had an ice cold shower. Jerri says cold showers don't really bother her, to which Robert thoughtlessly says that's because women have more body fat. Panic in the face of a Death Glare ensues.
- Parental Hypocrisy: Robert forbids the party in "Trial by Jerri" without the slightest discussion, but it turns out he held such a party in his teen years that got so out of control a fire broke out. Robert didn't want that detail getting out, but he also stresses that's how he knows a simple party can spiral completely out of control without adult supervision. It turns out the fire was actually Wendell's fault, but Robert concedes he was still responsible on account of being the host and that he should compromise with his children on such matters. (Of course, it becomes a moot point when he finds out Zaria and Michael sent out invitations without getting permission first.)
- Parental Substitute: Jerri immediately sees T.K. as someone that needs to be cared for rather than just lost in the cracks of the system. Robert takes a bit longer to accept T.K., but he soon views him as a surrogate son and part of the family.
- Put on a Bus:
- Michael is briefly mentioned in "House Arrest" as being off at college. This is only mentioned when Robert accuses Jerri of using T.K. to fill the void, and Michael is not mentioned afterwards.
- Skye and Shakim (both love interests for Zaria) are among the few recurring characters to get formal exits from the show. Zaria wants to break up in "House Arrest" with both of them, only for them to dump her first (Skye because he's leaving town after getting a record deal, and Shakim because he feels the relationship has run its course).
- "Rashomon"-Style: "Trial by Jerri" turns into this. Zaria and Michael object to Robert forbidding a party after learning one he held back in the day resulted in a fire, so a mock trial is held to argue their case, but the witnesses all have severely different accounts of what happened. Derek claims Jerri was his hopelessly devoted date, until Robert stole her away during a moment of distraction. Jerri points out he was simply her ride, to which Derek says she never paid for gas and that he still feels owed that exact amount. Robert claims he was a true ladies' man and that Jerri was wowed by his smooth lines (something else she angrily disputes). Wendell explains what really happened: Robert and Jerri hit it off while talking about their future ambitions, while he (Wendell) accidentally caused the fire during a kitchen snafu.
- "Rear Window" Homage: "Front Window" opens with Robert wheelchair-bound following his gunshot wound. As it happens, new neighbor Sam Bates (played by Richard Moll) has moved in. The guy seems a bit creepy, but Robert doesn't initially think anything of it. However, Kelly thinks Sam is up to something and keeps constant watch over the man's home, seeing what appear to be limbs in bags. Robert eventually gets worked up into a paranoid fit, especially when Jerri goes over to the house. Sam turns out to be a mannequin design, with the various female guests as models to that end.
- Replacement Goldfish: At first, Robert accuses Jerri of using T.K. as this since Michael left for college.
- Shot in the Ass: This is where Robert took a bullet in the "'Hood Sweet 'Hood" two-parter, not in the head as Jerri had feared. He's comatose in the hospital because he banged his head on the sidewalk, after taking the hit.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: Michael and Zaria's best friend had this type of relationship.
- Stop Being Stereotypical: In "I'm Otay, You're Otay", Nicholas is given an assignment to portray a notable black figure for Black History Month. Instead of picking someone like Martin Luther King Jr. or Thurgood Marshall, he chooses Buckwheat from The Little Rascals. Robert and Jerri are shocked by this and spend much of the episode trying to make Nick choose someone less offensive. They stop after Nicholas explains that even though Buckwheat's now considered a caricature, he still likes him. Furthermore, in both his presentation and the end credits, it's explained that Buckwheat, among other characters, did help open the door for future black performers.
- Take That!: In one episode, a Straw Loser calling a late night radio show Michael hosts as a part time job (explicitly said to have no listeners) asks if they saw Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that week.
- Teen Pregnancy:
- One of Zaria's friends is denied a full scholarship to college because she has a child.
- In "One Man and a Baby", Michael dates a teen mother.
- Thanksgiving Episode: "The Parade-y Bunch" from Season 3. The family and Wendell set up a spot downtown to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade before getting to dinner later on. Robert and Wendell get conned by card sharks and pick-pocketed; worse, they get arrested when Wendell tries to make his lost money back. Meanwhile, the rest of the family befriend a slightly disturbed but friendly homeless man named Jonathan.
- Troubled, but Cute: T.K. is a streetwise character whose had a rough life and his "bad boy" antics gotten him into trouble numerous times with the Petersons. At the same, he's popular with the ladies and is a good guy at heart behind his rough exterior.
- Very Special Episode: Several, including one about racism.
