Under One Roof was television series that aired on CBS in the Spring of 1995. The series, set in Seattle, focused on a working-class African-American family living in a duplex and the problems and issues they face. Nesbit "Neb" Langston (James Earl Jones) is a widowed police officer who lives in one unit with his adopted son Marcus (Merlin Santana) and daughter Ayesha (Monica Ridge) and Neb's adult son Ron (Joe Morton) lives with his wife Maggie (played by Vanessa Bell Calloway), his daughter Charlie (Essence Atkins) and his son Derrick (Ronald Joshua Scott) live in the other.
The series was not a hit for CBS, as it was a midseason replacement, and only ran for six episodes. African-American cable TV network TVOne would later broadcast the series years later, as it was one of the few family dramas made with a Black cast.
This show provides examples of the following tropes:
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Charlie, who doesn't seem to get how stressed her mom is, is the typical self-centered teenager, wanted her hair done a certain way and embarrassing her mom in front of her aunt by wanting to go to a fancy restaurant with her.
- Delicate and Sickly: Derrick has Type 1 diabetes. In the pilot episode, he's rushed to the hospital after suffering hyperglycemia.
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Out of Order: The pilot episode is third episode of the series. - Short-Runners: The show only ran for six episodes.
- Troubled Teen: Marcus, who hangs with the wrong crowd and is having trouble adjusting to the new household, and rebels against his adopted father.
- Working-Class Hero: The family is working class and it's indicated several times throughout the series that money is tight.
