Our House (American TV series)
Our House is an American drama television series that aired on NBC for two seasons from September 11, 1986 to May 8, 1988. The series centers on the Witherspoon family and the challenges they face adjusting to life with three generations living in the same house.
| Our House | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | James Lee Barrett |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | Billy Goldenberg |
| Composer | Joel McNeely |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 46 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Frank Fischer |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Audio format | |
| Original release | September 11, 1986 – May 8, 1988 |
The series was created by James Lee Barrett, who died the year after its cancellation.
Synopsis
After his son John dies, retired widower Gus Witherspoon (Wilford Brimley) invites his daughter-in-law Jessica Witherspoon (Deidre Hall) and her three children to move to California and live with him until Jessie gets back on her feet financially.
Despite protests from her children—15-year-old daughter Kris (Shannen Doherty); 12-year-old son David (Chad Allen); and 8-year-old daughter Molly (Keri Houlihan)—they, Jessie, and their basset hound Arthur leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, to start life anew in California. As they settle in with Gus, they realize just how difficult he can be to live with. The majority of the plots each week centered on the conflicts which tend to arise when an extended family must live together in the same house. As man of the house, Gus imposed rules on his three grandkids the same way he had raised John (and also John's brother Ben, who was seen in a two-part episode); ultimately, however, he learned ways of conveying lessons to the kids without being gruff. Jessie and the kids eventually learned that beneath Gus's stern facade was a wise man, well versed in the ways of the world, who cared about them very much.
In a feature reminiscent of the 1960s TV series The Wild Wild West, each of the episode's five acts (before the commercial break) ended with a freeze-frame shot which then occupied one of several rooms in an abstract rendering of a house figure. As the episode unfolded, more rooms were filled until finally—when the dilemma had been resolved—the final piece was put in place, completing the house.
John Witherspoon (played by Patrick Duffy) was seen in one episode and in the occasional flashback.
Cast
- Wilford Brimley as Gus Witherspoon
- Deidre Hall as Jessica "Jessie" Witherspoon
- Shannen Doherty as Kris Witherspoon
- Chad Allen as David Witherspoon
- Keri Houlihan as Molly Witherspoon
- Gerald S. O'Loughlin as Joe Kaplan
Episodes
Season 1 (1986–87)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Home Again" | Jerry Thorpe | James Lee Barrett | September 11, 1986 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Money Machine" | Harry Harris | Jerry McNeely | September 14, 1986 |
| 3 | 3 | "Families and Friends" | Harry Harris | James Lee Barrett | September 21, 1986 |
| 4 | 4 | "That Lonesome Old Caboose" | William Scheerer | William Blinn | September 28, 1986 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Third Question" | Robert Scheerer | James Lee Barrett | October 5, 1986 |
| 6 | 6 | "See You in Court" | Robert Scheerer | Jerry McNeely | October 12, 1986 |
| 7 | 7 | "Small Steps up a Small Mountain" | Ray Austin | William Blinn | October 19, 1986 |
| 8 | 8 | "Choices" | Robert Scheerer | Scott Finkelstein | October 26, 1986 |
| 9 | 9 | "First Impressions" | Robert Scheerer | Christopher Beaumont | November 2, 1986 |
| 10 | 10 | "Different Habits" | Ray Austin | William Colombo | November 9, 1986 |
| 11 | 11 | "Off We Go..." | Robert Scheerer | Parke Perine | November 16, 1986 |
| 12 | 12 | "Heart of a Dancer" | Ray Austin | Peter Tauber | November 23, 1986 |
| 13 | 13 | "Green Christmas" | William F. Claxton | Lee H. Grant & Jerry McNeely & Parke Perine | December 14, 1986 |
| 14 | 14 | "Family Secrets" | Ray Austin | Joel J. Feigenbaum | January 4, 1987 |
| 15 | 15 | "A Point of View" | Bruce Kessler | Jerry McNeely | January 11, 1987 |
| 16 | 16 | "The Best Intentions" | Ray Austin | William Colombo | January 18, 1987 |
| 17 | 17 | "The 100 Year Old Weekend" | Noel Nosseck | William Blinn | February 1, 1987 |
| 18 | 18 | "Past Tense, Future Tense: Part 1" | Ray Austin | William Blinn & Jerry McNeely | February 8, 1987 |
| 19 | 19 | "Past Tense, Future Tense: Part 2" | Ray Austin | Lee H. Grant & Parke Perine | February 15, 1987 |
| 20 | 20 | "Friends" | Nick Havinga | Lee H. Grant & Parke Perine | February 22, 1987 |
| 21 | 21 | "Giving 'em the Business" | Roy Campanella II | Kim C. Friese | March 1, 1987 |
| 22 | 22 | "Growing Up, Growing Old" | Nick Havinga | Lee H. Grant & Parke Perine | March 15, 1987 |
| 23 | 23 | "The Road out of Briarpatch" | Roy Campenella II | Kim C. Friese | March 22, 1987 |
| 24 | 24 | "The Children's Crusade" | Jerry Thorpe | Peter Tauber | May 3, 1987 |
Season 2 (1987–88)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Sounds from a Silent Clock: Part 1" | TBA | TBA | September 13, 1987 |
| 26 | 2 | "Sounds from a Silent Clock: Part 2" | TBA | TBA | September 20, 1987 |
| 27 | 3 | "A Silent, Fallen Tree" | TBA | TBA | September 27, 1987 |
| 28 | 4 | "Dancing in the Dark" | TBA | TBA | October 4, 1987 |
| 29 | 5 | "The Witherspoon War" | TBA | TBA | October 18, 1987 |
| 30 | 6 | "The Haunting" | TBA | TBA | October 25, 1987 |
| 31 | 7 | "Candles and Shadows" | Chuck Arnold | William Blinn | November 1, 1987 |
| 32 | 8 | "The Springtown Treasure" | Chuck Arnold | E. F. Wallengren | November 15, 1987 |
| 33 | 9 | "They Also Serve" | Ray Austin | Kim C. Friese | November 22, 1987 |
| 34 | 10 | "Like Father, Like Son" | TBA | TBA | November 29, 1987 |
| 35 | 11 | "Sunday's Hero, Monday's Goat" | TBA | TBA | December 6, 1987 |
| 36 | 12 | "Balance of Power" | TBA | TBA | January 10, 1988 |
| 37 | 13 | "Call It a Draw" | Ray Austin | Michael Marks | January 17, 1988 |
| 38 | 14 | "Finish the Day" | TBA | TBA | January 24, 1988 |
| 39 | 15 | "Two-Beat, Four-Beat" | TBA | TBA | February 7, 1988 |
| 40 | 16 | "Trouble in Paradise: Part 1" | TBA | TBA | February 14, 1988 |
| 41 | 17 | "Trouble in Paradise: Part 2" | TBA | TBA | February 21, 1988 |
| 42 | 18 | "Out of Step" | TBA | TBA | February 28, 1988 |
| 43 | 19 | "The Ashton Street Gang" | TBA | TBA | March 6, 1988 |
| 44 | 20 | "The Fifth Beatle" | TBA | TBA | March 13, 1988 |
| 45 | 21 | "Neighborhood Watch" | TBA | TBA | May 1, 1988 |
| 46 | 22 | "Artful Dodging" | TBA | TBA | May 8, 1988 |
Reception
Upon the show's 1986 premiere, the Associated Press called it "a family show suitable for framing." Despite positive reviews and a promising start, the series was not a ratings success, likely owing to being scheduled Sundays at 7 PM (EST) opposite CBS's powerhouse 60 Minutes and numerous overruns by NFL games on its own network. The series ranked 59th in its first season (12.9 rating) [1] and 70th in its second season (11.1 rating).[2]
The Inspiration Network re-aired syndicated episodes of Our House in the US from October 18, 2010, to December 31, 2011.[3] Prior to that, reruns of the show aired on The Family Channel in the early 1990s and on the Faith & Values Channel, Pax TV and Odyssey Channel later that decade.
References
- "The Fifth Estate : Broadcasting" (PDF). Americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- "List of Season's Top-Rated TV Shows With AM-TV Ratings Bjt". Apnewsarchive.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- "INSP to Air "The Waltons" and "Our House"" (Press release). INSP – Inspiration. 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2010-11-27.