20 years ago this fall; Mr. Cooper and Vanessa gets 2 New Roommates

[simmytbone]

Hey guys,

20 years ago this fall;

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper a series from Full House Creator Jeff Franklin returns for a 2nd consecutive season

6'6" Comedian Mark Curry and Actress Holly Robinson Peete of 21 Jump Street and For Your Love returns once again as Mark Cooper and his Roommate Vanessa Russell and also returning for another season is Marquise Wilson as Mark's Next Door Neighbor Tyler Foster and Omar Gooding of Nickelodeon's Wild & Crazy Kids and Disney's Smart Guy as Mark's Student Earvin Rodman

Dawnn Lewis left the show after the 1st Season and in came 3 new cast members:

Saundra Quarterman as Geneva Lee – Mark's cousin from Georgia, who (with her daughter Nicole) moves in with Mark and Vanessa; seemed out of place in California in early episodes; worked as a music teacher and then principal at Oakbridge High

Raven-Symoné of The Cosby Show and That's So Raven as Nicole Lee – Mark's precocious preteen cousin, who Mark thinks of as practically a daughter; develops a friendship with next-door neighbor Tyler Foster

and the late Nell Carter as Pamela Jane "P.J." Moore – Principal of Oakbridge High during seasons two and three, who was Mark's sister's best friend and his babysitter as a young kid; though it seemed to Mark that P.J. was tough on him, it was revealed later in season three that she was tough on him because she saw the potential in him to be a great teacher

Beginning with the 2nd Season Hangin' with Mr. Cooper moved from Tuesday Nights to Friday Nights as part of the TGIF block

It also was remodeled into more of a family-oriented show, instead of an adult oriented show, as in the first season

In the second season premiere, Tyler mentioned that Mark had purchased the house from his parents. Also in the second season premiere, Mark's cousin, Geneva Lee, and her daughter, Nicole Lee, moved in with Mark and Vanessa. Robin was no longer living with Mark and Vanessa. Geneva took over teaching music at Mark's school. Around the time Geneva and Nicole joined the show, Mark's school welcomed a new principal, P.J. Moore (played by Nell Carter), who was Mark's babysitter when he was a child. She was replaced in Season 4 by Geneva.

When Warner Bros. Television bought LORIMAR in 1993 after the company closed its doors after nearly 25 years, 6 of the remaining shows Full House, Family Matters, Step By Step, Getting By (which moved from abc to NBC), Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and the NBC Drama Sisters all jumped ship to Warner Bros. Television

Cheryl Gard who served as Supervising Producer and later Co-Executive Producer for the Popular NBC Sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air tookover as the Executive Producer for Season 2

The theme was also changed as well and it was a remake of Sam & Dave's Top 10 Soul Hit "Soul Man" and this remake was performed by R&B Singer Howard Hewett of the Group Shalamar best known for their Big Hits in the 80's like "The Second Time Around", "Night to Remember", "Dead Giveaway" and Dancing in the Sheets" for the film Footloose. This version was produced by Singer/Songwriter/Musician Steve Tyrell, who also composed the scene change music used during Season 2

Steve Tyrell is best known for composing the theme to TV Series such as The Famous Teddy Z (along with his late wife Stephanie), The Heights for FOX and of course, the TNBC Teen Sitcom California Dreams (which also began its 2nd Season at the time on TNBC Saturday Morning and it, too had changes as well)

The opening sequence accompanying the theme during this season featured Mark, Geneva, Nicole and Vanessa in the kitchen getting ready to go to work and school

and now, here's the theme to the 2nd Season of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

Check it out!

[Mace Dolex]

Wow that was a trip down memory lane, I guess the 1st season was viewed too much as a black version of Three's Company that they changed it up for the 2nd season.

[mets82]

I hate when shows change everything from season to season. I would like to know how did Mark and Vanessa, who couldnt stand each other, fall in love?

[Furienna]

I don't remember that Mark and Vanessa couldn't stand each other. And it was hinted already when Robin was around that Mark felt something for Vanessa.