Smart Guy --- A Great Family Show From Disney and WB; with Tahj Mowry
Written: Jul 13 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: extremely funny, well suited for family viewing, moral based stories, well written
Cons: none really
The Bottom Line: This was a great show that really did well at coupling humor with a message for the family, while being interesting and funny.
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| three_ster's Full Review: Smart Guy |
Disney had a great premise when they thought up the idea for Smart Guy a family show that aired for 3 seasons from 1997 to 1999. The show starred Tahj Mowry as T.J. Henderson, a 10 year old student who has skipped four grades and is about to start high school. He is a flat-out genius in the realm of Doogie Howser M.D., but I think T.J. could probably out-smart the Doc pretty easily. The stresses of high-school for a young kid construct the central themes of the show, as we see him going through many "firsts" in a completely foreign environment to him. Of course the students around him are not accepting at first to this boy-genius who is far superior intellectually, but the show depicts how though he may be extremely smart in the realm of learning, he hasn't yet developed the social skills necessary to survive in the real world. T.J. isn't alone though, as his older brother and sister also attend the same high-school, so they are there to look after him in the pinch. The only thing is that the brother doesn’t really want T.J. in the high school, because it is going to "crimp his style."
The siblings are played by Jason Weaver (Marcus Henderson) and Essence Atkins (Yvette Henderson), and both are well cast to play opposite Tahj. Marcus is the cool kid who thinks everything is about image, and is all about chasing girls rather than focusing on school. The difference in the personalities between the brothers really makes the chemistry between the two actors work really well, because it makes their rapport work even more smoothly. Marcus is the type of brother who will kid his brother all the time, but go to the mat for him if it ever came down to it. In addition to the three main kids, there is also Marcus's best friend Mo who is always hanging around. If you have ever watched Full House he is the mall version of Kimmey who always came over to the Tanner's house. He is always around to give great one-liners, as well as eating all of the food at the Henderson's house. He has a thing for Yvette as well, and this adds a little more to the story lines as the show progressed. Mo was played by Omar Gooding (yes, Cuba's brother) and is absolutely hysterical in this part.
Rounding out the cast is John Marshall Jones as the father, who is raising the kids by himself. A carpenter by day, and attentive father 24/7 he is the rock that keeps the family together. Jones is perfectly cast as a sometimes funny, but always supportive father who wants his kids to excel at anything they put their minds to. He has to be overprotective of his young genius at times, but he does a good job of letting T.J. do a lot of learning on his own as he grows up. I think that together they came up with a really great cast for the show, and if you haven't seen it, you may recognize a lot of the characters in other shows and movies. Tahj for instance, is the voice of Wade Load on the hit show Kim Possible as well as being the voice of an experiment on Lilo & Stitch the series. In an ironic anecdote, he also played Michelle's friend Teddy on a season of Full House. Omar was recently seen staring as a Running Back on the ESPN show Playmakers, and Weaver has been seen in films like Drumline and The LadyKillers. All of them are well established now, if not for this show, then for something else that they have worked on post-Smart Guy.
Smart Guy is one of those shows that really can appeal to the whole family, and is centered around wholesome stories that are well suited to a Disney Channel show. They deal with issues that any family goes through, as well as the stressors of being a high school student trying to not be lost in the mix. The story of the show works a lot of humor into each episode, and when it was on the air, I couldn't help but laugh out loud to many of the jokes as they unfolded. My favorite character has to be Mo, for his constant quips and the funny situations that he ends up putting himself into during many of the episodes. It was a shame to me that Smart Guy ended up getting pulled after only 51 episodes spread over 3 seasons, but I guess that is the way things go sometimes with the entertainment industry. It isn't a show that should be forgotten though, as it had a funny way of giving life lessons to all of its viewers. At the heart, it was one of those shows that always ended with a message, and did so in a way that kept you wanting more, and tuning in for the next episode. Hopefully, the episodes will make it to DVD soon, so that a whole new crop of fans can enjoy Smart Guy, because while it was on, I couldn't help but fall in love with this show.
(It should be noted that Smart Guy started out on the WB, but was taken over by Disney, and put into rotation with new episodes after a short stint of 7 episodes in its premiere Spring Season.)
A Great Series of Quotes From Smart Guy:
This series of quotes followed TJ being stressed about the Government checking up on him after he sent a letter to the President whom he was upset with....
Teacher: They wanted to know about what kinds of friends you have.
TJ: And what did you tell them?
Teacher: I said that you kept to yourself most of the time, a bit of a loner.
TJ: Oh, thanks a lot! Why didn't you just tell them I'm president of the Saddam Hussein fan club?
Teacher: ...Are you?
TJ: No!
Teacher: They were also interested in the books you checked out. By the way, why did you check out that book on gunpowder?
TJ: It was for science, I was building a volcano!
Teacher: I told them you must be fascinated by explosives.
Recommended:
Yes
Type of Program: Comedy
Program Quality: Thought-provoking, original material
Best Suited For: Whole Family
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