The sitcom was The WB network’s first original series and in the course of its five seasons, it turned the brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans into household names, paving the way for the two to become a star comedy duo on the big screen.
The series also gave the young actors the opportunity to share the screen with comedy veterans like Anna Maria Horsford and the recently departed John Witherspoon, an experience they really treasure.
The cast was complete with a few recurrent characters that kept the audience hooked until the show reached its ending in 1999 after airing for four years. This is what this remarkable group of performers went on to do since.
SHAWN WAYANS
Shawn Wayans. I Image: Getty Images.
The 49-year-old actor played a fictional version of himself named Shawn Williams, the owner of a local newsstand that shares an apartment in Harlem with his younger brother Marlon.
Shawn went on to star in “Scary Movie” (2000) and “White Chicks” (2004), “Little Man” (2006), all directed by his brother Keenen, and “Dance Flick” (2009), directed by his brother Damien.
MARLON WAYANS
Marlon Wayans. I Image: Getty Images.
The 47-year-old actor played a fictional version of himself named Marlon Williams, the onscreen brother of his real-life older brother Shawn. Marlon is the irresponsible and lazy counterpart of Marlon, providing much comedy to the series.
Apart from collaborating with his brothers in several projects, Marlon worked with director Darren Aronofsky in “Requiem for a Dream,” and with the Coen brothers in “The Ladykillers” (2004). On TV, he starred in the series “Marlon” (2017-2018.)
ANNA MARIA HORSFORD
Anna Maria Horsford. I Image: YouTube/ CBS Los Angeles.
The 71-year-old actress played Deirdre “Dee” Baxter, a tough security guard at the building where most of the series takes place, the fictional Neidermeyer Building in Rockefeller Center. She befriends the Williams and Pops.
Horsford has since been in films like “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps” (2000), “Along Came a Spider” (2001), “Minority Report” (2002), and “A Madea Christmas” (2013), and TV series like “The Bold and the Beautiful” (2015-2018) and “Mom” (2018-2019).
JOHN WITHERSPOON
John Witherspoon. I Image: Getty Images.
He went on to appear in films like “Little Nicky” (2000), “Soul Plane” (2004), and “Little Man” (2006). On TV, he was in “The Tracy Morgan Show” (2003-2004), “The First Family” (2012-2015), and “Black Jesus” (2014-2019) before his death in 2019, aged 77.
PHILL LEWIS
The 51-year-old actor played Thelonious “T.C.” Capricornio, a friend, and sometimes rival, of Marlon and Shawn. Lewis became very well known for playing Mr. Moseby in both “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005-2008) and “The Suite Life on Deck” (2008-2011).
He also had roles in “Scrubs” (2005-2009), and voiced the animated series “Special Agent Oso” (2009-2012) and “American Dad!” (2005-2017).
LELA ROCHON
Lela Rochon. I Image: Getty Images.
The 55-year-old actress played Lisa Sanders, Shawn’s once girlfriend. She left the series after Season 1.
Rochon has led a prolific career on the big screen, with roles in “Waiting to Exhale” (1995), “The Chamber” (1996), “Gang Related” (1997), “Legal Deceit” (1997), “The Big Hit” (1998), “Knock Off” (1998), and more recently “Supremacy” (2014) and “Reversion” (2015).
PAULA JAI PARKER
Paula Jai Parker. I Image: YouTube/ djvlad
The 50-year-old actress played Monique, a local shopkeeper and Marlon’s love interest on Season 2.
Parker continued leading a prolific TV career with roles in series like “The Weird Al Show” (1997), “Snoops” (1999), “True Blood” (2013-2014), “Recovery Road” (2016), “Black Jesus” (2019), “Family Time” (2013-2014), and “Crown Lake” (2019-2020).
JA’ NET DUBOIS
Ja'net DuBois. I Image: Getty Images.
DuBois went on to appear in films like “Waterproof” (2000), “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003), and “She’s Got a Plan” (2016). She has also done voice work for the animated series “The PJs” (1999-2001) and “Ginger” (2000-2004) and guest-starred in “Crossing Jordan” (2006) and “Cold Case” (2007).
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