Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper (1992-1997)
Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 1992, to August 30, 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry’s hometown of Oakland, California.[2][3] The series chronicles Mark Cooper (Curry), an NBA player-turned-substitute teacher/gym coach (and later basketball coach), and his roommate (later girlfriend, then fiancée) Vanessa (Robinson).[4]
Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television, having been produced by Lorimar Television for the first season before being absorbed, and also became produced by Bickley-Warren Productions by the third season. The show originally aired on Tuesdays in prime time after sister series Full House, also created by Jeff Franklin and set in the San Francisco Bay Area. The show found its niche as an addition to the TGIF Friday night lineup on ABC, and was part of the lineup from September 1993 to May 1996 (spanning the show’s second, third and fourth seasons before moving to Saturdays for its fifth and final season).
Cast
Main
Mark Cooper (Mark Curry) – (Season one stated) former Golden State Warriors Basketball player turned high school teacher and PE teacher for Oakbridge High School; later became interim head coach for the Oakbridge boys’ basketball team, but was originally passed over for permanent coach after being offered the job by P.J. Moore in season 3; later begins dating (and then almost immediately engaged to) roommate Vanessa Russell by the end of season four, though there are hints in season one that he is interested in her
Vanessa Russell (Holly Robinson Peete) – Mark’s roommate, who originally worked for the firm Toplyn and Toplyn, and then worked various odd jobs after quitting Toplyn, before settling on working as an Emergency Medical Technician (which she would later be laid off from), was the daughter of rich parents who later cut her off from her trust fund due to her extravagant spending; would later date Mark (after he successfully conspired to break up her latest relationship due to his jealousies over her boyfriend) and then be engaged to him by the end of season four
Robin Dumars (Dawnn Lewis) – Mark’s best friend since childhood who comes up with the idea to have Mark move in with her and Vanessa in order to pay the rent; worked as a music teacher and often moonlighted as a tutor to neighborhood kids (Season 1)
Pamela Jane “P.J.” Moore (Nell Carter) – 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 (Seasons 2–3)
Geneva Lee (Sandra Quarterman) – 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 (Seasons 2–5)
Nicole Lee (Raven-Symoné) – Mark’s precocious preteen cousin, whom Mark thinks of as practically a daughter; develops a friendship with next-door neighbor Tyler Foster (Seasons 2–5)
Earvin Rodman (Omar Gooding) – One of Mark’s students and player on the Oakbridge Penguins boys’ basketball team; was not a stellar student, but managed to graduate high school; was briefly married to his high school sweetheart; worked as a security guard after graduating high school (Seasons 4–5; recurring Seasons 1–3)
Tyler Foster (Marquise Wilson) – Mark’s next-door neighbor, whom Mark saw as an annoyance in the first two seasons and saw as a son in later episodes; was best friends with Nicole Lee after she is introduced; he had a crush on Vanessa, which was referred to several times, but also was briefly infatuated with Geneva (Seasons 2–5; recurring Season 1)