Good News (TV series)

Good News
Main cast
Also known as The Good News
Genre Sitcom
Created by Ed. Weinberger
Written by David Chambers
Rob Dames
Richard Dubin
Robert Howe
Leonard Ripps
Danice Rollins
Directed by Charlotte Brown
Stan Daniels
Kim Friedman
Anna Maria Horsford
Tony Singletary
Ed. Weinberger
Starring David Ramsey
Roz Ryan
Guy Torry
Composer(s) Bill Maxwell
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 22
Production
Executive producer(s) Reuben Cannon
Robi Reed-Humes
Ed. Weinberger
Samm-Art Williams
Producer(s) Bruce Johnson
DeShawn Schneider
Running time 22–24 minutes
Production company(s) The Weinberger Company
MTM Enterprises
Distributor 20th Television
Release
Original network UPN
Original release August 25, 1997 (1997-08-25) – May 19, 1998 (1998-05-19)
Chronology
Related shows Sparks

Good News (also known as The Good News) is an American short-lived sitcom and a spin-off of Sparks that aired on UPN from August 25, 1997 to May 19, 1998. It is also the final TV series to be produced by MTM Enterprises, before it was folded into 20th Century Fox Television.[1]

Synopsis

The series focused on David Randolph (David Ramsey), a young acting pastor designated to Compton, California's African American Church of Life. Initially, the majority of the church's members balk at the young pastor's new position and resent him replacing their former pastor. With the help of the church's secretary, Vera Hudson (Rose Jackson Moye), Randolph attempts to reunite the church and help his congregation.[2][3]

Other cast members included Roz Ryan as Hattie, the church's cook, Tracey Cherelle Jones as the church's youth director, Guy Torry as a choir member and janitor.[2]

Cast

  • David Ramsey as David Randolph
  • Roz Ryan as Hattie Dixon
  • Tracey Cherelle Jones as Cassie Coleman
  • Guy Torry as Little T
  • Alexia Robinson as Mona Phillips
  • Jazsmin Lewis as Venita Stansbury
  • Rose Jackson Moye as Vera Hudson (pilot only)

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date 
1"Pilot"August 25, 1997 (1997-08-25)
Pastor Randolph arrives at his new church, only to find that the ministers & staff are quite upset that their previous pastor had chosen an outsider to be his replacement, and all have decided to quit and form their own church and take half the congregation with them. Even the cute church secretary has to quit because of her mom.
2"Writing on the Wall"September 1, 1997 (1997-09-01)
Pastor Randolph decides its time to remove the gang graffiti from the walls outside the church. This angers the gang members and strikes fear into the hearts of the church congregation. Now the pastor has to find a way to mend fences, stand up for his faith, and bring everyone together in peace, love and harmony.
3"Ashes to Ashes"September 8, 1997 (1997-09-08)
Pastor Randolph loses one of his members and has to prepare for preaching his first funeral. A stuttering man gets "in the Spirit" during the funeral and begins to speak fluently for the first time.
4"The Baby on the Door Step"September 15, 1997 (1997-09-15)
Pastor Randolph must play Solomon when his parishioners square off over their rights to adopt Joey (Evijan Watson), a four-year-old found abandoned in the church.
5"The Dinner Party"September 22, 1997 (1997-09-22)
Pastor Randolph abstains from handing out condoms that have been donated to the church.
6"A Joyful Noise"September 29, 1997 (1997-09-29)
Mona, a new member at the church, tries to host a party. But things get out of hand when rival gangs show up.
7"Try a Little Tenderness"October 13, 1997 (1997-10-13)
Pastor Randolph tries to convince young bride-to-be Cynthia Porter to reconcile with her estranged father before her wedding and to include him in the ceremony. Cynthia is ashamed of her father because he is a little person. Meanwhile, Mr Porter makes a big jump for Mrs Dixon.
8"The Fallen Woman"October 27, 1997 (1997-10-27)
Pastor Randolph needs a root canal, but his dentist and his bride-to-be are having problems in their relationship because of her past, and he is in no condition to perform the root canal. Pastor Randolph needs to hurry up and patch their relationship back up, so his can get his painful tooth problem fixed.
9"Show Me the Money: Part 1"November 3, 1997 (1997-11-03)
The church choir agrees to sing in a televised 24-hour telethon.
10"Show Me the Money: Part 2"November 10, 1997 (1997-11-10)
The church choir has a hard time completing the telethon they agreed to sing in. They try to finish it in order to receive the money that's been promised to them.
11"There's an Old Flame: Part 1"November 17, 1997 (1997-11-17)
One of Pastor Randolph's old girlfriends comes to town and attempts to seduce him. However, Pastor Randolph is reluctant to respond to her advances because it would make his image look bad.
12"There's an Old Flame: Part 2"November 24, 1997 (1997-11-24)
Rev. Randolph realizes his true calling when a romantic moment with Joanne (Tanya Boyd) is interrupted by a suicidal man who's perched on the ledge of her suite.
13"A Christmas Story"December 16, 1997 (1997-12-16)
The Christmas pageant is fouled up when Joey's duck eats one of Mrs. Dixon's earrings. Meanwhile, a snowstorm reminds Pastor Randolph of home at the holidays.
14"Love, Honor & Obey"January 12, 1998 (1998-01-12)
Pastor Randolph intercedes on behalf of a wife-turned-comedienne (Amelia McQueen) whose husband finds her choice of profession no laughing matter.
15"The Reunion"January 19, 1998 (1998-01-19)
Pastor Randolph's plan to raise money for a new furnace hinges upon whether Mrs. Dixon will take a little person (Dana Woods) to her class reunion.
16"Back in the Day: Part 1"February 16, 1998 (1998-02-16)
The church decides to put on a talent show to raise money for the children's summer camp, bringing together a collection of some strange talents from the congregation.
17"Back in the Day: Part 2"February 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)
Randolph takes steps to keep Beans (Reynaldo Rey) sober, but faces a higher power, stage fright, when the two perform at the church's variety show.
18"Amazing Grace"March 2, 1998 (1998-03-02)
Race relations become an issue when a parishioner dies, leaving his kids in the care of his brother, who has been passing himself off as white.
19"Lift Every Voice"April 28, 1998 (1998-04-28)
Part 1. Pastor Randolph hits a sour note with Mrs. Dixon after he gives away her gospel-competition solo to Cassie's aunt Shirley (Shirley Caesar).
20"Gospelfest"May 5, 1998 (1998-05-05)
Part 2. Lou Rawls aids Pastor Randolph in pepping up the choir as the prepare for a national competition.
21"Driving Blind"May 12, 1998 (1998-05-12)
After devouring a batch of rum-spiked cookies, a tipsy Pastor Randolph labors to get a blind man and his pregnant wife to the hospital safely.
22"Under the Influence"May 19, 1998 (1998-05-19)
Pastor Randolph faces the legal system when he's arrested for drunkenly allowing a blind man to drive his expectant wife to the hospital.

References

  1. ↑ "Fox, UPN each likely to add 4 new shows". Variety. 1997-05-19. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  2. 1 2 Rosenberg, Howard (1997-08-25). "A Wobbly Start, That's for Sure". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  3. ↑ James, Caryn (1997-08-25). "Television in Review". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
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