The Royal Family was a Syndication network sitcom created & executively produced by Eddie Murphy as part of a development deal he had with Syndication, starring Redd Foxx & Della Reese.
The show aired from September 18, 1991 to May 13, 1992, lasting for one season & 13 episodes (leaving two episodes unaired)
Plot[]
Set in Atlanta, Georgia, the series centered on mail carrier Al Royal and his wife, Victoria, who were looking forward to their retirement years until their daughter, Elizabeth and her three kids (Kim, Curtis & Hillary) move in with them.
Cast[]
- Redd Foxx as Al Royal (September to October 1991)
- Della Reese as Victoria Royal
- Mariann Aalda as Elizabeth Royal Winston
- Sylver Gregory as Kim Winston
- Larenz Tate as Curtis Winston
- Naya Rivera as Hillary Winston
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Willis Tillis
- Jackée Harry as Ruth "CoCo" Royal (November 1991 to May 1992)
Redd Foxx's Death and the show's aftermath[]
"The Royal Family" was intended as a comeback vehicle for Redd Foxx, who had not had a successful television series since the cancellation of "Sanford and Son" in 1977. Ratings for the show's early episodes were high.
On October 11, 1991, Foxx suffered from a massive heart attack while rehearsing; he was taken to Queen Of Angels Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, where he died later that evening.
After that, the show's producers eventually decided to resume work on the series, running commercials in Foxx's memory that included the line, "Like any family, The Royal Family will go on."
Jackée Harry was added to the cast as Victoria's younger sister Ruth, who moved in to help the family cope with Al's sudden death. She was introduced in the series' eighth episode, which was written to deal with Al Royal's passing.
After that episode, "The Royal Family" was placed on hiatus so the writers could rework the series. When the show returned in April of 1992, Jackée's role had been reworked; instead of Victoria's sister, she was now the Royals' eldest daughter, CoCo.
However, the ratings of the revived version of "The Royal Family" did not match those of episodes featuring Redd Foxx. Syndication cancelled the series a week before the broadcast of its first season was scheduled to end, leaving two episodes unaired.