‘Sister, Sister’ Star Says Show Was Cancelled Despite ‘Killing It In the Ratings’ Because of ‘Friends’
One of the most memorable sitcomes of the ’90s, Sister, Sister starred teen twins Tia and Tamera Mowry, alongside legendary performers Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati, Simon & Simon) and Jackée Harry (227). When it debuted in 1994 as part of ABC’s TGIF comedy lineup, it made a splash with audiences, with its first season landing at number 33 in the Nielsen ratings. But the series was cancelled after only two seasons — and according to Tamera, ’90s comedy juggernaut Friends was to blame.
“I remember us just killing it in the ratings and then having all that taken away,” Tamera says in Seen & Heard, Issa Rae’s two-part HBO documentary on Black television shows, according to People. “The president of the network, I can remember calling him, saying, ‘How come we were canceled? What happened?'”
The same year that Sister, Sister debuted on ABC, NBC launched Friends to massive commercial success.
“I can remember Friends came about, and a lot of the networks wanted to—they were like, ‘Wow, this show is a hit. How can we bring that to our network?'” says Tamera. Ultimately, ABC axed Sister, Sister after two seasons—but that wasn’t the end of the show.
The WB, a new network that launched in 1995, picked up Sister, Sister, giving it a home for four more seasons. While this gave Tia and Tamera’s show a second chance, Tamera felt slightly miffed by the change.
“So we go from being on ABC to the WB,” she says on Seen & Heard. “I remember my sister and I going, ‘What the h***? What is that? What is the frog network?’ A fledgling network? I remember looking that up, going, ‘what does ‘fledgling’ even mean?'”
“I have a frame from the WB saying, ‘Thank you for helping us start a network,'” she adds. “And Tim Reid was telling me, ‘Tamera, a lot of networks do this.’ They start off with Black shows, because we’re talented. Black people are talented, and a lot of people watch Black shows, and they built that network with those shows, and then they start changing.”
The WB did launch in ’95 with The Wayans Bros., The Parent’ Hood (starring Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas) and Cleghorne! (featuring Saturday Night Live alum Ellen Cleghorne).
The WB found success with dramas like Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Felicity, Dawson’s Creek, Charmed and Gilmore Girls. They also struck comedy gold with The Steve Harvey Show, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Smart Guy.
Puzzler '80s Comedy Classics
Vol 1, Issue 6
This issue is packed with puzzles and trivia from all your favorite '80s sitcoms.
Buy This Issue