The Royal Family (1991–1992)

Al Royal and his wife Victoria had just settled down to retire when their daughter Elizabeth, newly divorced from a man that Al had always hated, moved back home with her three children, ... See full summary »

Creator:

Eddie Murphy

Stars:

Della Reese, Mariann Aalda, Sylver Gregory

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Della Reese	...	Victoria Royal (15 episodes, 1991-1992)
Mariann Aalda	...	Elizabeth Royal Winston (15 episodes, 1991-1992)
Sylver Gregory	...	Kim Winston (15 episodes, 1991-1992)
Larenz Tate	...	Curtis Royal (15 episodes, 1991-1992)
Naya Rivera	...	Hillary Winston (15 episodes, 1991-1992)
Jackée Harry	...	Ruth 'CoCo' Royal (8 episodes, 1991-1992)
Barry Shabaka Henley	...	Willis Tillis (8 episodes, 1991-1992)
Redd Foxx	...	Alfonso Royal (7 episodes, 1991)

Storyline

Al Royal and his wife Victoria had just settled down to retire when their daughter Elizabeth, newly divorced from a man that Al had always hated, moved back home with her three children, Curtis, Kim, and Hillary. Life became turbulent for Al and Victoria, who had worked so hard to "get their children out of the house." Stories revolve around Al and his grandkids, and Victoria and Elizabeth rebuilding their mother/daughter relationship. In the fall of 1991, series star Redd Foxx collapsed and died after the show had completed only seven episodes. After a brief hiatus, the show returned in May 1992 with Jackee ("227") added to the cast as Ruth, the sexy eldest daughter of Al and Victoria, who had returned home. Unable to capture the ratings success of its initial run, the show quietly expired that spring.

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Plot Keywords:

short lived | post office | death of cast member | african american | comeback

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chest Pains

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eddie Murphy Productions, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Redd Foxx suffered a fatal heart attack during filming of an episode for this series. Due to a running gag from his earlier series Sanford and Son (where he would often clutch his chest and fake having a heart attack whenever things did not go his way), no one on the set took his legitimate complaints of chest pains seriously until it was too late to save his life.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Alfonso Royal: Oh, mother-father!

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Connections

Referenced in Comedy Connections: The Fast Show (2006)

User Reviews

Were Cameras Rolling when Redd Foxx died?

I seem to remember watching this show on a Monday night in the early '90s on CBS..I swear that I seen Redd Foxx have a heart attack and the crew running onto the sound-stage.I remember this as if it was yesterday as opposed to 15 years ago(time flies when you're not having fun-hay)This seemed like it would of been a great show, it had an awesome premise and also a certain someone that Mahalia Jackson discovered-a certain someone named Della Reese.They had the perfect fit together-I was just as impressed with those two in Harlem Nights also. Della Reese in my opinion is a strong black female actor- I wish she would do more stuff like Touched By Angel..I can't front-I watch that on PAX just for her.