Shark Bytes

Instead of jumping the shark, I feel that the show actually jumped back.

To be truthful, the show seemed kind of sleazy and boring at the same time, when they only had Mark, Vanessa, and the other lady. I'm suprised that execs didn't cancelled the show before the season was up.

However, once they started to add the kids (and kick the other lady, who is not Vanessa, to the curb [she wasn't bad or anything]), the show started to get good and was actually worth watching. I mean, it was still corny, but not as it was during its early years.

Hanging with Mr. Cooper ended when the Raven Symone's character and Cousin Geneva came onto the show. Honestly, I saw the show as a black "Three's Company" for the 90s and the abrupt plot change in the second season really ruined the story line. I do admit though that the intro of the cousin and her daughter wasn't exactly ratings suicide but rather a fatal tumor which took several years to kill its host.

Did I miss something?! I thought the show was funny. Even with the addition of Raven. It was a good show none-the-less. Mark Curry was hilarious.

I came onto this page ready to talk about Hangin' w/ Cooper, but I cannot believe all of the animosity toward the lovely young lady known as Raven Simone. This has to be addressed.

First, I wish that television writers would stop using "replacement kids" on sitcoms to replace a once "cute" kid who has gotten older to deliver dialogue. However; I am about to comment about recent television history, so what's done is done. ("Replacement Kid" Examples: Andy replaces Jennifer; Family Ties. Chrissy replaces Ben; Growing Pains.
Nicky replaces Ashley; Fresh Prince, and so on.) None of the other characters/actors on this list managed to sustain career longevity other than Raven. Raven was introduced as Olivia to "replace" Rudy's youngest kid status on an already successful "The Cosby Show". Her work on "TCS" was remarkable, her range and comic timing brilliant, her scenes with Bill Cosby- excellent. Especially at age 3. Grade: A. (The only way I could see Raven being annoying is when she was singing, at an early age, on tv. No disrespect to her singing voice, but I abhor any young children singing. That's just me. To all child actors out there- wait until age 13 or beyond).
Now, all that being said:
Hangin' w/ Cooper wasn't exactly Raven's best work. (Grade: . She gave it her best shot, and no one can fault her for that. But did she singlehandedly sabotage this show? I think not. (I don't think a child star other than the kid who played Oliver on the Brady Bunch could take down a whole franchise. Even then, it wasn't his fault entirely.) Dawnn Lewis leaving the show was the catalyst that threw the whole "Three's Company" dynamic out of whack. (Can't have understated sexual mishaps with Mark's cousin in the house now, can we?)
(P.S. Raven's career has rebounded in a big way, with "The Cheetah Girls" franchise and "That's So Raven", a Disney channel sitcom starring another "replacement kid", Orlando "3J replaces Richie; Family Matters" Brown). Grade: a solid A.

When Dawn Lewis left the show. I loved the chemistry between Mark Curry, Dawn Lewis, and Holly Robinson. The show was not as good when Dawn Lewis (Robin) left.

Any show with Raven Simone in it is immediately disregarded as anything remotely watchable.

I thought that boy who lived next door was kinda funny though.

How may I purchase all of episodes Hang'n with Mr. Cooper on dvds?

Thank you.
Dorothy

Hanging with Mr. Cooper jumped the shark when Dawnn Lewis left.

The show jumped the shark the second season. Though the plots were alright they switched the theme song that was really neat the first song to 'I'm a Soul man'. I liked the intro on the first season. Why didn't they just stick to that?

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper JTS with the addition of Raven Simone. She didn't contribute to show at all. We all know most child actors get older and lose their acting skills. Having Mark's cousins come move in with him was a dumb idea. Nikki and Geneva just filled the set up. Why did Dawn Lewis leave? Nell Carter was good too. Irvin, Irvin's mom, Tyler and the coach at the school made this show more hilarious than it already was. This show ended ugly just like other TGIF shows i.e. (Family Matters and Step by Step). It never got a proper ending. Anyway IMO this is neck and neck with Family Matters as the greatest TGIF show. Funniest episode Irvin couldn't get Boys II Men so him, Mark and Tyler dimmed the lights and acted like them.

HANGIN' WITH MR. COOPER was a very funny show in its original format with Mark Curry, Dawnn Lewis, and Holly Robinson Peete as roommates. It was sort of like a black THREE'S COMPANY and was quite entertaining for the most part. The show jumped the shark for good when they fired Dawnn Lewis and hired Sandra Quartermaine and the unbelievably annoying Raven Simone to take her place. The show just got plain dumb after that.

This show never jumped, although it did get more annoying when Geneva and Nicole (Raven-Symone) joined. Was this just an attempt to make it more family-oriented, because it just made it more cheesy and corny. Geneva had one of those sickly sweet voices that made you want to puke, and Raven Symone completely overestimated her abilities to act and sing. She's one of those people who start off pretty cute and get a lucky break (like in Cosby), and from then on really becomes seriously deluded in her abilities to perform, but she wants to do it so badly that she just tries to convince us all that she's a real talent. You can tell from the look on her face that she thinks she's amazing. Mark Curry and Holly Robinson saved this show - I disagree with the posters who claim that their getting together ruined things, because it's how we all really wanted it to end, but I agree with the one who said we should have gotten a proper wedding episode. That annoying kid Tyler was just an excuse for Raven to bounce off so they could both play their little cutesy kid roles. Puke

I have to say Hangin with Mr Cooper Jumped the Shark after Robin left the show she was a sister she was like the sister you always wanted. The original combination was great two single girls sharing a house with a single man. They all had a great chemistry and Tyler was cool as their little next door neighbour. After robin left Mark become into such a twit and I don't want criticize Raven Symone but her character was quiet irritating and her screen mum was a bit annoying as well.

Of course it jumped when Raven Simone (or is it just "Raven" now? GAG!) joined the cast. The show went from a half-way decent "Three's Company-esq" comedy to cutsie family chum when she came along. And even at age 10, I PREFERRED the show when Dawn Lewis was on. Mark Curry is funny, but TGIF was a straight-jacket to any attempt at half-way adult comedy. And Raven Simone is just plain unbearable. Memo to Disney: Cosby's been over for a long time. SHE'S NOT CUTE ANYMORE!

I was only in 5th grade when this show debuted, and I loved it on Tuesday nights. Curry, Robinson(-Peete), and Dawnn Lewis had excellent chemistry, and when it was just Tyler as the next-door neighbor, it was hilarious. Then the next season, they moved it to TGIF and Raven-Symone, along with "Cousin Geneva" joined the cast, and it got extremely corny. Even at age 10 or 11, I realized the show just wasn't as good as the first season, but I still (tried) to watch, as corny as it had become. It got a little better in the third season, but only a little. One thing: why is it when Mark Curry delivered a joke, he always had to act it out with the gestures? I've never found that to be funny, on any sitcom.