Our House (American TV series)

For other uses, see Our House.
Our House
Genre Drama
Created by James Lee Barrett
Starring
Theme music composer Billy Goldenberg
Composer Joel McNeely
Country of origin United States
Original language English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 46
Production
Producer Frank Fischer
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network NBC
Release September 11, 1986 –
May 8, 1988

Our House is an American drama television series that aired on NBC for two seasons from September 11, 1986, to May 8, 1988. The series centers on the Witherspoon family and the challenges they face adjusting to life with three generations living in the same house.

The series was created by James Lee Barrett, who died the year after its cancellation.

Synopsis

After his son John dies, retired widower Gus Witherspoon (Wilford Brimley) invites his daughter-in-law Jessica Witherspoon (Deidre Hall) and her three children to move to Los Angeles and live with him until Jessie gets back on her feet financially.

Despite protests from her children, fifteen year old Kris (Shannen Doherty); twelve year old David (Chad Allen); and eight year old Molly (Keri Houlihan) they, Jessie, and their basset hound Arthur leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, to start a new life in California. As they settle in with Gus, they realize just how difficult he can be to live with. The majority of the plots each week centers on the conflicts which tend to arise when an extended family must live together in the same house. As man of the house, Gus imposes rules on his three grandkids the same way he had raised John (and also John's brother Ben, who is seen in a two part episode); ultimately, however, he learns ways of conveying lessons to the kids without being gruff. Jessie and the kids eventually learn that beneath Gus' stern facade is a wise man, well versed in the ways of the world, who cares about them very much.

Each of the episode's five acts (before the commercial break) ends with a freeze frame shot which then occupies one of several rooms in an abstract rendering of a house figure. As the episode unfolds, more rooms are filled until finally—when the dilemma has been resolved—the final piece is put in place, completing the house.

John Witherspoon (played by Patrick Duffy) is seen in one episode and in the occasional flashback.

Cast

Episodes

Season 1 (1986–1987)

No.
overall		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1 1 "Home Again" Jerry Thorpe James Lee Barrett September 11, 1986
2 2 "The Money Machine" Harry Harris Jerry McNeely September 14, 1986
3 3 "Families and Friends" Harry Harris James Lee Barrett September 21, 1986
4 4 "That Lonesome Old Caboose" William Scheerer William Blinn September 28, 1986
5 5 "The Third Question" Robert Scheerer James Lee Barrett October 5, 1986
6 6 "See You in Court" Robert Scheerer Jerry McNeely October 12, 1986
7 7 "Small Steps up a Small Mountain" Ray Austin William Blinn October 19, 1986
8 8 "Choices" Robert Scheerer Scott Finkelstein October 26, 1986
9 9 "First Impressions" Robert Scheerer Christopher Beaumont November 2, 1986
10 10 "Different Habits" Ray Austin William Colombo November 9, 1986
11 11 "Off We Go..." Robert Scheerer Parke Perine November 16, 1986
12 12 "Heart of a Dancer" Ray Austin Peter Tauber November 23, 1986
13 13 "Green Christmas" William F. Claxton Lee H. Grant & Jerry McNeely & Parke Perine December 14, 1986
14 14 "Family Secrets" Ray Austin Joel J. Feigenbaum January 4, 1987
15 15 "A Point of View" Bruce Kessler Jerry McNeely January 11, 1987
16 16 "The Best Intentions" Ray Austin William Colombo January 18, 1987
17 17 "The 100 Year Old Weekend" Noel Nosseck William Blinn February 1, 1987
Gus feels progress has spun out of control and challenges his family to spend a weekend using only nothing invented or contrived within "the last 100 years". The family enjoys understanding the quaint ways of their Scottish ancestors, but David and Kris confess to breaking it when in town people crowded around an electronics store where a big screen TV broadcast news of a heightened US/Soviet tensions.
18 18 "Past Tense, Future Tense: Part 1" Ray Austin William Blinn & Jerry McNeely February 8, 1987
Kris wins a radio contest and gets a trip to Edwards Air Force base along with Gus as her chaperone. An airman offers to take her flying in a light plane, which turns into a disaster when mechanical failure causes them to crash into the mountains.
19 19 "Past Tense, Future Tense: Part 2" Ray Austin Lee H. Grant & Parke Perine February 15, 1987
Gus and a forest ranger (William Katt) explore the mountain range in search of Kris and the lost airman.
20 20 "Friends" Nick Havinga Lee H. Grant & Parke Perine February 22, 1987
21 21 "Giving 'em the Business" Roy Campanella II Kim C. Friese March 1, 1987
22 22 "Growing Up, Growing Old" Nick Havinga Lee H. Grant & Parke Perine March 15, 1987
23 23 "The Road out of Briarpatch" Roy Campenella II Kim C. Friese March 22, 1987
24 24 "The Children's Crusade" Jerry Thorpe Peter Tauber May 3, 1987

Season 2 (1987–1988)

No.
overall		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date
25 1 "Sounds from a Silent Clock: Part 1" Ray Austin Jerry McNeely & William Blinn September 13, 1987
26 2 "Sounds from a Silent Clock: Part 2" Ray Austin William Schwartz & E.F. Wallengren September 20, 1987
27 3 "A Silent, Fallen Tree" Chuck Arnold William Blinn September 27, 1987
28 4 "Dancing in the Dark" Unknown Lee H. Grant October 4, 1987
29 5 "The Witherspoon War" Ray Austin Jerry McNeely October 18, 1987
30 6 "The Haunting" Win Phelps E.F. Wallengren October 25, 1987
31 7 "Candles and Shadows" Chuck Arnold William Blinn November 1, 1987
32 8 "The Springtown Treasure" Chuck Arnold E.F. Wallengren November 15, 1987
33 9 "They Also Serve" Ray Austin Kim C. Friese November 22, 1987
34 10 "Like Father, Like Son" Chuck Arnold William Schmidt November 29, 1987
35 11 "Sunday's Hero, Monday's Goat" Unknown Unknown December 6, 1987
36 12 "Balance of Power" Unknown Unknown January 10, 1988
37 13 "Call It a Draw" Ray Austin Michael Marks January 17, 1988
38 14 "Finish the Day" Unknown Unknown January 24, 1988
39 15 "Two-Beat, Four-Beat" Win Phelps E.F. Wallengren & Jerry McNeely February 7, 1988
40 16 "Trouble in Paradise: Part 1" Ray Austin William Blinn & Jerry McNeely February 14, 1988
41 17 "Trouble in Paradise: Part 2" Ray Austin Lee H. Grant & E.F. Wallengren February 21, 1988
42 18 "Out of Step" Unknown Unknown February 28, 1988
43 19 "The Ashton Street Gang" Unknown Unknown March 6, 1988
44 20 "The Fifth Beatle" Unknown Unknown March 13, 1988
45 21 "Neighborhood Watch" Unknown Unknown May 1, 1988
46 22 "Artful Dodging" Chuck Arnold Joel J. Feigenbaum May 8, 1988

Reception

Upon the show's 1986 premiere, the Associated Press called it "a family show suitable for framing." Despite positive reviews, the series was not a ratings success in spite of a promising start, likely owing to being scheduled Sundays at 7 PM (EST) opposite CBS's powerhouse 60 Minutes and numerous overruns by NFL games on its own network. The series ranked 59th in its first season (12.9 rating) and 71st in its second season (10.9 rating).

The Inspiration Network re-aired the show in the US from October 18, 2010, to December 31, 2011. Prior to that, reruns of the show aired on The Family Channel in the early 1990s and on the Faith & Values Channel, Pax TV and Odyssey Channel later that decade.