Sparks (TV series)

*Sparks*
Sparks
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Ed. Weinberger
Directed by	Wendy Charles Acey; Mark Corry; Stan Daniels; Kim Friedman; Leonard R. Garner Jr.; Bob Moloney; Ed. Weinberger
Starring	Essence Atkins; Kym Whitley; Selena Gomez; Melissa De Sousa ; Elizabeth Gilles ; Boris Kodjoe
Theme music composer	Billy Preston
Composer	Billy Preston
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	40
Production
Executive producers	Rob Dames; Bob Moloney; Lenny Ripps; Ed. Weinberger
Producers	Greg Giangregorio; Bruce Bayley Johnson; Miguel A. Núñez Jr.; Alison Taylor
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production companies	The Weinberger Company; Warner Bros. Television;
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 7, 2009 –; February 28, 2011
Related
	Good News

Sparks is an American sitcom television series that aired on UPN from August 26, 1996, to March 2, 1998. The series stars James Avery, Robin Givens, Terrence Howard, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Kym Whitley and Arif S. Kinchen. The sitcom is set in Los Angeles, California, and is about the everyday lives of a family of lawyers running a family-owned law practice. Reruns of the show aired on BET in the late 1990s.

Content

The show stars James Avery as Alonzo Sparks, a lawyer running a family law firm with his sons Maxey (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.) and Greg (Terrence Howard) in inner-city Los Angeles, California.^[1]^[2]

Cast

Main

James Avery as Alonzo Sparks
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. as Maxey Sparks
Terrence Howard as Greg Sparks
Robin Givens as Wilma Cuthbert
Kym Whitley as Darice Mayberry
Arif S. Kinchen as LaMarr Hicks

Recurring

Wanda-Lee Evans as Judge
Phill Lewis as Detective Floyd Pitts
Hawthorne James as Claude
Rod McCary as Attorney Mason
Michael Warren as Desmond

Special guest appearances

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Monique
Nell Carter as Barbara Rogers
Terry Ellis as Deidre
Pam Grier as Ms. Grayson
Billy Preston as Himself
Anna Maria Horsford as Wilma's Aunt
Kenya Moore as Ms. Collins
Ron O'Neal as Arthur Fairchild
Jason Kidd as Himself

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes	Originally released
Season	Episodes	First released	Last released
1	22	August 26, 1996 (1996-8-26)	May 19, 1997 (1997-5-19)
2	18	August 25, 1997 (1997-8-25)	March 2, 1998 (1998-3-2)

Season 1 (1996–97)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
1	1	"Pilot"	Ed. Weinberger	Ed. Weinberger	September 7, 2009 (2009-9-7)	5.2^[3]
2	2	"Palimony Suit"	Unknown	Unknown	September 14, 2009 (2009-9-14)	3.3^[4]
3	3	"How Papa Got His Groove Back"	Unknown	Unknown	September 21, 2009 (2009-9-21)	3.0^[5]
4	4	"A Day in the Life"	Unknown	Unknown	September 28, 2009 (2009-9-28)	3.6^[6]
5	5	"Sid, Lies and Videotape"	Unknown	Unknown	October 12, 2009 (2009-10-12)	3.3^[7]
6	6	"Penal Envy"	Unknown	Unknown	October 26, 2009 (2009-10-26)	3.2^[8]
7	7	"No Sweat"	Unknown	Unknown	November 2, 2009 (2009-11-2)	4.3^[9]
8	8	"Pillow Talk"	Unknown	Unknown	November 9, 2009 (2009-11-9)	4.3^[10]
9	9	"One on One"	Unknown	Unknown	November 16, 2009 (2009-11-16)	4.3^[10]
10	10	"Goode for the Gander"	Unknown	Unknown	November 23, 2009 (2009-11-23)	3.1^[11]
11	11	"Porky's Revenge"	Bob Moloney	Ed. Weinberger	November 30, 2009 (2009-11-30)	3.1^[12]
12	12	"Maxey Gets the Bird"	Unknown	Unknown	January 25, 2010 (2010-1-25)	2.9^[13]
13	13	"It's the Gospel"	Unknown	Unknown	February 1, 2010 (2010-2-1)	4.21^[14]
14	14	"I, Spy"	Unknown	Unknown	February 8, 2010 (2010-2-8)	4.25^[15]
15	15	"Won't You Be My Neighbor"	Unknown	Unknown	February 15, 2010 (2010-2-15)	3.93^[16]
16	16	"Love Conquers All"	Unknown	Unknown	March 15, 2010 (2010-3-15)	4.45^[17]
17	17	"Self Defense"	Unknown	Unknown	March 22, 2010 (2010-3-22)	4.39^[18]
18	18	"Hoop Schemes"	Unknown	Unknown	April 19, 2010 (2010-4-19)	4.63^[19]
19	19	"The Great Indoors"	Unknown	Unknown	April 26, 2010 (2010-4-26)	4.02^[20]
20	20	"Love in a Cup"	Bob Moloney	Mark E. Corry	May 3, 2010 (2010-5-3)	3.86^[21]
21	21	"Too Hot Not to Cool Down"	Unknown	Unknown	May 10, 2010 (2010-5-10)	3.65^[22]
22	22	"A Day in the Life II"	Unknown	Unknown	May 17, 2010 (2010-5-17)	3.68^[23]

Season 2 (1997–98)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
23	1	"To the Maxey"	Unknown	Unknown	August 30, 2010 (2010-8-30)	4.27^[24]
24	2	"Maxey Loses His Spark"	Unknown	Unknown	September 6, 2010 (2010-9-6)	3.63^[25]
25	3	"Rehearsal of Fortune"	Unknown	Unknown	September 13, 2010 (2010-9-13)	3.78^[26]
26	4	"Dog Gone"	Unknown	Unknown	September 20, 2010 (2010-9-20)	3.63^[27]
27	5	"When a Man is a Woman"	Stan Daniels	Lenny Ripps & Rob Dames	September 27, 2010 (2010-9-27)	3.63^[28]
28	6	"Defending Claude"	Unknown	Unknown	October 11, 2010 (2010-10-11)	4.36^[29]
29	7	"Don't Get Hooked on Me"	Kim Freidman	Allison Taylor	October 25, 2010 (2010-10-25)	4.67^[30]
30	8	"Bad Reception"	Unknown	Unknown	November 1, 2010 (2010-11-1)	4.58^[31]
31	9	"A Bride for Alonzo"	Unknown	Unknown	November 8, 2010 (2010-11-8)	3.91^[32]
32	10	"Brotherly Love"	Unknown	Unknown	November 15, 2010 (2010-11-15)	4.35^[33]
33	11	"Roots III"	Bob Moloney	Ron Nelson & Mark Steen	November 22, 2010 (2010-11-22)	4.83^[34]
34	12	"It's Good to Be Negative"	Unknown	Unknown	November 29, 2010 (2010-11-29)	4.21^[35]
35	13	"Silent Night"	Stan Daniels	Lenny Ripps & Rob Dames	January 24, 2011 (2011-1-24)	2.64^[36]
36	14	"Flirting with Disaster"	Wendy Acey	Ron Nelson & Mark Steen	January 31, 2011 (2011-1-31)	3.79^[37]
37	15	"She's Having My Baby"	Wendy Acey	Gisele Sanchez Rochet	February 7, 2011 (2011-2-7)	3.81^[38]
38	16	"Cain and Abel Sparks"	Unknown	Unknown	February 14, 2011 (2011-2-14)	3.23^[39]
39	17	"Till Your Well Runs Dry"	Unknown	Unknown	February 21, 2011 (2011-2-21)	2.73^[40]
40	18	"Blind Justice"	Unknown	Unknown	February 28, 2011 (2011-2-28)	3.54^[41]

Reception

Kevin D. Thompson of The Palm Beach Post gave the show a mostly-negative review, criticizing Avery's performances and the "normal cardboard cutout characters".^[1] Frederic M. Biddle of the Boston Globe also criticized the performances of the lead actors and thought that Núñez' and Howard's characters were "silently perpetuating stereotypes equating character with Caucasian features".^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Comic 'Sparks' has life but doesn't catch fire". Palm Beach Post. August 26, 1996. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Frederic M. Biddle (August 26, 1996). "Givens is good, but 'Sparks' fizzles". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 4, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 11, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 18, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 25, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 2, 1996. p. 3D.
^ Graham, Jefferson (October 9, 1996). "Baseball on NBC helps CBS". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
^ DeRosa, Robin (October 23, 1996). "Fox gets major league boost to No. 3". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
^ ^a ^b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 13, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 20, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 27, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 4, 1996. p. 3D.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. January 22, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 20-26)". The Los Angeles Times. January 29, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. February 12, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. February 20, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 17–23)". The Los Angeles Times. February 26, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 24-March 2)". The Los Angeles Times. March 5, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 28–May 4)". The Los Angeles Times. May 7, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 5–11)". The Los Angeles Times. May 14, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 12–18)". The Los Angeles Times. May 21, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 19–25)". The Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Aug. 25-31)". The Los Angeles Times. September 4, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. September 10, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 8–12)". The Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. September 24, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times. October 1, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 24-30)". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 15-21)". The Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 12-18)". The Los Angeles Times. January 21, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 19-25)". The Los Angeles Times. January 28, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 16-22)". The Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 23-March 1)". The Los Angeles Times. March 4, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 2–8)". The Los Angeles Times. March 11, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Sparks at IMDb

[palm-1] "Comic 'Sparks' has life but doesn't catch fire". Palm Beach Post. August 26, 1996. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

[globe-2] Frederic M. Biddle (August 26, 1996). "Givens is good, but 'Sparks' fizzles". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

[3] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 4, 1996. p. 3D.

[4] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 11, 1996. p. 3D.

[5] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 18, 1996. p. 3D.

[6] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 25, 1996. p. 3D.

[7] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 2, 1996. p. 3D.

[8] Graham, Jefferson (October 9, 1996). "Baseball on NBC helps CBS". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.

[9] DeRosa, Robin (October 23, 1996). "Fox gets major league boost to No. 3". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.

[1.08-1.09-10] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 13, 1996. p. 3D.

[11] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 20, 1996. p. 3D.

[12] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 27, 1996. p. 3D.

[13] "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 4, 1996. p. 3D.

[14] "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. January 22, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[15] "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 20-26)". The Los Angeles Times. January 29, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[16] "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. February 12, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[17] "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. February 20, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[18] "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 17–23)". The Los Angeles Times. February 26, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[19] "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 24-March 2)". The Los Angeles Times. March 5, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[20] "National Nielsen Viewership (April 28–May 4)". The Los Angeles Times. May 7, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[21] "National Nielsen Viewership (May 5–11)". The Los Angeles Times. May 14, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[22] "National Nielsen Viewership (May 12–18)". The Los Angeles Times. May 21, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[23] "National Nielsen Viewership (May 19–25)". The Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[24] "National Nielsen Viewership (Aug. 25-31)". The Los Angeles Times. September 4, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[25] "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. September 10, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[26] "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 8–12)". The Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[27] "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. September 24, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[28] "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times. October 1, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[29] "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[30] "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[31] "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[32] "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[33] "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[34] "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[35] "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 24-30)". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[36] "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 15-21)". The Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[37] "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 12-18)". The Los Angeles Times. January 21, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[38] "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 19-25)". The Los Angeles Times. January 28, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[39] "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 16-22)". The Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[40] "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 23-March 1)". The Los Angeles Times. March 4, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[41] "National Nielsen Viewership (March 2–8)". The Los Angeles Times. March 11, 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

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