Webster
The Cast of Webster
Genre	Sitcom
Starring	Emmanuel Lewis Alex Karras Susan Clark Henry Polic II
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	150
Production
Running time	30 minutes (per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	September 16, 1983 – September 11, 1987
Links
IMDb profile

Webster was a sitcom produced by Paramount Television which premiered on ABC on September 16, 1983, and ran on that network until September 11, 1987, but continued in first-run syndication until 1989. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Emmanuel Lewis (born March 9, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor. ... Alexander George Karras, born July 15, 1935 in Gary, Indiana, is a former football player and actor who is best known for playing with the National Football Leagues Detroit Lions from 1958-1962 and 1964-1971. ... Susan Clark (born March 8, 1940 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a Canadian actor, best known as Katherine Papadapolis in the TV sitcom Webster. ... Henry Polic II (born February 20, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American stage, screen, and voice actor. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... The Paramount Domestic Television logo used from 2002-2006 with 90th Anniversary used throughout 2002 (when Paramount Pictures celebrated its 90th Anniversary) Paramount Television (re-incorporated from Desilu Productions) was an American television production/distribution company that was active from 1967 to 2006 and was launched under Gulf+Western. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Synopsis

The show, set in Chicago, revolved around Webster Long, a seven-year-old Black orphan (played by Emmanuel Lewis) whose biological parents were recently killed in a car accident. He is then taken in by retired football star George Papadopolous (played by NFL legend Alex Karras), with whom his late father played professional football in the 1970s, and his wife Katherine (played by Susan Clark), a blue-blooded socialite with no housekeeping skills whatsoever. Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works, Second City (reference to when Chicago was second in population and prestige to New York). ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Christianity (predominantly Baptist), Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... Orphans, by Thomas Kennington An orphan (from the Greek ορφανός) is a person (or animal), who has lost one or both parents, often through death. ... Emmanuel Lewis (born March 9, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor. ... NFL logo For other uses of the abbreviation NFL, see NFL (disambiguation). ... Alexander George Karras, born July 15, 1935 in Gary, Indiana, is a former football player and actor who is best known for playing with the National Football Leagues Detroit Lions from 1958-1962 and 1964-1971. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Template:A year The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Susan Clark (born March 8, 1940 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a Canadian actor, best known as Katherine Papadapolis in the TV sitcom Webster. ... Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ...

Webster also had an uncle, played by Ben Vereen, who had issues with Webster living with a white couple and sought to adopt him and take him to live in Chicago's South Side. Ben Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor. ... The neighborhoods of Chicago lay within Chicagos seventy-seven community areas. ...

Shortly into the second season, Webster accidentally burned down the family's apartment with a science kit and the family moved to a large Victorian house in the suburbs. The show also delved into more creepy matters when it was revealed that the new home has a secret passage way behind a clock and that a full size female doll is kept in a room in which a young girl died. To many, this move was the point where the show "jumped the shark". Manchester Town Hall is an example of Victorian architecture found in Manchester, UK. The Carson Mansion is an example of a Victorian home in Eureka, California, USA The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly in the Victorian era. ... Jumping the shark is a slang term used by television critics since the 1990s. ...

However, the show continued merrily along despite some of the plots. Many of Webster's friends and classmates passed through, including Rob (played by Chad Allen, who later appeared on other popular nighttime series including Our House). The Parkers were the couple that leased the Victorian house to the Papadopolises during the show's second and third seasons, until George and Katherine bought it outright (sadly, Cathryn Damon, who played Cassie Parker, passed away from cancer within a year after leaving Webster). By the end of the fourth season ABC chose not to renew Webster, with next generation hits such as Full House taking its place on the Friday lineup. Chad Allen Chad Allen (born Chad Allen Lazzari on June 5, 1974) is an American actor. ... Our House was a family-oriented drama which ran early on Sunday evening on NBC from 1986 to 1988. ... Cathryn Damon (September 11, 1930 _ May 4, 1987) was an American actress, best known for her roles on television sitcoms in the 1970s and 1980s. ... Full House is a popular American television sitcom that ran from 1987 to 1995 on the ABC network. ...

The series popularity and interest prompted Webster to continue in first-run syndication starting in fall of 1987. At this time, the Papadopolis household gained a new member in George's nephew Nicky, who moved in when his parents went off to work in Nigeria (on assignment for the UN). Nicky provided Webster with a sort of "brother figure", and the two got along famously. Corin "Corky" Nemec, who would later go on to star in the early '90s Fox sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose, was gone at the start of the sixth season, leaving the family dynamic the way it was previously. While plots continued to mature somewhat with Webster's onset of pre-teendom, the same "cutesy factor" remained, thanks in part to Lewis' timing and portrayal. However, this was something Lewis was slowly getting tired of, despite the fact that he had more creative control over Webster at this point (with Emmanuel Lewis Entertainment Enterprises co-producing with Karras and Clark's Georgian Bay Ltd.). Lewis was still playing his character out to be 5 years younger than his actual age, and as he, in real life, was reaching adulthood, the fact that he was still in this role started to seem rather trite. By early 1989, with Lewis clearly outgrowing the title role, Karras and Clark also decided that the time was right to move on. The last episode was taped in March 1989 (but aired later that spring), which didn't signify an end of any sort, but was played out as a high comical event - the cast went on a pretend space adventure with cast members from Star Trek: The Next Generation (in the ep. titled "Webtrek"). 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the animal. ... Parker Lewis Cant Lose - original FOX advertisement Parker Lewis Cant Lose is an early 1990s comedy television series that was strongly influenced by the film Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ...

Cast

Emmanuel Lewis as Webster Long Emmanuel Lewis (born March 9, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor. ...

Alex Karras as George Papadapolis Alexander George Karras, born July 15, 1935 in Gary, Indiana, is a former football player and actor who is best known for playing with the National Football Leagues Detroit Lions from 1958-1962 and 1964-1971. ...

Susan Clark as Katherine Calder-Young Papadapolis Susan Clark (born March 8, 1940 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a Canadian actor, best known as Katherine Papadapolis in the TV sitcom Webster. ...

Henry Polic II as Jerry Silver Henry Polic II (born February 20, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American stage, screen, and voice actor. ...

Eugene Roche as Bill Parker (1984-1986) Eugene Harrison Roche (September 22, 1928 -July 28, 2004) was an American actor. ...

Cathryn Damon as Cassie Parker (1984-1986) Cathryn Damon (September 11, 1930 _ May 4, 1987) was an American actress, best known for her roles on television sitcoms in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

Ben Vereen as Uncle Phillip Long (1984-1985) Ben Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor. ...

Jack Kruschen as "Papa" Papadapolis (1985-1987) Jack Kruschen (March 20, 1922 – April 2, 2002) was a Canadian born character actor who worked primarily in American film, television, and radio. ...

Chad Allen as Rob Whitaker/Joiner (1985-1986) Chad Allen Chad Allen (born Chad Allen Lazzari on June 5, 1974) is an American actor. ...

Corin Nemec as Nicky Papadopolis (1987-1988) Corin Nemec as Jonas Quinn in Stargate SG-1 Corin Nemec (born November 5, 1971 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American actor. ...

Trivia

• Emmanuel Lewis's character Webster was ages 5 to 11 throughout the show's run, but Lewis himself actually played Webster from ages 11 to 16.
• Webster would always refer to George and Katherine as "Ma'am and George"

See also

• Diff'rent Strokes, a sitcom from 1978-1986 with Conrad Bain, Todd Bridges, Gary Coleman.

Diffrent Strokes was an American sitcom that aired on the NBC television network from 1978 to 1985, and on ABC from 1985 to 1986. ... Conrad Stafford Bain (born February 4, 1923) is a Canadian-American actor. ... Todd Bridges Todd A. Bridges (born May 27, 1965 in San Francisco, California) is an American actor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• Webster at Internet Movie Database.