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{{infoboxShort description|American television |sitcom (1995–1999)}}

{{about|the sitcom starring Shawn and Marlon Wayans|information about their entire family|Wayans family}}

| show_name = The Wayans Bros.

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

| image = [[Image:TheWayansBrosLogo.jpg|150px|Opening title to The Wayans Bros.]]

{{Infobox television

| caption = Opening title to ''The Wayans Bros.''

| image = The Wayans Bros. logo.svg

| format = [[Sitcom]]

| runtime = 30 Minutes<br>(with commercials) = 21 minutes

| camera = [[Videotape]]; [[Multi-camera setup|Multi-camera]]

| creator = [[Shawn Wayans]]<br>[[Marlon Wayans]]<br>[[Leslie Ray]]<br>[[David Steven Simon]]

| genre = [[Sitcom]]

| starring = [[Shawn Wayans]]<br>[[Marlon Wayans]]<br>[[Anna Maria Horsford]] (Season 3+)<br>[[John Witherspoon]]<br>[[Paula Jai Parker]] (Season 2)<br>[[Ja'net DuBois]] (Season 3-5)<br>[[Lela Rochon]] (Season 1)<br>[[Jill Tasker]] (Season 2)<br>[[Phill Lewis]] (Season 3-5)

| creator = {{Plainlist|

| country = {{USA}}

* [[Marlon Wayans]]

| network = [[WB Television Network|The WB]]

* [[Shawn Wayans]]

| first_aired = [[January 11]], [[1995 in television|1995]]

* Leslie Ray

| last_aired = [[May 20]], [[1999 in television|1999]]

* David Steven Simon

| num_episodes = [[List of The Wayans Bros. episodes|103]]

}}

| imdb_id = 0112220

| starring = {{Plainlist|

| tv_com_id = 2305

* Marlon Wayans

|}}

* Shawn Wayans

:''For the the group of comedians, see [[Wayans brothers]]''

* [[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]]

'''''The Wayans Bros.''''' is an [[United States|American]] [[situation comedy|sitcom]] that premiered on [[January 11]], [[1995 in television|1995]] on [[WB Television Network|The WB]]. The series starred [[Shawn Wayans]] and [[Marlon Wayans]]. It ran for five seasons, and the last episode, ''Rope A Dope'' aired on [[May 20]], [[1999 in television|1999]]. ''The Wayans Bros.'' along with ''[[The Parent 'Hood]]'' were the first programs to ever air on The WB. The show also became popular for making fun of numerous celebrities (such as financial issues, appearance etc.) It has also aimed numerous statements of [[recording artist]] [[Keith Sweat]], who later appeared on the show. The show never got the proper [[series finale]] because of its cancellation.

* [[Anna Maria Horsford]]

* [[Lela Rochon]]

* [[Paula Jai Parker]]

* [[Jill Tasker]]

}}

| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|

* [[Billy Van Zandt]]

* [[Jane Milmore]] {{small|(season 1)}}

* Rick Hawkins {{small|(season 2)}}

* Phil Kellard & Tom Moore {{small|(seasons 3–5)}}

}}

| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|

* Alan Cohn

* [[Q-Tip (musician)|Kamaal Fareed]]

* [[Ronnie Foster]]

* [[Ali Shaheed Muhammad]]

* [[Phife Dawg|Malik Taylor]]

* {{small|(original songwriters; seasons 1–2)}}

* Tom Rizzo {{small|(season 3)}}

* Shawn Wayans

* Marlon Wayans

* [[Omar Epps]]

* Eric Willis {{small|(seasons 4–5)}}

}}

| opentheme = {{Plainlist|

* "Gimme A High-Five (The We're Brothers Song)" performed by [[Shawn Wayans]] and [[Marlon Wayans]] {{small|(seasons 1–5)}}

* "[[Electric Relaxation]]" by [[A Tribe Called Quest]] {{small|(seasons 1–2)}}

* Instrumental themes {{small|(seasons 3–5)}}

}}

| composer = Tom Rizzo

| language = English

| country = United States

| company = {{Plainlist|

* [[Marlon Wayans|BabyWay Productions]]

* [[Shawn Wayans|Next to Last Productions]]

* [[Warner Bros. Television]]

}}

| ___location = [[Warner Bros. Studios Burbank|Warner Bros. Studios]],<br />[[Burbank, California]] {{small|(taping ___location)}}

| network = [[The WB]]

| first_aired = {{Start date|1995|1|11}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1999|5|20}}

| num_seasons = 5

| num_episodes = 101

| list_episodes = List of The Wayans Bros. episodes

}}

'''''The Wayans Bros.''''' is an American [[sitcom]] television series that aired on [[The WB]] from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers [[Shawn Wayans|Shawn]] and [[Marlon Wayans]], comedian [[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]], and [[Anna Maria Horsford]] (season 2 onward).

==Premise==

The show originally featured the beat to [[A Tribe Called Quest]]'s "[[Electric Relaxation]]" as its theme song, but this was changed after the third season when Marlon Wayans cut his hair. Then it changed in the third season to just a fast beat then in the fourth season, it changed to a tune which was produced by the Wayans Bros. & [[Omar Epps]].

Shawn and Marlon Williams ([[Shawn Wayans]] and [[Marlon Wayans]]) are brothers who live in an apartment on 117th Street in [[Harlem]]. Shawn owns a local [[newsstand]], where he and his brother Marlon work on a daily basis. Their father, John "Pops" Williams ([[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]]), owns a diner called Pops' Joint, where Marlon once worked (during season 1). Formerly located in Harlem, the restaurant was later moved downtown into the fictional Neidermeyer Building, in [[Rockefeller Center]], where Shawn's newsstand is located and Dee Baxter ([[Anna Maria Horsford]] (onwards from Season 2)) works as a security guard.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Preezy |date=2020-01-15 |title=10 Most Memorable Episodes Of 'The Wayans Bros.' |url=https://www.vibe.com/features/editorial/the-wayans-bros-10-episodes-672630/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=VIBE.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Season 2 transitions===

==Synopsis==

Many transitions were made in season 2:

{{spoiler}}

* Shawn's former girlfriend, Lisa Saunders ([[Lela Rochon]]), did not return for the rest of the series.

[[Shawn Wayans]] and [[Marlon Wayans]] portrays Shawn Williams and Marlon Williams, Two Elder Siblings living in [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]], with their father, John "Pops" Williams ([[John Witherspoon]]), who owns his diner, named Pops' diner, during the first season of the show, Shawn had a Girlfriend, Lisa Saunders ([[Lela Rochon]]), who appeared in Every episode of the first season ([[List of The Wayans Bros. episodes|103 episodes]]), but then Rochon was dropped from the show's cast, also starring on the show during its first year, was [[Benny Quan]] as Benny, the Chef, but he was dropped from the show's cast as well. In the 1995-1996 year, which was the second season of the show, new characters appeared and new attractions on the show came in, Pop's Diner was moved into the Neidermyer Building, and the owner of the original [[Newsstand]], dies, Shawn takes the Job, after being fired from his Job at APS, and Marlon had stopped working as a chef for Pops, and worked with his big brother, Shawn.

* Monique ([[Paula Jai Parker]]), a local shopkeeper and Marlon's love interest, did not return after the eleventh episode. Parker first appeared as a love interest of Marlon's in the Season 1 episode "Pulp Marlon". She was only a guest star for this one episode.

* Lou ([[Jill Tasker]]), the former security guard, left after the tenth episode and was replaced by Dee Baxter ([[Anna Maria Horsford]]).

* White Mike ([[Mitch Mullany]]), Shawn and Marlon's ghetto white neighbour, appeared for six episodes of Season 2. He was slated to appear as a recurring character for the rest of the series, but actor Mitch Mullany ended up getting his own show ''[[Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher]]''.

* Shawn formerly worked for APS; in Season 2, he works at his newsstand.

* Marlon was working with Pops at the diner, but in Season 2, he works at the newsstand with Shawn.

* Pops' Joint was a standalone restaurant, where he hired Marlon and Benny, the cook, during Season 1. However, in Season 2, the eatery was moved into the Neidermeyer Building, in [[Rockefeller Center]]. It was also revealed that Pops' Joint was a historical landmark for the nation's leaders and activists of the [[Civil Rights Movement]].

==Cast==

Also starring in the Second season, was Jill Tasker as The Original Security Guard, Lou Malino, and [[Paula Jai Parker]] (who made an appearance on the show during the first season) joined the cast as Marlon's New Girlfriend, Monique, as a result, Tasker and Parker was dropped from the show's cast also midway during the second season. [[Anna Maria Horsford]] portrayed the New Security Guard, Deirdre "Dee" Baxter, from the show's second season until the series ending. Making appearances onto the show was: [[Ja'net DuBois]], who potrayed [[Willona Woods|Willona]] in the hit [[situation comedy|sitcom]], [[Good Times]], potrays' the Boys' Grandmother, Grandma Ellington, although DuBois was a guest star, she still had a recurring role, and [[Phill Lewis]], as The Boys' Pal, T.C., who only appeared during the first four seasons of the show, Lewis would stari in the [[Disney Channel|Disney]] kids [[situation comedy|sitcom]], ''[[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody]]'', with Rochon gone from the show's cast in [[Spring]] of [[1995 in television|1995]], Tasker and Parker gone in the [[Fall]] of [[1995]], [[Anna Maria Horsford]] (from TV's ''[[Amen (TV series)|Amen]]''), was the only female cast member appearing in the final four seasons (1995-1999) of the show.

===Main===

* [[Shawn Wayans]] as Shawn Williams, a womanizing, stylish and responsible young bachelor and Marlon's older brother. He is an owner of his own local newsstand.

* [[Marlon Wayans]] as Marlon Williams, Shawn's dimwitted, immature, sex crazed, unsanitary and lazy younger brother, who also works at the newsstand. Marlon usually serves as the comic foil to big brother Shawn, often at times getting himself, or Shawn into tight spots. Marlon cuts his hair in the Season 3 episode "Grandma's in the Hiz-House".

* [[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]] as John "Pops" Williams, Shawn and Marlon's dysfunctional tacky father, who owns his locally famed diner, which is right by Shawn and Marlon's newsstand.

* [[Anna Maria Horsford]] as Deirdre "Dee" Baxter (seasons 2–5), the tough security guard and Shawn, Marlon and Pops' close friend.

* [[Lela Rochon]] as Lisa Saunders (season 1)

* [[Paula Jai Parker]] as Monique (season 2, episodes 1–11)

* [[Jill Tasker]] as Lou Malino (season 2, episodes 1–7)

===Recurring===

Later on in the Popular [[situation comedy|sitcom]], Marlon had found a career by acting in small roles, but made it to the top with having a big role in a Musical Play, but in the final season, no one knows if Marlon had still worked with Acting and Show Business.

* [[Phill Lewis]] as Thelonious "T.C." Capricornio (seasons 2–5)

* [[Mitch Mullany]] as White Mike (season 2)

* [[Ja'Net DuBois]] as Grandma Ellington (seasons 3–4)

* [[Jermaine Hopkins|Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins]] as Dupree (seasons 3–5)

==Episodes==

{{mainMain|List of The Wayans Bros. episodes}}

{{:List of The Wayans Bros. episodes}}

== TriviaProduction ==

''The Wayans Bros.'' was the first of the four sitcoms that aired as part of the original Wednesday night two hour lineup that helped launch the network (along with ''[[Unhappily Ever After]]'', ''[[The Parent 'Hood]]'', and the short-lived ''[[Muscle (TV series)|Muscle]]''). While in development, the series' working title was initially supposed to have been ''Brother to Brother'' before the name of the series changed to ''The Wayans Bros.''<ref>{{Cite journal |date=August 15, 1994 |title=It's Comedy for WB Network |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15671161.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105131034/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15671161.html |archive-date=2012-11-05 |website=Broadcasting & Cable }}</ref>

*This show, along with ''[[Unhappily Ever After]]'' debuted at the same time on the same network. Three days after ''The Wayans Bros.'' was cancelled, ''Unhappily'' was discontinued.

In the show's second season in 1995, Pops' Joint (the restaurant owned by Shawn and Marlon's father, John "Pops" Williams) was moved into the Neidermeyer Building where the ___location was changed from Harlem to Rockefeller Center, Manhattan.

*The show was set in [[New York City, New York]], the birthplace of Shawn and Marlon.

While the series did not end on a [[cliffhanger]], it was cancelled in 1999 due to declining ratings and was not given a proper finale. In the horror comedy film ''[[Scary Movie]]'' (2000), Shawn Wayans' character, while furiously stabbing another character to death, [[Fourth wall|breaks the fourth wall]] and says: "And ''The Wayans Bros''. was a good show, man! It was a good-ass show, and we didn't even get a final episode!"

*The [[apartment]] Shawn and Marlon live in and Pop's [[Diner]] look different in the first season than the rest of the seasons.

==Theme music and opening sequence==

*Before working together on the show, [[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]] (Pops) and [[Anna Maria Horsford]] (Dee) played [[Ice Cube]]'s parents in the [[1995 in film|1995]] movie ''[[Friday (film)|Friday]]''.

The show's official opening title began with Shawn and Marlon on the steps of a brownstone apartment building, donning afros and wearing 1970s preppy attire, moving in rhythm to an accompanying [[satire|satirical]] music piece that's supposed to have a 1970s-style "urban" sitcom theme song feel. Marlon forcefully smacks the camera, and then segues into "the real opening" of ''The Wayans Bros.''

The scene then cuts to them with their normal clothes and trying to help an old woman who gets hit by a bus. The camera then shows the brothers inside the bus with the title of the show underneath them. The "second half" part of ''The Wayans Bros.'' theme song was changed twice throughout its four-year run ([[1995 in television|1995]]–[[1999 in television|1999]]). In the first two seasons, the show's theme song was [[A Tribe Called Quest]]'s "[[Electric Relaxation]]".

*John Witherspoon worked with Shawn and Marlon once again in the [[2006 in film|2006]] movie ''[[Little Man (film)|Little Man]]''.

In the third season, the theme song changed to a four-second [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] beat. In the final two seasons, the show's theme song was changed again to a regular [[hip hop]] instrumental beat (which was produced by the Wayans Bros. & [[Omar Epps]]). In Brazilian reruns of seasons one and two episodes that have aired in [[Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão|SBT]] in 2015, this version replaced the seasons one and two sequence with the season three sequence.

*Although Shawn was owner of his own [[newsstand]], in the first season he was an employee of a fictional [[postal service]] company ''APS''.

==Syndication==

*In ''[[Scary Movie]]'', [[Shawn Wayans]]' character mentions that cancelling TV shows makes people go crazy claiming ''The Wayans Bros.'' was a good show.

[[Warner Bros. Television|Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution]] handles syndication distribution of the series. In September 1999, after the series was cancelled by The WB, the series began airing in off network syndication nationwide.

[[File:The Wayans Bros. - Season 1.jpg|thumb|150px|The first season DVD cover for ''The Wayans Bros.'']]

*The segue music from scene to scene derived from many popular [[Hip-Hop]] songs that were released at the time, such as [[A Tribe Called Quest]]'s "[[Sucka Nigga]]" and "[[Jam (A Tribe Called Quest song)|Jam]]", along with [[Busta Rhymes]]'s "[[Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check]]", [[Ol' Dirty Bastard]]'s "[[Brooklyn Zoo]]" and [[Tha Dogg Pound]]'s "[[Let's Play House (Tha Dogg Pound song)|Let's Play House]]".

At that same time, [[Chicago]] based national cable [[superstation]] [[WGN America|WGN]] began airing reruns of the series, airing the series until 2002 (when its broadcast syndication run also ended); WGN (both [[WGN-TV|the local Chicago feed]] and the national superstation feed) aired ''The Wayans Bros.'' in first run form from 1995 to 1999, when WGN (whose local Chicago feed was an affiliate of the network) carried WB programming nationally to make The WB available to markets where a local affiliate did not exist (''The Wayans Bros.'' is one of three WB series to have aired on WGN in both first run and syndication form; ''[[The Parent 'Hood]]'', ''[[7th Heaven (TV series)|7th Heaven]]'', and ''[[Sister, Sister (TV series)|Sister, Sister]]'' being the others).

In 2006, reruns began airing on [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]], after a four-year absence, where it ran until 2007. In 2007, reruns of the series aired on [[Ion Television]] where it ran until 2008. Since then, several Viacom networks, including [[MTV2]], [[VH1]], and [[BET Her]] have run the series in continuous rotation. As of 2023, reruns air frequently on [[VH1]]. All five seasons of the show were available to stream on [[HBO Max]] and [[BET+]], but as of 2025 it isn't available on any streaming service.

==Cast==

*[[Shawn Wayans]] — Shawn Williams

==Home media==

*[[Marlon Wayans]] — Marlon Williams

[[Warner Home Video]] released Season 1 of ''The Wayans Bros.'' on DVD in Region 1. [[Warner Archive Collection|Warner Archive]] subsequently released Seasons 2 to 5 on DVD in Region 1.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wayans Bros: The Complete Fifth Season |url=https://www.wbshop.com/collections/warner-archive-pre-orders/products/the-wayans-bros-the-complete-fifth-season-mod}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wayans Bros. – 'The Complete 2nd Season' Is Coming to DVD at Long Last! Shawn and Marlon Come Back to Disc This May, from the Warner Archive |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wayans-Bros-Season-2/23228 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421093340/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wayans-Bros-Season-2/23228 |archive-date=21 April 2017 |access-date=20 April 2017 |website=TVShowsOnDVD}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wayans Bros. - 'The Complete 3rd Season' Is Coming to DVD This Year! MOD Available from the Warner Archive in Early November |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wayans-Bros-Season-3/23748 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021111500/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wayans-Bros-Season-3/23748 |archive-date=21 October 2017 |access-date=20 April 2017 |website=TVShowsOnDVD}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wayans Bros: The Complete Fourth Season |url=https://www.wbshop.com/collections/warner-archive-pre-orders/products/the-wayans-bros-the-complete-fourth-season-mod}}</ref>

*[[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]] — John "Pops" Williams

*[[Anna Maria Horsford]] — Deirdre "Dee" Baxter

{| class="wikitable"

*[[Ja'net Du Bois]] — Grandma Ellington (1996-1998)

!DVD Name

*[[Phill Lewis]] — T.C. (1995-1998)

!Ep #

*[[Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins]] — Dupree (1996-1998)

!Release Date

*[[Jill Tasker]] — Lou Malino (1995)

|-

*[[Lela Rochon]] — Lisa (1995)

| ''The Complete First Season''

*[[Mitch Mullany]] — White Mike (1995-1996)

| align="center"|13

*[[Paula Jai Parker]] — Monique (1995-1996)

| February 8, 2005

*[[Mai Reina-Gold]] — Natalie (1999)

|-

*[[Donielle Artese]] — Tanqueray (1998)

| ''The Complete Second Season''

| align="center"|22

| May 9, 2017

|-

| ''The Complete Third Season''

| align="center"|22

| November 7, 2017

|-

| ''The Complete Fourth Season''

| align="center"|22

| January 22, 2019

|-

| ''The Complete Fifth Season''

| align="center"|22

| March 26, 2019

|-

| ''The Complete Series''

| align="center"|101

| February 4, 2025<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Wayans-Bros-Complete-DVD/dp/B0DNZNG949/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?crid=13GHH9JXK54L5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cGeVn-NwVXAom9wXdX41v3WVAmgQItLOyQS_fMOrgXp_OVS7fGln3cyAMrEZugVAr_oD98NIjQuei2k5DmXNSXdiKfEymVaQVObERTHvKzFmfrpnDk08-eKcB1wENBkATfzTDmJ8bNU6rCFafX6XPSJMt9pNmSFPhbdiYkBN29s.m27JRy9C37jY_Tk9610PXBKejqII2McebpKhXcNhr0k&dib_tag=se&keywords=spongebob+Another+100+Episodes+dvd&qid=1740655824&sprefix=spongebob+another+100+episodes+dvd%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-12-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9idGY&psc=1</ref>

|}

==References==

===Supporting Cast===

{{Reflist}}

*[[Benny Quan]] — Benny/Hop Sing

*[[Roxanne Beckford]] — Stacey

*[[Gail Neely]] — Gail

*[[Darrel Heath]] — Reggie

*[[Johnny Brown]] — Bookman/Maurice

*[[ ]]- Lisa

==Catchphrases==

[[Image:Wayans bros1.jpg|thumb|150px|The first season DVD cover for ''The Wayans Bros.'']]

*"Thank You Kindly" (Pops)

*"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" (Pops)

*"Shhhh! Don't tell noooooobody!" (Pops, Shawn, and Marlon)

*"Don't make me take off my belt!" (Pops)

*"O..Siddity" (Pops)

*"Help me, help me please!" (Pops and Marlon)

*"Yita Dee!!" (Pops)

*"Money bein' made around here, Bang!, Money bein' around here, Bang!,Range rovers, big ol' house, diamond rings... if you like them kinda things" <br>(Song that Pops, Shawn, and/or Marlon would sing whenever they came into money or money making opportunity)

*"Stupid" (Shawn; directed towards Marlon in a high pitched voice)

*"When I hit the lottery, you won't see a lot of me!" (Pops)

*"You're Stupid" (Marlon; when trying to make a point when he is wrong)

*"Get the uhh outta here!" (Marlon)

*"Negro Please!" (Various Characters)

*"Would you stop it Stoopid!(Shawn to Marlon)

*(When told about a rumor concerning Marlon, he says) Who told you that? It was Leroy and them, wasn't it? They Lyin' they ain't have me!

*Pops, bring 'yo ass! (Shawn and Marlon to Pops)

*"Knockin' Boots" (Various Characters)

==External links==

Whats that sound thats goes through the night,

* {{IMDb title|0112220}}

Sound I hear when I'm holdin you tight,

Its my bell baby you just rang,

Its my love going bang bang bang

{{The WB}}

==DVD Releases==

Only the first season of ''The Wayans Bros.'' has been released on a porn DVD which was back in [[February 2005]]. It is highly unlikely that more season DVDs will released due to the first season's poor DVD sales. Reruns can now be seen on [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]] network.

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[[Category:American English-language television shows]]

[[Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television|Wayans Bros., The]]

[[Category:TelevisionHip-hop shows set in New York|Wayans Bros., Thetelevision]]

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[[Category:Television shows set in New York City]]

[[Category:Television series about brothers]]

[[Category:The WB sitcoms]]