The PJs

The PJs
[[File:File:PJs portrait.jpg|frameless|alt=]]
Genre	Situation comedy
Created by	Eddie Murphy Larry Wilmore Steve Tompkins
Voices of	Eddie Murphy Loretta Devine Cassi Davis
Theme music composer	George Clinton Quincy Jones III
Country of origin	Template:USA
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	17
No. of episodes	10,000 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Eddie Murphy Will Vinton Ron Howard Brian Grazer
Running time	approx. 30 min.
Release
Original network	FOX
Original release	January 10, 1999 – December 3, 2015

The PJs is an American stop motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrays life in an urban Detroit public housing project. The series starred Eddie Murphy, and was produced by Imagine Entertainment by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, The Murphy Company & Will Vinton Studios in association with Touchstone Television.

Summary

Forty-two episodes were aired during the show's three-year run. There were still 6 episodes left over, which were produced by Warner Bros. Each episode took over two months to produce, owing to the laborious stop motion process. Originally broadcast on FOX, the show later moved to The WB in 2000-2001, but was soon canceled due to its high budget. The last three episodes were not aired until 2003. Reruns previously aired on Trio, a cable television network. The PJs currently run in reruns on TV ONE and Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim.

The PJs won three Emmy Awards and one Annie Award during its run. Some social activists, including director Spike Lee, accused the show of depicting a negative racial view of the projects. Quincy Jones' son QD3 along with George Clinton produced the theme music for the show.

Characters

• Thurgood Stubbs: Thurgood Stubbs (A.K.A. "The Super," or just simply as "Super") is the superintendent of the Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs projects and the main protagonist of the series. Thurgood is short-tempered, impatient, not very bright, and usually gets himself into trouble. He wears a yellow short-sleeved shirt, blue overalls, and brown shoes. He also has salt and pepper hair. Thurgood has a wife named Muriel Stubbs. Thurgood is terrified of black rats, as revealed in the episode, "Fear of a Black Rat." He is voiced by Eddie Murphy.
• Muriel Stubbs (née Warren): Muriel Stubbs is Thurgood's wife -- the voice of reason. In the episode, "How the Super Stole Christmas," she wanted a computer. She wears a pink long-sleeved shirt, pink pants, and light pink shoes. She also has dark brown hair with a pink head band holding her long hair. Muriel has a sister named Bebe Ho. She is voiced by Loretta Devine.
• Mrs. Avery: Florence Normandy Avery is the senior citizen and antagonizes Thurgood throughout the series because she hates him with a passion because he doesn't fix her apartment. Mrs. Avery has a loaded shotgun in her apartment and shot both the garbage man and the mailman with it. She is voiced by Ja'net Dubois.
• Lucky the Dog: Lucky the Dog is Mrs. Avery's dog, who was given to her by Thurgood. Originally a stray, Lucky got his name, "Lucky," after Mrs. Avery failed to shoot him with her shotgun (twice).
• Calvin and "Juicy" Hudson: Calvin and "Juicy" Hudson are two children, who are best friends and idolize Thurgood. Calvin is the thin, intelligent boy, and "Juicy" is the overweight, slow-witted boy. Calvin is voiced by Crystal Scales, and "Juicy" is voiced by Michele Morgan.
• Poppa Hudson and Momma Hudson: Poppa Hudson and Momma Hudson are "Juicy"'s parents. They are so morbidly obese, that they can no longer exit their apartment, and are thus confined inside. In the episode, What's Eating Juicy Hudson?, Poppa leaves the apartment for the first time, and his face is shown. In the episode, Boyz N the Woods, Poppa is confirmed to weigh more than half a ton.
• "Smokey": "Smokey" is the homeless crackhead, who always angers Thurgood. His real name is Ellister, but was referred to as "Mr. Crackhead" and "Mr. Crack" in the first 3 episodes of the series. In one episode, it is revealed that "Smokey" used to train fighting rats under the name, "Ratman Crothers." He is often insulted with the phrase, "You damn stupid crackhead!" by Thurgood. "Smokey" later quits drug use by season 3, but is still homeless. He is voiced by Shawn Michael Howard.
• Jimmy Ho: James "Jimmy" Ho is a Korean tenant, who thinks that he is black. He is married to Bebe. Jimmy frequently uses urban or "ghetto" phrases (colloquialisms) when he speaks, to which Thurgood always responds, "You're not black!". Jimmy opened a casino in an episode. He is voiced by Michael Paul Chan.
• Bebe Ho: Bebe Ho is Muriel's trash-talking sister. She dislikes Thurgood and is pregnant with Jimmy's baby. She often fights (and insults) with Muriel. She is voiced by Jenifer Lewis.
• Haiti Lady: Mambo Garcelle "Haiti Lady" Dupris is the resident Voodoo queen of the Hilton-Jacobs Projects. Her powers, though highly potent and proven in the episode, U Go Cart, are unreliable: they don't work should she be challenged to prove them, as seen in Haiti Sings the Blues. She is voiced by Cheryl Francis Harrington.
• Emilio Sanchez: Emilio Sanchez (or just simply known as "Sanchez") is Thurgood's luckless Cuban friend. He speaks with an electrolarynx due to years of smoking, but it was implied in the episode Haiti Sings the Blues that Haiti Lady used her voodoo powers to cause that. He once wanted to become an Opera singer, back when he had his voice. For some reason, Emilio wears a blue and white trucker hat with "Nevada" written on the front. He is voiced by Pepe Serna.
• Walter Burkett: Walter Burkett is the parole officer with a past as a crooked cop. His past is regularly alluded to, as many people around the projects owe him favors. In the Christmas episode, "How the Super Stole Christmas," Walter arrested a thug for stealing an old woman's purse ("And on Christmas of all days."). He is voiced by Marc Wilmore.
• Tarnell: Tarnell is the local street corner hustler, who Thurgood usually turns to when he needs something, greeted with "Tell Tarnell!" who speaks frequent slang in which Thurgood understands, until Tarnell brings him the complete opposite, which usually is the best solution for Thurgood's problem. He is voiced by James Black.
• Rasta Man: Rasta Man is the Jamaican stereotype of a marijuana smoker. He is often seen as a walking smoke cloud. Played by Kevin Michael Richardson.
• HUD Lady: The HUD Lady is the social worker at HUD, always seen in a silhouette, who never gives Thurgood what he wants (yet is incredibly friendly to Muriel) and simply yells, "Next!" at the end of every sentence. Her son's name is Chevron, her sister's name is Latrine, and her daughter's name is Lasagna. Played by Cassi Davis.

Other characters include Sherique, Buster, Rev. Samuels', Babs & Deshaun (Smokey's girlfriend and friend) and Nola. Due to a rumoured dispute between Eddie Murphy and the Fox network (apparently over unfavorable scheduling of the show), actor Phil Morris and Mark Moseley took over the role of Thurgood in several late episodes. Some sources indicate that Murphy was actually busy on a film role at the time.

Episode list

Season 1 (FOX): 1999

#	Episode Title	Original airdate
Pilot	Pilot Episode	December 20, 1998
1	Hangin' With Mr. Super	January 10, 1999
2	Bones, Bugs, & Harmony	January 12, 1999
3	The Door	January 19, 1999
4	Journal Fever	January 26, 1999
5	Rich Man, Porn Man	February 2, 1999
6	Bougie Nights	February 9, 1999
7	A Hero Aint Nothin But A Super	February 16, 1999
8	He's Gotta Have It (Nominated for an Emmy)	February 23, 1999
9	Boyz N The Woods	April 6, 1999
10	Operation Gumbo Drop	April 13, 1999
11	U Go Kart	May 4, 1999
12	House Potty	May 11, 1999
13	Haiti Sings The Blues	May 18, 1999
14	How the Super Stoled (sic) Christmas	December 17, 1999
15	Scarthroat	December 31, 1999

Season 2: 2000

#	Title	Airdate
16	Home School Dazed	May 29, 2000
17	The Postman's Always Shot Twice	May 30, 2000
18	The Preacher's Life	June 6, 2000
19	The HJs	June 13, 2000
20	Haiti & The Tramp	June 13, 2000
21	Smokey the Squatter	June 27, 2000
22	Weave's Have A Dream	June 27, 2000
23	Let's Get Ready To Crumble	July 4, 2000
24	Who Da Boss?	July 4, 2000
25	Fear Of A Black Rat	July 11, 2000
26	Ghetto Superstars	July 11, 2000
27	What's Eating Juicy Hudson?	July 18, 2000
28	Cliffhangin' With Mr. Super	Aug. 18, 2000
29	The Jeffersons	July 25, 2000
30	Robbin' HUD	August 1, 2000
31	The Last Affirmative Action Hero	August 29, 2000
32	Parole Officer and a Gentleman	Sept. 5, 2000

Season 3 (WB): 2000-2001

#	Title	Airdate
33	Boyz Under The Hood	Oct. 8, 2000
34	New Years Eve Special: Scarthroat	Dec. 31, 2000
35	Smoke Gets In Your High Rise	Feb. 4, 2001
36	National Buffoon's European Vacation	Feb. 11, 2001
37	Cruising For A Bluesing	Feb. 18, 2001
38	It Takes A Thurgood	Feb. 25, 2001
39	Miracle Cleaner on 134th Street	April 29, 2001
40	Survival: In Tha Hood	May 6, 2001
41	Let's Get Ready To Rumba	May 13, 2001
42	A Race To His Credit	May 20, 2001
43	Red Man's Burden	October 31, 2009
44	Clip Show	November 7, 2009
45	Francine Smith did that	November 14, 2009
46	Thurgood, Boxer	November 21, 2009
47	Richness Is Me	November 28, 2009
48	Take it to Glenn Martin	December 5, 2009

• Note: The final unaired episodes have been shown in some markets, such as by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in 2003.

Soundtrack

Main article: The PJs (soundtrack)

References in other series

• The manhole cover that served as the show's title card had made appearances on Futurama as an entry point into the mutant-populated sewers of New New York. After seeing this, the writers of The PJs put a picture of Fry, the main character on Futurama, on a milk carton.
• In the episode of The Simpsons entitled "Missionary: Impossible", Thurgood is one of the phone operators at the Fox Network fundraising drive.
• The show was parodied in an episode of Robot Chicken called "Celebutard Mountain" during the "VH1's Top 100 Final Episodes Ever" skit.

External links

• The PJs at the Internet Movie Database
• Please use a more specific TV.com template. See the documentation for available templates.
• The PJs at TV One

es:Los PJs pl:Blokersi (serial animowany) sv:PJs