The Wayans Bros. is an American sitcom that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999, with 101 episodes produced spanning five seasons. The series starred Shawn and Marlon Wayans as brothers Shawn and Marlon Williams living in New York City.[1]
Shawn and Marlon's latest scheme becomes a hair-raising nightmare when they take over the manufacture and marketing of a grooming product called "Goop, Hair-It-Is." While Marlon comes up with a concoction that makes his hair look great, Shawn decides to sell the hair goop on an infomercial. They shoot the infomercial live, with Gary Coleman acting as a celebrity spokesperson. While Gary is doing his pitch for "Goop, Hair-It-Is," the chemicals from the product cause his hair to catch fire. Shawn and Marlon's dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs also go down in flames.
Marlon's constant interference pushes Lisa too far, so Marlon goes overboard to make it up to her and Shawn by sending them on a ferry cruise on the harbor.
The woman of Marlon's dreams loves poetry, so he gets Shawn to help him write her love poems. However, things turn sour when Lisa discovers the poems and thinks Shawn is cheating on her. At a restaurant, Marlon confronts his new lady friend about this and realizes that she is only in love with the words, not him as a person. Insulted, he leaves. Shawn tries to patch things up between her and Marlon, but she instead pines over him for his poetry, kissing him as Lisa arrives with a friend. Lisa confronts Shawn about cheating on him and when he asks the woman to say she was with Marlon, she coldly replies that she doesn't know a Marlon. Marlon overhears this and gets insulted even more, yelling at her for pretending he doesn't even exist. Validating Shawn's claims, Lisa apologizes and gets back together with Shawn, after they properly pie the shallow woman for her ego.
After accidentally sitting on a staple gun, Marlon is rushed to the hospital using Shawn's healthcare card. But the doctor that treats him is Lisa's father, Dr. Saunders (Richard Roundtree). Marlon must now pretend to be Shawn so Shawn's relationship with Lisa isn't ruined.
Shawn and Marlon's apartment complex is beginning to fall apart. They meet with the landlord, Mr. Stone (Sherman Hemsley), who manipulates them into becoming apartment managers. The complex is soon in worse shape. When Mr. Stone visits the building, he yells at them for doing such a poor job. Mr. Stone fires Shawn and Marlon and takes over as superintendent.
Marlon becomes involved with Mia (Paula Jai Parker), a woman who happens to be the wife of a hit man.
Note: Paula Jai Parker makes her first appearance in the series. She would later join the cast as Monique in season 2. Lela Rochon makes her final appearance as Lisa.
Shawn's new girlfriend Rachel (Garcelle Beauvais) gives him expensive gifts but is a domineering type.
Note: Garcelle Beauvais would star later on the fellow WB sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, which premiered a year later after The Wayans Bros. on the same night that aired on Wednesdays.
Everyone is excited that President may stop by to use the bathroom at Pop's diner. Marlon is determined to shake the President's hand believing that exact moment will guarantee a positive future for him.
Note: Anna Maria Horsford makes her first appearance as Dee Baxter, staying for the remainder of the series. She replaces Lou (Jill Tasker) as the security guard in the Neidermeyer Building.
Marlon quits the family basketball team due to Pops' tough coaching tactics.
Note: In production order, this episode marks Jill Tasker's final appearance as Lou. She was already replaced by Anna Maria Horsford in the episode "Head of State".
Shawn begins to question his morals when he becomes sexually attracted to Amy (Tammy Townsend), a church-going woman who is keeping her virginity safe until marriage.
After helping a woman deliver a baby in the lobby, Dee's maternal instincts kicks in with her deciding to have a child and requesting that Shawn be the father.
Shawn tries to reunite with a woman that stood him up at his high school prom, believing that she is the reason for all his subsequent bad relationships.
Note: At the end of the episode, Shawn reprises his role as DJ SW-1 since the sketch comedy TV series In Living Color.
Shawn is thrilled to be hired by a high-tech company, only to learn that he was only hired to fill the company's racial quota. He then dreams that he is J.J. Evans on the television sitcom Good Times.
The family is put in police protection after Marlon identifies a robber in a police lineup and in turn causes the robber to send his brother after the family.
Shawn and Marlon are caught scalping tickets for a Busta Rhymes concert and then plead with the rapper to perform at Dee's church to prevent it from closing down.
Shawn feels the heat after a crooked accountant leaves him awash in debt. Then the newsstand suddenly burns down and all of his problems seem to be solved -- until he and the family are suspected of arson.
Inspired to be like his favorite actor Rico Da Vinci (Nick Spano), Marlon smokes marijuana and ends up ruining an acting audition that Shawn set up for him.
Marlon is fooled into joining a cult thinking it is an acting seminar.
Note: Kelly Coffield guest starred in this episode; she had been a cast member on In Living Color with Shawn and Marlon Wayans. She also co-starred with the Wayans brothers and John Witherspoon in the 2006 film Little Man. Also, this is Gary Coleman's second appearance on the show, the first being the pilot episode "Goop-Hair-It-Is".
When Shawn decides to marry an immigrant (JoNell Kennedy) so she can be granted citizenship, the woman must live with him for six months. But he soon comes to regret the decision after the woman invites other family members to move in.
Shawn and Marlon take part in a Big Brother, Little Brother program until the big brother in the program is accused of stealing the newsstand money and The little brother confesses to stealing the money.