Our House (American TV series)

After his son John dies, retired widower Gus Witherspoon (Wilford Brimley) invites his daughter-in-law Jessica Witherspoon (Deidre Hall) and her three children to move to California and live with him until Jessie gets back on her feet financially.

Despite protests from her children—15-year-old daughter Kris (Shannen Doherty); 12-year-old son David (Chad Allen); and 8-year-old daughter Molly (Keri Houlihan)—they, Jessie, and their basset hound Arthur leave Fort Wayne, Indiana, to start life anew in California. As they settle in with Gus, they realize just how difficult he can be to live with. The majority of the plots each week centered on the conflicts which tend to arise when an extended family must live together in the same house. As man of the house, Gus imposed rules on his three grandkids the same way he had raised John (and also John's brother Ben, who was seen in a two-part episode); ultimately, however, he learned ways of conveying lessons to the kids without being gruff. Jessie and the kids eventually learned that beneath Gus's stern facade was a wise man, well versed in the ways of the world, who cared about them very much.

In a feature reminiscent of the 1960s TV series The Wild Wild West, each of the episode's five acts (before the commercial break) ended with a freeze-frame shot which then occupied one of several rooms in an abstract rendering of a house figure. As the episode unfolded, more rooms were filled until finally—when the dilemma had been resolved—the final piece was put in place, completing the house.

John Witherspoon (played by Patrick Duffy) was seen in one episode and in the occasional flashback.

• Wilford Brimley as Gus Witherspoon
• Deidre Hall as Jessica "Jessie" Witherspoon
• Shannen Doherty as Kris Witherspoon
• Chad Allen as David Witherspoon
• Keri Houlihan as Molly Witherspoon
• Gerald S. O'Loughlin as Joe Kaplan

Upon the show's 1986 premiere, the Associated Press called it "a family show suitable for framing." Despite positive reviews and a promising start, the series was not a ratings success, likely owing to being scheduled Sundays at 7 PM (EST) opposite CBS's powerhouse 60 Minutes and numerous overruns by NFL games on its own network. The series ranked 59th in its first season (12.9 rating) [1] and 70th in its second season (11.1 rating).[2]

The Inspiration Network re-aired syndicated episodes of Our House in the US from October 18, 2010, to December 31, 2011.[3] Prior to that, reruns of the show aired on The Family Channel in the early 1990s and on the Faith & Values Channel, Pax TV and Odyssey Channel later that decade.

• Our House at IMDb
• Our House at TV.com
• Our House at epguides.com
• Our House at TV Guide