Bring Back Moesha!

“Moe to the… E to the… Moe to the… E to the… MOESHA.”

How can we possibly forget that famous chorus of the 90′s classic TV series starring our favourite R’n’B diva Brandy?

Would you believe it’s been 20 years since the show first aired on UPN?

Moesha Mitchell, daughter of Frank Mitchell, played by William Allen Young, – Saturn Car Dealership Owner - graced our TV sets with her long black braids, quirky dress sense and endless words of wisdom. There wasn’t an episode that didn’t teach us about the “complexities” of teenage american life, the burdens of puppy love and the o-so-real experiences of high-school kids, growing up in South Central, Los Angeles. But after 6 seasons of the beloved sitcom, it was cancelled, ending with Moe’s positive pregnancy test and her younger brother Myles’ being kidnapped – talk about cliff hanger!

Does Moe keep the baby?

Who’s the father?

Who kidnapped Myles?

What happened to Hakeem, Niecy and Kim?

Here are 5 reasons why Moesha needs a rerun!

1. We need answers!

After following the journey of Moesha and her friends from high-school to college, how did it all suddenly come to a halt? We watched Moe overcome the death of her mother, the endless banter between her and her bugging little brother Myles, the ongoing father-daughter disagreements, the countless “your grounded” and “Myles go to your room” catchphrases, the developing mother-daughter bond between her and her step-mother Dee - also her high school principal - overcoming the racial slurs she encountered after moving from Crenshaw High School to Bridgewood Academy and let’s not forget her father’s secret affair, which introduced us to her cousin and brother Dorian, played by Ray J, which later caused the Mitchell family breakdown.

We were in so deep with Moe and all her drama and then, we were kicked to the curb.

I can’t cope!

2. Bring back The Den!

No student bar or club could compare to The Den. The infamous youth-hangout frequented by Moe and her high school posse that doubled as a café and nightclub. Even when Moe left Crenshaw High School, for Bridgewood Academy, she found her way back to The Den, for socials. The venue was owned and managed by Andell Wilkerson - played by Yvette Wilson - Moesha’s older friend who always seemed to have trouble in the love department, yet managed to keep The Den rocking every night. Everyone, who was anyone in South Central, appeared at The Den.

The venue saw performances from notable R’n’B and Hip Hop artists and groups such as Silk, Tyrese, DMX, Snoop Dogg, 112, Dru Hill, A Tribe Called Quest and Brandy herself, where Moesha had a dual role. I don’t know about you, but I wish I went to their high school!

On the subject of guest appearance, here are a few more.

3. Moesha shone a light on up and coming talents!

Before, during and even after Moesha met her bad-boy boyfriend Q, - Fredro Starr – she had the pick of a few hotties. Andrew Kegan, star of “10 Things I Hate About You”, who played Moe’s child-hood sweetheart, Matt Tarses in Season 1. Usher Raymond, Dallas born “Nice and Slow” singer, and 8 time Grammy award winner who played Moe’s love interest, Jeremy Davis in Season 3 and Ginuwine, the 90′s heart-throb, “Pony” singer and multi-platinum selling artist who played Khalib, a member of Q’s group and later Moe’s love interest in season 5 & 6. Other icons such as Iyanla Vanzant, Bernie Mac, LeAnn Rimes, Nia Long, Russell Simmons, Kobe Bryant, Dr Dre, Megan Good, Faith Evans and Jamie Foxx also appeared on Moesha in the late 90′s.

Stepping stone?

I think so!

4. Moesha’s Philosophical nature

Amongst all her drama, there was always a lesson learnt. Whether Moe was contemplating sneaking out of the house to party, deliberating clothing and hairstyles choices, dealing with a break-up, or simply fantasying about her future, she always gave us some choice words of wisdom. As she says in Season 4, Episode 21, Independence Day “Tomorrow I’ll be 18. Liberated. Emancipated. Free. I can vote, get married, moved to Tibet or become a Navy Seal. Basically I can do whatever I want, without any interference from Daddy and D. The only question is, what do I do first?”

In this episode Moesha friends decide to throw her a surprise party for her 18th birthday, but the surprise is soon outed when her ditsy best friend Kim, played by Countess Vaughn - who starred in the shows spin-off The Parker’s alongside Mo’nique - ends up telling Moe. But the real surprise for Moesha is when all her former boyfriends, Ohagi, Q, Jeremy and Aaron, show up to the party as a surprise, hoping to rekindle their love with Moe. WOW…Talk about tension!

But Moesha, being Moesha, doesn’t want to start over with any of them, instead she has the hots for her former high-school teacher, Channing - played by Jason George, Sunset Beach and Grey’s Anatomy actor - who she invited to the party after a day earlier after bumping into him at the mall. Here we see Moe, caught up in one of her famous ‘i’m grown’ moments, thinking that just because she’s 18, she can date older men, a former teacher at that - talk about pushing the boundaries. However, she soon comes to her senses and realizes that this isn’t want she wants to do. The pair agree that the relationship wouldn’t work and decide to remain friends. Moe end’s the episode stating “18. The freedom to say YES to every possibility and the wisdom to know when to say NO.” BRILLIANT!

As a former 18 year old, I’m sure some of the same things crossed my mind at her age. Boys, rebellion and just having limitless fun with no boundaries. Not only can I emphasize with Moe and her need for independence, but like many others at 18, I had the same feeling. Just as the show provided a platform to discuss these teenage topics, it also provided solutions and answers to teenage challenges. Something that wasn’t readily available elsewhere at the time.

5. Moesha was the Heroine of the drama

Although Moesha was a straight A student, she wasn’t exempt from the teenage ‘drama’ which included relationships, peer pressure, parties, alcohol, drugs and MORE. Similar to many other shows of the 90′s we watched Moesha deal with these drama’s alongside her older sisterly responsibilities, to Myles and Hakeem, her duty as the eldest daughter to make her father proud and not get ‘caught up’ - and by that I mean a South Central statistic -, her duties as a friend and role model to Niecy and Kim, but also her social and community responsibilities to her school, college and whatever group she became a part of.

Moesha was a young, fun and excitable teen, but she was also very mature and respected for her age. Moe was able to be the saving grace for everyone around her, including herself – this wasn’t common in sitcoms - usually a man or someone older person would “save the day” – not a teen. We need more women like Moesha in admirable and respectable roles flying the flag for female empowerment.

You go girl!

Yaaaaasssss!

Moesha was a guilty pleasure of mine and many other 90′s babies like me. We saw little old Moe grow from a rebellious teen in the Mitchell household to becoming an iconic, headstrong, confident and assertive young woman, making the sitcom one of the greatest TV hits of all time.

Bring Back Moesha!

Who’s with me?