Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries - Thea: Thea Vidale

Thea aired from September 1993 until February 1994 on ABC.

Thea ( played by Thea Vidale) was one TV mom whose kids did not get away with murder. Large, loud and loving, she ruled her brood with a kind of "tough love" that left no doubt who was in charge. As a recent widow, she had many roles to juggle; a supermarket job during the day, courses in store management at night, part0time hairdresser, and full-time single parent.

Her four kids were serious Jarvis ( Adam Jeffries), schemer Jerome ( Jason Weaver), shy Danesha ( Brandy Norwood), and cute little James ( Brenden Jefferson). Basically good kids, they were sometimes rambunctious, but little escaped mom's knowing gaze: "Thea knows all, Thea sees all." Lynette ( Yvette Wilson) was Thea's sister and Charles ( Cleavant Derricks) her brother-in-law.

Thea aired from September 1993 until February 1994 on ABC.

A Review from Variety

Thea
((Wed. (8), 8-8:30 p.m., ABC-TV))
By TONY SCOTT

Taped at Universal City Studios by Castle Rock Entertainment. Exec producers, Bernie Kukoff, Andrew Susskind; co-exec producer, Bill Bryan; supervising producer, Tom Devanney; producer, Mary Ellen Jones; director, Jay Sandrich; writer-creator, Kukoff; production designer, Tom Azzari.

Cast: Thea Vidale, Adam Jeffries, Jason Weaver, Brandy Norwood, Brenden Jefferson, Cleavant Derricks, Kenny Ford Jr., Charmin Lee Talbert, Peggy Blow.

A cast of likable characters gather around Thea Turrell (played by Thea Vidale), who's a wise, direct, widowed mother of four in a well-written, appealing script by Bernie Kukoff. Directed sharply by Jay Sandrich, "Thea" has heart as well as old-fashioned good humor; program has good commercial possibilities.

Thea works hard to support her brood: responsible Jarvis Jr. (Adam Jeffries), 16; sharpie Jerome (Jason Weaver), 14; sensible Danesha (Brandy Norwood); and wee James (Brenden Jefferson).

Thea puts Jarvis in charge while she's out of the house one night. Danesha's going to study at the library with a new boyfriend, and she's told to be home on time. Jerome, getting around Jarvis -- and Mom's instructions -- goes to the video arcade for a tourney, and Thea comes home early.

Casting is terrif, with Vidale serving up a strong character who knows how to express herself. Briefly but forthrightly drilling Danesha's friend (Kenny Ford Jr.), describing a man making a pass at her, and pouring love over small James, Vidale's Thea Turrell is a prize.

The youngsters are winners, too. Weaver's Jerome is a pleasure, and Jeffries' Jarvis yells dependability. Norwood hasn't enough to do in the first outing; young Jefferson's James is amusing. Sitcom, blessedly free of coarse lingo or innuendo, could become a standard.

A second episode airs Sept. 15 at 8:30 p.m., before series bows Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. Looks like Thea and her family will be around for a while; they're worth a visit.

An Article from The Entertainment Newswire

THEA VIDALE: Choice Words for Brandy
Posted Mar 2nd 2007
by Karu F. Daniels
Filed under: Entertainment Newswire

Comic actress Thea Vidale sure is a big woman.

And not just literally -- but in the figurative sense.

The brazen funnywoman sent out "An Open Letter" to Brandy Norwood in the March 5 edition of the 'National Enquirer' newspaper as a form of comfort during her tumultuous time.

As widely reported in the media, the former pop superstar is embroiled in a career ending tragedy stemming from the Los Angeles highway car crash that claimed the life of a 38-year-old mother after Norwood slammed her Land Rover into the woman's Toyota in December.

Vidale, who shares in some of the responsibility for Norwood's big break -- her first acting gig was on the groundbreaking ABC sitcom 'Thea' in 1993, experienced a similar situation when one of her four children was in a car accident that killed another motorist.

"A few years ago, all four of my kids were together in a car with one of my sons -- who was only 16 -- at the wheel," she wrote. "Sadly, they had an accident that killed the other driver."

"We were all scared and devastated," she continued.

Elsewhere in the correspondence, Vidale stated: "Brandy, America loves a comeback story. I know you're a survivor and that with the support of your family and friends -- and your faith -- you will overcome this awful tragedy and learn from it."

When The BV Newswire caught up to Vidale last night, she said she had yet to hear back from the 'I Wanna Be Down' singer or her camp, but continues to operate in good faith.

"I don't know how they must've taken it," she said, adding, "I hope that they took it in the spirit that it was sent in. But if they didn't, that's not on me, that's on them. I'm not an alleged Christian and I am a Christian!"

It has been long rumored that Norwood and Vidale didn't get along during the tapings of the sitcom -- and there is bad blood between them.

About letting bygones be bygones, the 50-year-old Washington DC native commented, "Well, if I held on to all of that other bull----, I would be crazy ... I'm still doing what I like to do and I'm cool with me."

"I don't know if you know this," she continued, "but with me what you see is what you got. I don't have a façade. There is no pretense. If I like you, I like you, if I don't f--- you."

"However, there are some people who aren't real," she added. "And just because you ain't real and just because you ain't nice, that don't mean that I have to be like you are."

Vidale also revealed that she heard yesterday that Norwood hasn't even reached out to the family of the deceased as of yet. About that, she wanted to use this forum to address her about that directly:

"You got to tell those people that you're sorry. You can't just sit here and go around shopping and drinking and having a ball in the media and having a good time with your brother. I don't expect you to live your life in a shell but I damn sure expect you to have the grace and the class to say 'I'm sorry.' And not in the media. Say it to the people that you did it to. And don't have your lawyers say it. You go say it. Be a woman about yourself and go and say it. If you don't then ain't much changed!"

Whoa nelly.

For the Official Brandy Site go to http://www.foreverbrandy.com/

For a Website dedicated to Brandy go to http://www.brandyweb.net/wordpress/

For more on Thea go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thea_(TV_series