# Smart Guy (1997)

> A boy genius skips ahead to high school and must survive it alongside his jock brother and self-absorbed sister.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2172

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 51
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, family
- Created by: Danny Kallis
- Network: The WB
- Cast: Tahj Mowry, John Marshall Jones, Jason Weaver, Omar Gooding, Essence Atkins, La'Myia Good, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Monica McSwain
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118466/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wholesome, breezy, comforting, playful

## Synopsis

Smart Guy (1997-1999) is a American family sitcom created by Danny Kallis for The WB, running three seasons and 51 episodes. Tahj Mowry plays T.J. Henderson, a boy genius bumped up from fourth grade into high school, where he shares classes with his 14-year-old brother Marcus, the school jock played by Jason Weaver, and his clueless, self-absorbed 16-year-old sister Yvette, played by Essence Atkins. John Marshall Jones plays their widowed father Floyd, and Omar Gooding plays Mo Tibbs, a friend whose schemes often pull T.J. off course. The engine of each episode is simple: T.J. wants to fit in with older students and keep his academic edge, while his intellect, his siblings' rivalries and the everyday chaos of a single-parent household get in the way. Stories unfold in standalone, case-of-the-week episodes built around school embarrassments, family squabbles and small social crises, so the show is easy to dip into. The tone is bright, gentle and warmly comic, with a wholesome, uplifting core about family loyalty and belonging. Its TV-G rated humor and classic late-nineties sitcom rhythm place it among fans of Malcolm in the Middle, The Hughleys and Gifted Hands, a Disney-backed family comedy for all ages.

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- [Even Stevens (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/3043)
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