Ranking The WB’s 25 best legacy-making shows
By Reed Gaudens
23. The Steve Harvey Show
Seasons: 6
Created By: Winifred Hervey
Starring: Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Merlin Santana, William Lee Scott, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Teeri J. Vaughn, Lori Beth Denberg, Tracy Vilar, Netfa Perry, Ariyan A. Johnson
Before becoming the host of Family Feud, Miss Universe, and various talk shows, Steve Harvey pioneered a successful year in new sitcoms on The WB in 1996 alongside Jamie Foxx. Both stars headlined eponymous sitcoms that weren’t ratings juggernauts, due to the novelty of the small network’s debut, but wound up becoming long-running staples on the network. The Steve Harvey Show especially helped establish the frog network’s sense of humor and comedy landscape.
Of course, Steve Harvey stars in the show which shares his name, but he plays Steve Hightower, a one-time 1970s funk legend. But his days of music stardom are behind him, as he now works as a teacher and vice principal at Booker T. Washington High School on the West Side of Chicago.
The Steve Harvey Show also featured Cedric the Entertainer as Steve’s best friend and the high school’s coach Cedric Robinson. Steve found friendships with two of his students and a rekindled flame with former classmate and current high school principal Regina Grier (Wendy Raquel Robinson).
Over the course of The Steve Harvey Show’s run, ratings rose and later plateaued but remained a stable player for The WB as it found its footing as a network throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s. Although Steve Harvey sought to conclude the sitcom after its fifth season to pursue other projects, the series capped off with a 13-episode final season.
Exceeding 100 episodes helped the series run on BET, TBS, and local affiliates in syndication until well into the 2010s and still today on BET Her. Once again, The WB wins with a decades-long presence, proving its unstoppable legacy.