# Poppa's House

Poppa's House is an American television sitcom that premiered on October 21, 2024, on CBS. The series stars Damon Wayans as Poppa, Damon Wayans Jr. as Damon, Essence Atkins as Ivy, and Tetona Jackson as Nina. The series was created by Damon Wayans and Kevin Hench.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Damon Wayans as Poppa, a popular New York City radio DJ. It is later revealed his full name is Damon "Poppa" Fulton.
* Damon Wayans Jr. as Junior, who works for his father-in-law but wants to produce documentaries. It is later revealed his full name is Damon "Junior" Fulton.
* Essence Atkins as Dr. Ivy Reed, Poppa's new co-host
* Tetona Jackson as Nina, Junior's wife who is an event planner

### Recurring

* Bryan Safi as Allen Whitely, Poppa's Producer
* Geoffrey Owens as J.J., Nina's father
* Caleb Johnson as Trey, Junior and Nina's son
* River Blossom as Maya, Junior and Nina's daughter
* Wendy Raquel Robinson as Catherine, Poppa's ex-wife and Junior's mother

### Notable guest stars

* Adriyan Rae as Lola
* Phil Beauman as Tyrone
* Tommy Davidson as Jarnold, Poppa's Friend
* Ella Joyce as Felicia
* Rebecca Mader as Headmistress Susan Pierce
* Coby Bell as David
* Lamorne Morris as Preston, Junior’s Friend
* Charo as herself
* Marlon Wayans as Melvin, Poppa's brother
* Vivica A. Fox as Judge "Say Wha?", a judge that Junior clashes with

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | Andy Ackerman | Kevin Hench & Damon Wayans | October 21, 2024 (2024-10-21) | 4.20 |
| 2 | "Sleepover" | Kelly Park | Dean Lorey & Damon Wayans | October 28, 2024 (2024-10-28) | 3.54 |
| 3 | "Podcast" | Robert Townsend | Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts | November 4, 2024 (2024-11-4) | 3.29 |
| 4 | "School Days" | Kim Wayans | Leslie Schapira | November 11, 2024 (2024-11-11) | 3.46 |
| 5 | "Disciplinairian" | Phill Lewis | Erica Montolfo | November 25, 2024 (2024-11-25) | 3.20 |
| 6 | "Family Photo" | Kelly Park | Romanski | December 2, 2024 (2024-12-2) | 3.37 |
| 7 | "Brokeback" | Kim Wayans | Michael Wayans | December 9, 2024 (2024-12-9) | 3.16 |
| 8 | "Wig" | Robert Townsend | Phil Beauman & Shawn Wayans | December 16, 2024 (2024-12-16) | 3.42 |
| 9 | "Puppy" | Phill Lewis | Chris Lorey | January 27, 2025 (2025-1-27) | 3.67 |
| 10 | "Elevator Friend" | Kelly Park | Michael Wayans | February 3, 2025 (2025-2-3) | 3.38 |
| 11 | "Dirty Laundry" | Kim Wayans | Dean Lorey & Damon Wayans | February 10, 2025 (2025-2-10) | 3.58 |
| 12 | "Slumber Party" | Phill Lewis | Adrian Colón, Jr. | February 24, 2025 (2025-2-24) | 3.60 |
| 13 | "Graduation" | Robert Townsend | Phil Beauman & Shawn Wayans | March 3, 2025 (2025-3-3) | 3.32 |
| 14 | "Melvin" | Kim Wayans | Dean Lorey & Damon Wayans | March 24, 2025 (2025-3-24) | TBD |
| 15 | "Say Wha?!" | Damien Dante Wayans | Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts & Kristin Layne Tucker & Jack Sentell | March 31, 2025 (2025-3-31) | TBD |

## Production
### Development

Poppa's House was announced on October 10, 2022. The pilot for Poppa's House was ordered on February 8, 2023. The pilot was written by Damon Wayans & Kevin Hench, and it was directed by Andy Ackerman. Production companies involved with Poppa's House include Amara Films, Hench in the Trench Productions, Two Shakes Entertainment, and CBS Studios. Poppa's House was given a series order on May 9, 2023. Poppa's House was moved to the 2024–25 season due to strike-related production delays. CBS received a full season order of 18 episodes on November 7, 2024.

### Casting

Upon pilot order announcement, Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. were cast to series. When CBS gave a series order, Essence Atkins and Tetona Jackson joined the cast in starring roles. On August 9, 2024, Wendy Raquel Robinson was cast in a recurring capacity. On December 20, 2023, it was reported that Marlon Wayans and Vivica A. Fox are set to guest star. On February 6, 2025, it was announced that Charo is set to guest star as herself.

### Filming

Poppa's House was filmed at Radford Studio Center in Studio City, California but it is set in New York City, New York.

## Broadcast

Poppa's House premiered on October 21, 2024, on CBS. In Canada, the series airs on Global and is available to stream on StackTV.

## Reception
### Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating based on 7 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Poppa's House :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | October 21, 2024 | 0.4/4 | 4.20 | 0.1 | 0.86 | 0.5 | 5.06 |
| 2 | "Sleepover" | October 28, 2024 | 0.4/3 | 3.54 | 0.0 | 0.68 | 0.4 | 4.22 |
| 3 | "Podcast" | November 4, 2024 | 0.4/3 | 3.29 | 0.0 | 0.74 | 0.4 | 4.03 |
| 4 | "School Day" | November 11, 2024 | 0.3/3 | 3.46 | 0.1 | 0.64 | 0.4 | 4.10 |
| 5 | "Disciplinairian" | November 25, 2024 | 0.4/4 | 3.20 | 0.0 | 0.51 | 0.4 | 3.71 |
| 6 | "Family Photo" | December 2, 2024 | 0.3/4 | 3.37 | 0.1 | 0.53 | 0.4 | 3.90 |
| 7 | "Brokeback" | December 9, 2024 | 0.3/3 | 3.16 | 0.1 | 0.61 | 0.4 | 3.77 |
| 8 | "Wig" | December 16, 2024 | 0.3/3 | 3.42 | 0.1 | 0.55 | 0.4 | 3.97 |
| 9 | "Puppy" | January 27, 2025 | 0.3/4 | 3.67 | 0.1 | 0.50 | 0.4 | 4.18 |
| 10 | "Elevator Friend" | February 3, 2025 | 0.3/5 | 3.38 | 0.1 | 0.52 | 0.4 | 3.89 |
| 11 | "Dirty Laundry" | February 10, 2025 | 0.4/5 | 3.58 | 0.0 | 0.49 | 0.4 | 4.07 |
| 12 | "Slumber Party" | February 24, 2025 | 0.4/5 | 3.60 | 0.1 | 0.54 | 0.4 | 4.14 |
| 13 | "Graduation" | March 3, 2025 | 0.3/4 | 3.32 | 0.1 | 0.52 | 0.4 | 3.85 |