Raising Harris

**Raising Harris** is a fictional American television drama series created by Crystal Mayer and Samantha Raymond, which debuted on September 23, 2021 on TV Generation. It is the second spin-off of "Our Lives".

The series was originally green-lit in April of 2020, but it was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2022, it has aired for 2 seasons.

## Show Background

Set in Oakridge, Illinois in the 1990s (around 1993 and 1994), the series follows 18-year-old Juanita Morales and her boyfriend, Darnell Harris after they graduate from high school.

Juanita has plans to attend beauty school to become a hairdresser while Darnell prepares to attend school at Newton Technical College to get his degree in automotive technology and works part-time as a mechanic at Winston Automotive; however, their lives take a surprising turn when Juanita unexpectedly becomes pregnant.

When Juanita's mother, Isabel expresses her disapproval about Juanita's pregnancy and her decision to forgo her plans for college, Juanita decides to move out and live with Darnell and his parents, Janice and Evan.

Meanwhile, Darnell decides to do the honorable thing and marry Juanita which raises some doubt and concern with their loved ones who think that they're too young to get married and start a family.

With her plans on hold, Juanita decides to take a job working at the Blue Sky Beauty Supply store owned by Kathy Rae Carson (who also owns a beauty salon) where she meets Kathy Rae's daughter, Andrea, who works at the beauty salon.

The first season followed Juanita and Darnell as they try to make their marriage work and prepare for the upcoming birth of their child. The second season shows the birth of their son, Bradley and follows them juggling their lives as new parents.

## Cast

* Tatiana Gutiérrez as Juanita Harris, a high school graduate whose plans of becoming a hairdresser are put on hold when she becomes pregnant by her boyfriend, Darnell. In the first season, she and Darnell get married in a courthouse wedding when she is 5 months into her pregnancy. In the second season premiere, she gives birth to their son, Bradley.
* Jaylen Tatum as Darnell Harris, Juanita's boyfriend who works as a part-time mechanic whose life changes when Juanita becomes pregnant. In the first season, he and Juanita get married in a courthouse wedding when she is 5 months pregnant. In the second season premiere, their son, Bradley is born.
* Mariah Kelby as Janice Harris, Darnell's mother who works as a customer service representative at Pressman department store in Oakridge, Illinois.
* Terrence Sullivan as Evan Harris, Darnell's father, who works as an auto insurance sales agent in Mount Larkin, Illinois. In the second season, it is revealed that he has advanced lung cancer due to years of smoking.
* Paula Montoya as Isabel Morales, Juanita's mother. She works as a librarian at the Oakridge Public Library in Oakridge, Illinois.
* Frank Valente as Carlos Morales, Juanita's father. He works as a financial clerk at Oakridge General Hospital in Oakridge, Illinois.
* Carmen Ferreiro as Yesenia Morales, Juanita's older sister. She attends Mount Larkin University where she is working on getting her Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling after graduating from Northeastern Illinois University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology.
* Alex Delgado as Ruben Morales, Juanita's older brother. He attends college at Northern Arizona University on an athletic scholarship in track.
* Olivia Connelly as Kathy Rae Carson, the mother of Andrea Watkins. She is the owner of the Blue Sky Hair Salon and the Blue Sky Beauty Supply store where she gives Juanita a job.
* Nicole Scott Henry as Andrea Watkins, Kathy Rae's daughter. She works as a hairdresser and at the beauty supply store part-time. She and her husband, Jason have two children: son Connor and daughter Karina (who was born a week before Juanita gave birth to Bradley).
* Kellie Irwin as Jenn Travis, Andrea's co-worker and best friend. She and her husband, Victor have two sons: Owen and Dylan (who was born in the 2nd season). (*Main cast: season 2-current; recurring co-star: season 1*)
* Christian Simms as Jesse Pearson, Darnell's former manager at Winston Automotive. In the second season, it is revealed that he got a new job working at a used car dealership in Skokie, Illinois. *(Main cast: Season 1*)
* Michael Bernard as Shawn Owens, Darnell's friend and co-worker at Winston Automotive. In the first season, he is shown helping his mother, Maggie with his father, Colin who has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as ALS). When Colin's condition becomes too much for Maggie to handle, she makes the decision to place him in an assisted living facility. He also has a 16-year-old sister, Courtney and a 14-year-old brother, Tyler.
* Graciela Garrido as Teresa Gonzales, Juanita's best friend who turned down an offer to attend college in Texas to attend Oakridge Community College in order to help care of her mother, Margarita who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. In the 2nd season, it is revealed that Margarita is in remission.
* Tanner Merritt as Amanda Eldridge, Juanita's best friend who is studying to be a lawyer at Mount Larkin University in Mount Larkin, Illinois. Her parents divorced when she was 7 years old and her father, Scott remarried when she was 13 years old. She doesn't have much contact with her biological mother. Through her father's remarriage, she has a stepsister, Madison, who is the same age as her and a 2-year-old half-sister named Kaitlyn.
* Arielle Haun as Madison Price, Juanita's friend and Amanda's stepsister, who is the same age as her. Her mother, Penny married Amanda's father when she was almost 13 years old. She has a 2-year-old half-sister named Kaitlyn. After graduating from high school in the 1st season, she decides to take a gap year while she figures out what she wants to do with her life and helps Shawn out with his father. By the 2nd season, she starts attending Oakridge Community College to become a physical therapist assistant.
* Brooklyn McCarthy as Natalie Curtis, Darnell and Juanita's friend who attends Newton Technical College to study computer programming and works part time as a cashier at Winston Automotive. It is revealed that she lives with her aunt, Casey Curtis because her father is in the United States Navy and her mother abandoned her when she was 6 years old.
* Landry Richter as Bryant Campbell, Darnell and Juanita's friend who works as a waiter at a pizza place called Chester's where they frequently hang out with their friends. He also appears to have a crush on Natalie.
* Angelique T. Worth as Dr. Valerie Pratt, Juanita's obstetrician\gynecologist who helps her throughout her pregnancy. (*Recurring co-star: season 2-current; Main cast: Season 1*)
* Anthony Knoll as Gianmarco Bowers, the new manager of Winston Automotive after Jesse moves to Skokie. He is married to Annabelle, who works as the assistant manager. (*Main cast: Season 2-current*)
* Nikki Conway as Annabelle Bowers, Gianmarco's wife and the assistant manager of Winston Automotive. (*Main cast: Season 2-current*)