Yo, Rizz!

***yo, Rizz!*** is an American television sitcom created by Brooke Payne. It aired from August 11, 1989 to October 21, 1994 on Magic XL.

This was the longest running live-action sitcom in Magic XL history until 2001 as N/A became the longest running live action sitcom after airing a two part special titled N/A: The Musical, and is the third longest running live-action Magic XL show overall, behind *Wazz What* which ran for 171 episodes throughout ten seasons. A revival of the show was announced on fall 2022 on BET+.

## Plot

The series starred Ralph Tresvant as title character Rizz Fields in this show. When Rizz and his best friend Bob Marshall (Bobby Brown) was roasting at a college talent show audition, tech-savvy J.J. Coleman (Janet Jackson) records it and sends it on video tape, accidentally made over a thousand copies, without informing them. After seeing the boys' strong brotherly humor and comedy remarks, people started to send a dozen of fan mails clamoring for more, and they began to start a home video show called *yo, Rizz!* The three young adults find their normal college lives thrown for a loop when they discover that they have become video sensations as their show – which features talent performances, variety of comedy sketches, games & trivia, and dancing to new jack swing jams – receives international attention. Rizz lives in Atlanta with his older sister and legal guardian Shea Fields (Sheila E.) and produces the show in a makeshift top-floor studio loft in their apartment.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Ralph Tresvant as Rizz Fields
* Bobby Brown as Bob Marshall
* Janet Jackson as J.J. Coleman
* Sheila E. as Shea Fields
* Shireen Crutchfield as Chici Nielsen (seasons 4-5, recurring seasons 1-3)

### Recurring Cast

* Ronald Isley as Craig Coleman
* Peabo Bryson as Henry Nielsen
* Shirley Murdock as Wanda Gross
* Brenda K. Starr as Bubbles Rooney
* Sade as G-Ca Casey
* Tracie Spencer as Choco Nielsen
* Shanice as Mary McWorth
* Patti Austin as Dean Ellie Bush
* Richard Pryor as Professor Daniel Osborne
* Ruth Pointer as Professor Wilma Bloome
* Teddy Riley as Bart Cleanwater

## Main Characters

### Rizz Fields

**Ralph "Rizz" Fields** (Ralph Tresvant) is the 18-year-old (22/23 in season 5) star of his own popular home video TV show, *yo, Rizz!* which he produces with her two best friends, J.J. and Bob. Bob acts as his co-star, while J.J. is the producer and technical director. He lives with his 31-year-old sister Shea in Trimstone Plaza, a fictional apartment building in Atlanta. His mother is a lieutenant in the Army, stationed in the Air Force, and what happened to his father is unknown. Rizz is known as a local superstar which sometimes helps him get out of sticky situations, but remains an average young male adult who never lets fame get to his head. Rizz is quite intelligent, and hates to lie about anything or anyone, implied in the episode yo, We Just Swore, where he was overcome by guilt when he was forced to keep Bob's trouble-making a secret. Rizz has very high grades in school, and was even offered a scholarship to Norwood College, an elite private college. Rizz gets most things he wants, such as girlfriends (Summer, Aisha, Caitlyn, Kate, etc.) and stuff (a new room with a new bed, log-shaped love seat, etc.). Shea spoils him slightly but she takes care of him, as seen in yo, Keep Staying With Shea!

### Bob Marshall

**Robert "Bob" Marshall, Jr.** (Bobby Brown) is Rizz's 18-year-old (22/23 in season 5) best friend and co-host of *yo, Rizz!* While he's also friends with J.J., their relationship is strained at best, since Bob enjoys teasing J.J. (but they help each other when they need help). Bob tends to be the opposite of his best friend; while Rizz is the level-headed and classy one, Bob is argumentative, hot-tempered, sarcastic, stubborn, and at times intimidating but also streetwise. Bob is almost always at Rizz's apartment to get away from his family; it's implied that he has a dysfunctional home life and an unreliable father, who apparently never wakes up before 1:00pm, and is supported more by Bob than vice versa. Bob is a bit of a bully, his main targets being J.J., classmate Chici, and anyone else who crosses him. Bob is also a trouble maker and extremely lazy, and as a result he often gets in trouble with Dean Ellie Bush, and other professor and administrators in school. He has an appointment with Dean every Wednesday, where they discuss the trouble he has gotten in over the last week. He has been proved to be a very good liar in many episodes, and even taught Shea to lie in one episode. He has had many girlfriends, his last known one being J.J. Coleman. The two of them broke up in the episode yo, It's Love!

### J.J. Coleman

**Janet "J.J." Coleman** (Janet Jackson) is the 18-year-old (22/23 in season 5) technical producer/director of *yo, Rizz!* and Rizz's neighbor across the hall, where she lives with her obsessively-protective father. She has had a huge crush on Rizz and often been a flirt towards him since the beginning of the show, and he sometimes appears to be amused by this (See R.J.). While she and Bob are friends, she bears the brunt of his teasing, and they have a volatile relationship (See B.J.). J.J. has been shown to have had three boyfriends in the show: a boy with ulterior motives named Marion (in the episode yo, He's Gonna Date J.J.), Rizz (after she fell and he rescued her in yo, I Protected You To Love Me), and then Bob (as of yo, Am I Crazy? until yo, It's Love!). J.J. is also particularly close to Rizz's sister Shea, whom she tends to rely on as an older female figure who she comes to for advice (See SheJ).

### Shea Fields

**Sheila "Shea" Fields** (Sheila E.) is Rizz's 31-year-old (35-36 in season 5) sister and legal guardian. She is an hairstylist by profession and is an impressive perruquier. She is perky, weird, and sometimes immature (which sometimes embarrasses Rizz), but she has also proven to others that he is a responsible guardian to Rizz in the episode yo, Keep Staying With Shea! Shea went to medical school for a week, and her marginal medic knowledge has occasionally proven useful to Rizz and her friends, such as in the episode yo, Let's Advertise Xtreme Boots, when Rizz and the gang use Shea as a doctor to get out of a contract with ATL FootGear Shoes. As a running gag, whenever Shea builds or fixes something, it tends to burst into flames spontaneously therefore necessitating the use of a fire extinguisher. In yo, A New Room! she was well known by the fire department.

### Chici Nielsen

**Shireen "Chici" Nielsen** (Shireen Crutchfield) is Rizz, Bob, and J.J's friend in college. Chici is often seen on *yo, Rizz!* doing wacky things. Chici is eccentric, wild, and often seen with a tank top on. She has a little sister, Choco, who appeared in yo, Freak! As of Season 4, she doesn't show off in her tank top anymore.