Poppa's House

Poppa's House is an American television sitcom that aired from October 21, 2024, to April 28, 2025 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. In April 2025, the series was canceled after one season.

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Cast and characters

Main

Damon Wayans Sr. as Poppa Fulton, a popular New York City radio DJ. It is later revealed his full name is Damon "Poppa" Fulton.
Damon Wayans Jr. as Junior Fulton, 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 Fulton, Junior's wife who is an event planner

Recurring

Bryan Safi as Allen Whitley, Poppa’s producer
Geoffrey Owens as J.J. Fulton, Nina's father
Caleb Johnson as Trey Fulton, Junior and Nina's son
River Blossom as Maya Fulton, Junior and Nina's daughter
Wendy Raquel Robinson as Catherine Fulton, Poppa's ex-wife and Junior's mother
Adriyan Rae as Lola, Poppa’s dater
Coby Bell as David, Ivy’s ex-husband

Notable guest stars

Rebecca Mader as Headmistress Susan Pierce, the poised and put-together headmistress of Buckingham
Tommy Davidson as Jarnold, Poppa’s friend
Lamorne Morris as Todd, Junior’s friend
Hugh Moore as Lafonzo
Ella Joyce as Felicia
Charo as herself
Marlon Wayans as Melvin Fulton, Poppa's younger brother who is a con artist
Vivica A. Fox as Judge "Say Wha?", a judge that Junior clashes with
Amara Wayans as Natalie Fulton, Junior's sister
Tre Hale as Dyrrl

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 2023 strike-related production delays. CBS received a full season order of 18 episodes on November 7, 2024. On April 22, 2025, CBS announced the cancellation of the series, with its final episode airing on April 28, 2025.

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 is filmed at Radford Studio Center in Los Angeles, California but 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.