One on One is an American sitcom that aired on the now-defunct UPN. The series stars Flex Alexander as a single sportscaster, who becomes a full-time dad when his ex-wife decides to accept a job out of the country and his teenage daughter moves in with him. The series was based in Baltimore and in Los Angeles for the final season. The series featured numerous celebrities and athletes including Lil Zane, Chris Brown, Lil' Romeo, Eve, Lloyd, Floetry, Angie Stone, Mario, Omarion, Brandy, Solange Knowles, Marques Houston, Smokey Robinson, Avant, New Edition, Jennifer Freeman, Method Man, Bobby Valentino, and Lisa Leslie, among others. The show was cancelled when The WB and UPN merged to form The CW. [edit] Synopsis The show follows the lives of Flex Washington (Flex Alexander) and his teenage daughter Breanna Barnes (Kyla Pratt). The series begins with Breanna wanting to stay with her father, Flex, whom Breanna used to see only two weeks a year. When he blew out his knee during an NBA game, Flex had his communications degree to fall back on and became a sportscaster. Flex works for the fictional WYNX TV station in Baltimore, resides in the ultimate bachelor pad, and lives the life of luxury. He is a ladies' man who wants to be both a responsible parent and a best friend to Breanna. Flex is very protective of his daughter, especially with boys. He has only had a couple of serious relationships, one of which was Breanna's mother Nicole Barnes (Tichina Arnold), whom he impregnated at the age of 18. When Nicole takes a job in Nova Scotia, Nicole allows Breanna to live with Flex. Flex's best friend and Breanna's godfather, Duane Odell Knox (Kelly Perine), is a used car salesman who lives across the hall from Flex and Breanna and is a constant presence in their lives for better or worse. Duane's way with women is the exact opposite of Flex, in which Duane usually repels women. The women he does date, however, are somewhat unusual. His only serious girlfriend during the series was Candy (Shondrella Avery), with whom he dated for two years before getting engaged and later breaking up. Breanna's best friend is Spirit Jones (Sicily Sewell) with whom she creates some mischief. Her other best friend, Arnaz Ballard (Robert Ri'chard), is the object of her on-again, off-again affection. The two were just best friends, but Breanna became jealous of Arnaz's old girlfriend, Ginger (Khanya Mhkize). Arnaz became jealous when, in season two, Breanna started dating Josh (Josh Henderson). The two finally became a couple in the latter part of the series. They break up by the fifth season and move on to date other people, even though they know they still love each other. The series ends with Arnaz chasing after Michelle (Brandy Norwood), D-Mack's sister, who he has fallen in love with while Breanna is shown in bed with D-Mack (Ray J). [edit] Main Characters - Flexter "Flex Washington" Alexander Barnes (Flex Alexander) - Flex was born to Richard and Eunice Barnes and is the oldest of three children. In high school, Flex met Nicole, his first serious girlfriend. Before that, Flex had a reputation with women that caused many fathers in his neighborhood to dislike him. At age 18, Flex got Nicole pregnant as a senior in high school. She gave birth to a baby girl named Breanna. A couple of years later, Flex and Nicole went their separate ways when Flex pursued a career in the NBA playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. During a game however, he blew out his knee and was sidelined. Luckily, he had a communications degree to fall back on (which he admitted he tried to get twice) and became a sportscaster in Baltimore for television station WYNX News 3.
- After his daughter stays over for a weekend, Nicole springs news that she got a job in Nova Scotia and wants to take Breanna with her. Flex unwittingly volunteers to take care of Breanna, even though it may hamper his bachelor lifestyle. After his divorce from Nicole, Flex took on a player persona and even had a 30-day rule (not to date a woman for more than 30 days, otherwise it becomes a relationship). He broke that rule when he dated Natalie, Breanna's art teacher, which they broke up a year into the relationship because she didn't want to have children of her own though she wanted to be a good stepmom to Breanna. A year later, he began dating Danielle, a therapist who initially didn't want to date Flex because she was his and Breanna's therapist. They eventually became engaged. Around the same time, his show "The Flex Files" became syndicated.
- In season 5, Flex appeared occasionally as a recurring character. He would fly out to California to visit Breanna and to also make sure Arnaz wasn't trying to have sex with her.
- Breanna Latrice Barnes (Kyla Pratt) - Breanna is the daughter of Flex Washington and Nicole Barnes, born when the two were barely out of high school. When Breanna finds out that her mom Nicole got a job in Nova Scotia, it is Breanna who comes up with the idea to have Flex take care of her. During her stay with Flex, she and best friend Spirit joined the cheerleading squad, which she initially would have never thought to try out for until the head cheerleader taunts her and tries everything she can to keep her from joining.
- Breanna has had several crushes, including Arnaz, one of her two best friends, who became an on-again/off-again love interest during the series, and with whom she didn't show any romantic interest in until the end of the first season. Breanna dated Josh, a handsome but dimwitted boy, who became part of a love triangle between Breanna, Josh and Arnaz. Eventually, Breanna and Arnaz became a couple, only to break up when Josh and Arnaz' ex-girlfriend Ginger came up with a plan to break the two up, in which Breanna caught Ginger kissing Arnaz. During the third season, Arnaz and Breanna seemed to be on the way to getting back together until he revealed he wasn't a virgin one night when Breanna wanted to lose her virginity to Arnaz in order to stay popular with the cheerleaders (she didn't go through with it after she found out). It was then that Breanna decided to remain a virgin until she was ready to have sex, even if it wasn't until she was married.Breanna also kind of went out with a boy from her school nightmare who's real name was Clayton. he was smart but had a reputation of a bad boy. when Breanna found out she said something that almost lead into a kiss. Flex saw them and prevented Breanna from seeing him.Nightmare explained to Breanna's dad what was going on and she could see him again but he came in before Arnaz could tell her his feelings for her.In the next episode he wasn't there they just had an attraction to each other.
- By the fourth season, Breanna and Arnaz finally became a couple, but Breanna had to endure jealousy when Charlie, a French girl, joined Arnaz's band as the lead singer. Nothing happened between Arnaz and Charlie, because his heart was with Breanna. In the fourth season's finale, Breanna and Arnaz broke up after Nicole came up with a plot to keep Breanna from making the same mistakes that she made with Flex when they were her age, after Breanna announced she was going to live with Arnaz, and Flex tried to convince Arnaz to let Breanna go to California to attend CalArts University. Arnaz ran onto the plane that Breanna was taking to California to tell her he couldn't live without her. They eventually went to California, where they moved in with four other roommates: Cash, D-Mack, Lisa, and Sara. They broke up again when Arnaz and their roommate D-Mack's sister began getting closer. She started dating Calvin, a manager at McDonald's, only to break up because he thought that her heart was still with Arnaz. Breanna tells Arnaz she still loves him.
- Arnaz Leroy Ballard (Robert Ri'chard) - Arnaz is an aspiring rock star and was born to a Caucasian mother and an African-American father, who left his mother and owns a crab restaurant. Arnaz had his own rock band called Zanra. Arnaz had a massive crush on Breanna when she and Arnaz met and would stop at nothing to impress her. Towards the end of season one, however, as he got her attention, his attention turned to Ginger, who became Breanna's rival.
- After he and Ginger broke up, Arnaz attempted to get Breanna back but Breanna was dating Josh at the time. One Christmas, Breanna was given a half-heart pendant by Arnaz, who kept half of the pendant to show he would always keep Breanna close to his heart. In the fourth season premiere, Arnaz, Breanna and Spirit ran off to New York to pursue their dreams (Breanna acting, Arnaz playing guitar and Spirit designing). After three years of a "will they or won't they" situation between them, Arnaz and Breanna became a couple in the fourth season.
- A year later, Arnaz and Breanna's relationship hit the skids when their roommate D-Mack's sister Michelle (Brandy Norwood) visited, and eventually Arnaz and Michelle became close friends. One night, the two fell asleep on the couch, Michelle fully clothed and Arnaz wearing pants but no shirt. Breanna and their roommates, Sara, D-Mack, Lisa and Cash walked in after returning from a party in Mexico and saw them. Though they hadn't done anything intimate, Breanna and Arnaz broke up. Eventually, Michelle and Arnaz did get together, but they went their separate ways after Michelle realized Arnaz's heart was still with Breanna. He thought differently, so he borrowed Breanna's car (with permission) and chased Michelle to the mountains. However, since the series didn't make it to a sixth season, it remained undetermined whether Breanna and Arnaz would eventually get back together.
- Cloteal Spirit Freedom Jones (Sicily) - Spirit is the daughter of Leilani and Cooper Jones, former hippies who run an incense shop. Spirit knew Arnaz since they were younger kids and became best friends with Breanna. Spirit has an unusual fashion sense, which has given her the distinction of being the "Black Blossom Russo." It was revealed in one episode that Spirit once kissed Arnaz in a game of Spin the Bottle. The secret angered Breanna because she liked Arnaz, but the two friends apologized for the situation as Breanna realized that Spirit was one of her few true friends.
- A running gag in the series is how Spirit never has a boyfriend. This changed in the fourth season when Spirit started dating A-Train, Arnaz's rival in a Battle of the Bands contest. Their relationship strained her and Arnaz's for a little while, but eventually they mended fences. The character was written out of the series for Season 5.
- Duane Odell Knox (Kelly Perine) - Duane is a used car salesman for Big Sal's Used Cars who lived up to the stereotype that car salesmen cheat their customers. As he says in the episode "Playing Possum," he "eats sleaze for breakfast and washes it down with a tall glass of dishonesty." Duane was Flex's best friend since they were kids. Duane had lived in his mother's basement well into his 20s and 30s, eventually moving into an apartment across the hall from Flex. He had an on-again/off-again relationship with Candace Taylor (known as Candy), a manicurist at Flex's father's barbershop Phatheadz. They first broke up after Duane lied to her about losing his job at Big Sal's. They later became engaged, but eventually broke off the engagement.
- When Duane found out he had a serious health problem (high cholesterol), he needed to contact his father, since his high cholesterol might be hereditary. He met his father, Vaughn Odell Knox (Smokey Robinson) after months of searching for him. Not long after, Vaughn asked Duane for a kidney, which turned out to be for Duane's half-brother Dwayne (Orlando Brown). After losing his car salesman job, he started his own business, D's Dubs and Subs, which was a cross between a sandwich shop and a custom auto parts shop.
- Throughout the series, Duane always wore a hat. This was because, when they were kids, Flex's brother Kevin made a mistake while practicing his barbering skills on Duane, which never healed. This was revealed in the episode "Phatheadz".
- Lisa Sanchez (Camille Mana) - The character of Lisa Sanchez was introduced at the start of Season 5. Lisa is one of the four roommates Breanna and Arnaz live with when they move out to California. Other than her roommates, she is somewhat overlooked by people, such as D-Mack's sister Michelle, who doesn't remember her at all even though she lived with D-Mack. Lisa has had a long-standing crush on D-Mack, though he takes no interest in her. She eventually dates Benjamin, the sweet, nerdy manager of the BLOG, a restaurant hangout where Arnaz works.
- Cash Bagan (Jonathan Chase) - The character of Cash was introduced at the start of Season 5. Cash is another of the four roommates Breanna and Arnaz live with in California. Cash considers himself a filmmaker but works as a paparazzo in order to make money. Since the apartment has only two bedrooms, Arnaz is initially alarmed at the idea of sharing a room with Cash and D-Mack, but before long the three become friends. Throughout the season, Cash chases women, and while he isn't as lucky as he'd like to be, he's more successful in his endeavors than D-Mack or Arnaz. At the end of one episode, in an amusing mirror of roommate Sara's usual behaviour, Cash uses his toned body to entice a female hotel manager out of making them pay their bill.
- Darrell "D-Mack" McGinty (Ray J) - The character of Darrell McGinty, nicknamed "D-Mack", was introduced at the start of Season 5. D-Mack is one of the four roommates Breanna and Arnaz live with when they move out to California. D-Mack has a hip-hop persona although his lifestyle as a Malibu rich kid comes out at times. He used his sister Michelle (Brandy Norwood) to become close to Arnaz so he could date Breanna but without success.
- Sara Crawford (Nicole Paggi) - The character of Sara Crawford was introudced at the start of Season 5. Sara is one of the four roommates Breanna and Arnaz live with when they move out to California and is the sexpot girl-next-door of the house. Sara is considered a golddigger, and dreams of being a trophy wife, since she grew up in a trailer park in Iowa. In the last episode, she dated Andrew, whom she met while she and Lisa accompanied Breanna to a clinic to get information on contraceptives (Breanna was prepared to have sex with Arnaz just to keep him from straying from her, but she never did), however his need to get to know Sara before having sex with her tired her to the point where she gave up on him. Her passiveness turned him on, but the next night, Sara caught Andrew with another woman.
[edit] Recurring characters Arranged by the season(s) they appeared: - Ron Canada as Richard, Flex's father (Seasons 1-3)
- Joan Pringle as Eunice, Flex's mother (Seasons 1-3)
- Tamala Jones as Tonya, an old girlfriend of Flex's (Seasons 1 and 5)
- Tichina Arnold as Nicole, Flex's ex-wife and Breanna's mother (Seasons 1-5)
- Holly Robinson Peete as Stacy Morgan, Flex's co-worker (Season 1)
- Jenny McCarthy as Holly Spears, Flex's co-host (Season 1)
- Jason Earles as Brad, drunk guy on the bus and Spirit's friend. (Season 4)
- Khanya Mkhize as Ginger, Breanna's rival and Arnaz's former girlfriend (Seasons 1-3)
- Omar Gooding as Malik, a barber at Phatheadz (Seasons 2-3)
- Rashaan Nall as Walt, a barber at Phatheadz (Seasons 2-4)
- Laz Alonso as Manny, a barber at Phatheadz (Seasons 2-3)
- Shondrella as Candy, a nail stylist at Phatheadz and love interest for Duane (Seasons 2-4)
- Melissa De Sousa as Natalie Odessa, Breanna's teacher who later dates Flex (Seasons 2-3)
- Josh Henderson as Josh McEntire, Breanna's new love interest after her break-up with Arnaz (Seasons 2-3)
- Kim Coles as Leilani Jones, Spirit's mother (Seasons 2-4)
- Edward "Grapevine" Fordham, Jr. as Ace Fields, a new barber at Phatheadz (Seasons 2-3).
- Saskia Garel as Danielle, Flex's girlfriend (Season 4)
- Lloyd as A-Train (Season 4)
- Kel Mitchell as Manny Sellers, the former child actor and Breanna's landlord. (Season 5)
- Ernie Grunwald as Benjamin (Season 5)
- Brandy Norwood as Michelle, D-Mack's sister (Season 5)
[edit] Notable guest stars [edit] Production notes [edit] Distributors Besides Eunetta T. Boone productions, One On One is distributed by Bob Bain productions in association with Paramount television. [edit] Main crew - Executive producers: Robert Greenblatt, David Janollari, and Eunetta T. Boone
- Co-executive producers: Flex Alexander, Dan Cross, Arthur Harris, David Hoge, Bill Boulware, and Devon Shepard
- Producer: Eric Lev, Susan Nirah Jaffee, and Kenny Smith, Jr.
- Co-producers: Cheryl Walker, John Vohlers, Judy Landis, Stacy A. Littlejohn, Eric Lev, Erica Montolfo, Kenny Smith, Jr., John E. Vohlers, and Cheryl A. Walker
- Consulting producers: Eric Lapidus and Bennie R. Richburg, Jr.
- Supervising producer: Meg DeLoatch, Arthur Harris, and Susan Nirah Jaffee
- Associate producers: Lee H. Grant, Penny Segal, John E. Vohlers, and Cheryl A. Walker
- Main director: Hugh Jack Offalot
[edit] Theme song The show's theme song "Living One on One", was written and performed by Shanice (wife of the series star Flex Alexander) and Tonex. The theme song was slightly shortened and remixed by Detail and Ray J for the show's fifth season. [edit] Syndication [edit] United States One on One is currently being broadcast in the United States on various local stations, and also on nationally-available cable networks such as TeenNick and BET [edit] Canada One on One is currently being broadcast in Canada on BET and local affiliates. [edit] United Kingdom One on One can be seen on Virgin 1 in the UK. [edit] Australia One on One can be seen on Nine Network in Australia [edit] South Africa One on One can be seen on SABC1 in South Africa. [edit] Middle East All seasons of One on One are being aired on the Paramount Comedy Channel in the Middle East. Season five has not been aired completely [edit] DVD releases To date, Paramount Pictures and CBS Home Entertainment currently have no plans to release the show on DVD at this time. [edit] External links |
