Apparently, Friends Impacted Sister, Sister’s Cancellation. How Tamera Mowry And Tia Reacted At The Time

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The 1990s had many popular sitcoms, but Friends or Seinfeld are generally considered the most memorable. Friends launched the careers of stars like Jennifer Aniston, who received early gifts like a washer and dryer and eventually earned a huge salary. However, recent information suggests the show’s success actually had a negative impact on another well-loved series, Sister, Sister.

Tamera Mowry-Housley, known for her role in a beloved family sitcom, recently shared that the popular show Friends may have played a part in ABC cancelling their show after just two seasons. The show then moved to The WB in 1995. Here’s what she said:

I recall when Friends first became popular – all the networks wanted a show just like it! That’s how we ended up moving from ABC to The WB. My sister and I were so confused at first – we kept asking, ‘What even is The WB?’ It was a brand new network, and we had to look up what ‘fledgling’ meant – we didn’t know what it meant for a network to be called that.

When the Mowry sisters’ show first aired on ABC, it was doing reasonably well, ranking at number 33 according to Nielsen ratings. That’s why they were so surprised when the network decided to move it to a less popular channel, especially since they were still teenagers trying to navigate the industry, as People magazine reported.

Even so, the shift from ABC contributed to the growth of The WB, which first aired in 1995, as Mowry-Housley explained.

I received a message from Warner Bros. thanking us for helping launch their network. Tim Reid, who worked with my sister and me, explained that this is a common practice. Networks often begin by featuring Black shows because of the talent within the Black community and the large audiences they attract. These shows help build the network initially, but things often change later on.

In the HBO documentary Seen & Heard, Tia Mowry-Housley discussed how, instead of her show Sister, Sister, ABC launched several sitcoms with mostly white casts. These included Sabrina The Teenage Witch, The Drew Carey Show, Ellen, Soul Man, Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker, and Two Of A Kind, starring the Olsen twins. The documentary features prominent figures reflecting on the history of Black representation on television.

Paramount+ offers plans starting at $7.99 per month or $59.99 per year. You can choose between the basic Essential plan and the ad-free Premium plan for $12.99 a month. For the best value, consider an annual subscription to save money while enjoying your favorite shows and movies. Currently streaming on Paramount+ is the popular show, Sister, Sister. See the deal here.

When Sister, Sister moved to The WB, it was joined by other shows starring Black actors, like The Wayan Bros. and The Jamie Foxx Show. These shows helped launch the network – nicknamed the Frog Network – before popular shows with mostly white casts, such as 7th Heaven and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, also became well-known on the channel. Sister, Sister ran for six seasons, ending in 1999. After the sitcom, Tia and Tamera Mowry went on to star in Disney Channel movies like Twitches, their own reality show Tia & Tamera, and several Hallmark holiday movies, among other projects.

There’s been ongoing discussion about bringing back the show Sister, Sister. Tia Mowry recently said a revival isn’t impossible, but there aren’t any concrete plans in the works. Thinking about how popular Friends was and its connection to Sister, Sister makes me appreciate ’90s TV even more, and it really shows how much people loved and how influential Tia and Tamera’s early sitcom still is.

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2025-11-30 00:13