1 9 9 6 – 2 0 0 1 (USA)
100 x 30 minute episodes
The King’s Tower was a Los Angeles hotel run by Junior King (Garrett Morris) and his wife, Helen (Ellia English).
Their nephew Jamie (Jamie Foxx) was a hopeful actor who had just left his home in Terrell, Texas to pursue his dream in Tinsel Town. In the meantime, he was residing (and working) at his aunt and uncle’s hotel.
Stories followed the events in Jamie’s life as he dealt with the hotel staff and patrons while trying to find his niche in show business at the same time.
Francesca “Fancy” Monroe (Garcelle Beauvais) was the gorgeous desk clerk (a future romantic interest for Jamie) and Braxton P. Hartnabrig (Christopher B. Duncan) was the stuffy perfectionist accountant who also had eyes for Fancy.
Jamie eventually got a gig with a rap group called K-Ci and JoJo and embarked on a year-long tour with them – not realising that Fancy was in love with him.
When he had a falling out with the group and returned to LA broke, Fancy had been dating others and, although there was still chemistry between them, she and Jamie no longer dated. Braxton’s social life, however, had picked up. He was dating Cameron, the attractive blonde delivery person for GPS.
In the May 1999 season finale, Fancy was on the verge of marrying Dr Silas Landry (Alan F. Smith) when Jamie told her he loved her and she admitted she loved him too.
In October, Junior and Helen promoted Braxton to general manager and Fancy to director of sales. Jamie, whose acting/ singing career was going nowhere, took a job with Jingles 2000, a small advertising agency that specialised in commercial jingles.
Bob (Blake Clark) was his new boss; Phil (Alex Thomas), Mouse (Suli McCullough), Curtis (Chris Spencer) and Nicole (Rhona Bennett), his coworkers.
Jamie and Fancy were having an affair, but he was still living at King’s Tower. In January, out of guilt, he decided to start paying rent for his room, and at the end of the month, he was promoted to supervisor at the jingle company – but in May, he got fired for working on a demo tape for a recording contract at the company’s studio.
He and Nicole performed as a duo in Vegas and she put the move on him – which created serious problems when Fancy showed up. Jamie was forced to choose between her and his singing career with Nicole. Jamie decided to pursue his singing career but not to tour with Nicole.
Although he broke up with Fancy, they eventually got back together on a tentative basis, while still dating others. In December Jamie proposed and she accepted.
Junior and Helen decided to retire and announced they were giving 75% ownership of the hotel to Jamie and his soon-to-be bride. This upset Braxton as he had assumed that he’d be in charge. It also forced Fancy to tell everyone she had been offered a job as marketing director for a New York-based hotel chain, which came as a surprise to everyone.
In the last episode, Jamie and Fancy got married and he gave her the key to the apartment in New York where he had decided they would live, so she could take her big job.
With the Kings’ approval, he appointed Braxton to run the hotel and gave him 25% ownership.
Jamie King
Jamie Foxx
Francesca ‘Fancy’ Monroe
Garcelle Beauvais
Braxton P. Hartnabrig
Christopher B. Duncan
Aunt Helen King
Ellia English
Uncle Junior King
Garrett Morris
Bob Nelson
Blake Clark
Nicole Evans
Rhona Bennett
Phil
Alex Thomas
Dwayne “Mouse” Abercrombie
Suli McCullough
Curtis Davis
Chris Spencer