The News About Brandy's Returning To TV Caught Many By Surprise.Since She Had Only One Album In The Can,Many Thought That She Was Going To Focus More On Her Music Career.This Time Around,Though,She Wasn't Playing One Of The Supporting Cast Members: She Was Going To Be The Star Of The Show.After A Year Of Whirlwind Succcess-With The Release Of Her Platinum-Selling Debut Album And Its Chart-Topping Singles-Brandy Was Ready To Step In Front Of The TV Cameras Once Again.
Although She Took A Shot At The TV Stcom Business With The Ill-Fated ABC Sitcom Thea,It Was Always In Her Cards For Brandy To Be A TV Star.As A Youngster Growing Up And Watching The Cosby Show,Brandy Wanted To Be A Part Of The Show's All-Black,Comedic Cast-When She Wasn't Concentrating On Following The Career Path Of Whitney."I Wanted To Be Rudy So Bad," Brandy Said In An Interview With Black Diaspora Magzine." I Always Said I Was Going To Be Teh Next Rudy," Brandy Joked,
On March 16,1995, The Aaron Spelling-Helmed Production Company Big Ticket Tevevision Announced Signing A Deal For Te Teen Queen To Star In A Half Hour Pilot For The CBS Network.The Show Was Moesha.With Big Ticket Television Being Wholly Owned By The Spelling Entertainment Group,Moesha Was Being Heralded As A Major Priority For The Network.
Upon Signing The Deal,Brandy Was Excitied About The Prospect Of Having Her Very Own Show. "My Success Has Been Overwhelming And A Blessing From God.To Have Signed A Deal For A Series Pilot About Me Is A Joy," She Told Me.
For Moesha, Brandy Plays A Sixteen-Year-Old Whose Father Has Just Remarried A Woman That She Doesn't Immediately See Eye-To-Eye With.For The Pilot,Brandy And Acting Diva Sheryl Lee Ralph (Who Polished Her Skills In Broadway Musical Dreamgirls And Starred In Films With Denzel Washington And Robert De Niro) Were Initially Cast To Get The 
Show Off Running.Executive-Produced By Ralph Farquhar And Written By Sara V.Finney And Vida Spears,Moesha Was Initially Compared To Other Popular Sitcoms That Featured Teenage Cast Members.
People Have Called It The Black Blossom Or The Female Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air,But I Avoid Those Types Of Handles," Ralph Farquhar Told Me."But As Long As They Identify It With The Hits,It's Good." Farquhar Previously Garnered Acclaim With The Controversial FOX Sitcom South Central (Which Was The Career-Launching Pad For Former Brandy Crush,Actor Larenz Tate). Farquhar Also Executive-Produced Sinbad,Which Starred Brandy's Little Brother Ray J,And Another Show Named Drexell's Class.
Moesha Was The First Sitcom On TV To Offer A Story Told From A Young African 
American Girl's Perspective."Moesha Is A Very Smart,Positive Sixteen-Year Old Girl.I Can Relate To Her Part Because I Play It Every Day," Said Brandy.
CBS Decided To Pass On The Pilot For Moesha And Declined To Pick It Up For Its Fall 1995 Lineup. Knowing That The Fox Network Enjoyed Immense Success With African-American-Oriented Shows Such As Living Single And Martin, The Newly Launched United Paramount Network (UPN) Picked Up Moesha And Made It The Network's Longest-Running And Top-Rated Sitcom.
Moesha Officially Premiered On The UPN Network On January 23,1996. Within A Month Of It's Premiere, The Show Was A Winner In Its Time Slot,making The Competition On The Three Top Networks Take Notice. Even Newsweek Magazine Lauded It "A Surprise Hit."
Moesha Stars Brandy As The Lead Characther,Moesha Mitchell,Who Contends With Everything That Young Girls Go Through : Friendship,Dating,Peer Pressure,Family Woes,And Rebelliousness, Among Other Issues.
Although Brandy Does Not really Sing On The Show,Guest Appearances By Some Of The Music's Top Talents Provide An Urban Music Backdrop To Keep The Show's Pace Fresh And Hip.
People Magazine Referred To Moesha As "The Sassy Title Characther Who Turns Confidence Into An Art Form." The Ultra-Hip MoeshaHas A Lot Of Teenage Drama.Moesha Also Stars William Allen Young As The Title Character's Father.Marcus T Paulks Plays Moesha's Little Brother Myles,While Lamont Bentley , And Shar Jackson Play Her Best Friends. With Ray J , Playing As Moeshas Cousin , But Now Brother.By Just Finding Out.
On Occasion,Moesha Will Star A Who's Who Of Black Entertainment's Top Talents. A Host Of Music Stars,From Usher To Nancy Wilson,From Little Richard To MC Lyte, Have Had Screen Time On Moesha
"Brandy Represents The Daughter I Wish I Had. She's Intelligent,She's Outgoing. She Stands On Her Own Two Feet And Tells You The Truth," Said William Allen Young To TV Guide. In A People Magazine Article,Ralph Farquhar Noted,"She Brings Complete Legitimacy To The Part Of A Teenager. She's The Real Deal."
Moesha Is Taped On The Famous Paramount Studios Lot In Hollywood,California.Other TV Shows Such As Soul Train Are Also 
Taped At The Same Location. On The Set Of Moesha, A Cross-Section Of Fans All Ages,Races,And Ethnic Backgrounds Assemble For A Couple Of Hours To Get A Up-Close-And-Rated Sitcom. Brandy Has Had A Few Close Calls On The Set Of Moesha. At One Point, One Person Slipped Through The Security Cracks And Was Able To Have Access To Brandy In One Of Her Most Vulnerable Environments. "She Used To Put 187 In My Pager And Threaten Me," Brandy Told Vibe Of An Obsessed Stalker. "She Left A Number In My Pager That I Would Call Back, And It Would Be [The] Davis Funeral Home. That Number Used To Come On My Pager Every Week. I Was Scared To Death"
And On The Moesha Soundstage There Have Been Rumors That The Close-Knit, Family-Like Setting Between The Cast Members Wasn't What It Was Cracked Up To Be On The Screen.In An Interview With Vibe,Brandy Broke The Silence About A Little Beef She Had With Costar Countess Vaughn. " I Just Feel Like She Wants To Be In The Position That I'm In. People Tell Her, 'You're The Reason Why The Show's Successful,Bitch.' In Front Of People."
The Startling Revelation Had A Ripple Effect Among Gossip Mongers Across The Country And Sparked A Media Frenzy. According To Some Sources, By The Time Moesha Entered Its Fourth Season That Fall, Things Were Smoothed Over Between The Two Teenage Stars. A Few Months Later, Brandy Told The New York Post, "Countess And I Were Not Getting Along. I Don't Really Have Anything Against Her. I Just Don't Like Being Disrespected In Front Of A Lot Of People And That Embarrassed Me Because I Didn't Do Anything To Her. I Wasn't Going To Argue Back With Her , So I Just Walked Off And Asked If I Could Please Be Excused."
In An Interview With Seventeen, Brandy Admitted Her Ture Feelings About Countess: "We Can't Be Friends. It's The Kind Of Relationship Where You Go, 'What's Up,Girl? Good To See You.' We Work Together And That's It."
"In General,People Are So Helpful To Me On The Show. They Send Me Flowers All The Time: They're Really Supportive. I Get Along With Everybody,Which Is Why I Didn't Really Understand This One Incident," Brandy Told The New York Post.
With All The Hype Surrounding Moesha, And The Continued Success Of Its Superstar Lead Actress, Thsi Show Will Be Remembered As A Groundbreaking And Worthwhile TV endeavor. And Althought Moesha Won't Get To The Level Of Friends-Where Its Stars Can Demand Million-Dollar Salaries-It Is Not To Be The Flash In The Pan That Many Thought It Would Be.
Bringing New To The Cast....
Ray J Norwood-
As Dorian!!!
Moesha
