Tahj Mowry Reveals That a ‘Smart Guy’ Reboot Is Currently in the Works
Everyone’s favorite ’90s whiz kid, TJ Henderson, from the hit sitcom Smart Guy is all grown up, and soon, fans of the show will get to see if he still has a way with the ladies and is keeping it real in a brand-new reboot.
That’s right! A revival of the beloved series is currently in the works and though the details surrounding the show are still under wraps, one thing’s definitely for sure — Tahj Mowry will be reprising his role as TJ, the super-intelligent and fine young gentleman.
What was the original ‘Smart Guy’ about?
In 1998, Smart Guy premiered on The WB with Mowry starring as TJ Henderson, the “pugnacious little shorty with a 1000 IQ” who skipped six grades and landed in high school, along with his two older siblings Yvette and Marcus (Essence Atkins and Jason Weaver).
The series followed TJ as he adjusted to life with the older, but not necessarily wiser, high school student body. Episodes of the show typically focused around TJ’s attempts to try and fit in with the older crowd as well as his sassy quips that made up much of the show’s comedy.
And who can forget the episode that included a Destiny’s Child cameo?
‘Smart Guy’ 2.0 will follow TJ in his adult life
Though Smart Guy was canceled after three seasons, reruns of the show were played on Disney Channel through much of the early 2000s. Since then, it has aired on multiple television stations, such as BET, The N, and MTV2.
Today, the sitcom is available to stream on Disney+, and just like many other nostalgic ’90s and ’00s comedies, it will soon get its own modern-day reboot.
In a recent interview with Vice, Mowry revealed that a Smart Guy revival is currently in the works — which he hopes will ultimately find a home on Disney+ alongside the original.
Though he didn’t go into detail about his plans for the reboot, the 33-year-old actor did share how he’s looking to tell TJ Henderson’s story now that the character is an adult.
“We’ve gotten the ball rolling on a Smart Guy revival. It’s sort of going to be a sequel, a continuation,” he told Vice. “You’ll be brought into where TJ is and what he’s up to now. I came up with a really fresh take that will be different enough so even if you didn’t watch the original you’ll still be able to enjoy it.”
As for whether or not the rest of the cast will return for the reboot, that remains unclear, but the Baby Daddy star did say that he would be “silly to not at least give nods to the fam.”
But despite Mowry not sharing whether the OG cast will make their comeback in the reboot or not, there’s a good chance John Marshall Jones, who played TJ’s dad in the show, will likely reprise his role.
Back in March, the actor sat down L.A. Times, where he confirmed that talks surrounding a Smart Guy reboot were official underway. Though Jones didn’t reveal whether he would be part of the revival, it definitely sounds like he’ll be involved in the show one way or another.
“There is very much a chance of a Smart Guy reboot,” the actor said. “We’ve optioned a script and we’re in the process of putting together the elements.”
At this early stage, it’s too soon to really tell what exactly the Smart Guy reboot has in store for fans. But according to Mowry, the revival will have a nice balance of adult and family-friendly content, which he doesn’t think will be an issue if the show gets picked up by Disney+.
“Smart Guy will still have the family quality, but it will be more in the realm of a Community or Grown-ish type show,” he said. “It won’t be too edgy.”
