Synopsis
After his son John dies, retired widower Gus Witherspoon (played by Wilford Brimley) invites his daughter-in-law Jessica 'Jessie' Witherspoon (played by Deidre Hall) and her three children to move to California to live with him until they can get back on their feet financially.
Despite protests from her children, Jessie, along with 15-year-old daughter Kris (played by Shannen Doherty), 12-year-old son David (played by Chad Allen), eight-year-old daughter Molly (played by Keri Houlihan), and their basset hound named Arthur leave Fort Wayne, Indiana to start their new lives in California. As they settle in to life with Gus, they realize that he can be a difficult man to live with. Predictably, a major part of the plot each week was centered on the conflict that can arise when extended family tries to live together in the same house. As the man of the house, Gus imposed rules on the three grandchildren the same way he raised his own children, but later learned ways to convey his lessons to the kids without having to be gruff. Jessie and the kids learn that beneath Gus' stern facade is a man who is wise about the ways of the world and cares about them very much.
In a feature reminiscent of The Wild Wild West, each act of an episode ended with a freeze frame moment, which would then occupy one of the rooms in the "house" on the screen just before the commercial break. As the episode unfolded, more rooms would be filled until finally, when the dilemma had been resolved, the final piece would be put in place, completing the house.
John Witherspoon (played by Patrick Duffy) was seen in one episode, and in the occasional flashback.
Read more about this topic: Our House (1986 TV series)