Raising Harris

Raising Harris is an American television drama series created by Crystal Mayer which debuted on September 23, 2021 on TV Generation.

It is the second spin-off of Our Lives (after Denver Bound).

Set in Oakridge, in the 1990s, the series follows Darnell Harris and Juanita Morales (the parents of Bradley Harris) through their journey as a young married couple and soon-to-be teenage parents after Juanita becomes pregnant.

The series was originally green-lit in April of 2020, but it was postponed and delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February of 2022, Raising Harris was renewed for a second season.

Premise
Set in Oakridge, Illinois in the 1990s (between 1993 and 1994), the series follows 18-year-old Juanita Morales and her boyfriend, Darnell Harris after they graduate from high school.

Juanita has plans to attend beauty school to become a hairdresser while Darnell prepares to attend school at Newton Technical College to get his degree in automotive technology and works part-time as a mechanic at Winston Automotive; however, their lives take a surprising turn when Juanita unexpectedly becomes pregnant.

When Juanita's mother, Isabel expresses her disapproval about Juanita's pregnancy and her decision to forgo her plans for college, Juanita decides to move out and live with Darnell and his parents, Janice and Evan.

Meanwhile, Darnell decides to do the honorable thing and marry Juanita which raises some doubt and concern with their loved ones who think that they're too young to get married and start a family.

With her plans on hold, Juanita decides to take a job working at the Blue Sky Beauty Supply store owned by Kathy Rae Carson (who also owns a beauty salon) where she meets Kathy Rae's daughter, Andrea, who works at the beauty salon.

The first season followed Juanita and Darnell as they try to make their marriage work and prepare for the upcoming birth of their child. The second season shows the birth of their son, Bradley and follows them juggling their lives as new parents.

Main

 * Tatiana Gutiérrez as Juanita Harris, a high school graduate whose plans of becoming a hairdresser are put on hold when she becomes pregnant by her boyfriend, Darnell. In the first season, she and Darnell get married in a courthouse wedding when she is 5 months into her pregnancy. In the second season premiere, she gives birth to their son, Bradley. (Season 1-current)


 * Jaylen Tatum as Darnell Harris, Juanita's boyfriend who works as a part-time mechanic whose life changes when Juanita becomes pregnant. In the first season, he and Juanita get married in a courthouse wedding when she is 5 months pregnant. In the second season premiere, their son, Bradley is born. (Season 1-current)


 * Mariah Kelby as Janice Harris, Darnell's mother who works as a customer service representative at Pressman department store in Oakridge, Illinois. (Season 1-current)


 * Terrence Sullivan as Evan Harris, Darnell's father, who works as an auto insurance sales agent in Mount Larkin, Illinois. In the second season, it is revealed that he has advanced lung cancer. (Season 1-current)


 * Paula Montoya as Isabel Morales, Juanita's mother who works as a librarian at the Oakridge Public Library in Oakridge, Illinois. (Season 1-current)


 * Frank Valente as Carlos Morales, Juanita's father who works as a financial clerk at Oakridge Memorial Hospital in Oakridge, Illinois. (Season 1-current)


 * Carmen Ferreiro as Yesenia Morales, Juanita's older sister. She attends Mount Larkin University where she is working on getting her Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling after graduating from with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. (Season 1-current)


 * Alex Delgado as Ruben Morales, Juanita's older brother. He attends college at on an athletic scholarship in track. (Season 1-current)


 * Olivia Connelly as Kathy Rae Carson, the mother of Andrea Watkins. She is the owner of the Blue Sky Hair Salon and the Blue Sky Beauty Supply store where she gives Juanita a job. (Season 1-current)


 * Nicole Scott Henry as Andrea Watkins, Kathy Rae's daughter. She works as a hairdresser and at the beauty supply store part-time. She and her husband, Jason have an infant son named Connor. In the second season premiere, it is revealed that she gave birth to her daughter, Karina a week before Juanita gave birth to Bradley.


 * Kellie Irwin as Jenn Travis, Andrea's co-worker and best friend. She and her husband, Victor have an infant son named Owen and is also expecting her second child as well.


 * Christian Simms as Jesse Pearson, Darnell's former manager at Winston Automotive. In the second season, it is revealed that he got a new job working at a used car dealership in . (Season 1)


 * Michael Bernard as Shawn Owens, Darnell's friend and co-worker at Winston Automotive. In the first season, he is shown helping his mother, Maggie with his father, Colin who has (also known as ALS). When Colin's condition becomes too much for Maggie to handle, she makes the decision to place him in an assisted living facility. He also has a 15-year-old sister, Courtney and a 13-year-old brother, Tyler. (Season 1-current)


 * Graciela Garrido as Teresa Gonzales, Juanita's best friend who turned down an offer to attend college in Texas to attend community college in Oakridge in order to help care of her mother, Margarita who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. In the 2nd season, it is revealed that Margarita is in remission. (Season 1-current)


 * Brooklyn McCarthy as Natalie Curtis, Darnell and Juanita's friend who attends Newton Technical College to study computer programming and works part time as a cashier at Winston Automotive. It is revealed that she lives with her aunt, Casey Curtis because her father is in the and her mother abandoned her when she was 6 years old. (Season 1-current)


 * Landry Richter as Bryan Campbell, Darnell and Juanita's friend who works as a cashier at a pizza place called Chester's where they frequently hang out with their friends. (Season 1-current)


 * Angelique T. Worth as Dr. Valerie Pratt, Juanita's obstetrician\gynecologist who helps her throughout her pregnancy. (Season 1-current)


 * Anthony Knoll as Gianmarco Bowers, the new manager of Winston Automotive after Jesse moves to Skokie. He is married to Annabelle, who works as the assistant manager. (Season 2-current)


 * Nikki Conway as Annabelle Bowers, Gianmarco's wife and the assistant manager of Winston Automotive. (Season 2-current)

Recurring Cast

 * Peter Ryland as Jason Watkins, Andrea's husband, who works in insurance with Jenn's husband, Victor. He has two children: son Connor and daughter Karina. (Season 1-current)


 * Clark Michael Worth as Nick Carson, Kathy Rae's husband and Andrea's father. (Season 1-current)


 * Carly McQueen as Caroline Carson, Andrea's younger sister, who has an interest in photography. (Season 1-current)


 * Delilah Ordonez as Margarita Gonzales, Teresa's mother. In the first season, she is diagnosed with lymphoma and spends her time in and out of the hospital for treatment. In the second season, it is revealed that Margarita is in remission. (Season 1-current)


 * Brian Esparza as Rick Gonzales, Teresa's father. He works as a 4th grade teacher in Mount Larkin, Illinois and takes a second job as a food delivery driver to help pay for Margarita's medical bills. (Season 1-current)


 * Patricia Whitman as Maggie Owens, Shawn's mother. She works as a receptionist at a pediatrician's office and was the main caregiver for her husband, Shawn, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS). When Shawn's condition becomes too much for her to handle, she makes the decision to have him placed in an assisted living facility. (Season 1-current)


 * Tony Moore as Colin Owens, Shawn's father. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS) three years ago and is confined to a wheelchair. In the first season, his wife, Maggie is shown to be his main caregiver, but when his condition becomes too much for Maggie to handle, she makes the decision to have him placed in an assisted living facility. (Season 1-current)


 * Abbey Loeffler as Courtney Owens, Shawn's 15-year-old sister. Although she loves her father, Courtney is shown to be resentful of all the attention that Maggie gives to him. In the first season, it is shown that she indulges in marijuana with her friends and towards the end of the season, she begins stealing prescription from Maggie. (Season 1-current)


 * Trey Burchette as Tyler Owens, Shawn's 13-year-old brother. He appears to be a well-behaved teenager who enjoys baseball and video games, but he worries about Colin's condition and is upset when Maggie places Colin into an assisted living facility. (Season 1-current)


 * Marti Broomfield as Casey Curtis, Brooklyn's aunt. It is revealed that Brooklyn lives with her because her father is in the U.S. Navy and her mother abandoned her when she was 6 years old. (Season 1-current)


 * Stefan Melnick as Victor Travis, Jenn's husband, who works in insurance with Andrea's husband, Jason. He and Jenn have a son named Owen and are expecting their second son. (Season 2-current; guest-starring role: season 1)