Guys Next Door

With the New Kids on the Block at their platinum-plus peak, it was only a matter of time before TV would want to cash in on the phenomenon. In fact, that group had a Saturday morning cartoon series on ABC. The production arm of NBC teamed with Charles Koppelman's SBK Music to create a group concept similar to the network's '60s era partnership with music producer Don Kirschner on the Monkees. Enter the Guys Next Door (get it?), a quartet composed of actor/singers Patrick J. Dancy, Eddie Garcia, Chris Wolf, Damon Sharpe, and Bobby Leslie. The show was given a prime time preview before it premiered as a part of NBC's Saturday morning lineup in fall 1990. Some of the best behind-the-scenes talent (Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight, Monty Seward, Hubert Eaves III, Zack Harmon, and Christopher Troy) were recruited for their self-titled debut album. Some of it was quite good, particularly the lite, catchy new-jack track "I Was Made for You." Considering that the cattle call method of assembling pop vocal groups proved to be highly successful with a flood of mega-selling boy bands in the late '90s, it's ironic that the Guys Next Door's sole charting single "I've Been Waiting for You" just missed the pop Top 40 in early 1991. Dancy had a recurring role as Laura's boyfriend/Steve Urkel's rival on the '90s ABC sitcom Family Matters, and another on the Fox comedy Married With Children. Though the show lasted just one season, the Guys Next Door have faithful fans whose loyalty culminated in a 1999 cast reunion convention. ~ Ed Hogan, Rovi