Ellen: The Mugging

Ellen: The Mugging
ABC
May 21, 1996
Sitcom
DVD
B

This episode written by David S. Rosenthal was filmed during Season One, but aired two years later, which is why it briefly includes Holly and Anita.  The focus is mostly on Ellen and Adam's friendship, and what happens when he witnesses his new "girlfriend" (a woman he technically dates for about four days) being mugged and is too cowardly to come forward, and then he makes Ellen pretend to be the witness.  There are some interesting character moments here, and while Adam's behavior is regrettable, he does indeed suffer for it.  I can't imagine this plot with Spence, since, while he could be as dishonest with women as Adam, he would never be as passive about witnessing a crime as Adam and would likely run down and catch the mugger, as he did with the thief in the first Matt episode.  (This somewhat resembles that episode, in that we see a police line-up.)

Dave Florek, who was Chris on Who's the Boss?, here plays an Officer.  And Greg Germann is again Ellen's weird neighbor Rick.

Counting the two Season-One-made episodes, Ellen in Season Three ranges from C to B+, averaging out to a B-, with twelve of the twenty-seven episodes receiving a B-.  The substitution of Spence for Adam (yes, they overlap, but not much) harms the show but not irrevocably.  Season Four would see more changes, but these would have less to do with the cast than with the behind-the-scenes struggle over whether, when, and how Ellen Morgan would come out.

Ellen: The Tape

Ellen: The Tape
ABC
May 14, 1996
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Confusingly, this is one of two Season One (These Friends of Mine era) episodes that popped up towards the end of Season Three, long after Anita (Maggie Wheeler) and Holly (Holly Fulger) left the series.  Anita's parents (TV vet Elinor Donahue and Who's the Boss's Earl Boen) are in town and through a somewhat predictable series of events, written by series creator David S. Rosenthal, Anita and her friends try to prevent her sex tape from falling into her parents' hands.  Meanwhile, Ellen is uncomfortable with the idea that her boyfriend may've talked to her on the phone while on the toilet.  (In a time when people didn't take cell phones, or landlines, everywhere.)  The episode contains four spit-takes, although most of these involve more than one person.  And, yes, it's weird to see Adam again, especially goateed.  (I watched the episode along with its TFoM cohorts and then again today.)  I can't see the main plot happening with Paige because she's presented as sluttier than any of Ellen's other friends, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if she made a sex tape.

These Friends of Mine: The Boyfriend Stealer

These Friends of Mine: The Boyfriend Stealer
ABC
August 30, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B

In Bell & Rosenthal's funny story, Holly's boyfriend of three weeks, Steve (Tommy Hinkley, who was Kyle Fletcher on Who's the Boss? but who to me will always be Frankie and Annette's potential son-in-law in Back to the Beach), is a warm, affectionate guy, but Ellen thinks he's hitting on her.  Adam encourages her to get proof and of course there are misunderstandings of all sorts.

Meanwhile, Ellen's boss, Susan (Cristine Rose again) hires Joe, this episode having been filmed before the episodes where his character already appeared.  He and Ellen argue a lot but he does let her do open-mic poetry in the tag.  Fight Fan #2, Don Yesso, would return as a Robber.

These Friends of Mine in its short first season ranges from C+ to B, with half of those B-s, and it does average to a B-.  It shows some potential, although there were obviously some things to be worked out, particularly in terms of the cast, but also in terms of the writing.  I recall really enjoying the Season Two opener at the time, and we'll find out if that's still the case in less than a "month" (1994 time).

These Friends of Mine: The Soft Touch

These Friends of Mine: The Soft Touch
ABC
August 23, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B-

I'm not crazy about the main plot in this Richard Day story about "soft touch" Ellen's guilt causing her to hire a car salesman she indirectly got fired, but it is nice to see more of BuyTheBook.  Also there are some good visual gags with the bulk food her parents bring over.  (The laughter in the tag scene between Ellen and Holly, over Ellen opening a huge can of tuna, looks genuine.)

These Friends of Mine: The Refrigerator

These Friends of Mine: The Refrigerator
ABC
August 9, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B

TFoM came back for a bit for the summer, before becoming a regular series in the Fall.  The writing here, by Richard Day (his first of seven) and David S. Rosenthal, is comparatively sharp in this story of several refrigerators.  The characters (including Anita) are defined enough that we can see them play off of each other, including Holly's lack of assertiveness.  And the physical comedy works, especially when Ellen twice gets attacked by freezers.

Don Stark, who was twice an uncredited Student on Welcome Back, Kotter, and who's probably best known as Bob Pinciotti, here plays a Repairman.

These Friends of Mine: The Houseguest

These Friends of Mine: The Houseguest
ABC
May 24, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
C+

I feel like this Bell & Rosenthal story doesn't really work, although it has good moments, like Ellen and company coming back with new hairdos after attending the filming of a Tina Yothers hair-care infomercial.  Ellen wants to make her younger cousin's visit to L.A. fun, but everything goes wrong, including the cousin running off with tough-guy author Nestor Biggs (Dennis Burkley, who played Pee Wee on Who's the Boss?).

Christopher Darga, who was a House Buyer on Roseanne the previous year, is the Officer here.  John Bowab, who directed one episode of Soap, two of Bosom Buddies, and two of Who's the Boss?, stays true to form and directs his only episode of this series.

These Friends of Mine: The Go-Between

These Friends of Mine: The Go-Between
ABC
May 4, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Mark Wilding story, Ellen convinces Adam to take her boss, Susan (Cristine Rose again), to Susan's ex-husband's wedding.  (And, yes, Susan had a baby fairly recently, but obviously TFoM chronology is screwy.)  Ellen just wants to cheer Susan up, but things become awkward when Adam and Susan have sex, three times in one night.  Don't ask me how Ellen didn't overhear them; maybe she just got home really late.  Ellen's failure to launch the concept of "TGITWE" (Thank God It's The Week End) is what I remember most about this episode, although I will note it was a little surprising to hear a trans (female-to-male) joke about an unseen character.

These Friends of Mine: The Hand That Robs the Cradle

These Friends of Mine: The Hand That Robs the Cradle
ABC
April 27, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B

Mark Driscoll's first of ten scripts for the series makes an interesting contrast with the Bob Newhart Show episode called "The Modernization of Emily" (http://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-bob-newhart-show-modernization-of.html), from two decades earlier.  Like Emily, Ellen is in her early 30s (32 in her case, vague in Emily's) and starting to feel no longer young.  With Emily, it's meeting a grown-up former student, while here it's Ellen dating a man who turns out to be 24.  Both women choose "hip" clothing to rejuvenate, but on BNS we just see Emily come in in the outfit, while here we get to go with Ellen on her shopping excursion.  In both cases, I don't think the outfits are that bad, but I can see why the friends react negatively.  The writing on BNS was sharper of course, but there are some good moments here, and it's cool to see Ellen do one of the things she'd become best known for on her talk show: be a dancin' fool.  Also, the slang here, like "phat" and "stoopid," is now as delightfully dated as Emily's mid-'70s attempts.

Eve Brent, who was Ms. Clover on Who's the Boss?, at 64 plays the Lovely Old Woman.  Daniel Edward Mora, who previously was a generic Deliveryman, here is the Water Delivery Man.

These Friends of Mine: The Promotion

These Friends of Mine: The Promotion
ABC
April 20, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
C+

David S. Rosenthal wrote this convoluted story which starts promisingly with Ellen's mother, Lois (Alice Hirson in her first appearance) advising Ellen to buy a baby gift for her boss, Susan (Cristine Rose, also in her first appearance).  But somehow this leads to Ellen being blackmailed by the Mexican nanny, who goes out with Adam and then gets Ellen and friends to bring her sons across the border, but Ellen gets arrested for importing art for Holly and Anita.  And, yes, Ellen's mother asking about her love life is even more awkward in retrospect.

Rosie Taravella, who was in all three parts of the Who's the Boss? finale, here plays a Clerk.

These Friends of Mine: The Class Reunion

These Friends of Mine: The Class Reunion
ABC
April 13, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B-

While there are things I like about this episode, Mark Wilding's first of three, like the use of period (ca. 1979) music, and Ellen and Adam pretending to be a married couple and doing fake laughter, it does feel off to me.  For instance, while there's some humor to Ellen's classmate Holly being jealous of Anita (who didn't go to their high school) being the belle of the ball, I kept waiting for some kind of confrontation, or at least line, resolving it.  Also, the actor playing Ellen's old crush comes across as a little creepy, so resolving that thread by having Adam and Rick (Greg Germann again) ruin the romance doesn't seem right.  Note that the episode's use of the word "bi" (in a throwaway line about a character we'll never see again) is a relatively early one for television, and not the last for the series.

Michael Chieffo, who was the Two of Spades in the 1985 Alice in Wonderland TV-movie, plays Ellen's classmate who's a Bank VP.  Brenda Varda, who played Lizzie on Who's the Boss?, here is Ellen's lawyer classmate.

These Friends of Mine: A Kiss Is Still a Kiss

These Friends of Mine: A Kiss Is Still a Kiss
ABC
April 6, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Suzanne Martin's first of five Ellen stories has Ellen, Adam, and Holly answering personal ads, with mixed results.  This is as good a place as any to note how accelerated relationships feel on this show, with people (in their 30s) referring to "boyfriends and girlfriends" after a matter of weeks or even days.  I don't know if that's a '90s thing or a television thing.  Also, we learn that platonic roommates Ellen and Adam had one date and she claims to have forgotten they kissed.

Tracy Tweed, who plays Tara, was Girl #2 on Who's the Boss? a couple years earlier.  Daniel Edward Mora would again play a Deliveryman this season.  This is the first episode shown, but not taped, with David Higgins as snarky "brewmaster" Joe Farrell, and, yes, by this point in filming, Maggie Wheeler had left the series.  This is the first to air of the five TFoM episodes directed by Andrew S. Weyman, who had done most of the Season Four and Season Five episodes of Roseanne.

These Friends of Mine: The Anchor

These Friends of Mine: The Anchor
ABC
March 30, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B

Although this was the second TFoM episode to air, and the first in the regular slot on Wednesdays, it was actually the fifth shot, and indeed the TFoM/Ellen air-date order would be drastically different than the production order.  In any case, this episode, written by David S. Rosenthal, is interesting, and funny in its own right, as it introduces Ellen's annoying friend Audrey Penney, played perfectly by Clea Lewis.  Oddly enough, her character is originally overly negative, while later she would be unbelievably upbeat.  Ellen accidentally offends her through call-waiting, and there are some nice visual gags with split screens.  Meanwhile, Holly stuffs her bra to make a point and then wonders if her new boyfriend will accept her "breast reduction."  And, yes, the references to puppies would later become ironic.

This was the first episode where Ellen's weird neighbor Rick, played by Greg Germann, appeared.  Rob Schiller directed this and four other early episodes.

These Friends of Mine: Pilot

These Friends of Mine: Pilot
ABC
March 29, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This aired as These Friends of Mine but is retroactively (including on the DVD set) seen as the first episode of Ellen.  Besides the Danzaly named Ellen Morgan, these friends are the also not creatively named Holly Fulger as Holly Jamison, Arye Gross as Adam Green (subtle, matching initials), and Maggie Wheeler as bizarrely Anita Warwheel.  Yes, it's the What's Happening!! syndrome.

Anyway, the thirtysomething singletons hang out and deal with important issues like unflattering DMV photos and dates who bark like Arsenio.  It's hard to believe that three or four seasons later this would be a controversial series.  And ironically, Ellen would have trouble getting an onscreen lesbian kiss past the censors, but they seem to have had no more problem with Holly heterosexually sleeping around than with Jackie Harris doing so on Roseanne.

William Bumiller, who was Derrick on Mork & Mindy, plays Roger.  Matt Landers, who was the Courier on a Night Court episode I reviewed, is the Photographer here.  Creators Carol Black, Neal Marlens, and David S. Rosenthal wrote this episode, and Marlens directed.  (Marlens also wrote a couple Three's Company episodes.)  Judging by the copyright date, this was made in '93 before it ended up as a mid-season replacement, debuting right after Roseanne in the Coach spot, before moving over to Wednesdays.