Roseanne: We Gather Together

Roseanne: We Gather Together
ABC
November 21, 1989
Sitcom
DVD
B

Danny Jacobson wrote this Thanksgiving episode, which juggles a lot of guest stars:

• Ned Beatty as Ed Conner gets more to do than most of the guest stars, from flirting with Crystal to arguing with Dan.
• Stephen Dorff makes his last appearance as Jimmy Meltrigger; they didn't really do much with his character, even less than they did with Chip.
• Luke Edwards makes his last appearance as Lonnie Anderson, with less to do than that; I can't remember if there's a Lonnie #3.
• J.J. Johnston, who's Jay Bryant here, had played a nameless man on The Bob Newhart Show and a Helicopter Pilot on M*A*S*H.
• Estelle Parsons as Roseanne's mother Beverly fights more with Jackie this time, especially about Jackie becoming a cop.
• John Randolph makes his last appearance as Roseanne's dad Al, the character soon killed off (I forget what season).
• Ann Wedgeworth, still looking good years after Three's Company, makes her only appearance as Dan's divorced mother Audrey, much later replaced by Debbie Reynolds!

I would've gone with a B-, but the various threads do come together in the end, and Goodman particularly impressed me, not just with Beatty, but with Barr.  (His "I've got a crush on you" shows why this character is so lovable.)  Also, replaying the Jackie & Beverly argument with just Dan's face during the closing credits is inspired, a fresh perspective on the scene.

Roseanne: Dear Mom and Dad

Roseanne: Dear Mom and Dad
ABC
April 18, 1989
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Roseanne's parents, Beverly (Estelle Parsons, in the first of fifty-nine appearances in the role) and Al (John Randolph in his first of only two, and, yes, he was also Emily Hartley's father), pay a surprise visit and drive everyone crazy, in another very funny and insightful episode, this one penned by Danny Jacobson.  The later presentation of the parents would have darker tones, but it's understandable that we don't get into it in the first season.  Also, Beverly's line about worrying that 32-year-old Jackie will turn out to be like Aunt Dale the gym teacher would end up being ironic on several counts.  The episode contains a surprise (and unnecessary) cameo by Bruce Willis at the end.

Who's the Boss?: Charmed Lives

Who's the Boss?: Charmed Lives
ABC
May 13, 1986
Sitcom
DVD
C-

Angela flies out to San Francisco to meet with the client Frank Vionelli (John Randolph, no more Italian than he was as Emily Hartley's father).  Although she has some influence in the course of the show, it's primarily about the conflict between photographer Lauren Sullivan (Donna Dixon doing an unidentifiable accent) and model Joyce Columbus (Fran Drescher being very Fran Drescher).  Dixon and Drescher were good friends in real life (having met on the set of Dr. Detroit) and I can kind of see how this might've worked as a series, but only with much better writing.  According to IMDB, Charmed Lives ran for three episodes in the Fall, although I doubt it's been seen since, other than this back-door pilot.  One of the three writers here was Peter Marc Jacobson, Drescher's then husband, and having read Drescher's autobiography, I can see how they incorporated things like her learning to somewhat lose her accent and definitely losing her adolescent fat.  The Dixon character is more poorly served; accent aside, there just doesn't seem to be a clear view of who Lauren is, in the way that Sonny on Bosom Buddies had a personality and back story.

This hardly counts as a WtB episode, beyond in name only.  Mona and Tony are only in the first scene, the kids not at all.  It would've made more sense to end the season with "The Anniversary Show," not only because it's so much stronger as entertainment, but because the events here are even more peripheral to the main characters than the "shoe" story.  But this is a mistake that WtB would repeat again, sometimes, as in the first season, ending with the right episode, and other times trickling off like this, with more attempted spin-offs yet to come.

Who's the Boss? in its second season ranges from C- to A-.  The writing, especially in that middle third, isn't as sharp, focused, and witty as the first season, but overall the second season averages out to a high B-, still perfectly fine.  The cast is definitely settling in and the show at its best focuses on the main five, sometimes with outsiders who mesh  well and sometimes with just the blended family.  There are some missteps with Sam's character but overall the characterization and interactions remain solid.  The third season would bring changes for everyone, particularly Angela....

M*A*S*H: Too Many Cooks

M*A*S*H: Too Many Cooks
CBS
September 17, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Well, I guess I will count this as the beginning of Phase Four, since, although Radar won't officially leave for another few weeks, things are getting set up for his departure, including Klinger taking on some of his office duties.  The title has to do with the gang's maneuvers to keep Private Paul Conway (Ed Begley, Jr., who turned 30 the day before this aired) around as cook.  Meanwhile, Potter gets an angry letter from Mildred, but Margaret helps explain what it's like for a woman to not see her man for a long time.

John Randolph, who I know best as Emily Hartley's father, plays Gen. Budd Haggerty.  Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky) and Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) return.  This is the first of seventeen M*A*S*H episodes written by Dennis Koenig, who did one for Three's Company.

The Bob Newhart Show: Jerry's Retirement

The Bob Newhart Show: Jerry's Retirement
CBS
November 27, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Hugh Wilson story, Emily's now 66-year-old and retired father (John Randolph in his last BNS appearance) visits at the same time that 38-year-old Jerry unexpectedly comes into a lot of money and also decides to retire.  There are some funny moments here, like Jerry's premature senility, but I feel like the episode doesn't either resolve itself or set up a cliff-hanger.  (If I recall correctly, Jerry's windfall would be a continuing story, at least for awhile.)

The Bob Newhart Show: An American Family

The Bob Newhart Show: An American Family
CBS
November 23, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B

This Charlotte Brown story is somewhat similar to the That Girl episode where Donald and Ann celebrate Thanksgiving with both sets of parents, although with obvious differences, since Bob and Emily are married and have invited over their single friends as well.  As on TG, the main conflict is between the leading man's fussy mother and the leading lady's overbearing father, with the other parents more easy-going.  John Randolph and Ann Rutherford return as the Harrisons, while Martha Scott's Martha Hartley is joined by Barnard Hughes as Herb.  Note that the senior Hartleys have been married for 45 years, and Aggie Harrison is 56.  Bonerz directs again.  The episode's title is taken from the '73 documentary about the far more dysfunctional Loud family.

The Bob Newhart Show: My Wife Belongs to Daddy

The Bob Newhart Show: My Wife Belongs to Daddy
CBS
December 8, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Emily's parents Junior (John Randolph) and Aggie (Ann Rutherford) Harrison visit from Seattle.  Jerry Mayer's script is funny and human, from the reactions to Bob's robe to his rivalry with his father-in-law.

Dick Wilson plays Milt.  Byron Morrow did a couple That Girl episodes and is Devereaux here.