We Got It Made is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 8, 1983, to March 10, 1984, and in first-run syndication from September 11, 1987, to March 30, 1988. It starred Teri Copley as a woman who works as a maid for two bachelors in New York City, played by Tom Villard and Matt McCoy, who was replaced by John Hillner for the syndicated version. The series was created by Gordon Farr and Lynne Farr Brao (credited as simply Lynne Farr during the 1987–88 season). The executive producer was Fred Silverman.
| We Got It Made | |
|---|---|
 We Got it Made season-two opening title | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by | |
| Starring |
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| Opening theme | "We Got It Made" |
| Composer | Tom Wells |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 46 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Fred Silverman |
| Producers |
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| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 8, 1983 – March 10, 1984 |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 11, 1987 – March 30, 1988 |
Synopsis
edit1983 NBC version
editThe show focuses on Mickey Mackenzie (Teri Copley), a girl in her early 20s who applies for a housekeeping job in Manhattan. Her employers are two bachelors who share the two-bedroom apartment—conservative attorney David Tucker (Matt McCoy) and goofy, idealistic salesman Jay Bostwick (Tom Villard). Mickey is the first — and only — applicant for the job; in fact, both David and Jay are so taken by her beauty, they immediately hire her.
Both David and Jay had girlfriends—David's was attorney Claudia Jones (Stepfanie Kramer, who left after episode #19 and found far greater fame on the NBC crime drama Hunter - Copley and Villard would also later appear as guest stars), while Jay dated kindergarten teacher Beth Sorensen (Bonnie Urseth). Both Claudia and Beth were skeptical about their boyfriends having such an attractive maid living with them, but they eventually grew to accept Mickey as a friend.
When it first premiered, We Got It Made looked to be successful, winning its time slot early in the run.[1] Before long, though, negative reviews from both critics and the general viewing public eroded its viewership.[citation needed] NBC moved the series from its original Thursday night berth to Saturdays in January 1984. The change in its night and time did little in keeping the series on the air; in March 1984, We Got It Made was cancelled.
1987 syndicated version
editAfter being cancelled in 1984, We Got It Made was revived three years later, for first-run syndication, for the 1987–1988 season as part of NBC's "Prime Time Begins at 7:30" campaign. With this campaign, the network's owned-and-operated stations ran first-run sitcoms in the 7:30–8:00 pm ET/PT (6:30–7:00 pm CT) time slot to counterprogram competing stations' game shows, sitcom reruns, and other offerings. The series was picked up by some non-NBC stations as well, but was not available in all large or medium markets for syndication.
Teri Copley and Tom Villard were the only returning cast members. The characters of Jay and Beth were no longer a couple, as Bonnie Urseth had decided not to participate this time. The character of David was now played by John Hillner. Mickey, Jay, and David had new neighbors as well —policeman Max Papavasiolios Sr. (Ron Karabatsos) and his son, Max Jr. (Lance Wilson-White).[2] Mickey seemed to allow greater physical attention — and affection - from the now-single Jay and David, but at the same time, she doted on them as if they were her young sons. She also had a special relationship with teenaged Max, who frequently came to her for advice in attracting and dealing with women, although he would have preferred putting that advice to use on Mickey alone.
As they had with the NBC run, critics lambasted the series, and We Got It Made lasted only one season in syndication.[1] The series' final original episode was released on March 30, 1988, with reruns airing until the week of September 3, 1988, in most markets.
Cast
edit
- Teri Copley as Mickey Mackenzie
- Tom Villard as Jay Bostwick
- Matt McCoy as David Tucker (1983–1984)
- Bonnie Urseth as Beth Sorensen (1983–1984)
- Stepfanie Kramer as Claudia Jones (1983–1984)
- John Hillner as David Tucker (1987–1988)
- Ron Karabatsos as Max Papavasilios Sr. (1987–1988)
- Lance Wilson-White as Max Papavasilios Jr. (1987–1988)
Notable guest stars included Elaine Joyce (as Mickey's mother), Edie McClurg, Julie Brown, Scatman Crothers, Alice Ghostley, Richard Paul, Billie Bird, Joel Brooks, Jack Bannon, Peggy Pope, and Jean Kasem.
NBC ratings
edit| Season | Episodes | Start Date | End Date | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating[3] | Tied With |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–84 | 22 | September 8, 1983 | March 10, 1984 | 73 | 12.8 | Ripley's Believe It Or Not |
Syndicated stations (1987-88)
editEpisode list
editSeason 1: 1983–84
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Alan Rafkin | Gordon Farr & Lynne Farr Brao | September 8, 1983 | 3120 |
| 2 | 2 | "Mickey Sleepwalks" | Alan Rafkin | Chick Mitchell & Geoffrey Neigher | September 15, 1983 | 3126 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Boyfriend" | Alan Rafkin | Gordon Farr & Lynne Farr Brao | September 22, 1983 | 3127 |
| 4 | 4 | "Mickey Goes Topless" | Alan Rafkin | Laura Levine | September 29, 1983 | 3129 |
| 5 | 5 | "David's Birthday" | Alan Rafkin | Jeffrey Ferro & Fredric Weiss | October 13, 1983 | 3124 |
| 6 | 6 | "Mickey the Shoplifter" | Alan Rafkin | Gordon Farr & Lynne Farr Brao | October 20, 1983 | 3122 |
| 7 | 7 | "Mickey's Mom" | Alan Rafkin | Laura Levine | October 27, 1983 | 3128 |
| 8 | 8 | "Mickey Gets Married: Part 1" | Alan Rafkin | Story by : Lynne Farr Brao Teleplay by : Gordon Farr | November 3, 1983 | 3129 |
| 9 | 9 | "Mickey Gets Married: Part 2" | Alan Rafkin | Chick Mitchell & Geoffrey Neigher | November 10, 1983 | 3130 |
| 10 | 10 | "The Super" | Unknown | Unknown | November 17, 1983 | 3131 |
| 11 | 11 | "Am I Blue?" | Alan Rafkin | Arnold Kane | November 24, 1983 | 3121 |
| 12 | 12 | "Mickey's T-shirt" | Alan Rafkin | Arnold Kane | December 1, 1983 | 3132 |
| 13 | 13 | "Sexiest Bachelor" | Alan Rafkin | David Chambers | December 8, 1983 | 3123 |
| 14 | 14 | "Mickey's Misconception" | Alan Rafkin | Sandy Krinski & Chet Dowling | January 7, 1984 | 3134 |
| 15 | 15 | "Mickey's Poster" | Alan Rafkin | Susan H. Lee | January 14, 1984 | 3135 |
| 16 | 16 | "The Other Tucker" | Alan Rafkin | Kim Weiskopf & Michael S. Baser | January 21, 1984 | 3136 |
| 17 | 17 | "The Break-up: Part 1" | Jim Drake | Bob Brunner & Ken Hecht | February 4, 1984 | 3137 |
| 18 | 18 | "The Break-up: Part 2" | Jim Drake | Gordon Farr, Chick Mitchell & Geoffrey Neigher | February 11, 1984 | 3138 |
| 19 | 19 | "Miss Mom" | Jim Drake | Bowie Lennon | February 18, 1984 | 3141 |
| 20 | 20 | "The Fight" | Jim Drake | Story by : C.M. Leon & Margaret Weisman Teleplay by : Bowie Lennon | February 25, 1984 | 3133 |
| 21 | 21 | "A Paige in David's Life" | Jim Drake | Gordon Farr | March 3, 1984 | 3140 |
| 22 | 22 | "Mickey Makes the Grade" | Jim Drake | Chick Mitchell & Geoffrey Neigher | March 10, 1984 | 3139 |
Season 2: 1987–88
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "Instant Family" | Unknown | Unknown | September 11, 1987 | 201 |
| 24 | 2 | "The Three Faces of Mickey" | Unknown | Unknown | September 18, 1987 | 203 |
| 25 | 3 | "And David Makes Three" | Unknown | Unknown | September 25, 1987 | 207 |
| 26 | 4 | "Mickey Meet Mr. Right?" | Unknown | Unknown | October 2, 1987 | 202 |
| 27 | 5 | "Hello, Dolly" | Unknown | Unknown | October 16, 1987 | 204 |
| 28 | 6 | "Prisoner of Love" | Unknown | Unknown | October 30, 1987 | 210 |
| 29 | 7 | "On the Ropes" | Dennis Steinmetz | Ken Kuta | November 6, 1987 | 212 |
| 30 | 8 | "The Naked Truth" | Unknown | Unknown | November 13, 1987 | 215 |
| 31 | 9 | "Man Around the House" | Unknown | Unknown | December 4, 1987 | 208 |
| 32 | 10 | "Upstairs, Downstairs" "Christmas Clip Show" | Unknown | Unknown | December 11, 1987 | 224 |
| 33 | 11 | "A Dog's Life" | Unknown | Unknown | December 25, 1987 | 218 |
| 34 | 12 | "Save the Last Dance for Me" | Unknown | Unknown | January 8, 1988 | 219 |
| 35 | 13 | "Mickey Times Two" | Unknown | Unknown | January 15, 1988 | 220 |
| 36 | 14 | "Fatal Distraction" | Unknown | Unknown | January 20, 1988 | 222 |
| 37 | 15 | "Jay's on the Roof" | Unknown | Unknown | January 27, 1988 | 221 |
| 38 | 16 | "Centerfold Mickey" | Unknown | Unknown | February 3, 1988 | 223 |
| 39 | 17 | "Confidence Man" | Unknown | Unknown | February 10, 1988 | 217 |
| 40 | 18 | "Not for Love or Money" | Unknown | Unknown | February 17, 1988 | 216 |
| 41 | 19 | "La Vie en Jay: Part 1" | Unknown | Unknown | February 24, 1988 | 213 |
| 42 | 20 | "La Vie en Jay: Part 2" | Unknown | Unknown | March 2, 1988 | 214 |
| 43 | 21 | "Four Loves Have I" | Unknown | Unknown | March 9, 1988 | 211 |
| 44 | 22 | "Crime Busters" | Unknown | Unknown | March 16, 1988 | 205 |
| 45 | 23 | "Temporary Mickey" | Unknown | Unknown | March 23, 1988 | -- |
| 46 | 24 | "Video Mickey" | Unknown | Unknown | March 30, 1988 | -- |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Hofstede, David (2004). What Were They Thinking: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History. Back Stage Books. p. 89. ISBN 0-8230-8441-8.
- ^ "Television Obscurities – The Syndicated Season: 1987–1988". tvobscurities.com. 2005-02-15.
- ^ "1983-84 Ratings History -- The Networks Are Awash in a Bubble Bath of Soaps".
- ^ "Retro: Columbus/Zanesville Sat, June 18, 1988". Radio Discussions. June 24, 2010.
- ^ "The Boob Tube #55: TV Shows for Sale". Retrospace. March 30, 2016.
- ^ "NEW YORK TV- Late Winter 1988". Radio Discussions. October 3, 2005.
- ^ "Retro: New York City, Wednesday, March 2, 1988". Radio Discussions. July 28, 2017.
- ^ KABB-TV 29 Show Promos and ID 1987 on YouTube
- ^ "90 Nutty Minutes!". THE VINTAGE TOLEDO TV SITE.
