The Van Dyke Show is an American sitcom starring Dick Van Dyke and his son Barry Van Dyke which aired on CBS from October 26 to December 7, 1988. The series marked the second time the real-life father-son actors worked together, after Dick guest-starred in a 4th season episode of Airwolf with Barry as the leading man.[1][2]
| The Van Dyke Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Donald Todd |
| Written by | Sam Bobrick Ron Clark Neil Rosen George Tricker |
| Directed by | Zane Buzby Jay Sandrich |
| Starring | Dick Van Dyke Barry Van Dyke Kari Lizer Maura Tierney Billy O'Sullivan Paul Scherrer Whitman Mayo |
| Composer | Stewart Levin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (4 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Sam Bobrick Ron Clark |
| Producers | Walter Barnett Jim Geoghan |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | GTG Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | October 26 – December 7, 1988 |
Synopsis
editThe series centers on Matt Burgess (Barry Van Dyke), who runs a small regional theater in Pennsylvania, and his father Dick Burgess (Dick Van Dyke), a Broadway musical star. Dick decided to give up Broadway to live and work with his son at the theater. The theater's staff included Doc, the stage manager; Jillian, Matt's secretary; and Eric, Matt's helper.
Cast
edit- Dick Van Dyke as Dick Burgess
- Barry Van Dyke as Matt Burgess
- Kari Lizer as Chris Burgess
- Maura Tierney as Jillian Ryan
- Billy O'Sullivan as Noah Burgess
- Paul Scherrer as Eric Olander
- Whitman Mayo as Doc Sterling
Guest stars
editReception and cancellation
editThe series was generally panned by critics and failed to generate sufficient ratings. CBS announced the series' cancellation on December 14, 1988, one week after the sixth episode aired.[4] The remaining four episodes of the ten produced were never aired.
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Opening Night" | Unknown | Unknown | October 26, 1988 | 11.7[5] |
| 2 | "Dick Stops Smoking" | Unknown | Unknown | November 2, 1988 | 10.4[6] |
| 3 | "My Favorite Person" | Jay Sandrich | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | November 9, 1988 | 9.5[7] |
| 4 | "Death Can Be Catching" | Unknown | Unknown | November 16, 1988 | 10.5[8] |
| 5 | "Fatal Condo" | Frank Bonner | Stephen Langford | November 30, 1988 | 8.4[9] |
| 6 | "The Benefit" | Unknown | Unknown | December 7, 1988 | 6.4[10] |
| 7 | "The Revival" | TBD | TBD | Unaired | N/A |
| 8 | "A Dark and Stormy Night: Part 1" | TBD | TBD | Unaired | N/A |
| 9 | "A Dark and Stormy Night: Part 2" | TBD | TBD | Unaired | N/A |
| 10 | "Dick Burgess: Between the Sheets" | TBD | TBD | Unaired | N/A |
References
edit- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1464. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ^ Baker, Kathryn (October 26, 1988). "Van Dyke, Moore Series Debut Tonight". The Albany Herald. p. 7D. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Lentz, Harris (November 6, 2020). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2019. McFarland. p. 316. ISBN 9781476679785 – via Google Books.
- ^ McKerrow, Steve (December 14, 1988). "New season shows beginning to feel blow of cancellation". Boca Raton News. p. 8B. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". Life. USA Today. November 2, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306129406. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". Life. USA Today. November 9, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306136856. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". Life. USA Today. November 16, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306140699. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". Life. USA Today. November 23, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306124674. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". Life. USA Today. December 7, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306146398. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". Life. USA Today. December 14, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306143538. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via ProQuest.