Living Dolls#Cast
{{short description|1989 American television sitcom}}
{{about|the television series|the documentary|Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Living Dolls (Sony Pictures Television sitcom logo).svg
| caption =
| genre = Sitcom
| creator = Ross Brown
| starring = Michael Learned
Leah Remini
Deborah Tucker
Alison Elliott
Halle Berry
David Moscow
| theme_music_composer = John Beasley
John Vester
| opentheme = "Take Your Best Shot"
| composer = Jonathan Wolff
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 13
| executive_producer = Ross Brown
Martin Cohan
Phyllis Glick
Blake Hunter
| producer = R.J. Colleary
Martha Williamson
| runtime = 22–24 minutes
| company = ELP Communications
Columbia Pictures Television
| channel = ABC
| first_aired = {{Start date|1989|09|26}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1989|12|30}}
| related = Who's the Boss?
}}
Living Dolls is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 26 to December 30, 1989. It was a spin-off created by a writer from Who's the Boss? and featuring characters introduced during an episode of that show. The show was the acting debut of Halle Berry.[http://www.accesshollywood.com/halle-berrys-journey-from-miss-usa-runner-up-to-oscar-winner_article_49368 "Halle Berry's Journey From Miss USA Runner-Up To Oscar Winner"]. Access Hollywood. June 16, 2011. Both Who's the Boss? and Living Dolls were produced by ELP Communications through Columbia Pictures Television and ABC.
Synopsis
The show featured Charlie Briscoe (Leah Remini), a friend of Samantha Micelli (the Who's the Boss? character played by Alyssa Milano). Samantha is dabbling in a modeling career and Charlie, a friend from Samantha's old Brooklyn neighborhood, comes to visit. While doing some test shots for a dog food commercial, it is discovered that Charlie is very photogenic. Charlie is then befriended by the owner of a modeling agency for teenage girls, Trish Carlin (Michael Learned). Trish is also a friend of advertising executive Angela Bower, one of the main characters on Who's the Boss? Trish becomes a mother figure to Charlie and the other models.
Production and reception
Living Dolls began as a back-door pilot on Who's the Boss? that aired in March 1989. In the backdoor pilot, Vivica A. Fox portrayed Emily and Jonathan Ward portrayed Rick. Executives disliked the original cast, and held auditions for recasting when the pilot was picked up to series in May. Halle Berry replaced Fox in the series, while David Moscow was cast to replace Ward. The backdoor pilot was reaired in September as an episode of Living Dolls.[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/407196259/ Dayton Daily News, September 26, 1989]
In a later interview, Michael Learned recalled writers were inconsistent in writing her character, saying "I was told that she was supposed to be... kind of a tough cookie, and so that's what I understood was what they wanted in my character, when in truth what they wanted was Charlotte Rae in Facts of Life.{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2015 |title=Michael Learned discusses the Whos the Boss spinoff Living Dolls |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05O1z5uTot8 |access-date=July 19, 2023 |website=YouTube}} Learned also felt that producers were planning to replace her with Marion Ross, who guest starred in the final two episodes. During the filming of one episode, Berry collapsed on the set and went into a coma; she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes shortly thereafter.{{Cite web |date=December 18, 2005 |title=Halle Berry reveals coma drama |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30235619.html |access-date=July 19, 2023 |website=Irish Examiner}}
Upon its debut, the series was panned by critics and received mostly negative reviews.{{cite book|last=Ewey Johnson|first=Melissa |title=Halle Berry: A Biography|year=2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35834-0|page=21}} It was the only series to receive an "F" grade by People magazine in its 1989 fall preview issue.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120325071522/http://www.screenrush.co.uk/features/television/feature-18440035/?page=7 "Throwing a Curveball: Surprising Spin-Offs"]. Screenrush. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Learned later criticized producers for underutilizing Berry. ABC canceled the series after 12 episodes in December 1989.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FwggAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OGUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3827,995699&dq=abc+homeroom+canceled&hl=en|title='Homeroom', 'Living Dolls' canceled by ABC|date=1989-12-06|work=Sun Journal|page=29|accessdate=28 November 2012}}
Cast
- Michael Learned as Patricia "Trish" Carlin
- Leah Remini as Charlene "Charlie" Briscoe
- Deborah Tucker as Caroline Weldon
- Alison Elliott as Martha Lambert
- Halle Berry as Emily Franklin
- David Moscow as Eric "Rick" Carlin
=Guest=
- Alyssa Milano as Samantha Micelli
- Tony Danza as Tony Micelli
- Diedrich Bader as Eddie
- Gloria Loring as Liz Wyler
- Marion Ross as Marion Carlin
Episodes
{{Episode table |background= |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=1
| Title=Living Dolls
| DirectedBy= John Sgueglia
| WrittenBy= Ross Brown
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|9|26}}{{efn|Originally aired as an episode of Who's the Boss? on March 29, 1989.}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=2
| Title=It's All Done with Mirrors
| DirectedBy= John Sgueglia
| WrittenBy= Ross Brown
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|9|26}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=3
| Title=It's My Party
| DirectedBy= John Sgueglia
| WrittenBy= Eric Gilliland
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|9|30}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=4
| Title=Martha Means Well
| DirectedBy=Lee Bernhardi
| WrittenBy=R.J. Colleary
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|10|7}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=5
| Title=Seeing Is Believing
| DirectedBy=Lee Bernhardi
| WrittenBy=Matt Ember
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|10|21}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=6
| Title=Guess Who's Not Coming to Dinner
| DirectedBy=Andy Cadiff
| WrittenBy=R.J. Colleary
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|11|4}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=7
| Title=Rick's Model Girlfriend
| DirectedBy=Lee Bernhardi
| WrittenBy=James Gates
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|11|11}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=8
| Title=The Not So Sweet Smell of Success
| DirectedBy=Andy Cadiff
| WrittenBy=Mark C. Miller
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|11|18}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=9
| Title=The Flash Is Always Greener
| DirectedBy=Jonathan Weiss
| WrittenBy=Martha Williamson
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|11|25}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=10
| Title=He's Ba-aack!
| DirectedBy=Valentine Mayer
| WrittenBy=Eric Gilliland & Martha Williamson
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|12|2}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=11
| Title='C' Is for Model
| DirectedBy=Lee Bernhardi
| WrittenBy=Martha Williamson
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|12|9}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=12
| Title=And I Thought Modeling Was Hard
| DirectedBy=James Widdoes
| WrittenBy=Ross Brown & R.J. Colleary
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|12|16}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber=13
| Title=Beauty and the Beat
| DirectedBy=James Widdoes
| WrittenBy=Susan Sebastian & Diana Ayers
| OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1989|12|30}}
| ShortSummary=
| LineColor=
}}
}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title}}
{{Who's the Boss}}
Category:1980s American sitcoms
Category:1989 American television series debuts
Category:1989 American television series endings
Category:American Broadcasting Company sitcoms
Category:American television spinoffs
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Modeling-themed television series