The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – ABC

Created by Tracy Newman and Jonathan Stark

Opening theme written by Glen Clark & Jim Belushi. Performed by Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts. 

• 001. Pilot-10/3/2001
  • Jim (Jim Belushi) is a Chicago contractor who works at Ground Up Construction with his best friend and brother-in-law architect Andy (Larry Joe Campbell) who lives across the street from him. Jim’s is married to Andy’s sister Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith). They have three children: Ruby (Taylor Atelian), Gracie (Billi Bruno), and the baby Kyle. Ruby is starting kindergarten and cries every time she is dropped off, causing Cheryl to stay in the parking lot for most of her day. Jim thinks he can be more resolute in walking away, but when he attempts it, he has to be escorted out of the school when the teacher Mrs. Carter (Mary Kathleen Gordon). Unaware of this, Cheryl brags to Andy and their sister Dana (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) that he has been able to accomplish this, and Andy accidentally lets it slip that Jim hasn’t been showing up to work until after 3pm. Cheryl realizes that Jim is now waiting in the parking lot all day as well. Meanwhile Andy’s girlfriend Carrie (Katie O’Rourke) has left him over a fight about whether he broke her hairdryer of if it died of wear-and-tear. Jim and Cheryl have them over for dinner and try to reconcile them. It initially works when Andy brings her a new hairdryer, but they eventually fight again on whether he broke it or not. Jim tells them that the key to a good relationship is good communication, so Cheryl lets loose on him since he hasn’t told her that he is waiting in the parking lot. Ruby then lets it slip that Jim has put her in a new school. This makes her legitimately furious. Jim then has to tell Ruby he won’t be staying at school because she is getting to the age where she needs to do things she doesn’t want to. Then he has to apologize to Cheryl, who ultimately forgives him. However they do continue to argue on whether Jim once slammed a car door in her face or not, and age-old argument they’ve been having. 4/18/20

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SEASON 1

Created by John L. Greene

Theme music composed by George Greeley

• 001. My Favorite Martin – 9/29/1963
  • Los Angeles reporter Tim O’Hara (Bill Bixby) lives in an apartment above the garage of the home of his landlady Mrs. Lorelei Brown (Pamela Britton) and her daughter Angela (Ann Marshall). He works for the Los Angeles Sun newspaper, and has a flirtatious relationship with Mrs. Brown’s niece Annabelle (Ina Victor). One morning after resetting all of his alarm clocks and falling back to sleep, he awoken by all three ladies and told that his editor Harry Burns (J. Pat O’Malley) wants him ot Edwards Air Force Base to report on a test flight of the X-15 aircraft. By the time Tim arrives, he has missed a near collision between the X-15 what the pilot identifies as a flying saucer. However he is rushed out by Col. Whitehead (Herbert Rudley) before he can get the story. On his way home, he spots the UFO go down and follows it to its crash, where he meets a man who identifies himself as a visiting Martian (Ray Walston), who is an anthropologist and has been to Earth many times before. Tim takes him back to his house, and witnesses him raise his antenna and turn himself invisible so he can sneak in. Tim allows the injured Martian to stay with him until he can recover and repair his ship. He also learns that the Martian can read minds and teleport himself. Based on the information provided to him by the Martian, he publishes an article stating that the pilot of the X-15 claimed to see a flying saucer. O’Malley and Lt. Murphy (Simon Oakland) pay him a visit to find out how he got the story. When they see the Martian in his house, Tim tells them that he is actually his Uncle Martin. When Tim refuses to reveal his source, he is thrown in jail. Martin teleports himself into the jail and tells Tim to claim he intercepted their broadcast on his car radio. When Murphy hears him talking to someone, an invisible Martin convinces him that Tim is a master ventriloquist. When Tim tells them the story about the radio, it checks out thanks to some interference from Martin. Tim agrees to help Martin raise the money needed to repair his ship by playing in Las Vegas, while Martin agrees to help Tim get Award winning stories through his mind-reading. Lee Krieger is the radarman. Marc Towers is the plainclothesman. 4/14/20

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SEASON 1 – CBS

Based on the British sitcom “Till Death Do Us Part” created by Johnny Specht in 1965. Further developed by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin. 

Opening song “Those Were the Days” written by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, performed by Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton. 

• 000. Justice for All – UNAIRED 1968
  • It is the anniversary of working class married couple Archie and Edith Justice. While they are out at church, their daughter Gloria (Kelly Jean Peters) and her out-of-work student husband Richard “Dickie” (Tim McIntire), who Archie often refers to as ‘Meathead’, prepare a surprise party, and arrange for their black next-door-neighbor Lionel (D’urville Martin) to assist in delivering flowers and a gift to Edith as if it were from Archie. The Bunkers return home early from church because Archie is irritated with Reverend Felcher for his socialist propaganda and walks out, only to catch Dickie and Gloria in a passionate embrace. Archie is constantly at odds with Dickie over his liberal activism and they proceed to argue throughout the entire brunch, broaching topics from Archie’s opinions about blacks and Mike and Gloria’s stance on atheism. Lionel arrives with the gifts, and then takes delight in acting like a stereotypical black simpleton in front of Archie, knowing that Archie is a non-intellectual bigot who adamantly claims not to be one. At one point both Lionel and Dickie question Archie to see if he is Jewish just to get under his skin. When Edith opens her lace napkins, she is touched, and Archie is surprised to find out that they were sent by him. Edith reads the card out loud, and it appears that Archie is touched by it. Dickie tries to prod him to admit it, and then provoke him by telling Archie that it’s not like he wrote the card. Archie says that the person who picked it out requires good taste, to which Dickie reminds him that it was actually him who picked out the card. 4/14/20

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SEASON 1

Created by Eric Monte

Opening theme: “What’s Happening!!” by Henry Mancini

NOTE: This series is a revival of the sitcom “What’s Happening!!,” which was based on the film “Cooley High”

• 001. Raj Returns – 9/7/1985
  • Roger “Raj” Thomas (Ernest Thomas) has been living away from Watts for years, working as a writer, but now returns back to town with his new wife Nadine Hudson Thomas (Anne-Marie Johnson), a social worker. They purchase the house where Roger grew up, now that his mother has remarried and moved to Arizona. Rogers old friends Shirley Wilson (Shirley Hemphill) and Dwayne Nelson (Haywood Nelson) are keeping watch on the house, and when they see the lights on, they believe there are intruders in the house. Roger and Nadine also think there are intruders, so they early attack each other before having a fond reunion and catching up. Now that Rob’s restaurant has closed, Shirley is in-between jobs, but waiting for something to pan out the next day. Dwayne has been working with computer following a stint in the Army. Their old friend Rerun is working at K-Doe’s Used Cars, and doing their commercials. Dwayne calls Rerun (Fred Berry) to tell him to hurry over to the Thomas house because there is an emergency. When he arrives, he is less than enthusiastic to see Raj and leaves immediately. He refuses to talk about him with Dwayne, who invites them both to meet at the dilapidated Rob’s. Once they get there and the old memories start coming back, they make up, and Rerun admits he is being childish, jealous that now that Raj has returned as a successful author, he will be in his shadow again, despite doing commercials himself. Raj admits that he sold very few books and is far from successful. Shirley shows up and tells them that she attempted to buy the restaurant but didn’t have enough money. Nadine talks Raj into going into the deal, so he becomes a silent part-owner. Teddy Wilson plays a bum named Mr. Lee living in Rob’s. 4/8/20

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SEASON 1 – NBC

Created by Fred Barron, Dottie Dartland, and Marco Pennette

Theme music by Jonathan Wolff

• 001. The Pilot – 9/21/1995
  • Caroline Duffy (Lea Thompson) is a cartoonist of the syndicated comic strip Caroline in the City living in Manhattan with her cat Salty. She lives in an apartment across the hall from her best friend Annie Spadaro (Amy Pietz). After a some unsuccessful attempts, she hires sardonic struggling artist Richard Karinsky (Malcolm Gets) as her colorist who only takes the job to make ends meet. Caroline has just broken up with Del Cassidy (Eric Lutes), the president of Cassidy Greeting Cards that handles the Caroline line of products. When she finds out that Del has a date that night, she pretends she also has a date and that they’re going to Remo’s… where Del happens to be taking his date. She tries to come up with a date and ends up meeting a man named Jeff (Jason Workman) by randomly throwing fruit out the window and seeing who it hits. It turns out that Jeff is married, so Caroline ends up by herself at Remo’s, running into Del and his perky blonde date Debby (Christine Taylor). Del find this out when Jeff calls and heads to Remo’s to deliver the note, and ends up kissing her and posing as her date. Del ends up jealous and Caroline admits the ruse. He wants to get back together, but she questions his commitment, so they agree to be friends. Andy Lauer is Charlie, Del’s delivery boy. Tom La Grua is Remo. John Mariano is Johnny the Maitre d’. Cathy Ladman is Caroline’s ultimate fan. Sean Sullivan is colorist applicant Monroe. 4/4/15

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