Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (TV series)

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Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice television cast 1973.JPG
Main cast photo
GenreSitcom
Based on Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice by Paul Mazursky & Larry Tucker
Developed byLarry Rosen
Written by James S. Henerson
Bernard M. Kahn
Directed by Rick Edelstein
Leo Penn
Starring Robert Urich
Anne Archer
David Spielberg
Anita Gillette
Composer Artie Butler
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12 (5 unaired)
Production
Producer James S. Henerson
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesFrankovich Enterprises
Screen Gems
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 26 (1973-09-26) 
November 7, 1973 (1973-11-07)
Related
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is an American sitcom broadcast in the United States by ABC as part of its 1973 fall lineup. It was based on the 1969 movie of the same title, and produced by Frankovich Enterprises in association with Screen Gems. Only seven episodes were aired before the series was canceled.

Contents

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice was of necessity somewhat different from the R-rated movie upon which it was based. The film involved sexual liberation, and featured the (short-lived) desire of the two title couples to engage in extramarital affairs, mate-swapping and group sex, all of which would have been unacceptable on U.S. broadcast television in 1973 under the network's Division of Standards and Practices. However, the TV series depicted skinny dipping, premarital sex, and unmarried couples cohabiting, which were still thought by many to be racy topics for network television at the time. As with the film, Ted and Alice Henderson were more conservative than the "liberated" Bob and Carol Sanders. No members of the original film cast reprised their roles in the series.

Reception

Scheduled opposite CBS's Top 10 hit The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and NBC's Top 30 hit Adam-12 , the series earned very low Nielsen ratings, and was canceled less than two months after its premiere.

The show is perhaps best remembered for featuring a then eleven-year-old Jodie Foster as Ted and Alice's daughter. (This differed from the movie version where the characters had a son.)

Cast

Episode list

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Can I Help It If She's Crazy About Me?"Rick Edelstein David Lloyd September 26, 1973 (1973-09-26)
2"Alice's Wild Oat"Rick Edelstein Bernie Kahn October 3, 1973 (1973-10-03)
3"Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" Leo Penn Larry TuckerOctober 10, 1973 (1973-10-10)
4"I'm Not Jealous, Only Curious"Rick EdelsteinJames S. HenersonOctober 17, 1973 (1973-10-17)
5"Open Marriage, Closed Mind"Rick EdelsteinDavid LloydOctober 24, 1973 (1973-10-24)
6"Nobody Wants to Talk About It"Rick EdelsteinRick MittlemanOctober 31, 1973 (1973-10-31)
7"The Bare Truth Hurts"Rick EdelsteinGene ThompsonNovember 7, 1973 (1973-11-07)
8"Such Good Friends"Rick EdelsteinKaryl GeldUnaired*
9"Walk a Mile in My Clogs"Rick EdelsteinRon FriedmanUnaired*
10"Double, Double, Doyle & Trouble"Rick EdelsteinDavid LloydUnaired*
11"Inadmissible Evidence"Rick EdelsteinGeorge AtkinsUnaired*
12"My Butcher Is a Thief"Rick EdelsteinMichael Weinberger & James RitzUnaired*

*These episodes finally appeared on USA Cable Network, with the rest of the series, in 1984.

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