Day by Day (American TV series)

Last updated
Day by Day
Daybydaytitle.jpg
Day by Day title screen
Genre Sitcom
Created by
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Day by Day" performed by Clydine Jackson
Composer Robert Kraft
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes33
Production
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseFebruary 29, 1988 (1988-02-29) –
June 4, 1989 (1989-06-04)
Related
Family Ties

Day by Day is an American sitcom television series created by Andy Borowitz and Gary David Goldberg, which aired on NBC from February 29, 1988, to June 4, 1989. It stars Douglas Sheehan, Linda Kelsey, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Courtney Thorne-Smith, and Thora Birch in her television debut role.

Contents

Synopsis

The show centers on Brian and Kate Harper, a married couple with two successful careers (Brian as a stockbroker, Kate as a lawyer) and a teenage son named Ross. After the couple had a second child, their daughter, Emily, they decided to quit their jobs because they had missed all the best times of Ross growing up and decided not to make the same mistake with Emily.

With that thought in mind, they decided to open a daycare center in their home. The episodes mixed stories about the daycare center with those about Ross and his friends. At first, Ross wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea of his father and mother being at home all the time, because he loved his independence and girl-chasing. He was more than a bit put out with all the bonding his dad wanted to do now.

Louis-Dreyfus played Eileen Swift, their materialistic next-door neighbor who was also once a business associate of Brian's. She didn't much like the idea of the Harpers running a day care center, and often tried to persuade them both to return to their former careers, always to no avail. Eileen, who was single and childless, was prone to make some very sarcastic quips about the children's activities, but Brian and Kate didn't let it bother them.

Thorne-Smith played the baby's nanny Kristin, who also worked in the daycare center. Kristin was perhaps the reason that Ross relented about his parents running the day care center; he had a crush on her.

Day by Day was connected to another NBC series, Family Ties . The family patriarch, Brian Harper (played by Sheehan) was a college roommate of Steven Keaton (Michael Gross). A total of 33 episodes were produced.

"A Very Brady Episode"

The episode titled "A Very Brady Episode" aired on February 5, 1989, and reunited six cast members from The Brady Bunch – Ann B. Davis, Florence Henderson, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Maureen McCormick, and Robert Reed.

In this episode, Ross is lectured by Brian and Kate about his poor study habits. Ross's explanation that he was watching a Brady Bunch marathon only angers his parents more, and he is warned to shape up. Ross bemoans his predicament, noting Mike Brady would never yell at him because he had flagging grades.

Ross falls asleep, and finds himself in the opening credits of The Brady Bunch., where he dreams that he is the Bradys' long-lost son, Chuck. After he gets his hair permed at Mike's suggestion, he visits with the various family members (except Greg, Jan, and Cindy), who reprise some of the scenes in the Bradys' most famous episodes ("Chuck" and Marcia running against each other for class president, "Chuck" being bullied by Buddy Hinton episode, etc.)

After "Chuck" gets some advice about his poor grades from Mike, the family begins to repeat their dialogue. "Chuck" wonders what's amiss, and Carol explains what he's seeing is a rerun. Everything becomes chaotic and Ross wakes up, vowing to improve his study habits.

Christopher Daniel Barnes, who played Ross on the series, would later portray Greg Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel.

Cast

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 13February 29, 1988 (1988-02-29)May 29, 1988 (1988-05-29)
2 20October 30, 1988 (1988-10-30)June 4, 1989 (1989-06-04)

Season 1 (1988)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateRating/share
(households)
11"Birthday Presence" Will Mackenzie Andy Borowitz February 29, 1988 (1988-02-29)18.6/28 [1]
22"How to Succeed in Day Care" Will Mackenzie Philip LaZebnik March 3, 1988 (1988-03-03)28.1/43 [1]
33"One Big Happy Family" Will Mackenzie Janis Hirsch March 6, 1988 (1988-03-06)17.3/26 [1]
44"That Saturday Feeling"UnknownUnknownMarch 13, 1988 (1988-03-13)14.4/21 [2]
55"Community Service"UnknownUnknownMarch 20, 1988 (1988-03-20)15.4/23 [3]
66"Birth Wait"UnknownUnknownMarch 27, 1988 (1988-03-27)13.7/21 [4]
77"What I Did for Love"UnknownUnknownApril 3, 1988 (1988-04-03)9.7/17 [5]
88"Great Expectations"UnknownUnknownApril 10, 1988 (1988-04-10)15.0/23 [6]
99"How Now, Dow Jones"UnknownUnknownApril 17, 1988 (1988-04-17)13.5/22 [7]
1010"Life at a Glance"UnknownUnknownApril 24, 1988 (1988-04-24)13.7/22 [8]
1111"The Age of Dinosaurs"UnknownUnknownMay 1, 1988 (1988-05-01)11.7/18 [9]
1212"Do You Think I'm Sexy?"UnknownUnknownMay 15, 1988 (1988-05-15)12.0/20 [10]
1313"The Field Trip"UnknownUnknownMay 29, 1988 (1988-05-29)7.7/17 [11]

Season 2 (1988–89)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)		Rating/share
(households)
141"My World and Welcome to It" Sam Weisman Janis Hirsch October 30, 1988 (1988-10-30)22.7 [12] 14.4/21 [12]
152"Won't You Be My Neighbor" Matthew Diamond Philip LaZebnik November 6, 1988 (1988-11-06)18.8 [13] 12.1/17 [13]
163"Trading Places"Matthew DiamondJanis HirschNovember 27, 1988 (1988-11-27)21.9 [14] 13.6/19 [14]
174"Girl Wars" Asaad Kelada Bruce Rasmussen December 4, 1988 (1988-12-04)26.7 [15] 16.3/24 [15]
185"Harper and Son"Matthew DiamondMatt EmberDecember 11, 1988 (1988-12-11)22.5 [16] 13.7/21 [16]
196"Merry Kristin"Matthew DiamondSusan Borowitz & Katie FordDecember 18, 1988 (1988-12-18)17.5 [17] 11.8/18 [17]
207"You Gotta Be a Football Hero"Matthew DiamondBen CardinaleJanuary 1, 1989 (1989-01-01)18.8 [18] 11.0/17 [18]
218"Smart Women, Nice Refreshments"Sam WeismanBruce RasmussenJanuary 8, 1989 (1989-01-08)22.8 [19] 14.0/20 [19]
229"Out for a Stretch"Matthew Diamond Andy Borowitz January 15, 1989 (1989-01-15)16.8 [20] 10.4/15 [20]
2310"The Music Man"Matthew DiamondSusan StraussJanuary 29, 1989 (1989-01-29)21.6 [21] 13.1/19 [21]
2411"A Very Brady Episode"Asaad KeladaAndy BorowitzFebruary 5, 1989 (1989-02-05)24.6 [22] 14.5/20 [22]
2512"My Momma Done Tol' Me"Matthew DiamondPhilip LaZebnikFebruary 12, 1989 (1989-02-12)19.1 [23] 11.8/17 [23]
2613"Fraternity"Matthew DiamondMatt EmberFebruary 19, 1989 (1989-02-19)18.6 [24] 11.5/17 [24]
2714"Tears of a Clown" Art Dielhenn Bruce RasmussenFebruary 26, 1989 (1989-02-26)18.3 [25] 11.5/17 [25]
2815"Harmless Helper"Carol ScottPhilip LaZebnik & Bruce RasmussenMarch 5, 1989 (1989-03-05)26.4 [26] 16.0/24 [26]
2916"Three Men and a Babe"Matthew DiamondPhilip LaZebnikMarch 12, 1989 (1989-03-12)18.1 [27] 11.4/17 [27]
3017"Foul Play"Matthew DiamondJodi LampertMarch 23, 1989 (1989-03-23)29.8 [28] 20.0/33 [28]
3118"The Reunion"Will MackenzieAndy BorowitzApril 2, 1989 (1989-04-02)18.4 [29] 11.6/18 [29]
3219"The Lost Weekend"Carol ScottStory by : Matt Ember
Teleplay by : Bruce Rasmussen & Philip LaZebnik		April 16, 1989 (1989-04-16)15.7 [30] 9.9/16 [30]
3320"Father Knows Best"Tony MordenteLloyd GarverJune 4, 1989 (1989-06-04)12.4 [31] 8.7/16 [31]

Syndication

After the show's initial run, reruns were shown on the Lifetime Television network and TV Land for several years.

Home media

One episode of the series has been released to DVD in the November 5, 2013, "Family Ties: The Complete Series" DVD boxset release. The episode included is "Trading Places", which featured a crossover between Family Ties and Day by Day, wherein Steven Keaton dropped Andy off for daycare with the Harpers.

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References

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  2. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . March 16, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306030149.
  3. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . March 23, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306010273.
  4. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . March 30, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   305993024.
  5. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . April 6, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306060935.
  6. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . April 13, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306023207.
  7. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . April 20, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306035713.
  8. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . April 27, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306042628.
  9. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . May 4, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306041364.
  10. ↑ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today . May 18, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest   306048097.
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