FM (American TV series)

FM
FM
Genre	sitcom
Created by	Allan Burns ; Dan Wilcox ; Shelley Zellman
Starring	Robert Hays ; Patricia Richardson ; Lynne Thigpen ; DeLane Matthews
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producers	Allan Burns ; Dan Wilcox
Producer	Andy Cadiff
Production company	MTM Enterprises
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	August 17, 1989 –; June 28, 1990

Last updated January 22, 2024

FM is an American television sitcom which aired on NBC in 1989 and 1990.^[1] The series title was a pun, referring both to the show's setting at an FM radio station and to its themes of female-male interaction.^[2]

Plot

Set in Washington, D.C., the series was a workplace comedy which took place at 91.6/WGEO, a small public radio station.^[3] Robert Hays starred as program director Ted Costas, a man whose harried professional life and eccentric coworkers distract him from dealing with problems in his personal life, particularly his relationships with women. The women in his life include Lee-Ann Plunkett (Patricia Richardson), his ex-wife and a political commentator with the station; Gretchen Schreck (DeLane Matthews), a young woman he used to babysit who is now an intern for the station; Naomi Sayers (Lynne Thigpen), the station manager; and Maude (Nicole Huntington), his daughter with Lee-Ann.

The cast also included Leo Geter, Fred Applegate, James Avery and John Kassir.

The radio station in the series was partially based on KCRW in Santa Monica, California.^[1] Ted Costas was modeled on Tom Schnabel,^[4] and was the host of a morning radio show, Long Day's Journey into Lunch, which was based on Morning Becomes Eclectic .^[4]

Scheduling

The show initially ran for five weeks as a summer series in 1989, premiering on August 17 in Dear John 's regular Thursday night time slot following Cheers before moving to Wednesday nights for four more weeks.^[3] It then returned as a midseason replacement in 1990, airing eight more episodes between March 28 and June 28.^[1] The series was not renewed for a second season.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Love or Money"	David Trainer	Allan Burns, Dan Wilcox and Shelley Zellman	August 17, 1989 (1989-08-17)
2	"Play Laura for Me"	David Trainer	Allan Burns and Dan Wilcox	August 23, 1989 (1989-08-23)
3	"Ultimate Aphrodisiac"	Andy Cadiff	Allan Burns and Howard M. Gould	August 30, 1989 (1989-08-30)
4	"Kiss and Tell"	Andy Cadiff	Allan Burns and Dan Wilcox	September 6, 1989 (1989-09-06)
5	"If a Man Answers"	Andy Cadiff	Paul Haggis	September 13, 1989 (1989-09-13)
6	"Doing It Again"	Andy Cadiff	Howard M. Gould	March 28, 1990 (1990-03-28)
7	"Leave It to Me"	Andy Cadiff	Howard M. Gould	April 4, 1990 (1990-04-04)
8	"Two Taxing Women"	Burt Metcalfe	Roz Moore	April 11, 1990 (1990-04-11)
9	"No Fool Like an April Fool"	Andy Cadiff	J. J. Wall	April 18, 1990 (1990-04-18)
10	"Let's Spend the Night Together"	Dan Wilcox	Allan Burns	May 26, 1990 (1990-05-26)
11	"The Last Virgin"	Andy Cadiff	Terrie Collins	June 2, 1990 (1990-06-02)
12	"Sex, Lies and 35mm Slides"	Andy Cadiff	Howard M. Gould	June 9, 1990 (1990-06-09)
13	"Off the Record"	Andy Cadiff	Lincoln Kibbee	June 28, 1990 (1990-06-28)

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References

1 2 3 "Checking the casserole with Robert Hays of 'FM'". The Index-Journal, April 8, 1990.
↑ "Creators hope 'FM' is on right wavelength". Ukiah Daily Journal, August 27, 1989.
1 2 "Robert Hays is down to earth in new series, 'FM'". The San Bernardino Sun , August 17, 1989.
1 2 "Hays back in fun series". Ottawa Citizen , August 17, 1989.

External links

FM at IMDb

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[casserole-1] 1 2 3 "Checking the casserole with Robert Hays of 'FM'". The Index-Journal, April 8, 1990.

[2] "Creators hope 'FM' is on right wavelength". Ukiah Daily Journal, August 27, 1989.

[downtoearth-3] 1 2 "Robert Hays is down to earth in new series, 'FM'". The San Bernardino Sun , August 17, 1989.

[haysback-4] 1 2 "Hays back in fun series". Ottawa Citizen , August 17, 1989.

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