Goodnight, Beantown

Last updated
Goodnight, Beantown
Goodnight Beantown opening title.png
Opening title
Genre Sitcom
Created byAJ Carothers
Written by AJ Carothers
Elias Davis
Bill Greer
Kathy Greer
Steve Kline
Ron Osborn
David Pollock
Jeff W. Reno
Directed byAlan Bergmann
Peter Baldwin
Alan Bergmann
Bill Bixby
Kim Friedman
David Nelson
Will Mackenzie
Dick Martin
Bob Sweeney
Harry Winer
Starring Bill Bixby
Mariette Hartley
Tracey Gold
Composer Dennis McCarthy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producersBill Bixby
Paul Treva Brandon
AJ Carothers
ProducersElias Davis
Charles B. Fitzsimons
Bill Greer
Kathy Greer
David Pollock
CinematographyRichard C. Glouner
Running time30 mins.
Production companiesBixby-Brandon Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseApril 3, 1983 (1983-04-03) 
January 15, 1984 (1984-01-15)

Goodnight, Beantown is an American sitcom that aired on CBS for two brief seasons in 1983 and 1984.

Contents

Synopsis

The series cast Goodnight Beantown cast.jpg
The series cast

The series stars Bill Bixby as Matt Cassidy, and Mariette Hartley as Jennifer Barnes: two news anchors at WYN-TV, a fictional television station in Boston, Massachusetts. Matt is the station's evening news anchor and a longtime fixture at the station. However, when Matt's ratings begin to slide, the station management pairs the reluctant anchor with female co-anchor Jennifer.

The series follows their rocky relationship as they are not only coworkers but neighbors in the same building. Although slightly antagonistic at work, they are attracted to each other.

The series title comes from Matt's signoff at the end of the nightly newscasts, as "Beantown" is a common nickname for Boston (despite locals' disdain for the appellation). [1]

Co-stars included Tracey Gold as the divorced Jennifer's daughter Susan and George Coe as station manager Dick Novak. Over the two seasons, Charles Levin, G. W. Bailey, Jim Staahl, Stephanie Faracy and Todd Susman played their co-workers at WYN.

Bixby and Hartley had previously worked together on an episode of The Incredible Hulk , and at the time of making Goodnight, Beantown, Hartley was appearing in a series of television commercials for Polaroid cameras with James Garner.

The series first aired Sundays at 8:00 p.m. in the spring of 1983 for a limited run of five episodes. When it returned in the fall, it aired Sundays at 9:30 p.m. for 13 more episodes before being canceled because of its middling ratings.[ citation needed ]

Cast

US television ratings

SeasonEpisodesStart DateEnd DateNielsen RankNielsen Rating
1982-835April 3, 1983May 1, 19832118.6 [2] [a]
1983-8413October 2, 1983January 15, 19843416.6 [3] [b]
  1. Tied with Knots Landing
  2. Tied with Cheers

Episodes

Season 1 (1983)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Pilot"Harry WinerAJ CarothersApril 3, 1983 (1983-04-03)
22"The-Out-of-Towner"Harry WinerElias Davis & David PollockApril 10, 1983 (1983-04-10)
33"The Source"Harry WinerSteve KlineApril 17, 1983 (1983-04-17)
44"Custody"Peter BaldwinAJ CarothersApril 24, 1983 (1983-04-24)
55"Please Stand By"Peter BaldwinSteve KlineMay 1, 1983 (1983-05-01)

Season 2 (1983–84)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
61"Hooking for Mr. Goodbar"Bill BixbyBill Greer & Kathy GreerOctober 2, 1983 (1983-10-02)
72"What's Good for the Goose"Harry WinerRon Osborn & Jeff RenoOctober 9, 1983 (1983-10-09)
83"A Felon Needs a Girl"Bill BixbyKathy Greer & Bill GreerOctober 16, 1983 (1983-10-16)
94"Invasions of Privacy"Alan BergmannAJ CarothersOctober 23, 1983 (1983-10-23)
105"Popsicle"Dick MartinBill Greer & Kathy GreerOctober 30, 1983 (1983-10-30)
116"Our Man in the Slammer"Will MackenzieBill Greer & Kathy GreerNovember 6, 1983 (1983-11-06)
127"Looking Forward to the Past"Kim FriedmanRon Osborn & Jeff RenoNovember 20, 1983 (1983-11-20)
138"Valerie's Fan"Bob SweeneyRon Osborn & Jeff RenoDecember 4, 1983 (1983-12-04)
149"Happy Medium"Kim FriedmanRon Osborn & Jeff RenoDecember 11, 1983 (1983-12-11)
1510"Peace on Earth"Bill BixbySteve Kline & Ron Osborn & Jeff RenoDecember 25, 1983 (1983-12-25)
1611"The Consumer's Best Friend"David NelsonGibson CarothersJanuary 1, 1984 (1984-01-01)
1712"Lost and Foundering"Bob SweeneyBill Greer & Kathy GreerJanuary 8, 1984 (1984-01-08)
1813"An Old Flame Flickers"Harry WinerA.J. CarothersJanuary 15, 1984 (1984-01-15)

Awards and nominations

YearAwardResultCategoryRecipient
1983 Emmy Award NominatedOutstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy SeriesMariette Hartley
1984 Young Artist Award WinnerBest Young Actress in a New Television SeriesTracey Gold
Best New Television Series
-

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Bixby</span> American actor and director (1934–1993)

Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III was an American actor and television director. His career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known for his roles in the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian as Tim O'Hara, in the ABC sitcom The Courtship of Eddie's Father as Tom Corbett, in the NBC crime drama series The Magician as stage Illusionist Anthony Blake, and the CBS science-fiction drama series The Incredible Hulk as Dr. David Banner.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> American police procedural crime drama television series (1999–present)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf for NBC. The first spin-off of Law & Order, it stars Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, now the commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit after originally having been Stabler's partner in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department, and Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit follows the detectives of the Special Victims Unit as they investigate and prosecute sexually based crimes. Some of the episodes are loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention.

<i>The Streets of San Francisco</i> American crime drama television series

The Streets of San Francisco is an American television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television.

<i>Port Charles</i> American television series

Port Charles is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York. The show features longtime General Hospital characters Lucy Coe, Kevin Collins, Scott Baldwin, and Karen Wexler, along with several new characters, most of whom were interns in a competitive medical school program. In its later years, the program shifted more towards supernatural themes and stories, with a reduced emphasis on the original hospital setting.

<i>The Darling Buds of May</i> (TV series) British television comedy drama series (1991–1993)

The Darling Buds of May is a British comedy drama television series, produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network, first broadcast between 7 April 1991 and 4 April 1993. The first six episodes of Series 1 and the first two of Series 2 are adaptations of the 1958 novel of the same name, and three of its four sequels, by H. E. Bates. The remaining episodes are original storylines based on the same format.

<i>The Doctors</i> (1963 TV series) American soap opera series

The Doctors is an American daytime soap opera television series which aired on NBC from April 1, 1963, to December 31, 1982.

Tracey Gold is an American actress and former child star known for her role as Carol Seaver on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains.

<i>The Incredible Hulk</i> (1978 TV series) 1977–1982 television series

The Incredible Hulk is an American television series based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. The series aired on the CBS television network and starred Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner, Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, and Jack Colvin as Jack McGee.

Extra is an American syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine that is distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution and premiered on September 5, 1994. The program serves as a straight rundown of news headlines and gossip throughout the entertainment industry, providing coverage of events and celebrities; however, since 2013, it has also placed an even greater emphasis on interviews and insider previews of upcoming film and television projects. As of 2024, the program's weekday broadcasts are anchored by Billy Bush, with the weekend editions co-anchored by Melvin Robert and Mona Kosar Abdi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariette Hartley</span> American actress (born 1940)

Mary Loretta Hartley is an American film and television actress. She is possibly best known for her roles in film as Elsa Knudsen in Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962), Susan Clabon in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), and Betty Lloyd in John Sturges' Marooned (1969). She has appeared extensively on television, with notable roles as Claire Morton in the ABC soap opera Peyton Place (1965), various roles in the CBS television Western drama series Gunsmoke, and a series of commercials with James Garner in the 1970s and 1980s.

Something in the Air is an Australian television soap opera transmitted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 2000 and 2002. It was one of the first programs in Australia to be filmed in widescreen. It won the AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series in 2001.

Barry Francis Jenner was an American actor, known for his roles as Dr. Jerry Kenderson in Dallas and as Admiral William Ross in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Emerald Point N.A.S is an American primetime soap opera created by Dynasty's Richard and Esther Shapiro which premiered on CBS on Monday, September 26, 1983. The series revolved around the lives of personnel stationed on a naval air station somewhere in the Southern California, and combined military and espionage-based storylines with romance and family intrigue.

<i>Bare Essence</i> American soap opera television series

Bare Essence is an American prime time soap opera television series which aired on NBC from February 15 to June 13, 1983, during the 1982–83 season. It starred Genie Francis as Tyger Hayes, and explored the intrigues of the perfume industry.

<i>Buffalo Bill</i> (TV series) American television series (1983-1984)

Buffalo Bill is an American sitcom television series that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host, played by Dabney Coleman, and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered June 1, 1983, on NBC and ran for two seasons (1983–84). It was also shown on the then-new UK fourth TV channel Channel 4.

<i>The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters</i> (TV series) American western television series

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters is an American Western television series based on Robert Lewis Taylor's 1958 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, and starring Kurt Russell, Dan O'Herlihy and Charles Bronson. The series aired on ABC for one season, 1963–64, and was produced by MGM Television.

Stephanie Faracy is an American actress. She is known for playing supporting roles in films including Heaven Can Wait (1978), Scavenger Hunt (1979), Blind Date (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Hocus Pocus (1993), Sideways (2004), Flightplan (2005), and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016). On television, Faracy has had leading roles in a number of sitcoms, most significantly True Colors (1990–92). She recently played Lisa Lawson on the comedy series Uncoupled (2022).

"The Bubble" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the American television series 30 Rock. It was written by series' creator Tina Fey and directed by Tricia Brock. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 19, 2009. Jon Hamm and Bobb'e J. Thompson guest star in this episode, and there are cameo appearances by Calvin Klein and Meredith Vieira.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Chorus Lie</span> 16th episode of the 4th season of Will & Grace

"A Chorus Lie" is the sixteenth episode of the American television series Will & Grace's fourth season. It was written by Tracy Poust and Jon Kinnally and directed by series producer James Burrows. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 7, 2002. Guest stars in "A Chorus Lie" include Matt Damon, Leslie Jordan, Patrick Kerr, and real life members of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.

<i>Bonanza</i> season 11 Season of television series

The eleventh season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 14, 1969, with the final episode airing April 19, 1970. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season eleven starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 28 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season eleven was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It was #3 in the Nielsen ratings, behind #2 Gunsmoke.

References

  1. Baker, Matthew Reed (2017-09-17). "Why Is Boston Nicknamed Beantown?". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  2. Lina. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces" . Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  3. "1983-84 Ratings History -- The Networks Are Awash in a Bubble Bath of Soaps".