Major Dad

Last updated

Major Dad
Major dad.jpg
The cast of Major Dad.
Genre Sitcom
Created byJohn G. Stephens
Richard C. Okie
Developed by Earl Pomerantz
Starring Gerald McRaney
Shanna Reed
Beverly Archer
Jon Cypher
Nicole Dubuc
Chelsea Hertford
Matt Mulhern
Marisa Ryan
ComposersRoger Steinman
Steve Dorff
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes96 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersRick Hawkins
Gerald McRaney
Richard C. Okie
Earl Pomerantz
ProducersJim Evering
Barry Gold
Janet Leahy
Liz Sage
Todd Stephens
EditorsSkip Collector
John William Heath
Augie Hess
Camera setup35mm Multi-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesS.B.B. Productions
Spanish Trail Productions
Universal Television
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 17, 1989 (1989-09-17) 
May 17, 1993 (1993-05-17)

Major Dad is an American sitcom television series created by Richard C. Okie and John G. Stephens, developed by Earl Pomerantz, that originally ran from September 17, 1989, to May 17, 1993, on CBS, starring Gerald McRaney as Major John D. MacGillis and Shanna Reed as his wife Polly. The cast also includes Beverly Archer, Matt Mulhern, Jon Cypher, Marisa Ryan, Nicole Dubuc, and Chelsea Hertford.

Contents

Synopsis

The first season is set at the fictional Camp Singleton (meant to represent Camp Pendleton),[ citation needed ] where hard-charging United States Marine Corps Major John D. "Mac" MacGillis is commander of the infantry training school's acquisition division. MacGillis's life is changed when he falls in love with a liberal journalist, Polly Cooper. The show follows Mac in his work life, where he deals with Lt. Eugene Holowachuk (Matt Mulhern), Sgt. Byron James (Marlon Archey), and Merilee Gunderson (Whitney Kershaw), as well as his home life, as he learns to live with Polly's three daughters, Elizabeth, Robin, and Casey.

At the beginning of the second season, the MacGillis family moves to Camp Hollister (based on Marine Corps Base Quantico), where Mac must adapt to the role of staff secretary (or "staff weenie") and the crazy antics of Commanding (Brigadier) General Marcus C. Craig, Aide-de-Camp 1st Lt. Eugene Holowachuk (who transferred with Major MacGillis from Camp Singleton), and Gunnery Sgt. Alva "Gunny" Bricker, the General's secretary, a no-nonsense Marine, who despite her brusque nature and unprepossessing physical appearance, is the target of many enthusiastic (and unseen) suitors. Character development increased during the second season, such as the revelation that MacGillis is a former member of the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon.

Major Dad incorporated the 1991 Persian Gulf War into storylines, depicting Mac staying stateside instead of going to Saudi Arabia as he wanted. Scenes with Polly writing in her diary were shot as late as possible to incorporate breaking news. [1] After rewriting the last six episodes of the 1990-1991 season because of the war, the show had to again modify episodes because the war ended sooner than expected. [2]

Cast

Episode guide

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRating
First airedLast aired
1 26September 17, 1989 (1989-09-17)May 21, 1990 (1990-05-21)39 [3] 13.2 [4]
2 24September 17, 1990 (1990-09-17)May 13, 1991 (1991-05-13)2114.9
(Tied with In the Heat of the Night )
3 24September 16, 1991 (1991-09-16)May 11, 1992 (1992-05-11)916.8
4 22September 25, 1992 (1992-09-25)May 17, 1993 (1993-05-17)69 [5] 9.8 [6]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardResultCategoryRecipient
1992 BMI Film & TV Award WonBMI TV Music AwardSteve Dorff
1992 Emmy Award NominatedOutstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme MusicSteve Dorff
1990 Young Artist Awards NominatedBest Young Actress Starring in a Television SeriesChelsea Hertford
WonBest New Television Series
-
1991NominatedBest Young Actress Starring in a Television SeriesMarisa Ryan
Best Young Actress Starring in a Television SeriesChelsea Hertford
Best Young Actress Starring in a Television SeriesNicole Dubuc
Best Young Actor Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV SeriesChance Michael Corbitt
1992NominatedBest Young Actress Starring in a Television SeriesMarisa Ryan
1993NominatedOutstanding Actress Under Ten in a Television SeriesChelsea Hertford

Related Research Articles

<i>M*A*S*H</i> (TV series) American war comedy-drama TV series (1972–1983)

M*A*S*H is an American war comedy drama television series that aired on CBS from September 17, 1972, to February 28, 1983. It was developed by Larry Gelbart as the first original spin-off series adapted from the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H, which, in turn, was based on Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The series, which was produced with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS, follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (1950–53).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Lee Ermey</span> US Marine sergeant and actor (1944–2018)

Ronald Lee Ermey was an American actor and U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Ermey was also a United States Marine Corps staff sergeant and an honorary gunnery sergeant.

<i>American Dad!</i> American animated sitcom

American Dad! is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series moved to TBS for its twelfth season in 2014 and continues to air new episodes to this day. American Dad! is the first television series made to premiere on Fox's Animation Domination block. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the rest of the first season airing from May 1, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald McRaney</span> American actor (born 1947)

Gerald Lee McRaney is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, Promised Land and House of Cards. He most recently starred as Admiral Hollace Kilbride on NCIS: Los Angeles. He was a series regular in the first season of Jericho and the final season of Deadwood. He appeared in a recurring role as main antagonist Mason Wood in season eight of Castle. Recently, he played Barlow Connally in the A&E series Longmire and had a recurring role in the NBC series This Is Us as Dr. Nathan Katowski, a role which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White House Military Office</span> Office for military support of the White House

The White House Military Office (WHMO) is a department within the White House Office that provides military support for White House functions, including food service, presidential transportation, medical support, emergency medical services and hospitality services. The White House Military Office is headed by the White House Military Office Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Flanders</span> American actor (1934–1995)

Edward Paul Flanders was an American actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Donald Westphall in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–1988). Flanders was nominated for eight Primetime Emmys and won three times in 1976, 1977, and 1983.

<i>Baa Baa Black Sheep</i> (TV series) American television series (1976–1978)

Baa Baa Black Sheep is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 23, 1976, until April 6, 1978. It was part period military drama, part comedy. In the final seven episodes, the character list was revamped, dropping some squadron pilots, adding a 16-year-old pilot and four nurses.

Wetting-down is a raucous ceremony for newly promoted officers observed in the U.S. and Royal navies, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Marines, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps, and U.S. Public Health Service officers also participate in this custom as homage to their naval heritage.

Shanna Reed is an American former actress and dancer. She is known for playing Polly Cooper McGillis on Major Dad. One of seven siblings, she is the step-daughter of Tommy Reed, the jazz saxophonist and leader of the Tommy Reed Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command</span> Military unit

The United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The Marine Corps Force Central Command is responsible for all Marine Corps Forces in the United States Central Command, except for those assigned to the U.S. Special Operations Command, and Special Operations Command, Central Command.

<i>The Pacific</i> (miniseries) 2010 war drama television series

The Pacific is a 2010 American war drama miniseries produced by HBO, Playtone, and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010.

Marisa Ryan is an American actress, best known for her role as Nina Grabowski in the HBO series Sex and the City, as Elizabeth Cooper-MacGillis in the CBS sitcom Major Dad (1989–1993), and as Abby Bernstein in the 2001 comedy film Wet Hot American Summer, its Netflix prequel series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015) and its Netflix sequel series Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Dubuc</span> American actress and writer

Nicole Danielle Dubuc is an American actress and writer, known for her work on the Transformers franchise, including Transformers: Prime, Rescue Bots, Rescue Bots Academy, Robots in Disguise and Transformers: EarthSpark.

<i>Marine Raiders</i> (film) 1944 film by Harold D. Schuster

Marine Raiders is a 1944 RKO war film showing a fictional depiction of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion and 1st Marine Parachute Battalion on Guadalcanal, R&R in Australia, retraining in Camp Elliott and a fictional attack in the Solomon Islands. Produced by Robert Fellows, and directed by Harold D. Schuster, it stars Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan, and Ruth Hussey.

<i>War and Remembrance</i> (miniseries) 1988–1989 television miniseries

War and Remembrance is an American miniseries based on the 1978 novel of the same name written by Herman Wouk. The miniseries, which aired from November 13, 1988, to May 14, 1989, covers the period of World War II from the American entry into World War II immediately after Pearl Harbor in December 1941 to the day after the bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It is the sequel to the 1983 miniseries The Winds of War, which was also based on one of Wouk's novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Sande</span> American actor (1906–1971)

Walter Sande was an American character actor, known for numerous supporting film and television roles.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 24 Season of television series

The twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Fox on September 30, 2012, and concluded on May 19, 2013. The season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. This is the first of two new seasons ordered by Fox. The primary showrunner for the season was Al Jean.

<i>Masters of the Air</i> 2024 war drama miniseries

Masters of the Air is a 2024 American war drama miniseries created by John Shiban and John Orloff for Apple TV+. It is based on the 2007 book of the same name by Donald L. Miller and follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber unit in the Eighth Air Force in eastern England during World War II. The series serves as a companion to Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). It is the first series to be produced by Apple Studios in cooperation with Playtone and Amblin Television and stars Austin Butler, Callum Turner and Anthony Boyle as part of an ensemble cast. The series consists of nine episodes.

References

  1. Tucker, Ken (February 22, 1991). "The War and 'Major Dad'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  2. Herbert, Steven (March 11, 1991). "'Major Dad' Gets a Change of Orders : Television: The end of the Gulf War forces the CBS military sitcom to revise episodes that were altered when war began". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  3. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1989-90 Ratings History".
  4. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1989-90 Ratings History".
  5. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1992-93 Ratings History".
  6. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1992-93 Ratings History".