| Working Stiffs | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Arthur Silver Bob Brunner [1] Marc Sotkin Harry Colomby |
| Developed by | David W. Duclon |
| Directed by | Penny Marshall Norman Abbott Greg Antonacci |
| Starring | James Belushi Michael Keaton |
| Composer | John Cacavas |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 (5 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Bob Brunner [1] Arthur Silver |
| Running time | 30 min. (per episode; with commercials) |
| Production companies | Frog Productions Huk, Inc. Paramount Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 15 – October 20, 1979 |
Working Stiffs is an American sitcom starring James Belushi and Michael Keaton as brothers Ernie and Mike O'Rourke, a pair of janitors who aspire to work their way up in the field of business. The brothers work in an office building owned by their Uncle Harry, and share an apartment over a cafe where they befriend the owner Mitch and waitress Nikki. Each episode features slapstick and physical comedy. Penny Marshall directed the pilot.
The series aired on CBS. It competed against the highly-rated shows NBC's CHiPs and ABC's The Ropers in its timeslot. Nine episodes were produced but after four episodes aired, the series was canceled. After Belushi and Keaton became film stars in the 1980s, six episodes of the show were released on home video. Reruns have also aired on A&E Network, Comedy Central and TV Land. The syndication package included the previously unaired episodes.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Preview Presentation" | Penny Marshall | Marc Sotkin | September 15, 1979 |
| 2 | "Looking for Mr. Goodwrench" | Norman Abbott | E. Jack Kaplan | September 22, 1979 |
| 3 | "The Bank Robbery" | Norman Abbott | Alan Aidekman | September 29, 1979 |
| 4 | "My Boys Are Having a Baby" | Arthur Silver | Gail Honigberg | October 6, 1979 |
| 5 | "The Bosses" | Greg Antonacci | David W. Duclon | N/A |
| 6 | "Pal Joey" | Dennis Steinmetz | E. Jack Kaplan | N/A |
| 7 | "The Old Man in the Building" | TBD | TBD | N/A |
| 8 | "Trading Up" | TBD | TBD | N/A |
| 9 | "Sagebrush Estates" | TBD | TBD | N/A |
Brooks, Tim; Earl Marsh (2003). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows . Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.