Fay (TV series)

Last updated
Fay
Lee Grant Fay 1975.jpg
Lee Grant in Fay, 1975
Genre Sitcom
Created by Susan Harris
Directed by Alan Arkin
James Burrows
Starring Lee Grant
Joe Silver
Audra Lindley
Margaret Willock
Stewart Moss
Bill Gerber
Norman Alden
Lillian Lehman
Opening theme"Coming into My Own" performed by Jaye P. Morgan
Composer George Tipton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producer Paul Junger Witt
ProducerJerry Mayer
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesDanny Thomas Productions
Universal Television
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseSeptember 4, 1975 (1975-09-04) 
June 2, 1976 (1976-06-02)

Fay is an American sitcom starring Lee Grant as the title character. The series aired on NBC from September 1975 to June 1976.

Contents

Synopsis

Grant stars as Fay Stewart, a divorced woman in her forties, who, after 25 years of marriage to attorney Jack Stewart, starts a new job and begins dating.

The show first aired on September 4, 1975, and was pulled after the October 23 airing (along with The Montefuscos , which aired in the time slot immediately before Fay). It returned for two more episodes on May 12 and June 2, 1976, for a total of ten episodes. Four of them ("Jack Remarries", "Mr. Wonderful", "Danny Falls In Love", and "Not Another Mother's Day") were eventually re-edited into an overseas theatrical feature, Man Trouble, later included in a syndicated package of other MCA/Universal "movies" stitched together from their various short-lived TV series.

The series is notable for Lee Grant's lashing out at NBC brass on The Tonight Show for the network's quick cancellation. [1]

Grant was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series but lost out to Mary Tyler Moore.

Cast

Episodes

TitleDirected by:Written by:Air date
1"Fay" Alan Arkin Susan Harris September 4, 1975 (1975-09-04)
Series pilot: Fay admits to having an affair.
2"Jack Remarries"Alan ArkinSusan HarrisSeptember 11, 1975 (1975-09-11)
Fay's ex-husband Jack is marrying a young stewardess.
3"Mom's Realization" Richard Kinon Gail Parent September 18, 1975 (1975-09-18)
Fay's mother wants to bring her and Jack back together.
4"Mr. Wonderful"UnknownDick Clair & Jenna McMahonSeptember 25, 1975 (1975-09-25)
Fay's childhood friend (Renée Taylor) is getting married, but her intended begins making passes at Fay.
5"Jack's Heart Attack"UnknownSusan HarrisOctober 2, 1975 (1975-10-02)
Thinking he's dying of a heart attack, Jack confesses to Fay about his cheating ways.
6"Not with My Husband You Don't" James Burrows S: Jerry Mayer
T: Susan Harris & Sybil Adelman and Jerry Mayer
October 9, 1975 (1975-10-09)
Fay is ecstatic at the prospect of accompanying one of her firm's attorneys to Washington, D.C.
7"Lillian's Separation"James BurrowsS: Dennis Klein
T: Susan Harris & Sybil Adelman
October 16, 1975 (1975-10-16)
Lillian walks out on her husband (Norman Fell) and moves into Fay's apartment, where she does some unwanted redecorating.
8"Danny Falls in Love"UnknownS: Max Pisk
T: Susan Harris
October 23, 1975 (1975-10-23)
Fay's lovelorn boss (Bill Gerber) comes to her apartment for some motherly comfort.
9"Fay and the Doctor"Richard KinonSusan HarrisMay 12, 1976 (1976-05-12)
Fay falls in love with a doctor; the only problem is he is married with children.
10"Not Another Mother's Day" Joan Darling Jerry MayerJune 2, 1976 (1976-06-02)
Linda wants to wait until she graduates from college to have a second child, but her husband doesn't want to wait that long.

Related Research Articles

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

Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's 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>Hawaii Five-O</i> (1968 TV series) American TV series (1968–1980)

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and created by Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons on CBS from September 20, 1968, to April 8, 1980, and continues in reruns. At the airing of its last episode, it was the longest-running police drama in American television history, and the last scripted primetime show that debuted in the 1960s to leave the air.

<i>Full House</i> American television sitcom (1987–1995)

Full House is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three daughters, eldest Donna Jo Margaret, middle child Stephanie and youngest Michelle in his San Francisco home. It aired from September 22, 1987 to May 23, 1995, broadcasting eight seasons and 192 episodes.

<i>All in the Family</i> American sitcom television series (1971–1979)

All in the Family is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was produced as the continuation series Archie Bunker's Place, which picked up where All in the Family had ended and ran for four more seasons through 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Denver</span> American actor (1935–2005)

Robert Osbourne Denver was an American comedic actor who portrayed beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series Gilligan's Island.

<i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> American variety/sketch comedy television show (1967–1978)

The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular cast member after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that he was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.

<i>The Jeffersons</i> American sitcom (1975–1985)

The Jeffersons is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, the second-longest-running series with a primarily African American cast by episode count behind Tyler Perry's House of Payne and the first to prominently feature a married interracial couple.

<i>Barney Miller</i> American sitcom

Barney Miller is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker. Noam Pitlik directed the majority of the episodes. It spawned a spin-off series, Fish, that ran from February 5, 1977, to May 18, 1978, focusing on the character Philip K. Fish.

<i>Threes a Crowd</i> Television series

Three's a Crowd is an American sitcom television series produced as a spin-off and continuation of Three's Company that aired on ABC from September 25, 1984 until April 9, 1985, with reruns airing until September 10, 1985. It is loosely based on the British sitcom Robin's Nest, which was itself a spin-off of Man About the House, upon which Three's Company was based.

<i>Gambit</i> (game show) American TV series or program

Gambit is an American television game show based on the card game blackjack, created by Heatter-Quigley Productions. The show originally ran on CBS from September 4, 1972, to December 10, 1976, and was recorded at CBS Television City in Studios 31, 33, 41, and 43. On October 27, 1980, NBC revived the show as Las Vegas Gambit, as a replacement for The David Letterman Show, and kept it on its schedule until November 27, 1981. As the title implied, this edition of Gambit was recorded in Las Vegas at the Tropicana Las Vegas. Both versions were hosted by Wink Martindale and announced by Kenny Williams. Elaine Stewart was the card dealer for the CBS version, while Beverly Malden filled this role for the first half of Las Vegas Gambit, and was later replaced by Lee Menning.

<i>Bachelor Father</i> (American TV series) American TV series or program

Bachelor Father is an American sitcom starring John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran and Sammee Tong. The series first premiered on CBS in September 1957 before moving to NBC for the third season in 1959. The series' fifth and final season aired on ABC. A total of 157 episodes were aired. The series was based on "A New Girl in His Life", which aired on General Electric Theater on May 26, 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve Plumb</span> American actress, singer and painter

Eve Aline Plumb is an American actress, singer and painter. She is best known for portraying the middle daughter Jan Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch.

American Dreamer is an American sitcom television series created by Susan Seeger, which aired on NBC from September 20, 1990, until June 22, 1991, as part of its 1990-91 lineup.

<i>The Joey Bishop Show</i> (TV series) American sitcom

The Joey Bishop Show is an American sitcom starring entertainer Joey Bishop that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1964. After NBC canceled the series because of its low ratings, it was aired by CBS for its fourth and final season.

W.E.B. is an American prime time drama series that aired on NBC for five episodes from September 13 until October 5, 1978.

The Montefuscos is an American sitcom that was cancelled after three episodes were broadcast in 1975. It aired on Thursday nights at 8:00–8:30 pm (ET) on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), which chose to run a total of eight episodes from September 4 to October 23, 1975 despite its earlier cancellation notice. Created by executive producers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, the comedy centered on three generations of an Italian-American family that lived in New Canaan, Connecticut and their weekly gatherings for Sunday dinner. It led off a Thursday primetime schedule that also featured new programs Fay, Ellery Queen and Medical Story.

Witt/Thomas Productions is an American television and movie production company run by TV producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas. The company was consistently productive between its founding in 1973 and 1999, but is still active, producing an occasional film or TV series project. It has produced more than 25 American primetime television series, mostly half-hour sitcoms. Witt/Thomas is perhaps best known for producing the popular sitcoms Soap, Benson, It's a Living, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Blossom, and Brotherly Love. Witt and Thomas have also produced many cinematic works, including the 1989 box office collection success Dead Poets Society.

<i>The Hogan Family</i> American television series

The Hogan Family is an American sitcom television series that began airing on NBC on March 1, 1986, and finished its run on CBS on July 20, 1991, for a total of six seasons. It was produced in association with Lorimar Productions (1986), Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–1988), and Lorimar Television (1988–1991).

<i>The Practice</i> (1976 TV series) 1976–1977 American sitcom

The Practice is an American sitcom starring Danny Thomas that centers on a father and son who are both doctors in New York City. The show aired from January 30, 1976, to January 26, 1977.

Merrill Gabriel Heatter was an American television producer and writer. He was best known for his collaboration with writer Bob Quigley for over 20 years and the formation of their production company Heatter-Quigley Productions in 1960. The company was responsible for the game shows Hollywood Squares and Gambit and the animated television series Wacky Races.

References

  1. Leszczak, Bob (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979. McFarland. p. 48.