Dear John (American TV series)
Dear John | |
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Sitcom | |
Based on | Dear John by John Sullivan |
Developed by |
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Starring | |
Theme music composer | John Sullivan |
Opening theme | "Dear John" by Wendy Talbot |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 90 (4 unaired) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | October 6, 1988 July 22, 1992 | –
Related | |
Dear John (1986) |
Dear John is an American
Synopsis
The sitcom is set in
Six months after the divorce, John joins the One-To-One Club, a support group for people who are divorced and single. The series chronicles John's life and the lives of his new friends at the One-to-One Club.
Characters
The original group consisted of:
- John Lacey (Judd Hirsch), a school teacher who tries—not always successfully—to keep his life from falling apart after his acrimonious, financially devastating divorce.[2]
- Louise Mercer (Jane Carr), the founder and leader of the One-to-One Club, an Englishwoman whose conversation frequently returns to the topic of sex. (Her catchphrase, usually said as people discuss their previous relationships: "Were there any ... sexual problems?") Has a child named Nigel out of wedlock in season 2.
- Kirk Morris (Jere Burns), a cocky, self-styled ladies' man who is a preening narcissist and habitual liar.
- Kate McCarron (Isabella Hofmann), a beautiful divorcée with some self-image issues. She and John share an attraction, but she eventually marries a police officer in season 4, while remaining a regular attendee at club meetings. Kate also opens a restaurant ("Kate's Place") in season 4.
- Ralph Drang (tollboothcollector. His marriage lasted less than 6 hours; his Bulgarian wife (who married him only to avoid being deported) deserted him at the wedding reception. Noted for his extremely nasal, whining voice, and his propensity for being manipulated by Kirk. Seen only in seasons 1-3; he 'graduates' from the group after his new girlfriend moves in with him.
- Bonnie Philbert (Billie Bird), a talkative retiree who often makes references of her sexually adventurous past. Seen infrequently in the very earliest episodes, Mrs. Philbert effectively becomes a regular by mid-season 1.
- Tom (Tom Willett), a very tall and extremely quiet man, almost always seen sporting a bow-tie. He does not actually ever speak at any meeting, and usually sits near the back—but eventually becomes Mrs. Philbert's ongoing boyfriend.
Later additions were:
- Mary Beth Sutton (Susan Walters), a beautiful, naive young Southerner from a wealthy background. She eventually finds work as a soap opera writer. Added midway through season 2, staying through the end of the series.
- Denise (Olivia Brown), who frequently drops by group meetings as she attends the weight control group across the hall at the community center. Seen only in season 3, beginning partway through.
- Ben Conners (William O'Leary), a maintenance man at the Rego Park Community Center. He becomes involved with Louise and is friendly with the group. Seen throughout season 4.
- Annie Marino (Marietta DePrima), an aspiring actress who joins the group after her boyfriend deserts their relationship and sublets their apartment to Kirk without telling her. Added partway through season 4.
Recurring characters:
- Wendy Lacey (Carlene Watkins in season 1, Deborah Harmon in seasons 3-4), John's ex-wife. Though she left John, she later decides she wants another child with him. She goes to extreme lengths to make this happen without trying to actually win him back.
- Matthew Lacey (Ben Savage in seasons 1-2, Billy Cohen in season 3), John's school age son who lives with his mother. John and Matthew have a good relationship, despite their limited time together.
- Brad Durman (Peter Jurasik), an often-weaselly fellow teacher of John's. Seen in seasons 2-3.
- Dr. Hendricks (Raye Birk), the headmaster at the school where John teaches. Seen in seasons 2-4.
- Chow Ling (Cu Ba Nguyen), a recent immigrant who attends meetings in the community center both to learn English and to quit smoking. Seen in seasons 2-3.
- Mitch Kurland (Greg Salata), a police officer who marries Kate. Seen in season 4 only.
- Curtis (Ruben Santiago-Hudson) and Calvin (Tim Jones), employees at Kate's Place. Seen in season 4 only.
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating | ||
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First aired | Last aired | |||||
1 | 22 | October 6, 1988 | May 11, 1989 | 11 | 18.5 | |
2 | 24 | September 28, 1989 | May 16, 1990 | 17 | 17.2 | |
3 | 22 | September 19, 1990 | May 1, 1991 | 50 | — | |
4 | 22 | September 19, 1991 | July 22, 1992 | 77 | — |
Reception
Critical response
John Leonard of New York magazine previewed the pilot episode, in which John Lacey tries to attend a support group "for the recently singled", and stumbles instead into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. "I found this funny, and maybe even profound," Leonard wrote. NBC launched the show two days before Empty Nest, another sitcom about a middle-aged man who recently lost his wife. "Some talented people run around in them agreeably," said Leonard, commenting on both shows.[3]
Ratings
In its first season, the sitcom was part of NBC's Thursday night lineup. It attracted the eleventh largest audience of all
Season | Viewers (millions) |
Rank (by audience share) |
References |
---|---|---|---|
1 (1988–89) |
18.5 | 11 | [4] |
2 (1989–90) |
17.1 | 17 | [4] |
3 (1990–91) |
? | 50 | [citation needed] |
4 (1991–92) |
? | 77 | [citation needed] |
Paramount Domestic Television sold the show into syndication after Dear John ended its run in 1992.
Awards
In "Stand By Your Man", the thirteenth episode of the first season,
References
- ^ "BBC - Comedy Guide - Dear John". Archived from the original on December 8, 2004.
- ^ "Family Programs: Dear John". The Program Exchange. Archived from the original on March 21, 2002. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ Leonard, John (October 10, 1988). "Television § In brief". New York. p. 82. Retrieved May 7, 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
- ^ McBride, Joseph (October 23, 1992). "Cleavon Little". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
External links
- Dear John at IMDb