On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. Here is a look at Living Dolls!
LIVING DOLLS
September 26, 1989 - December 30, 1989
12 episodes
ABC
Starring: Michael Learned, Leah Remini, Alison Elliott, Halle Berry, Deborah Tucker and David Moscow
Created by: Ross Brown
Plot: A spinoff of Who's the Boss?, this series centers on aspiring models in New York City at an agency run by Trish Carlin (Learned). The models include Charlie (Remini), a friend of Alyssa Milano's character from Boss as well as Caroline, Martha and Emily (Tucker, Elliott & Berry). Rounding out the main cast is Trish's son, Rick (Moscow).
This pilot was full of exposition (as many are) but it was aided by the conceit of guest star Alyssa Milano writing an article on the agency. This also helped connect the two series as a backdoor pilot had already aired on Who's the Boss? the previous season. The downside is Milano is a pretty formidable presence and some of the introduction of the new characters was hindered by her story. We needed to see how the characters, particularly Leah Remini's Charlie, interacted with each other without a character who wasn't going to be a regular in the series.
The cast is strong here, filled with people who were big names like Michael Learned or would be big names like Halle Berry and Leah Remini. The three of them, along with Milano, definitely came off best in the pilot. The other characters, particularly Deborah Tucker's Caroline, were not as strong. The line readings from Tucker and Alison Elliott were pretty flat and in sharp contrast to a more dynamic performer like Remini. There's a scene late in the pilot without Remini, Learned or Milano and yikes - it is rough. If that was an indicator of what the series became, I can understand why it didn't last long.
In the late 1980s, Who's the Boss? was a massive hit for ABC so it's no surprise that they tried to spin a show off of it. Of course, Living Dolls was one of those shows that was so loosely a spinoff that it's hard to call it that. None of the characters were ever seen on Boss before the backdoor pilot so it was ABC trying to capitalize on the success of Boss without actually hurting the momentum of it by taking away one of its characters. Living Dolls premiered directly after Boss on Tuesday nights but its permanent timeslot was a much more difficult Saturday slot where it was paired with Mr. Belvedere, a show on its last legs.
The series didn't make it to 1990 and was cancelled after 12 episodes and very low ratings. The night as a whole was a flop for ABC and one of their many failed attempts in the 80s and 90s to establish a foothold on Saturday nights. Critics, who were generally not huge fans of Boss, savaged this show. Some of the nicest comments were from the Washington Post, which called it "tolerable mediocrity." Of course, Halle Berry and Leah Remini went on to much bigger things. David Moscow, known at the time for his role in the movie Big, has been involved in theater as an actor and producer.
Tomorrow: A look at Part 2 of Season 2 of Get Smart!
Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at Free Spirit!
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