Domestic Life (TV series)
Domestic Life | |
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Genre | Sitcom |
Created by |
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Starring |
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Theme music composer | Wendy Haas-Mull |
Opening theme | "God Bless the Domestic Life" performed by Martin Mull |
Composer | David Michael Frank |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 (1 unaired) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Steve Martin |
Producers |
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Running time | 30 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | January 4 April 15, 1984 | –
Domestic Life is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from January 4 to April 15, 1984. Steve Martin served as executive producer.
Premise
Martin Crane moved to Seattle to take a commentator job at KMRT-TV. His spot on the station's evening news was called "Domestic Life". Others in the cast were Martin's wife Candy, his 15-year-old daughter Didi, and 10-year-old son Harold.
Production notes
Steve Martin and Martin Mull were friends who met doing stand-up. Martin suggested they try to pitch a sitcom starring Mull. The first idea was to do a show about a politician who gets elected to Washington, but NBC passed. They then came up with a Father Knows Best style show. Mull called the show "a gentle spoof of family sitcom cliches."[1] NBC did not want to make it but CBS agreed to make six episodes.[2]
Mull said he wanted his character to talk to the camera like George Burns. "We (he and Martin) thought one of my strengths might be as a monologuist, talking right to the camera. So we tried to figure out what kind of occupation a character could have where he could talk right down the barrel. That's why we chose a television commentator."[3]
There were many unintentional similarities between Domestic Life and Frasier which premiered nine years later. Both series were set in Seattle with a character named Martin Crane,[4] and both featured a character broadcasting an advice show.[5] Martin Mull's character, Martin Crane, hosts a segment on a local news television show offering his wisdom on the problems of "domestic life", while offering little practical help to his own family.[5]
The show began in January as a mid-season replacement.[6] Country singer-songwriter Hoyt Axton made a guest appearance in the show's fifth episode ("Harold, Can You Spare $4000?").
Reviewing the opening episode the
Ratings were not strong and the show was cancelled. Mull said "I think the only reason they canceled us, since television is a business, was because we weren't getting the numbers. Some perfectly dreadful things get big ratings, so go figure. CBS kept moving us around and people couldn't find us. I think people tend to plan their viewing."[8]
Martin Mull later recalled:
I believe we were voted by
warm-up man. He would warm up the audience for us. I don’t know whatever happened to that kid, but he was very good at that.[9]
Cast
- Martin Mull as Martin Crane
- Judith-Marie Bergan as Candy Crane
- Christian Brackett-Zika as Harold Crane
- Megan Follows as Didi Crane
- Robert Ridgely as Cliff Hamilton
- Mie Hunt as Jane Funakubo
US television ratings
Season | Episodes | Start Date | End Date | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating[10] | Tied With |
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1983–84 | 10 | January 4, 1984 | April 15, 1984 | 69 | 13.4 | N/A |
Episodes
Nº | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Air date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Harold in Love" | Will Mackenzie | Howard Gewirtz & Ian Praiser | January 4, 1984 |
2 | "Small Cranes Court" | Michael Lessac | Howard Gewirtz & Ian Praiser | January 11, 1984 |
3 | "Good Neighbor Cliff" | Will Mackenzie | Jack Carrerow | January 18, 1984 |
4 | "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Dentist" | Jim Drake | Howard Gewirtz & Ian Praiser | January 25, 1984 |
5 | "Harold, Can You Spare $4,000?" | Jim Drake | Howard Gewirtz & Ian Praiser | February 1, 1984 |
6 | "Harold at the Bat" | Will Mackenzie | Howard Gewirtz & Ian Praiser | March 18, 1984 |
7 | "Cooking with Candy" | Sam Weisman | Lisa A. Bannick | March 25, 1984 |
8 | "Rip Rides Again" | Jim Drake | Howard Gewirtz & Ian Praiser | April 1, 1984 |
9 | "The Candidates" | Jim Drake | Lisa A. Bannick & Jack Carrerow | UNAIRED |
10 | "Showdown at Walla Walla" | Jim Drake | David Angell | April 15, 1984 |
References
- ^ "MULL PLIES HIS QUIET HUMOR ON TV SHARBUTT, JAY". Los Angeles Times. Feb 21, 1984. p. g1.
- ^ Preston, Marilynn (Jan 15, 1984). "Martin Mull out to show Father in a new light". Chicago Tribune. p. i3.
- ^ Deans, Laurie (31 Mar 1984). "Mull mulls over his life, domestic and otherwise". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. 40.
- ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- ^ a b Shales, Tom (1984-01-04). "The New Sitcoms: Three's a Crowd". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- ^ "CBS-INTRODUCING 5 NEW PROGRAMS". New York Times (Late (East Coast) ed.). 6 Dec 1983. p. C.23.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (4 Jan 1984). "TV: THREE COMEDIES: [Review]". New York Times (Late (East Coast) ed.). p. C.19.
- ^ Buck, Jerry (30 May 1985). "IN MULL SPECIAL, LAST LAUGH IS ON WHITE CULTURE". Orlando Sentinel (3 STAR ed.). p. E.7.
- ^ Harris, Will (December 3, 2013). "Martin Mull talks Dads, Lenny Bruce, and opening for The Pointer Sisters". AV Club.
- ^ "1983–84 Ratings History -- The Networks Are Awash in a Bubble Bath of Soaps".
External links
- Domestic Life at IMDb