Backstory: "Golden Girls" was a huge hit on Saturday nights for NBC and programmers wanted to expand on that success to create an entire night of comedy. (If you think "spin-off" is a dirty word you'll probably want to stop reading here.) The second season finale of GG features a married couple (Paul Dooley & Rita Moreno) who had never been on the show before dealing with the future of their marriage now that their children had grown up and moved out. Dooley & Moreno had zero chemistry and the idea of a show based on such a depressing mess must have scared producers sober, so they "re-tooled."
The next season "Empty Nest" premiered right after "Golden Girls" with lightweight goon Richard Mulligan as Harry, a widowed doctor with two adult daughters still living in his home. (NOTE: This is the only part of the series that bothered me: How can you call a show 'Empty Nest' in which both adult daughters live at home? I guess producers liked the premise but found the execution too depressing. The title "Full House" would have made just as much sense.)
Dinah Manoff was the semi-bangable neurotic and Kristy McNicol the semi-bangable tough cookie. Park Overall is Harry's nurse/receptionist with a Southern accent and husky voice. David Leisure plays neighbor Charlie, a variant on his smooth-talking, lying "Joe Isuzu" character. A Golden Girl stops by twice a season to borrow an egg and remind us they live right next door and life goes on...
"Empty Nest" had decent laughs, decent performances... it was a pleasant filler to pass the time. I long for the days when television could afford to be this gentle... today most shows begin with the discovery of a corpse and end with confessions of lurid sex. It's cheap, and common, and inspires less viewer loyalty than a goofy sitcom in which the dog's name appears in the credits. Farewell "Empty Nest"...
GRADE: B-
The next season "Empty Nest" premiered right after "Golden Girls" with lightweight goon Richard Mulligan as Harry, a widowed doctor with two adult daughters still living in his home. (NOTE: This is the only part of the series that bothered me: How can you call a show 'Empty Nest' in which both adult daughters live at home? I guess producers liked the premise but found the execution too depressing. The title "Full House" would have made just as much sense.)
Dinah Manoff was the semi-bangable neurotic and Kristy McNicol the semi-bangable tough cookie. Park Overall is Harry's nurse/receptionist with a Southern accent and husky voice. David Leisure plays neighbor Charlie, a variant on his smooth-talking, lying "Joe Isuzu" character. A Golden Girl stops by twice a season to borrow an egg and remind us they live right next door and life goes on...
"Empty Nest" had decent laughs, decent performances... it was a pleasant filler to pass the time. I long for the days when television could afford to be this gentle... today most shows begin with the discovery of a corpse and end with confessions of lurid sex. It's cheap, and common, and inspires less viewer loyalty than a goofy sitcom in which the dog's name appears in the credits. Farewell "Empty Nest"...
GRADE: B-