Charlie & Co.
Charlie & Co.
| Charlie & Co. | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | ''Charlie & Company'' |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Allan Katz |
| Starring | Flip Wilson Gladys Knight Kristoff St. John Fran Robinson Jaleel White Della Reese |
| Theme music composer | Merald "Bubba" Knight Gladys Knight Sam Dees |
| Opening theme | "Family", performed by Gladys Knight |
| Composer(s) | Perry Botkin, Jr. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Originallanguage(s) | English |
| No.of seasons | 1 |
| No.of episodes | 18 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, California |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Productioncompany(s) | Allan Katz Productions Bob Henry Productions 20th Century Fox Television |
| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 18, 1985 – May 16, 1986 |
Charlie & Co. (also known as Charlie & Company) is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1985 to May 16, 1986. Created by Allan Katz, the series stars Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight. Charlie & Co. is regarded as CBS's answer to The Cosby Show, which was a ratings success for NBC at the time.[1] Unlike The Cosby Show, which ran for eight seasons, Charlie & Co. lasted only one.
| Charlie & Co. | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | ''Charlie & Company'' |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Allan Katz |
| Starring | Flip Wilson Gladys Knight Kristoff St. John Fran Robinson Jaleel White Della Reese |
| Theme music composer | Merald "Bubba" Knight Gladys Knight Sam Dees |
| Opening theme | "Family", performed by Gladys Knight |
| Composer(s) | Perry Botkin, Jr. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Originallanguage(s) | English |
| No.of seasons | 1 |
| No.of episodes | 18 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, California |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Productioncompany(s) | Allan Katz Productions Bob Henry Productions 20th Century Fox Television |
| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 18, 1985 – May 16, 1986 |
Synopsis
The series follows a middle class African American family who lived on the South Side of Chicago.
Charlie Richmond (Flip Wilson) is a black middle-class employee of the Division of Highways, who juggled his work and home life with his wife, Diana, a schoolteacher played by Gladys Knight. The couple had three children: sixteen-year-old "Junior" (Kristoff St. John), fifteen-year-old Lauren (Fran Robinson), and nine-year-old Robert (Jaleel White). Della Reese joined the cast during the latter half of the first season as Charlie's sister-in-law, Aunt Rachel.
CBS cancelled the series in May 1986.[2]
Cast
Flip Wilson as Charles "Charlie" Richmond
Gladys Knight as Diana Richmond
Kristoff St. John as Charlie "Junior" Richmond, Jr.
Fran Robinson as Lauren Richmond
Jaleel White as Robert Richmond
Della Reese as Aunt Rachel (1986)
Ray Girardin as Walter Simpson
Richard Karron as Milton Bieberman
Kip King as Ronald Sandler
Terence McGovern as Jim Coyle
Eddie Velez as Miguel Santana
Heidi Levine as Emily Coyle
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Alan Rafkin | Allan Katz | September 18, 1985 | 6S79 |
| Charlie is asked by Junior to speak at Career Day at his school. All is well until Charlie freezes up with a case of stage fright. Recording date: April 04, 1985[3][4] | |||||
| 2 | "Easy for You to Say" | Alan Rafkin | Michael Kagan | September 25, 1985 | 6S01 |
| Charlie faces difficult tasks on the home front: he has to cancel the family's camping trip due to work—and Lauren wants to discuss sex. Recording date: August 13, 1985[5] | |||||
| 3 | "Muggers or Us" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | October 2, 1985 | 6S03 |
| Charlie wants Diana to transfer to another school after there's an incident of vandalism at her school. | |||||
| 4 | "Buddy Can You Spare My Dime?" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | October 9, 1985 | 6S02 |
| Charlie struggles to find the nerve to ask for the money his boss owes him, while the family struggles through Diana's nutrition campaign. | |||||
| 5 | "The World According to Jim" | Alan Rafkin | Michael Kagan | October 16, 1985 | 6S05 |
| Charlie and Diana soon regret letting Charlie's co-worker move in during his marital spat. Recording date: September 17, 1985[6] | |||||
| 6 | "Like Father, Like Son" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | October 23, 1985 | 6S06 |
| Junior is sorely taxed by Charlie's sudden desire to be more of a pal than a father. | |||||
| 7 | "Will Be Around" | Alan Rafkin | Gary Gilbert | October 30, 1985 | 6S07 |
| The children are upset when Charlie talks of making out a will following a brush with death. Recording date: October 08, 1985[7] | |||||
| 8 | "Operation Richmond" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | November 6, 1985 | 6S08 |
| Just after the family decides to cut back on expenses, Charlie has to go into the hospital for an operation. | |||||
| 9 | "Happy Anniversary... Sort Of" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | November 13, 1985 | 6S09 |
| Charlie's behavior at a faculty party he and Diana attend threatens the celebration of their 20th anniversary. | |||||
| 10 | "For the Love of Lauren" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | November 27, 1985 | 6S10 |
| A jilted Lauren thinks all men are jerks, until she attends a concert with a consoling Miguel, the ladies' man of Charlie's office. | |||||
| 11 | "Who's Watching the Roads?" | Alan Rafkin | Bill Richmond | December 4, 1985 | 6S04 |
| Charlie's co-workers plan to take full advantage of their boss's absence, despite the fact that he left Charlie in charge. Recording date: September 10, 1985[8] | |||||
| 12 | "Silent Knight" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | December 11, 1985 | 6S12 |
| Charlie's looking forward to spending Christmas with his family, but Junior and Lauren have other ideas. | |||||
| 13 | "Beaus and Arrows" | Alan Rafkin | December 25, 1985 | 6S11 | |
| Diana's old college boyfriend returns. Recording date: November 12, 1985[9] | |||||
| 14 | "Here's Rachel" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | January 28, 1986 | 6S14 |
| Della Reese joins the cast as Aunt Rachel. | |||||
| 15 | "Rachel and the Stranger" | Alan Rafkin | Liz Sage | April 25, 1986 | 6S17 |
| After a burglary, Aunt Rachel is too scared to return alone to her apartment, so Diana volunteers Charlie to stay overnight with her. | |||||
| 16 | "When You Least Expect It" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | May 2, 1986 | 6S16 |
| The family knows that Diana has something on her mind, but she won't talk until she's sure—that she's pregnant. | |||||
| 17 | "Don't Take My Son... Please" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | May 9, 1986 | 6S15 |
| Bored with school, Junior decides to join the Army. | |||||
| 18 | "Rent and Rave" | Alan Rafkin | TBA | N/A | 6S13 |
| The Richmonds face a rent increase. | |||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Young Supporting Actor in a New Television Series | Jaleel White |
| Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series | Fran Robinson | |||
| Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series | Kristoff St. John | |||
| Best New Television Series - Comedy or Drama |