Goodnight, Beantown
Goodnight, Beantown is an American sitcom that aired on CBS for two brief seasons in 1983 and 1984.
| Goodnight, Beantown | |
|---|---|
 Opening title | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | AJ Carothers |
| Written by | AJ Carothers Elias Davis Bill Greer Kathy Greer Steve Kline Ron Osborn David Pollock Jeff W. Reno |
| Directed by | Alan Bergmann Peter Baldwin Alan Bergmann Bill Bixby Kim Friedman David Nelson Will Mackenzie Dick Martin Bob Sweeney Harry Winer |
| Starring | Bill Bixby Mariette Hartley |
| Composer(s) | Dennis McCarthy |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bill Bixby Paul Treva Brandon AJ Carothers |
| Producer(s) | Elias Davis Charles B. Fitzsimons Bill Greer Kathy Greer David Pollock |
| Cinematography | Richard C. Glouner |
| Running time | 30 mins. |
| Production company(s) | Bixby-Brandon Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | April 2, 1983 – January 15, 1984 |
Synopsis
The series starred Bill Bixby as Matt Cassidy and Mariette Hartley as Jennifer Barnes, two news anchors at WYN-TV, a fictional television station in Boston, Massachusetts. Matt is the station's evening news anchor and a longtime fixture at the station. However, when his ratings begin to slide, the station management pairs the reluctant anchor with a female co-anchor, Jennifer.
The series follows their rocky relationship as they are not only co-workers, but are also across-the-hall neighbors in the same building. Although slightly antagonistic at work, they don't let that stand in their way of being attracted to one another.
The series title comes from Matt's sign off on the nightly newscasts, "Goodnight, Beantown."
Co-stars included Tracey Gold as the divorced Jennifer's daughter Susan and George Coe as station manager Dick Novak. Over the two seasons, Charles Levin, G. W. Bailey, Jim Staahl, Stephanie Faracy, and Todd Susman played their co-workers at WYN.
Bixby and Hartley had previously worked together in an episode of The Incredible Hulk, and at the time of making Goodnight, Beantown, Hartley was appearing in a series of television commercials for Polaroid cameras with James Garner.
The series first aired Sunday at 8:00 pm in the spring of 1983 for a limited run of five episodes. When it returned in the fall, it aired Sunday at 9:30 pm for 13 more episodes before being cancelled due to middling ratings.
Cast
- Bill Bixby...Matt Cassidy
- Mariette Hartley...Jennifer Barnes
- George Coe...Dick Novak
- Tracey Gold...Susan Barnes
- G. W. Bailey...Albert Addelson
- Stephanie Faracy...Valerie Wood
- Charles Levin...Sam Holliday
- Jim Staahl...Frank Fletcher
- Todd Susman...Augie Kleindab
US Television Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Start Date | End Date | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating | Tied With |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-83 | 5 | April 2, 1983 | April 30, 1983 | 21 | 18.6[1] | "Knots Landing" |
| 1983-84 | 13 | October 2, 1983 | January 15, 1984 | 34 | 16.6[2] | "Cheers" |
Episode guide
Season 1 (1983)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Harry Winer | AJ Carothers | April 2, 1983 |
| 2 | 2 | "The-Out-of-Towner" | Harry Winer | Elias Davis & David Pollock | April 9, 1983 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Source" | Harry Winer | Steve Kline | April 16, 1983 |
| 4 | 4 | "Custody" | Peter Baldwin | AJ Carothers | April 23, 1983 |
| 5 | 5 | "Please Stand By" | Peter Baldwin | Steve Kline | April 30, 1983 |
Season 2 (1983–84)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | "Hooking for Mr. Goodbar" | Bill Bixby | Bill Greer & Kathy Greer | October 2, 1983 |
| 7 | 2 | "What's Good for the Goose" | Harry Winer | Ron Osborn & Jeff Reno | October 9, 1983 |
| 8 | 3 | "A Felon Needs a Girl" | Bill Bixby | Kathy Greer & Bill Greer | October 16, 1983 |
| 9 | 4 | "Invasions of Privacy" | Alan Bergmann | AJ Carothers | October 23, 1983 |
| 10 | 5 | "Popsicle" | Dick Martin | Bill Greer & Kathy Greer | October 30, 1983 |
| 11 | 6 | "Our Man in the Slammer" | Will Mackenzie | Bill Greer & Kathy Greer | November 6, 1983 |
| 12 | 7 | "Looking Forward to the Past" | Kim Friedman | Ron Osborn & Jeff Reno | November 20, 1983 |
| 13 | 8 | "Valerie's Fan" | Bob Sweeney | Ron Osborn & Jeff Reno | December 4, 1983 |
| 14 | 9 | "Happy Medium" | Kim Friedman | Ron Osborn & Jeff Reno | December 11, 1983 |
| 15 | 10 | "Peace on Earth" | Bill Bixby | Steve Kline & Ron Osborn & Jeff Reno | December 25, 1983 |
| 16 | 11 | "The Consumer's Best Friend" | David Nelson | Gibson Carothers | January 1, 1984 |
| 17 | 12 | "Lost and Foundering" | Bob Sweeney | Bill Greer & Kathy Greer | January 8, 1984 |
| 18 | 13 | "An Old Flame Flickers" | Harry Winer | A.J. Carothers | January 15, 1984 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Mariette Hartley |
| 1984 | Young Artist Award | Winner | Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Tracey Gold |
| Best New Television Series | ||||