80s TV Ladies

Susan and Sharon are thrilled to sit down with award-winning singer, songwriter, actress -- and stuntwoman -- Marneen Fields. As a gymnast, swimmer and stuntwoman in the 1970s and 80s, Marneen’s career sky-rocketed with roles on Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Lou Grant, Quincy, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Man from Atlantis, The Fall Guy, Murder She Wrote, Dynasty -- as well as the Clint Eastwood film The Gauntlet.But it was only after a devastating car accident ended her career as a stuntwoman that Marneen found her way back into life by finally embracing her childhood dream of writing and singing songs.  Her story is one of resilience, renewal -- and the power of persevering when life’s challenges seem overwhelming.THE CONVERSATIONFIRST BASS: What do you do when you’re the littlest girl in school -- but end up having to playing biggest instrument -- the stringed bass?How a background in gymnastics led Marneen directly into her career as a stuntwoman.IN DEMAND: As an experienced stuntwoman in Hollywood, Marneen’s phone rang off the hook for 15 years.THE FALL GIRL: In 1976-77, Marneen was one of the top stuntwomen in the world.ROSES FROM BRUCE: One of her favorite acting jobs was playing Lee Stetson’s long-lost love “Dorothy” on Scarecrow & Mrs. King.FALLING FOR “QUINCY”: What is it like doing a high-fall off a 76-story building in puffy slippers and a negligee?!?The secret of being a successful stuntwoman? Look like a lot of famous actresses!Getting pushed out of a jet by James Garner!Getting punched off a train by Clint Eastwood!PERFECT PITCH: Marneen’s love for music survives her near total hearing loss in both ears.Just as her acting career was taking off, Marneen was involved in a car accident that nearly took her life -- and led to over a decade of operations and excruciating pain. But on the other end was a whole new life in music…So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marneen -- as they talk Shirley Jones, Battlestar Galactica, scuba diving, dating stuntmen, mouth-to-mouth with Patrick Duffy -- and “becoming the broken-hearted songwriter I was meant to be!”AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind all of Marneen’s work on Facebook.And Instagram at Instagram.com/HeavenlyWaterfallProductions.Find Marneen’s book The Illusive Craft of Acting at Amazon.Get more info and help support Marneen’s film, Who’s Going To Take Care of Me? at Crowdfundr.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORSFind help or ways to help at AbortionFunds.orgSupport Democracy at DemocracyDocket.comSupport freedoms at ACLU.orgREMEMBER: Make sure your vote counted. Track your ballot at Vote.orgThis year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

There is no fandom like the Scarecrow & Mrs. King fandom -- passionate, dedicated and absolutely obsessed with red hats, train stations, the Q bureau, and Cream-&-Wood 1983 Ford LTD Country Squire Station Wagons.In this episode, Susan and Sharon meet up with super-fans Taya Johnston, Jennifer Peterson and Miranda Thomas from The Mrs. King’s Chronicles, a re-watch podcast about -- what else? -- Scarecrow & Mrs. King! From Beaverton, Oregon… to Clarkston, Michigan… to Florence, Kentucky -- these three women (plus their fourth partner, Lexie Fiema who couldn’t make the recording) know their SMK! In this fast-moving and funny conversation, you’ll find out everything you ever wanted to know about podcasting, Amanda King, Lee Stetson and Firefly -- but were afraid to ask… THE CONVERSATIONWhat do you do when you want to spend more time with your friends and your favorite show?  The answer is easy -- you do a podcast!GETTING HOOKED ON SMK: sometimes it’s in college, sometimes it’s a commercial, sometimes… it’s your mom!IT WAS A THING: recording your favorite shows onto cassette tape so you could listen to them later.Lexie -- the “90s Baby” of the podcast -- wants to know why Lee and Amanda don’t use their cell phones more often. And what’s up with the “two Germanys” thing?PODCAST PIONEER: Miranda has also done internet radio and podcasts about Firefly and Felicity and Alias and Heroes and Chuck!Why do certain shows inspire rabid fandom? And others… not so much.SUBURBAN SPY: The compelling fantasy wish-fulfillment of “Being Mrs. King.”At the “Hollywood Show” fan meet-up: Bruce Boxleitner had his own fanboy moment when he saw TV’s “Batman” -- Adam West. But he never got to meet him because he refused to cut in line in front of other fans…THE ELECTRIC CAMPFIRE: How television -- and now podcasts -- became our place of communal story-telling and shared emotional connection.Ship of Spies? Was there really an SMK cruise? Did anyone get married? Go to a strip club?So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Taya and Jennifer and Miranda! -- as they talk 80s retro-love, podcast tangents, Dungeons & Dragons, Miami strip clubs, sweater vests, the Star Wars Christmas Special, living in the Matrix -- and throwing rocks at Cincinnati! AUDIO-OGRAPHYListen to the Mrs. King’s Chronicles podcast at MKCPodcast.com  Check out Taya’s website CallMeaCab.comFind Miranda’s Firefly podcast at Serenityfirefly.comFind out more about Columbia Willamette River Keepers Willamette-riverkeeper.orgGet The Ultimate Fan’s Guide to Scarecrow & Mrs. King at Amazon.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. VOTEThe Presidential Election is Tuesday, November 5!Get info and find your polling place at Vote.orgThis year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

“Katie and I, our relationship could be a little exciting -- I had to watch my step, I had to toe the line. I had to behave myself or I’d get taken to the principal’s office... And she was the principal.” -- Bruce BoxleitnerIn Part Two of their conversation, Bruce reflects on the differences between doing TV then and now, his relationship with Kate Jackson -- and how the long hours can sometimes turn your co-stars into your family…Bruce Boxleitner’s television career started way back in 1973 with an appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and he has since appeared in over 100 films and TV shows including Gunsmoke, Baretta, Police Woman, Hawaii 5-0, Babylon 5, Crossing Jordan, Commander in Chief, American Dad, Cold Case, Heroes, Chuck, NCIS, Supergirl, The Orville, When Calls The Heart, How The West Was Won, Bring ‘Em Back Alive, The Gambler and Tron.THE CONVERSATIONTHE UGLY SIDE OF LEE STETSON: When Lee slaps Amanda in “Burn Out” (S2; EP.21) What was going on? --  “Kate said, “Hit me.” It was no fun. I didn’t enjoy doing it at all.”ON THE JAZZ: In Europe, Mel Stuart -- a saxophonist -- fell in with some local jazz musicians and ended up sitting-in in clubs all over Munich.DOUBLE TROUBLE: Bruce finds out the strange reason his stunt double Gary Davis did the pilot’s helicopter stunts with no safety cable!On doing network TV: “This is where I come off sounding like a grumpy old man, but in my day, we had fun. Nobody is having fun anymore. Because we have cell phones on the set, everyone’s on their cell phone. No one’s talking.”WHO CAN TURN THE WORLD ON WITH HIS SMILE? Bruce got his first gig on The Mary Tyler Moore Show because the producer owed his agent a favor.On doing a streaming series: “I’m doing a series now -- six episodes. They call that a series? I call it a two-parter.”Bruce gets a surprise walking onto the Gunsmoke set when he discovers the entire town is built inside a soundstage.On filming pilots: “George Clooney says he’s the king of the unsold pilots. Well, buddy, I’m the runner-up!”While shooting The Orville, Bruce finds out that the biggest SMK fan… is Seth McFarlane!How do you marry Lee and Amanda? Should you marry Lee and Amanda?So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Bruce -- as they talk How The West Was Won, Ted Knight, Tron, Juanita Bartlett, Susan Diol, Police Woman, and pranking Martha Smith -- and Kate Jackson -- AND Beverly Garland… and the sad, tragic life of “Dean, the Boyfriend”!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.comFollow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruceFollow him at Twitter.com/BoxleitnerBruceCatch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruceWatch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on TubiGet The Ultimate Fan’s Guide to Scarecrow & Mrs. King by David Johnson, Taya Johnston and Sabine Ludewig at Amazon. CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.We're a 2024 Podcast Award Winner! We WON for Best Film & TV. Thank you everyone who voted!VOTEREMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgMake a plan to Vote. Check out Ballot Ready.This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan’s new play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

“Kate was able to go off script. Then I found I could go with her. Pretty soon we’re doing stuff that is not on the written page. That’s where we found the little ‘in-between’ moments.”  - Bruce BoxleitnerSusan and Sharon are so excited to talk with the star of one of their favorite 80s TV shows of all time -- Bruce Boxleitner from Scarecrow & Mrs. King!  Bruce’s television career started way back in 1973 with an appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He has since appeared in over 100 films and TV shows including Gunsmoke, Baretta, Police Woman, Hawaii 5-0, Babylon 5, Crossing Jordan, Commander in Chief, American Dad, Cold Case, Heroes, Chuck, NCIS, Supergirl, The Orville, When Calls The Heart, How The West Was Won, Bring ‘Em Back Alive, The Gambler and Tron.In Part One of this two-part interview, Bruce reflects on getting the role of Lee Stetson, working with Kate Jackson and the cast of Scarecrow & Mrs. King and filming some of the show’s most memorable episodes during the summer of 1984 in Europe.THE CONVERSATIONGETTING THE SHOW: "I was in a daze. I ended up on the roof... The security guard down below: 'What are you doing up there?' 'I don't know!'"UN-“HAPPY DAYS”: How Bring ‘Em Back Alive fought a losing battle on Tuesday nights against Richie Cunningham and the Fonz… But how it led to Bruce’s most famous TV role of all time!CALLING ALL SPIES: What was it like auditioning with Kate Jackson -- in front of the same executives that just cancelled his last show?On Mel Stuart: “He was the best. I miss him so much. He made me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever worked with.”THE OLD CAR: Driving that ’63 Porsche Speedster around Washington, D.C. during the pilot: “It died after every take.”THE NEW CAR: a 1984 Corvette: “It fit me like a pair of fiberglass pants.”Gary Davis -- Bruce’s secret stunt double -- did all Lee Stetson’s stunts, and doubled for Bruce more times than you might think.NOT TOO MANY GUNFIGHTS AT 8PM: The Scarecrow editors assembled a gag reel of all the times top agent Lee Stetson lost his gun.SAVING MS. SMITH: While filming in Munich, Bruce and Martha Smith walked into the wrong punk bar. Bruce got her out -- but only after throwing some Stetson-style punches!Working in the Alps and in Amanda's house with Jean Stapleton -- “I wish she could have done more episodes.”One of Bruce’s favorite episodes? S2; EP1 “To Catch a Mongoose”S2; EP21: “Burn Out” -- and the scene where Lee slaps Amanda. How did that feel for Kate -- and Bruce?So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Bruce -- as they talk Beverly Garland, James Garner, quirky humor, Scotland Yard, Lee Stetson’s wardrobe, “When should we kiss?”  -- and what happened the day Moonlighting premiered!Make sure to join us NEXT EPISODE for Part Two of our conversation with Bruce Boxleitner!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Bruce Boxleitner at Facebook.com Follow him at Instagram.com/BoxleitnerBruceCatch him on Cameo at Cameo.com/BoxleitnerBruceWatch S2, Ep. 21: Burn out on TubiRead the NY Times review of Bruce’s 1973 Broadway play debut, Status Quo Vadis. And guess who else was in the cast? (Hint: Sam from Cheers!)   CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEWe're a 2024 Podcast Award Winner! We WON for Best Film & TV. Thank you Podcast Awards!REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgMake a plan to Vote. Check out Ballot Ready.This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Read Susan’s new play about the speech and the confidence it takes to be president in challenging times: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

‘The Princess Diaries’, ‘Romy & Michelle’, ‘10 Things I Hate About You’, ‘Clueless’… Whenever I think my work doesn’t mean anything to anyone at any time and never will… somebody says to me, ‘Those movies -- I watched them and I showed them to my kid.” -- Casting Director Marcia RossIn Part Two of our conversation with Casting Director Marcia Ross, Susan and Sharon discuss the changing business of Hollywood, favorite finds, shrinking budgets, and going from in-person auditions -- to auditioning on tape -- to just clicking on a link…      Casting Director Marcia Ross has been instrumental in putting together amazing ensembles for classic films and TV shows since 1983. Susan and Sharon sit down this week with Ms. Ross to go behind the scenes and discover exactly how today’s “unknown” turns into tomorrow’s “big discovery” -- and who makes it happen. Among the young actors Marcia is credited with discovering: Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, Paul Rudd, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Garner and Amy Poehler.THE CONVERSATIONTo cast the pilot of Models Inc. , they auditioned “one thousand women” -- including Carrie Anne Moss!Angelina Jolie didn’t get cast -- because she “didn’t have the right look” according to Aaron Spelling.8TL's own producer Melissa Roth worked on Models Inc, too -- as a camera assistant!Casting Princess Diaries: Anne Hathaway was perfect because “you had to believe she could be both things. (a real person and a princess)”Chris Pine in Princess Diaries 2: “He read for me and I was like, “Can you come back this afternoon?” He was an unknown, but within a day he had the part.The challenge of casting sequels -- how are you gonna get everyone back?BURNING BRIDGES: How do you tell your star Jeff Bridges that the actress he wants you to cast… just isn’t right?Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion -- Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino got the lead roles … but SNL's Will Ferrel and Chris Kattan ended up on the cutting room floor.“It’s a hard business. And it’s hard to have longevity because people always want the next new thing.”So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marcia -- as they talk Jean Smart, Jeremy Renner, Lizzie McGuire, Julie Andrews, Johnny Depp, Scarecrow & Mrs. King -- and watching The Flintstones Friday nights at 7:30!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Marcia Ross and Jeff Kaufman’s documentary film work at FloatingWorldPictures.com.To see Nasrin, go to NasrinFilm.comWatch the Terrence McNally documentary Every Act of Life on YouTube, Amazon, or Apple.or search on Roku.Need some 80s TV Ladies merch?!? Check out our GRAND OPENING SALE.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.BREAKING NEWSWe just won Best TV & Film podcast at the People’s Choice Podcast Awards!Thank you to all who voted and to all our listeners and guests.VOTERegistration deadlines are coming up! Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgHappy 100th Birthday to President Jimmy Carter! Get Susan’s new play about Carter's White House in 1979: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

“An actor is either compelling -- or they are NOT compelling. Doesn’t matter if they’re green. You want to watch them. That’s what makes them a star. How do I know? I just feel it.”  -- Marcia Ross, Casting DirectorHow did “Clueless” and “Princess Diaries” and “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion” find their leads? Casting Director Marcia Ross has been instrumental in putting together amazing ensembles for classic films and TV shows since 1983.Susan and Sharon sit down this week with Ms. Ross to go behind the scenes and discover exactly how today’s “unknown” turns into tomorrow’s “big discovery” -- and who makes it happen. Among the young actors Marcia is credited with discovering: Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, Paul Rudd, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Garner and Amy Poehler.THE CONVERSATIONChanning Tatum’s first audition! He didn’t get the part. But the next time Marcia saw him, it worked out better: Step Up.Casting Andre Braugher -- and how a single note changed the audition from flat, to making a roomful of people cry.10 Things I Hate About You -- Gabrielle Union was the only person who auditioned for her role.HEATH LEDGER GETS A SECOND CHANCE: The first time around he just didn’t have it. Marcia gave him one more chance: “Be prepared!” It made all the difference.DARE TO PIVOT: How she made the transition to producing documentaries: meeting Terrance McNally -- and then filming him…THE SCIENCE OF THE ENSEMBLE: thirtysomething -- it started with Ken Olin. But it when Mel Harris came in, it was all about chemistry…So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Marcia -- as they talk Chita Rivera, Cujo, Angela Lansbury, same-sex marriage, Paul Rudd, Nathan Lane, human rights in Iran -- and finally getting a casting director academy award category!!And stay tuned for PART 2. Casting in the 80s, Jeff Bridges and more!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind out more about Marcia Ross and Jeff Kaufman’s documentary film work at https://www.floatingworldpictures.com/about-us Need some 80s TV Ladies merch?!? Check out our GRAND OPENING SALE.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.BREAKING NEWSWe just won Best TV & Film podcast at the People’s Choice Podcast Awards!Thank you to all who voted and to all our listeners and guests.VOTERegistration deadlines are coming up! Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgHappy 100th Birthday to President Jimmy Carter! Get Susan’s new play about Carter's White House in 1979: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

Welcome to Season 3!Sharon and Susan kick off a new season with Jennifer Keishan Armstrong, the New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything, When Women Invented Television, Sex and the City and Us, and Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted. Jennifer writes about entertainment and pop culture for the New York Times Book Review, Fast Company, Vulture, BBC Culture, and Entertainment Weekly. Her latest book So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We're Still So Obsessed with It) was published this year.In this fascinating interview, Jennifer takes us behind the scenes with four different women who, in their own ways, invented television: Irma Phillips, Hazel Scott, Gertrude Berg -- and Betty White. Each of them faced sexism -- and racism -- but triumphed during a time when opportunities for women in television were limited -- but strangely also more open than you may think….THE CONVERSATIONHow The Mary Tyler Moore Show gave a voice to women everywhere when they gave a voice to a host of female TV writers.The Oprah of the 1950’s was… Gertrude Berg?The Beyoncé of the 1940s was... reknowned Black jazz pianist, Hazel Scott.Find out how Scott became the first Black person to host a national primetime  television show -- in 1950.The character of Suanne Nivens that Betty White played on The Mary Tyler Moore Show was based on a woman who did a LIVE Homemaking Show played by… Betty White!Irma Phillips was asked to make something that would appeal to women -- so she invented the Soap Opera.Phillips created As The World Turns -- AND the longest running show of all time, The Guiding Light.Gertrude Berg’s ground-breaking sitcom about a Jewish family -- The Goldbergs -- was so successful that it was considered to be the lead-in for a new, untested show that might need some help -- I Love Lucy.Why was 1955 the death knell of women working in television -- both in front of AND behind the camera?According to network executives in 1969, what were the THREE THINGS Americans didn’t want to see on television?How The Mary Tyler Moore Show made Ed Asner a feminist.So join Susan and Sharon -- and Jennifer -- as they talk “fat farms”, Mean Girls, the Black List, Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Shonda Rhimes, Father Knows Best -- and “On Wednesdays we wear pink”!AUDIO-OGRAPHYFind Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at her website, jenniferkarmstrong.com.Buy The Women Who Invented Television (and all Jennifer’s books) at Bookshop.org.Find Jennifer on Instagram.Find Women Who Invented Television at YouTube:Watch The Betty White Show (1954)Watch Betty White in her sitcom, Life with Elizabeth.Learn more about Hazel Scott.The Goldbergs with Gertrude Berg, Episode: “A Sad Day”Check out an Irma Phillips episode of The Guiding Light (1952). CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. VOTEWe're NOMINATED for Best Film & TV Podcast.Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies at Women in Podcasting Awards.REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgThis year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

In this special bonus episode, Susan, Sharon and Melissa spill a few secrets about our upcoming season and fun guests coming soon to 80s TV Ladies. Can you guess what female-driven television shows from the 1980s we’ll be covering in our upcoming season?THE CONVERSATIONDo we know what we did this summer? How was your summer?What is that feeling in the air? Is it hope?!! Are you ready to Vote?Does Melissa even want to talk about her summer?Okay, for real: what shows are we gonna cover in Season THREE?!Can you guess the shows?The Vickie Lawrence-starring, Carol Burnett Show spin-off sitcom, Mama’s Family.You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have… The Facts of Life.Yes! And finally yes: The Golden Girls!What are the recurring themes we are discovering through Season 1 and 2 interviews?Yes, there will be more special series guests this season: More Director Ladies, Star Trek Ladies, Stunt Ladies and more surprises!So join us as we spill Season Three secrets about what guests we will for sure be talking to: like Mama’s Family’s Dorothy Lyman and Eric Brown, women in television expert and pop-culture author, Jennifer Keishan Armstrong. And can you guess who will be our very special guest from The Golden Girls?AUDIO-OGRAPHYRead about our first guest for Season 3: Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at jenniferkarmstrong.com Get info on Jennifer’s books and prep for episode 301:Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic at Jennifer's website. When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishan Armstrong at Bookshop. At Barnes & Noble. At Amazon.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.VOTEWe're NOMINATED for Best Entertainment Podcast. Please VOTE for 80s TV Ladies in the Entertainment category at Women in Podcasting Awards.REMEMBER: Register or Check your US Election Registration at Vote.orgThis year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

"One of the things I love about looking back at 80s television is you get to see some early and amazing young stars and very exciting stunt casting."It's Guest Stars Galore on 80s TV Ladies! We're taking a nostalgic trip back to the iconic 80s sitcom "A Different World." Susan and Sharon debate -- and celebrate -- the amazing roster of guest stars that walked the halls of Hillman College during the six seasons of A Different World. As one of the only black-centered shows of its time, A Different World was in many ways “the only game in town” for a certain generation of black performers, and under show-runner Debbie Allen it became a real showcase for black celebrities who -- even in the 80’s and 90’s -- didn’t have as many opportunities when it came to network television exposure.Legendary performers—such as Lena Horne, Josephine Premice, Patti LaBelle, Diahann Carroll, Robert Guillaume, Gladys Knight—and modern stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Raven Symone, Halle Berry… and Tupac Shakur—found a spotlight. Susan and Sharon get out their red pens and grade books and fight it out, narrowing down who will finally be “Best in Class” -- The Top Ten Guest Stars of A Different World!THE CONVERSATIONTHE TOP TWO: How Patti LaBelle and Diahann Carroll are so hilarious -- and perfectly cast -- as the moms of Dwayne and Whitley: two parents from very “different worlds”.Whoopi Goldberg was the secret weapon that allowed the show to do an “AIDS Episode” (“If I Should Die Before I Wake” S4; EP23). Once she signed on, the network couldn’t say no. It became the highest rated episode of the season.Josephine Premice played the art dealer that Whitley works for in S4 -- and is the mother of writer/showrunner Susan Fales-Hill! (She later plays Dwayne and Whitley’s landlord in S6!)The beautiful Billy Dee Williams plays a former baseball player (S6; EP23) who decides to finish college -- and ends up in the classroom of his old flame: Leslie Uggams!But is it a true 80s TV Ladies show? Sharon calls out showrunner Debbie Allen. She directed 83 episodes of the show (104 were directed by women) and steered it through most of its run.Jennifer Lewis -- as Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davidson -- hits the heights in the Lena Horne Episode -- “A Rock, A River, A Lena” (S6; E22)Susan calls out Gladys Knight in “Three Girls Three” (S2; EP5) -- a classic 80’s stunt casting coup that is everything you want it to be!Can you believe it? Susan also loves a very “guy-centric” episode: “Citizen Wayne” (S2; EP21) -- starring Jesse Jackson. But this isn’t on Sharon’s list for reasons…Who are the TWO GUEST STARS who get cut from the list? One is a guy… And one is… ALSO A GUY!So -- join Susan and Sharon as they talk Brian’s Song, Kris Kross, Tisha Campbell, high-kicks, the “Evolution of Whitley,” Gilbert Gottfried, “checking the gate” -- and showering with Blair Underwear (we mean Under-wood!).AUDIOGRAPHYFind out more about “A Different World College Tour 2024” at adwtour.com.Read about Whoopi Goldberg and the A Different World AIDS episode at Hollywood Reporter.Read an oral history of A Different World in Vanity Fair.Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.Find out more about A Different World at the official Facebook page.Check out Tammy at the true-crime podcast: Grits with a Side of Murder.Sign up to nominate 80s TV Ladies for a Podcast Award! Go here to sign up & nominate us.We're in the running for Best TV & Film and Best Female Hosted podcast!PS - You can also vote in other categories for our pals at Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf, SoCal Voices and Grits With a Side of Murder!CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts on our host sight, Weirding Way Media.It's the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

The 90s TV Babies are back to examine the 80s sensation A Different World!Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble signed up for classes at Hillman College TV. But now it’s time for finals. This will ALL be on the test. Professors Lambert and Johnson assigned these episodes to watch: S1: E1 -- “Pilot”S2: E1 -- “Dr. War Is Hell”S2: E20 -- “No Means No”S6: E9 & 10 -- “Faith, Hope and Charity: Part One and Two”So -- will the Babies return for another semester at Hillman College? Or will they drop out? Find out -- right now!THE CONVERSATIONPREGNANCY ROULETTE: Serita is stunned by how much “pee” is involved in getting pregnant.Megan knew nothing about A Different World -- had never seen a single episode.Sergio has binged all of Seasons 1 & 2 - and helped Susan and Sharon create social media for the podcast.For Serita, A Different World has been a part of her TV life pretty much since she was born. She’s seen the whole series, front to back, multiple times.The Babies know OF “The Cosby Show” -- but none of them ever watched it!SERGIO THE RULE-BREAKER: As a little kid he watched Nick-at-Night even though he wasn’t supposed to.Megan LOVED A Different World -- and was surprised by how much the show CHANGED every season…SERITA’S HOT TAKE: You can skip Season One -- the “Lisa Bonet” Season. Sergio disagrees.Serita calls out how grounded the show is -- while still having “wacky” episodes tossed in for spice!Sergio: “Can we please go back to TV shows with 23 episodes a season -- not 8?!?”Do Megan and Sergio agree about Jaleesa and her storyline?Serita’s favorite character is Whitley -- but she relates the most to Kim.Does this show need a reboot?NO MEANS NO: Megan thought the episode about sexual assault was excellent and totally on-point -- except for one key moment…So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Serita, Sergio and Megan -- as they talk Patti LaBelle, Diahann Carroll, AIDS, is it feminist and is it progressive? -- and all the ways to say “Shut Up!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.Check out Tammy at the true-crime podcast: Grits with a Side of Murder.Check out Serita’s podcast “Not Ugly Pod”.Find out about Megan’s “Shakespeare By The Sea” at Shakespearebythesea.orgFind out about Sergio’s production of “CinderAlice” at tinyurl.com/cinderalice.NOMINATE US FOR A PODCAST AWARD 2024You can help us win. We need your vote. Nominate 80s TV Ladies for a Podcast Award! Go here to register & nominate us. We're in the running for Best TV & Film and Best Female Hosted podcast!PS - You can also vote in other categories for our pals at Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf, SoCal Voices and Grits With a Side of Murder!CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

“A lot of production companies… who decide to do stories about people of color are not used to having the people of color they hire coming in with an opinion. Coming in contradicting them on certain things.” -- Neema Barnette, director, A Different WorldSusan and Sharon welcome legendary producer-director Neema Barnette to talk about her journey from Harlem to Hollywood. Ms. Barnette made history in 1986 when she became the first African-American woman to direct a prime-time sitcom (What’s Happening Now?). She followed this up with episodes of Frank’s Place, It’s A Living and The Cosby Show before directing seven episodes of A Different World. She has directed over 50 movies and television shows and was also the first African-American woman to get a three-picture deal with Sony Pictures.Neema was also the producer-director of Season One of Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar. She shares stories of making the transition from New York theater to Hollywood films and television, fighting the good fight for herself and others, and inspiring a new generation -- with the truth.THE CONVERSATIONHead of Columbia Pictures Barbara Corday took one look at Neema’s reel and said “Get this woman a job!”“I’ve had two jobs in my life. Directing and teaching. And they have a lot of similarities. ‘Sit down. Shut up. Move over.’Supportive words from the great Shirley Hemphill on the ground-breaking episode of What’s Happening Now?:  “We’ve got your back.”IN THE 60s: Getting Sherman’s BBQ and going to the Apollo from noon to midnight to see everyone -- especially Aretha Franklin.The troubles and battles with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and National Geographic during the making of Genius: Aretha.“When I was in college, I took a course called ‘Strategies For Revolution’. I took that course and I applied it when I came to Hollywood.”Directing The Cosby Show -- in the episode where Bill gets pregnant!Working with Tyra Ferrell, Mare Winningham, Rosilyn Heller and Gloria Steinem on Better Off Dead.Getting pulled away from teaching to do Queen Sugar. “The ratings came out and I started getting calls.”How Ava DuVernay changed the landscape of television by hiring only women directors on Queen Sugar -- and supporting their careers ongoing.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Neema -- as they talk Michael B. Jordan, Superfly, The Young Lords, Queen Latifah, Seventh Heaven, Pam Grier -- and “Cut--print that sucker!”AUDIOGRAPHYWatch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.Find Neema Barnette at instagram.com/neemafilms. On Twitter https://x.com/neemrick Watch Neema’s mini-docs on BlackHistoryMiniDocs.com.Check out Tammy at the true-crime podcast: Grits with a Side of Murder.Get & read Susan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.Abortion access in America is severely limited – Help or Get Help at AbortionFinder.org.CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for more.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

“You can be anything you want in this world, darling. But if you become an actress or a nun, I’ll kill myself.”   -- legendary actress Josephine Premice to her daughter, writer/producer Susan Fales-Hill.Susan and Sharon welcome writer and showrunner Susan Fales-Hill as they continue their look back at the classic 80’s comedy series A Different World. Ms. Fales-Hill’s writing career began on The Cosby Show and continued on A Different World where she rose from story editor all the way to executive producer during the course of the show’s seven-year run. Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Child Sexual Abuse. At approx. 53:00 - 58:00 short discussion of date rape and child sexual assault. Susan Fales-Hill is currently writer/executive producer on HBO’s Sex And The City sequel series And Just Like That. She is also the author of four books including her memoir "Always Wear Joy." Susan shares stories of growing up bi-racial in a show biz legacy family, how comedy comes from pain, and the help (and hinderances) she got from men, women and people of color along the way…THE CONVERSATIONBeing Whitley Gilbert’s alter ego: “She said a lot of the things I wanted to say -- but was too polite!"FINDING YOUR VOICE: Susan reflects on learning how to speak up in a writer’s room even though she was the youngest, newest writer -- and a woman.GO WEST YOUNG WOMAN: The “Big Move” from The Cosby Show in New York to A Different World in Los Angeles.THE IMPORTANCE OF A NEW POT: Sometimes you have to "re-plant" yourself to grow.HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARISA? The challenge of featuring a white character attending an HBCU.JUST A TIME SLOT SUCCESS? Some people grumbled that ADW only succeeded because it followed the massive hit The Cosby Show.How Debbie Allen insisted the show be topical -- and the surprise when Bill Cosby agreed.The story of how Susan personally got Diahann Carroll to be on the show.Being told by her agents after running a Top Ten show: “We can’t get you on a white show.”On the joy of casting your own mom -- singer, dancer, actress Josephine Premice.Susan reflects on which “issue” episodes worked -- and which ones maybe missed the mark (looking at you, Los Angeles Uprising…)The network was adamantly opposed to the “Los Angeles Uprising” episodes -- and some believe it signed the shows death warrant.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Susan -- as they talk pig noses, possible spin-offs, Billy Dee Williams, The Amistad, “Benevolent Karens”, Jennifer Lewis… and the danger of saying “shut up” to your mom!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.Watch the classic 2-part Thanksgiving Episode “Faith, Hope & Charity” (S6; EP 9 & 10) -- with Diahann Carroll AND Patti LaBelle! on HBO Max.Get Susan Fales-Hill’s books and find out about all her projects at SusanFales-Hill.com.Watch Susan Fales-Hill “In Praise of Complexity” at the Met Museum "Met Speaks".CONNECTVisit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts and more.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Support our show and get ad-free episodes on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

Sharon and Susan begin an all-new series of episodes looking at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom A Different World (1987-1993). This Cosby Show spin-off starred Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Charnele Brown, Dawn Lewis and Marissa Tomei. It explored the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, and addressed issues such as race, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and equal rights while still keeping the laughs coming. In 1988, Lisa Bonet and Marissa Tomei left the show and a new showrunner was brought on -- the legendary actress, producer, director and choreographer Debbie Allen.To help kick off this in-depth look at A Different World, we welcome A Different World fan and amazing “2020s TV Lady” -- writer, producer and author Niceole Levy.  Niceole’s numerous TV writing/producing credits include Cloak and Dagger, Shades of Blue, SWAT, The Recruit and Found. She is the co-writer, along with George Nolfi, of the 2020 feature film The Banker. She has also written a book for aspiring TV writers called "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide."THE CONVERSATION80s TV made marriage look easy and fun -- cuz the couples were usually crime solving millionaires!How watching every syndicated show on TV -- Perry Mason, I Love Lucy, Marcus Welby, Dick Van Dyke Show, Ironside -- prepares you for a life of TV writing.Everything retro is new again: Getting that first gig -- with Blair Underwood -- on the 2013 re-boot of Ironside!Niceole’s advice for getting into TV and film -- DON’T GO TO FILM SCHOOL!For Niceole -- and so many others -- A Different World’s Hillman College was her first exposure to an HBCU.RUN THE NUMBERS: 20 of the 47 writers on ADW were women!SEASON 2 RE-SET: How the addition of show-runner Debbie Allen re-ignited the series with a new sense of excitement and vitality.A DIFFERENT LOOK -- How A Different World achieved a bigger, more expansive look than other sitcoms of the time.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Niceole -- as they talk Miami Vice, watching 1,000 television shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,keeping a TV journal, Boyz II Men, dancing with Kamala Harris, scheduling your life around a TV show -- and the importance of not messing up the lunch order!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch A Different World -- streaming on MAX.Find out about Niceole at niceolelevy.com.Read her “What I Learned Watching 1,000 Television Shows” here. Buy Niceole Levy’s book "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide" at Bookshop.org.Get Susan’s President Carter play Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.Help Abortion Access at Abortionfinder.org.CONNECTSign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Follow 8TL on Facebook.Check out Instagram/80sTVLadies.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media. 

“I was quite set on theater. I was going to go out to Los Angeles for one year -- and that was it. Then I was going to go back to New York and devote myself to the theater. It didn’t work out that way.” -- Jan Eliasberg80s TV Ladies "Director Ladies" series continues as Susan and Sharon welcome legendary director Jan Eliasberg. Jan began her television director career in the 1980s with an episode of Cagney & Lacey -- and she went on to be the first female director ever on Miami Vice, Crime Story and 21 Jump Street. She has also directed episodes of Dirty Dancing, L.A. Law, Dawson’s Creek, Party of Five, Sisters, Parenthood, Nashville, Supernatural, Bull and NCIS: Los Angeles. Jan recently published her first novel, Hannah’s War.In this enlightening conversation, Jan discusses how the American Film Institute (AFI) and “The Original Six” opened up opportunities for her and other female directors; how to navigate directing a network television show for the first time -- and how courage, tenacity and little guile can make all the difference …THE CONVERSATIONHow do you get 10,000 hours of experience when directing requires so much time, money and people: Europe or Yale?What can Shakespeare and Ibsen teach you about directing TV? Everything…Frances McDormand, Angela Bassett, John Turturo, Tony Shalhoub and Courtney Vance -- how do you quickly figure out what different actors need to create great performances?What happens when you direct a play about South African apartheid in St. Louis in the early 1980s?On shadowing directors: “I’m already a director -- what am I doing watching these people? I mean, they’re good, but I’m good, too. And that was the kind of confidence -- or maybe you could say arrogance, fearlessness - -that it takes to go into a field that is predominantly male and actually make a dent and get a job.”How a twisty game of cat-and-mouse with Barney Rosensweig led to Jan’s first directing gig -- on Cagney & Lacey. (S5, EP13 -- “Act of Conscience”).Directing L.A. Law -- and David Kelly’s very first script!How asking others for advice is a gift that goes both ways.Directing two classic, fan-favorite episodes of Miami Vice.Jan gets her first feature film in 1988: How I Got Into College -- but you won’t believe what happened to her on Day Two of filming…Past Midnight -- working with the great Rutger Hauer and Natasha Richardson.Is the window for women directors opening or closing? Jan gives us her take.So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Jan -- as they talk Dennis Farina, Michael Moriarty, Rutger Hauer, Paul Giamatti, Daniel Craig, Meg Foster, Sela Ward, Swoosie Kurtz, Kirsten Dunst, George Clooney, Patricia Arquette, Stanley Tucci -- and creamsicles!AUDIOGRAPHYFind out more about Jan at JanEliasberg.com.Buy Jan’s new novel Hannah’s War at Bookshop.Read Michael Cieply's 1988 article on Jan and other fired women directors at LA Times.  80s TV LADIES NEWSCatch 90s TV Baby Serita Fontanesi’s “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

The Best Indie Podcast nomination IS the award!Susan and Sharon thank ALL the listeners who came out to support “80’s TV Ladies” as Best Indie Podcast for the WEBBY AWARDS. A big welcome to all our new listeners! And a sincere thank you to all who voted and to our listeners who reached out.  BIG THANKS to our friends who shouted us out, including:Chris Stachiw from Weirding Way Media Network and the Kulturecast Podcast.Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the Astonishing Legends podcast.Richard Hatem of Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf podcast.And an extra special thank you to TikTok superstar and creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire, and all his fans.  All of you went the extra mile to support us and bring new listeners to the show, so THANK YOU!And of course, the biggest thank you of all -- TO OUR LOYAL FANS!And listen in on the first official 8TL Mailbag, where we get feedback and answer questions and get feedback from you, our fans! PLUS --  an April 2024 “In Memorium Salute”.AUDIOGRAPHY Check out the Webby Nominee Press Release with our names and Michelle Obama. We’re 26 lines ABOVE Michelle Obama. Just saying.Watch Matt Baume’s YOUTUBE Channel episode “Bewitched: It Was Gay All Along?”Listen in on the new podcast, Richard Hatem’s Paranormal BookshelfAnd Chris Stachiw’s movie review podcast, The Kulturecast.Explore the world of Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess’s Astonishing Legends podcast.Find Dan Povenmire on TikTok And Twitter.Watch Hamster and Gretel and Phineas and Ferb.Abortion access in America is severely limited – if you need help go to Abortionfinder.org.CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us what shows we should cover at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

BREAKING: 80s TV Ladies has been nominated for a Webby Award! Help us win. VOTE HERE!  Back to our episode: Sharon and Susan burst into the Blue Moon Detective Agency and hire Maddie and David to help them answer ONE BURNING QUESTION: What are their Top 8 favorite episodes of the entire series?Maddie: “Eight? Eight? Why not ten?” David: “Can’t do it. It would make them too tens.”  In the words of Miss Dipesto: “We’re never late, we won’t make you wait, but if you want favorite episodes -- you only get eight!”1) The Pilot (S1; EP 1)2) The Next Murder You Hear (S1; EP 4)3) The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice (S2; EP 4)4) My Fair David (S2; EP 5)5) ‘Twas The Episode Before Christmas (S2; EP 10)6) Big Man on Mulberry Street (S3; EP 6)7) Atomic Shakespeare (but only for one of them!) (S3; EP 7)8) It’s A Wonderful Job (but only for one of them!) (S3; EP 8)9) The Straight Poop (S3; EP 9)THE CONVERSATIONWHAT WAS HE THINKING? Glen Gordon Caron had a secret plan for what he wanted Moonlighting to do to network television: he wanted to kill the detective genre once and for all!Why were the seasons so short? Well, there was a little problem with getting episodes done on time...If Maddie was the “parent” and David was the “child” -- did David ever grow up?Is the show feminist? Or progressive? Susan and Sharon have thoughts!Why is the agency always broke? Maybe it’s all those people in the office who don’t do anything!That time when Susan got thrown off the set of The A-Team by George Peppard!Which Season of Moonlighting is the Moonlighting-est?What the hell happened with Season 4?? Warring stars, a missing showrunner -- and Die Hard!So join Susan and Sharon as they talk Dirk Benedict, Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Melissa’s candy, The Princess Bride -- and the challenges of producing a show AND a baby at the same time!AUDIOGRAPHYWhat are YOUR favorite Moonlighting episodes?  Let us know!!Watch Moonlighting on Hulu. On Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video. Check out Moonlighting: The Podcast.Read Moonlighting: An Episode Guide and Moonlighting: An Oral History. Both ON SALE at Tucker Press.  80s TV LADIES NEWSCatch 90s TV Baby Serita Fontanesi’s “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.80s TV Ladies is nominated for a Webby Award! Help us win. VOTE HERE!  CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us your fav Moonlighting episodes at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

Encore! Encore! In celebration of the premiere of Cagney & Lacey 42nd years ago this week, here is a look back at the special Sharon Gless interview we dropped one year ago today! Sharon and Susan are at Podcast Movement Evolutions and The Ambies this week! So here's a look back to when they go to sit down with show business legend Sharon Gless. Multi-Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Sharon Gless has appeared in dozens of television shows such as “Nip/Tuck”, “Rizzoli & Isles”, “The Rockford Files”, “House Calls,”The Bob Newhart Show”, “Station 19” and “The Exorcist.” She has created iconic and ground-breaking characters in the shows “Burn Notice”, “Queer as Folk”, “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill” and of course “Cagney & Lacey”.In 2021 she published her bestselling, no-holds-barred autobiography “Apparently There Were Complaints”. In this in-depth interview, Sharon Gless talks frankly about feminism, her ongoing friendship with Tyne Daly, her affair, marriage and almost-divorce from Barney Rosenzweig, her struggles with substance abuse and recovery -- and the lasting legacy of the characters she’s played.THE CONVERSATIONThe moment Sharon Gless knew she wanted to be an actress – and knew she would not fail“The first feminist I ever met…” -- Barney Rosenzweig??How Cagney and Lacey we’re NEVER friends.How Sharon was actually the VERY FIRST person approached to play Christine Cagney – and why she turned it down.Earning $186 a week as the last contract player at Universal.“The Woman Behind the Woman”: how talent manager Monique James left her position as VP at MCA/Universal to become Sharon’s personal manager – and changed her life.Being forced to watch herself on film to learn what she was doing right -- and wrong.Hashing out billing, and rehearsing her first table read as Cagney, with Tyne Daly over a bottle of champagne.Why Christine Cagney wanted to be first through the door with a gun.Improvising and window shopping for the Cagney & Lacey main titles.Participating with Tyne Daly and Gloria Steinem in the 2004 Women’s March on Washington –- and seeing the true impact of “Cagney & Lacey” for the first time.Being Stephen J. Cannell’s “good luck charm!”Falling in love with Debbie Novotny on “Queer as Folk”.So join Susan, Sharon – and Sharon Gless -- as they talk poker nights with Tyne, the “C”-word, the other “C”-word -- and what did she really say to that flasher??AUDIOGRAPHYOfficial website: SharonGless.com Sharon Gless Facebook page.Sharon Gless’ autobiography “Apparently There Were Complaints” at Bookshop. Watch the trailer for Sharon’s Award-winning documentary - Show Her The MoneyWHERE TO WATCHCagney & Lacey on ROKU. On PLUTO. On Apple TV.Trials of Rosie O’Neill on Roku. On Amazon Prime.Queer as Folk on Amazon. On Apple TV.Burn Notice on HULU. On Apple TV.Visit 80sTVLadies.com for podcast episode transcripts. Help us AND get ad-free audio, video and other goodies: We're ON PATREON!

The 90’s TV Babies return: Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble are back to do a little Moonlighting! Do you agree with the 90s Kids about Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis' hit show?Susan and Sharon served up five key episodes for the Babies' viewing pleasure:S1: E1 – “Pilot”S2: E3 – “Money Talks, Maddie Walks”S2: E4 – “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice”S2: E18 – “Camille”Bonus Episode: S3: E6 “Big Man on Mulberry Street”Plus -- YouTube scenes and snippets….So, did the Babies ask for seconds – or send their meal back? Do bears bear? Do bees bee? Do wah diddie diddie dum diddie do? We’re going to find out! THE CONVERSATIONDON’T FIGHT HIM ON THIS: Sergio, on his mom and the recipes of Pampanga, the culinary capital of the Philippines.Megan struggles with translating her personal worth into a dollar amount!Serita’s dog gets sent to reform school!Wait?!? Sergio has never seen “Die Hard” or “The Sixth Sense” – or any other Bruce Willis movie! What?!?ACCORDING TO THE BABIES: Moonlighting feels like Bruce’s show – Cybill feels like a secondary character.90’s BABY ADVANTAGE: Megan just skipped ahead to the “good parts” episode – where David and Maddie finally get together! No fair!Which Baby thought the show was too… SLOW?!?!And which Baby thinks the show isn’t feminist but “femin-ish”?When Serita’s mother was a baby, she was quieted from crying by… ORSON WELLS?!?! So join Susan and Sharon – and Megan, Sergio and Serita – as they talk civil rights, shoulder pads, “throwing vases”, Judd Nelson, Whoopi Goldberg – and “Muppet-level nonsense”!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch the special Moonlighting playlist clips at YouTube.com/80sTVLadies.Check out the book Sergio raved about: Atching Lillian’s Heirloom Recipes.Watch Megan in Bardic Inspiration’s Twelfth Night’s on Twitch.Catch Serita’s “Not Ugly” podcast at Apple.Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.See more great Moonlighting content at Moonlighting21.com.WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTHHistory - and Herstory - is happening right now. Abortion access in America is severely limited – if you want to help or need help go to Abortionfinder.org 80s TV LADIES NEWSMarch 26 - 29: The 80s TV Ladies will be at Podcast Movement Evolutions. Come say hello! CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

“I was never so tightly wound as the night we transmitted the show directly from ABC in Los Angeles to New York. We basically went live.”– Sheryl Main, post-production supervisor, MoonlightingSusan and Sharon take you “behind the scenes” with Moonlighting post-production supervisor – and legendary publicity strategist Sheryl Main. As a Unit Publicist, she’s worked on such films as Creed 3, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Expendables, Terminator 3, The Perks of Being A Wallflower and collaborated with hundreds of celebrities including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Emma Watson – and everyone in between! But she "cut her teeth" with Moonlighting. Sheryl talks about the “insanely creative” atmosphere created by Glenn Gordon Caron, the long hours and crazy good times – and the lifelong friends she “met on the way.”THE CONVERSATIONExperiencing sexism and harassment in the movie industry: The Pope of Greenwich Village director “Stuart Rosenberg sent me home for wearing pink jeans. So Mickey Rourke said: “$*@! him. Work with me. Be my assistant.”When she interviewed to be Bruce Willis’s assistant, she recognized him – as “Bruno Radolini” – his musical alter ego from New York!Moonlighting on Moonlighting: “The editors pulled all-nighters. They slept there. But we had fun.”On Glen Gordon Caron: “He changed TV when you think about it. Everything we did from ‘Atomic Shakespeare’ to the black and white episode to… well, we thought we killed Orson Wells.”ARNOLD AND SLY AND BRUCE AND ME: “They all impacted my career and my life in different ways."On Arnold the Governor: “We went up there thinking ‘Woo-Hoo! We’re gonna change the world! But the mechanism in place doesn’t want you to change the world.”On Bruce Willis: “He was a craftsman with words. He could memorize a scene in a minute. What’s happening with him… it’s heartbreaking. I wouldn’t have a career without him.”So, join Susan and Sharon – and Sheryl – as they talk crisis-managing Rust, partying in Cybil’s trailer, Dennis Dugan, The Expendables, Jed the Fish on KROQ -- and the “Curtis Armstrong Day” parade!AUDIOGRAPHYCheck out Moonlighting: The Podcast: https://moonlightingthepodcast.com/ Watch Moonlighting on Hulu.Stream it on Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video.Follow Glenn Gordon Caron on Twitter.com/GlennGCaron.80s TV LADIES NEWSSusan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) has been published!Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us your fav Moonlighting episodes at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.

“I said to Cybill Shepherd, ‘You are a Prima Donna!’And she said, ‘Yes. I am. Do you know what ‘Prima Donna’ means, Glenn? It means First Woman. And don’t you forget it.”– Glenn Gordon CaronIn the second of our two-part conversation with Moonlighting and Medium creator Glenn Gordon Caron, we cover everything from Al Jarreau’s iconic theme song to sparring with Cybill Shepherd, to a forty-year career spent working with “audacious people”…Moonlighting, which ran from 1985-1989 starred Cybill Shepherd, a then-unknown Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley and Curtis Armstrong, and become a landmark classic of 1980s television. Glenn also directed movies such as Clean and Sober, Picture Perfect and Love Affair.THE CONVERSATIONGetting invited to the horse races by Cary Grant – who then dies before they could go!How dinner with Stanley Donen led to Glenn asking him to direct the dance sequence from “Big Man on Mulberry Street” as a favor. But what did Donen ask in return? That Glenn co-write that year’s Academy Award show with Larry Gelbart!How a chance meeting with Rona Barrett resulted in one of the weirdest -- and most talked-about -- episodes of Moonlighting ever!On Cybill Shepherd: “The topography of her life fit the topography of the story. She was a model. She became a huge movie star. And then she lost everything.”On Bruce Willis: “He was like thirty guys I grew up with. And I understood, underneath all that bravura, and all that jazz, there’s a genuineness that’s hard to resist."WHEN LES IS MORE: How Now and Again was born when Les Moonves told Glenn: “Write me a pilot, and if I don’t make it, I’ll give you one million dollars.”How for Glenn, the TV show Medium is less the story of a mystic – and more the story of a marriage.So, join Susan and Sharon – and Glenn – as they talk Pierce Brosnan, Love Affair, Jennifer Aniston, Clean and Sober, -- and Susan’s Vicodin mood swings!AUDIOGRAPHYWatch Moonlighting on Hulu.Stream it on Apple TV or at Amazon Prime Video.Follow Glenn Gordon Caron on Twitter.com/GlennGCaron.80s TV LADIES NEWSSusan’s new play Confidence (and the Speech) has been published!Now available for purchase and licensing at DPS via Broadway Licensing.CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us your fav Moonlighting episodes at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.