We Were Quite A Team --- On TV Quiz

Answer: Ozzie and Harriet

Who thought reality TV was a late 20th century provenance? Husband and wife, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, portrayed husband and wife, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson on their show. "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" had been a successful radio show - with much the same format - before its TV tenure.

It originally aired (on television) between 1952 and 1966. By the time the show had moved to TV Ozzie and Harriet were joined by their own sons, David and Ricky, who played their sons, David and Ricky, on the show.

As the boys matured from teenagers to young men so did their characters. When the boys married, their "real life" wives played their wives on the show, too.

Answer: Rowan & Martin

"Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1967 - 1973) was not intended to be a series. Dan Rowan and Dick Martin had preformed as a comedy duo for almost twenty years before they guest-hosted one summer episode of "The Dean Martin Show". The next year (1967), Rowan and Martin did what was intended to be a one time summer special of their own.

This became the fore-runner of "Laugh-In". Variety shows were very popular on television during the late 1960s but "Laugh-In" brought some new ideas. It was targeted toward the youth more than the "establishment" and often featured what was thought to be liberal, counter-culture and bawdy. Whatever it was it was also successful; "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" was the number one rated American show for two seasons (1968/1969 and 1969/1970).

Answer: The Governor & J.J.

"The Governor & J.J." originally aired for only two seasons despite winning the Golden Globe Award for "Best Comedy Series" in 1970. The named characters were played by Dan Dailey and Julie Sommars; he was the governor, she his daughter and sometimes "first lady of the state" substitute.

It was a fetching show and really should have had a longer run. Dailey came from a musical theater background and, most likely, would have been able to adjust to comedy/TV with more success but complications from hip replacement surgery caused his unexpected death at age 62. Julie Sommars was very well known for her work on television shows.

She played Julie March opposite Andy Griffith on "Matlock" (1986-1995), among many, many others.

Answer: Sanford & Son

Although "Sanford & Son" (1972-1977) was based on the British comedy, "Steptoe and Son" (1962-1974) and "All in the Family" (1971-1979) was based on the British show, "Till Death Do Us Part" (1965-1975), the two American shows have often been compared. Both American shows were unafraid to present the ridiculous, yet hilarious, side of bigotry; both shows let us laugh at the quibbles of the generation gap and both were very popular. "Sanford & Son" starred Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson in the title roles. Fun fact: Redd Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford; his father was ... Fred G. Sanford.

Answer: Mork & Mindy

"Mork & Mindy" (1978-1982) starred Robin Williams and Pam Dawber. The show was said to have given Williams the boost he needed to move from doing stand-up comedy to acting. Here is a bit from mentalfloss.com about how he got the part: "Garry Marshall chose Robin Williams because he was the only alien to audition.

When he was asked to take a seat at the audition, Williams sat in the chair upside down." It was immediately obvious that he was exactly right for the role: anarchic and a little bit crazy, you could easily believe he was actually an alien," Marshall said." During its first season the show was a huge hit but it seemed to slide more and more away from the top ratings with each passing season.

By the end of its fourth season - its last - the show was out of the top 50.

Answer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King

The named characters in "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" (1983 -1987) were played by Bruce Boxleitner and Kate Jackson. The show did reasonably well with its ratings and its gained as many compliments as it did complaints from the critics. Before they did this show, Bruce Boxleitner had starred in the popular movie/TV western, "How the West Was Won" (1976-1979) and Kate Jackson had starred with Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith in the TV crime drama, "Charlie's Angels" (1976-1981). True, "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" was predicable, even during the 1980s, but the two actors made government operatives fun to watch in a gentle kind of way.

The tagline from imdb.com gives a great summary: "One everyday housewife who put some spies in her life!"

Answer: Will & Grace

"Will & Grace" (1998-2020) initially ran for a very successful and well received eight years between 1998 to 2006. Then the original cast (for the most part) reprised their roles for three more seasons during the years 2017 to 2020. Will was played by Eric McCormack and Grace was played by Debra Messing; they were joined by Sean Hayes (who played Jack) and Megan Mullally (who played Karen) during all of those years.

In support of the talent and/or appreciation of the show and its cast, "Will & Grace" can boost that it is one of the few shows in television history to have each member of its cast win an Emmy Award for their work on its show.

Answer: Rizzoli & Isles

Proving opposites can "attract", even to become best friends and resourceful co-workers, "Rizzoli & Isles" (2010-2016) featured Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, respectively, is those roles whose characters were described as such. The TV crime drama was based on the series of novels by Tess Gerritsen by the same name.

The show quickly became a viewer favorite. According to Wikipedia its "premiere set a record as the highest-rated debut for a commercial-supported cable series, and it was the second-highest debut ever for a basic cable TV series". On a sad note, during the run of the series the actor Lee Thompson Young, who portrayed Detective Barry Forest on the show, committed suicide. Young was said to have been diagnosed with and treated for bipolar disorder.

He was only 29. Fun fact about the cast: Did you know Sasha Alexander married into a famous family? Her husband, Edoardo Ponti, was the son of Carlo Ponti, Sr. and Sophia Loren.

Answer: Mike & Molly

The sitcom, "Mike & Molly" (2010-2016), featured Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy in the named roles. Other actors who completed the cast were Katy Mixon, Swoosie Kurtz, Reno Wilson, Nyambi Nyambi, Louis Mustillo, Rondi Reed, Cleo King and David Anthony Higgins. Melissa McCarthy developed the role of "Molly" as she developed her own acting talents and ventured into movie roles during the run of the show. Molly's penchant for physical comedy and her disputatious, yet endearing, relationship with Mike could compare to that of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in the "I Love Lucy" (1951-1957) series.

The series finale was especially gratifying to fans of the show because Mike and Molly finally adopted a long-awaited baby with the support of all of their family and friends - and, that was not their only reason to celebrate.

Answer: Grace and Frankie

Talk about star power - "Grace and Frankie" (2015-2022) brought some veteran actors together in entertaining roles and situational comedy. The series was developed for and distributed by the American subscription streaming service, Netflix. Grace was played by Jane Fonda and Frankie was played by Lily Tomlin.

Initially, the show did receive some negative reviews and was labeled with some criticisms. The charm of the two (named) actors was undeniable and oft mentioned among the show's most affirmative qualities, thus reviews improved. Fonda and Tomlin were joined with Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston, Ethan Embry, Brooklyn Decker, Baron Vaughn and June Diane Raphael in supporting roles, to offer the afore mentioned "star power".