Duet (TV series)

Duet is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from April 19, 1987, to May 7, 1989. Originally, the story centered on the romance of a novelist (Matthew Laurance) and a caterer (Mary Page Keller), but gradually the focus shifted to their yuppie friends (Chris Lemmon, Alison LaPlaca) and the show was rebranded as Open House.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series was created by Ruth Bennett and Susan Seeger, and was produced by Paramount Television.

Synopsis

Ben Coleman is a struggling mystery novelist, while his girlfriend Laura Kelly is a caterer with her younger sister Jane (Jodi Thelen). Richard and Linda Phillips were a high-powered yuppie couple. He was in the family patio-furniture business and she was a studio executive. Linda's boss at World Wide Studios was Cooper Hayden (Larry Poindexter), who eventually became infatuated with Jane. Richard later quit his job to become a professional pianist. Geneva (Arleen Sorkin) was the Phillipses' wisecracking, sexy maid who sometimes fraternized with the sisters.

Near the end of season 2, Linda gave birth to a daughter, Amanda. When the show returned for season 3, Amanda was now a four-year-old (Ginger Orsi). Also at the start of season 3 Ben and Laura had married, and Linda lost her job at World Wide Studios. Linda then sought a partnership in Laura's catering business. Just prior to the end of that season, Linda met real estate mogul Ted Nichols, played by guest star and LaPlaca's then-boyfriend, Philip Charles MacKenzie. Ted schmoozed her into joining his realty firm, selling upscale properties to snobs just like herself.

When the show returned for a 4th season, it was now retitled Open House, and was centered around Linda and Ted. The characters of Laura, Richard, Amanda and Geneva all returned for Open House, but Amanda and Geneva were written out after only a few episodes. Eventually so was Richard. The spin-off lasted for one season.

Production

The series was among the first to appear on the Fox network when they launched a Sunday night prime-time TV lineup in 1987, alongside Married... with Children, The Tracey Ullman Show and Mr. President.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Loosely based on the love lives of creators Bennett and Seeger,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the show was originally noted for being serialized, with events unfolding in succession from week to week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Matthew Laurance was the first actor hired, but they couldn't find a leading lady that sparked with him in Los Angeles, so they held auditions in New York, where they finally found Mary Page Keller.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Keller and Jodi Thelen met at the audition and had such an instantaneous sisterly rapport that they were both cast within days.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Alison LaPlaca was originally hired to appear as the undefined wife of a supporting character in two episodes,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but a pregnancy was written into the next script, requiring her to stick around.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Acting wasn't Chris Lemmon's primary career goal—he had studied extensively as a pianist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>—but his musical dreams and abilities were eventually utilized in the show.

There was a period of adjustment as the actors became familiar with one another,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but once things began to click, there was a fun atmosphere on the set,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and little interference from the network.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Susan Seeger got her whole family into the act, with brother David<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and their famous father Hal Seeger creating the opening title sequence,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> sister Mindy portraying Ben's publicist Nina,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and sister Charbie Dahl (aka Charlene Seeger) writing a few of the scripts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Although the first season focused squarely on Ben and Laura, season two became an ensemble with ongoing stories revolving around Jane, Richard, and Linda. As the meaning of the show's title blurred, Fox tried to spin it in promotion claiming, "Duet means two, so why is it about five people, a dog, and a baby? Because it's a show you shouldn't watch alone!"<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> By the third season, Fox executives began forcing changes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Noticing the popularity of Alison LaPlaca's character, they pushed Ben, Laura, and Jane into the background<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> as stories became exclusively centered on Linda and Richard. They also flashed ahead three years so they could turn the Phillipses daughter into a talking toddler,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which was proving popular with audiences on ABC's Full House. The Phillipses also eclipsed the newlywed Colemans in the network's promotion.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

The theme music over the opening titles was composed by Buddy Budson, and in the first two seasons performed by Ursula Walker and Tony Franklin.

Beginning in season two, the opening titles changed to begin featuring clips of the characters in scenes from the show. These were book-ended by the show's title appearing in gold on a maroon leather-textured photo album cover, which opened to reveal the series of episode clips, and the photo album closing, with creators Ruth Bennett and Susan Seeger being credited in gold on the album cover. (In season one, the show title was displayed over the beginning of the opening scene.) In season three, the same sequence style remained, but the theme music was rearranged into a complete saxophone/electric guitar instrumental, with the instruments taking the place of the notes sung by vocalists Walker and Franklin.

Cast

• Matthew Laurance as Ben Coleman
• Mary Page Keller as Laura Kelly
• Jodi Thelen as Jane Kelly
• Chris Lemmon as Richard Phillips
• Alison La Placa as Linda Phillips
• Larry Poindexter as Cooper Hayden
• Arleen Sorkin as Geneva
• Ginger Orsi as Amanda Phillips
• Bo as Reuben, Ben's dog (live animal actor)

Broadcast history

Season	Time
1986–87	Sunday at 9:00 pm (Episode 1) Sunday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 2–4, 8) Sunday at 8:30 pm (Episodes 5–7, 9–13)
1987–88	Saturday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 1–4) Sunday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 5–21) Sunday at 10:00 pm (Episode 22)
1988–89	Sunday at 10:00 pm

Episodes

Season 1 (1987)

Note: Many of the titles that appear on-screen differ from those found in TV listings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Only the first season featured on-screen title cards, as well as music-themed names.

Reception

The show received a largely positive reception.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> TV Guide compared it to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, noting that it "manages to balance whimsy and reality."<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:CbignoreTemplate:Dead YouTube link</ref> Remarking on the Sunday night schedule, which included a movie-of-the-week on two of the three other broadcast networks,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Houston Post said, "If you are tired of movie after movie on the networks, Duet is for you."<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The South Florida Sentinel hailed it as Fox's "best series to date",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and The Journal News remarked that "producers Ruth Bennett and Susan Seeger choreograph this mating dance beautifully."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Despite good reviews, the show remained ratings-challenged. The Fox network was initially regarded as a joke in Hollywood and ratings weren't published until the second season, which found Duet near the bottom of the yearly TV ratings list in 118th place.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The third season didn't fare much better, with it ranking in 104th place.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

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