Who's the Boss?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Who's The Boss | |
|---|---|
 The Who's the Boss? 1st season DVD cover. |
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Creator(s) | Martin Cohan Blake Hunter |
| Starring | Tony Danza Judith Light Alyssa Milano Danny Pintauro Katherine Helmond |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 196 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 20, 1984 – April 25, 1992 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Upper Hand |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Who's the Boss? is a television sitcom starring Tony Danza and Judith Light. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from 1984 to 1992.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
Widower Tony Micelli (Danza) is a former second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals who was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury. He wanted to move out of Brooklyn to find a better environment for his daughter, Samantha (Alyssa Milano). He ended up taking a job in upscale Fairfield County, Connecticut as a live-in housekeeper for divorced advertising executive Angela Bower (Judith Light). The Micellis moved into the Bower residence. Also starring were Danny Pintauro as her son Jonathan and Katherine Helmond as Mona Robinson, her feisty, man-hungry mother.
The title of the show referred to the clear role reversal of the two lead actors, where a woman was the breadwinner, while a man stayed at home and took care of the house, thus the question of who the "boss" really was. It challenged media stereotypes of Italian-Americans as wholly ignorant of life outside of urban working-class neighborhoods.
The contrast between easy-going, spontaneous Tony and driven, self-controlled Angela resulted in their mutual attraction. In addition, Tony provided a much-needed male role model for geeky Jonathan.
The show's theme song is "Brand New Life" by Larry Carlton, Robert Craft, Martin Cohan, and Blake Hunter. It was performed by country music singer Steve Wariner.
[edit] Versions in other countries
Several versions of Who's the Boss? have been produced for foreign television markets. In 1990, The Upper Hand, aired in Britain alongside the original. A Spanish language version, produced in Mexico by TV Azteca and Columbia TriStar International Television, debuted in 1998 under the title Una familia con Ángel starring Laura Luz and Daniel Martínez; it was broadcast in the U.S. on the Telemundo network. In 2005, the Argentine network Telefé also made its own local version, called ¿Quién es el jefe?, a direct translation of the original American title. A Russian version of the show has also been produced.[citation needed] In 2006 Colombian network Caracol TV did the same, producing ¿Quién manda a quién? (which was the title of the original show when dubbed in Spanish).
[edit] Spin-offs
Who's the Boss? spawned two short lived spin-offs. One was a show called Charmed Lives, about two women up for a job. It only lasted three episodes and was immediately taken off the air. The second spin-off was Living Dolls. Premiering and ending in 1989, the show starred Leah Remini, Michael Learned, and Halle Berry. The show featured Remini, who had appeared in two Who's the Boss? episodes as a friend of Samantha's, as a homeless model taken under the wing of an agent played by Learned. The show lasted less than one season.
[edit] Syndication
Who's the Boss? aired on TBS Superstation in the 1990s after it was canceled, and was also added to the ABC Family Channel line-up in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Nick at Nite broadcast the show between 2004 and 2006. The series is not currently airing on any cable TV channels, but it is in syndication and can be found on several local networks across the country.
There were three episodes of Who's the Boss? that did not air during the show's original run. The first one was "Charmed Lives" in season 2, which was the pilot for the short-lived series Charmed Lives. The second was season 3's "Mona," which was a pilot for a spin-off about Mona that never happened. The third one was "Life's a Ditch" in season 6, originally a Living Dolls episode.
[edit] Theme Song
There's a time for love and a time for livin,
just take a chance and face the wind.
An open road and a road that's hidden,
a brand new life around the bend.
There were times, I lost a dream or two.
Found the trail, and at the end was you.
There's a path you take and the path not taken,
the choice is up to you my friend.
No so long, but you might wait,
for a brand new life, a brand new life,
brand new life around the bend.
[edit] DVD releases
The first season, consisting of 22 uncut episodes, was released in June 2004 on Region 1 DVD from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Due to low DVD sales for the first season, it is highly unlikely that more season DVD sets will be released unless Sony (the company that owns Who's the Boss?) sells the rights to another company. Sony Pictures have annouced that the next few seasons of Who's the Boss will eventually be released.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Lambert, David (2006-06-17). Boy Meets World - Trade Mag Explains Why No More Seasons for Boy Meets World, Who's The Boss, Night Court, Airwolf & More!. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
[edit] External links
- Who's the Boss? at the Internet Movie Database
- Who's the Boss? at TV.com
- "Who's The Boss?" Resource page
- Living Dolls at the Internet Movie Database
- Full episodes of "Who's The Boss?" free at AOL Video
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1984 television program debuts | 1992 television program cancellations | 1980s American television series | 1990s American television series | ABC network shows | Sitcoms | Television series by Sony Pictures Television | Television shows set in Connecticut
