Getting By
Encyclopedia
Getting By is an American sitcom
produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, with the format created by William Bickley and Michael Warren. The show debuted on ABC
's TGIF
block, running its first twelve-episode season from March 5, 1993 through May 21, 1993. Shortly after the spring season concluded, NBC
picked the show up for its fall 1993 schedule. It ran one more full season, with the last original episode airing on June 18, 1994.
as Dolores Dixon and Cindy Williams
as Cathy Hale, two best friends and single mothers, who were also both employed as social workers for the Chicago Department of Welfare. Dolores was widowed, while Cathy's husband had run off with another woman. The unique living situation went off without too much of a hitch, especially with the kids, although there were the normal pains, squabbles and adjustments expected with the territory. Dolores had two sons, teenagers Marcus (Merlin Santana
), who was suave and somewhat of a schemer; and Darren (Deon Richmond
), the earnest yuppie-in-the-making. Cathy had two daughters, blossoming teenager Nikki (Nicki Vannice) and cute youngster Julie (Ashleigh Blair Sterling).
Many of the plots revolved around the kids learning to relate to each other and their numerous misadventures, and Dolores and Cathy's discovery that living together was putting a new face on their friendship. Dolores was sensible, headstrong, and very much down to earth, while Cathy seemed too preoccupied with perfection, and was afraid to take new risks. Eventually, Cathy became determined to shake off her "goody two shoes" image and sought the guidance of Dolores to bring her more in touch with the real world. In the second season, the two are no longer co-workers, as Cathy is laid off from the Department of Welfare, and later in the season, she dusts off her teaching degree and becomes a substitute at the kids' high school. Dolores, meanwhile, found a dashing male suitor in Wes (guest star Rif Hutton), who appeared on a few occasions.
Early in the run, the character of Marcus became very popular with viewers, as evidenced by the increasing screams and cheers heard from the studio audience
whenever he first appeared in each passing episode. Many credit the growing status of Merlin Santana in the cast as a factor for Getting Bys strong ratings in its first season on ABC. When the series moved to NBC, many storylines continued to center around Marcus and his quest to find the right girl, along with his contrasting relationship with straight-laced brother Darren.
, along with their associates William Bickley and Michael Warren, were looking to develop a new sitcom for ABC
in 1992 centered around a white family that adopted a black son, which looked to be an original, less heavy-handed 1990s spin on Diff'rent Strokes
and Webster
.
The project was titled A New Day, and had Cindy Williams
cast as the mother. Plans were moving forward on the series for a fall 1992 debut, until a change in direction occurred. Telma Hopkins
, who had been co-starring for the past three years as Rachel Crawford on Family Matters, decided that year that she wanted to leave that series for her own venture, which her employers were more than willing to provide. In the process of coming up with a concept for Hopkins' series, producers in the end experimented with the idea of adding her into A New Day with Williams, to see how the casting would work. Both women clicked as equal leads, so the show's premiere was moved up by several months as Miller/Boyett and company tinkered with the format, resulting in the final product known as Getting By.
Merlin Santana
and Deon Richmond
portrayed preteen rivals for the affections of Keshia Knight-Pulliam's character Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show
. Their interaction on that series was so impressive that they were cast as brothers on Getting By. The two also made two guest appearances on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
in 1995 and 1996, as well as the 2003 movie The Blues, which turned out to be Santana's last film appearance before his death.
, which had moved to Sundays). The success was owed in part to its lead-in, Step by Step, the star power of Williams and Hopkins, and Santana as its breakout star. It was also scheduled before a new sitcom airing in the 9:30 TGIF block, Where I Live
, which, like Getting By, was marked by a largely black cast. In early May 1993, a few weeks before network upfronts, ABC confirmed that Getting By would be renewed, but would move to Saturday nights in September along with Where I Live. Miller/Boyett and Bickley/Warren were dissatisfied with ABC's plan, as they were certain their show's ratings would severely drop on Saturday nights (ABC had previously damaged the ratings of Miller/Boyett's Perfect Strangers
when they moved it to Saturdays for a time in 1992). ABC was not willing to keep the show on TGIF, since they were adding the fall 1992 season-hit Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and the new Michael Jacobs
series Boy Meets World
to the Friday lineup. In retaliation, Miller and Boyett pulled Getting By from ABC, promptly getting NBC to pick it up for the fall.
When its second season premiered on NBC in September, Getting By aired Tuesday nights following the brand new Saved by the Bell: The College Years
. Disappointing ratings for the much-hyped College Years (a sequel to NBC's original Saved by the Bell
) had an effect on Getting By, whose ratings were now quite decreased from its first season on ABC. By mid-season, NBC ended up defeating the purpose of the producers having moved the show from ABC in the first place. Getting By relocated to Saturday nights at 8/7c that January. Over a month later, it left the NBC schedule, but returned in late May in the same Saturday slot, just as NBC canceled the series. Four new episodes leftover from earlier in the season aired, until the final produced episode, "My Brilliant Career", became the last network broadcast on June 18, 1994.
For Getting Bys only full season on NBC
, the opening changed to featuring cut-out animation of a house, with various windows and doorways that opened and closed when cast members and episode scenes were revealed. The multicolored graphics and font were now in a thinner variant of the Bodoni font used on Step by Step. The theme music was also re-written with new lyrics set to a funky melody; however, a new male vocalist was featured in place of Lennon. First and final scene production credits, as well as the closing credits, used orange/black-embossed Hobo font (the same type used on The Dukes of Hazzard
) in the second season.
Both seasons' themes were written by Jesse Frederick
and Bennett Salvay.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, with the format created by William Bickley and Michael Warren. The show debuted on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's TGIF
TGIF (ABC)
TGIF was the name of an American family-friendly prime time television programming block on the ABC network. The name comes from the initials of the popular phrase "Thank God It's Friday"...
block, running its first twelve-episode season from March 5, 1993 through May 21, 1993. Shortly after the spring season concluded, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
picked the show up for its fall 1993 schedule. It ran one more full season, with the last original episode airing on June 18, 1994.
Synopsis
The show was about two women, one white and one black, who inadvertently are sold the same house and decide to live there with both of their families. It starred Telma HopkinsTelma Hopkins
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
as Dolores Dixon and Cindy Williams
Cindy Williams
Cynthia Jane "Cindy" Williams is an American actress best known for starring in the television situation-comedy series Laverne & Shirley, in the role of "Shirley Feeney", and for her role as Laurie Henderson in the classic film American Graffiti.-Early life:Williams was born in Van Nuys,...
as Cathy Hale, two best friends and single mothers, who were also both employed as social workers for the Chicago Department of Welfare. Dolores was widowed, while Cathy's husband had run off with another woman. The unique living situation went off without too much of a hitch, especially with the kids, although there were the normal pains, squabbles and adjustments expected with the territory. Dolores had two sons, teenagers Marcus (Merlin Santana
Merlin Santana
Merlin Santana was an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his role as Keshia Knight Pulliam's admirer, Stanley on The Cosby Show and the high school student, Romeo Santana on The WB sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show.-Early life:Born in Upper Manhattan, New York to Dominican parents,...
), who was suave and somewhat of a schemer; and Darren (Deon Richmond
Deon Richmond
Deon Richmond is an American actor from New York City; he is best known for his semi-regular childhood role as Rudy Huxtable's friend Kenny on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
), the earnest yuppie-in-the-making. Cathy had two daughters, blossoming teenager Nikki (Nicki Vannice) and cute youngster Julie (Ashleigh Blair Sterling).
Many of the plots revolved around the kids learning to relate to each other and their numerous misadventures, and Dolores and Cathy's discovery that living together was putting a new face on their friendship. Dolores was sensible, headstrong, and very much down to earth, while Cathy seemed too preoccupied with perfection, and was afraid to take new risks. Eventually, Cathy became determined to shake off her "goody two shoes" image and sought the guidance of Dolores to bring her more in touch with the real world. In the second season, the two are no longer co-workers, as Cathy is laid off from the Department of Welfare, and later in the season, she dusts off her teaching degree and becomes a substitute at the kids' high school. Dolores, meanwhile, found a dashing male suitor in Wes (guest star Rif Hutton), who appeared on a few occasions.
Early in the run, the character of Marcus became very popular with viewers, as evidenced by the increasing screams and cheers heard from the studio audience
Studio audience
A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...
whenever he first appeared in each passing episode. Many credit the growing status of Merlin Santana in the cast as a factor for Getting Bys strong ratings in its first season on ABC. When the series moved to NBC, many storylines continued to center around Marcus and his quest to find the right girl, along with his contrasting relationship with straight-laced brother Darren.
Development
Tom Miller and Robert BoyettMiller-Boyett Productions
Miller-Boyett Productions was an American television production company that mainly developed television sitcoms from the 1970s through the 1990s...
, along with their associates William Bickley and Michael Warren, were looking to develop a new sitcom for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in 1992 centered around a white family that adopted a black son, which looked to be an original, less heavy-handed 1990s spin on Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...
and Webster
Webster (TV series)
Webster is an American situation comedy that premiered on ABC on September 16, 1983, and ran on that network until September 11, 1987, but continued in first-run syndication until 1989...
.
The project was titled A New Day, and had Cindy Williams
Cindy Williams
Cynthia Jane "Cindy" Williams is an American actress best known for starring in the television situation-comedy series Laverne & Shirley, in the role of "Shirley Feeney", and for her role as Laurie Henderson in the classic film American Graffiti.-Early life:Williams was born in Van Nuys,...
cast as the mother. Plans were moving forward on the series for a fall 1992 debut, until a change in direction occurred. Telma Hopkins
Telma Hopkins
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
, who had been co-starring for the past three years as Rachel Crawford on Family Matters, decided that year that she wanted to leave that series for her own venture, which her employers were more than willing to provide. In the process of coming up with a concept for Hopkins' series, producers in the end experimented with the idea of adding her into A New Day with Williams, to see how the casting would work. Both women clicked as equal leads, so the show's premiere was moved up by several months as Miller/Boyett and company tinkered with the format, resulting in the final product known as Getting By.
Merlin Santana
Merlin Santana
Merlin Santana was an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his role as Keshia Knight Pulliam's admirer, Stanley on The Cosby Show and the high school student, Romeo Santana on The WB sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show.-Early life:Born in Upper Manhattan, New York to Dominican parents,...
and Deon Richmond
Deon Richmond
Deon Richmond is an American actor from New York City; he is best known for his semi-regular childhood role as Rudy Huxtable's friend Kenny on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
portrayed preteen rivals for the affections of Keshia Knight-Pulliam's character Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
. Their interaction on that series was so impressive that they were cast as brothers on Getting By. The two also made two guest appearances on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
in 1995 and 1996, as well as the 2003 movie The Blues, which turned out to be Santana's last film appearance before his death.
Network switch
Getting By scored very well in the ratings as a post-mid-season replacement on ABC's TGIF lineup, airing at 9/8c (replacing DinosaursDinosaurs (TV series)
Dinosaurs is an American family sitcom that was originally broadcast on ABC from April 26, 1991 to July 20, 1994. The show, about a family of anthropomorphic dinosaurs, was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions and Jim Henson Television in association with Walt Disney Television and Buena Vista...
, which had moved to Sundays). The success was owed in part to its lead-in, Step by Step, the star power of Williams and Hopkins, and Santana as its breakout star. It was also scheduled before a new sitcom airing in the 9:30 TGIF block, Where I Live
Where I Live
Where I Live is an American sitcom that premiered in 1993 as part of ABC's TGIF lineup. The series was created and executive produced by Michael Jacobs and Ehrich Van Lowe.-Synopsis:...
, which, like Getting By, was marked by a largely black cast. In early May 1993, a few weeks before network upfronts, ABC confirmed that Getting By would be renewed, but would move to Saturday nights in September along with Where I Live. Miller/Boyett and Bickley/Warren were dissatisfied with ABC's plan, as they were certain their show's ratings would severely drop on Saturday nights (ABC had previously damaged the ratings of Miller/Boyett's Perfect Strangers
Perfect Strangers (TV series)
Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean...
when they moved it to Saturdays for a time in 1992). ABC was not willing to keep the show on TGIF, since they were adding the fall 1992 season-hit Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and the new Michael Jacobs
Michael Jacobs
Michael Jacobs is a writer and producer whose work has appeared on Broadway, Off Broadway, television and film. He is the creator/producer of several popular television series including Boy Meets World, Dinosaurs, Charles in Charge and My Two Dads...
series Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...
to the Friday lineup. In retaliation, Miller and Boyett pulled Getting By from ABC, promptly getting NBC to pick it up for the fall.
When its second season premiered on NBC in September, Getting By aired Tuesday nights following the brand new Saved by the Bell: The College Years
Saved by the Bell: The College Years
Saved by the Bell: The College Years is a sequel to the Saved by the Bell series which ran from September 14, 1993 to February 8, 1994, lasting one season...
. Disappointing ratings for the much-hyped College Years (a sequel to NBC's original Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
) had an effect on Getting By, whose ratings were now quite decreased from its first season on ABC. By mid-season, NBC ended up defeating the purpose of the producers having moved the show from ABC in the first place. Getting By relocated to Saturday nights at 8/7c that January. Over a month later, it left the NBC schedule, but returned in late May in the same Saturday slot, just as NBC canceled the series. Four new episodes leftover from earlier in the season aired, until the final produced episode, "My Brilliant Career", became the last network broadcast on June 18, 1994.
Theme song and opening sequence
The first season's opening sequence was a single scene in which both mothers were handing their children their bagged lunches, as the kids raced around the kitchen before going off to school. The theme song was a gentle tune with a traditional Miller/Boyett "inspirational" sound, and was performed by Mark Lennon (who also sang the theme to Going Places). The credit font used in these episodes was the same italicized, orange Bookman Old Style font used in Family Matters.For Getting Bys only full season on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, the opening changed to featuring cut-out animation of a house, with various windows and doorways that opened and closed when cast members and episode scenes were revealed. The multicolored graphics and font were now in a thinner variant of the Bodoni font used on Step by Step. The theme music was also re-written with new lyrics set to a funky melody; however, a new male vocalist was featured in place of Lennon. First and final scene production credits, as well as the closing credits, used orange/black-embossed Hobo font (the same type used on The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
) in the second season.
Both seasons' themes were written by Jesse Frederick
Jesse Frederick
Jesse Frederick is a film and television composer best known for writing and performing the themes to popular television shows such as Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, and Step By Step.-Early years:...
and Bennett Salvay.
Episodes
Season 1
| Series # | Title | Notes | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Moving In" | No synopsis available. | March 5, 1993 |
| 2 | "Men Don't Dance" | No synopsis available. | March 12, 1993 |
| 3 | "Back to Nature" | No synopsis available. | March 19, 1993 |
| 4 | "A Little Romance" | No synopsis available. | March 26, 1993 |
| 5 | "The Suit" | No synopsis available. | April 2, 1993 |
| 6 | "Shop 'till You Drop" | No synopsis available. | April 9, 1993 |
| 7 | "My Brother's Keeper" | No synopsis available. | April 16, 1993 |
| 8 | "The Gospel Truth" | No synopsis available. | April 23, 1993 |
| 9 | "Give Peace a Chance" | No synopsis available. | April 30, 1993 |
| 10 | "The Love Connection" | No synopsis available. | May 7, 1993 |
| 11 | "We Are Family, Not" | No synopsis available. | May 14, 1993 |
| 12 | "Anatomy of a Fight" | No synopsis available. | May 21, 1993 |
Season 2
| Series # | Title | Notes | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | "Turnabout Dance" | No synopsis available. | September 21, 1993 |
| 14 | "Letter to the President" | No synopsis available. | September 28, 1993 |
| 15 | "Faking the Grade" | No synopsis available. | October 5, 1993 |
| 16 | "Old Car" | No synopsis available. | October 12, 1993 |
| 17 | "Do the Fright Thing" | No synopsis available. | October 19, 1993 |
| 18 | "Not With My Sister" | No synopsis available. | November 2, 1993 |
| 19 | "Reach for the Stars" | No synopsis available. | November 23, 1993 |
| 20 | "Pinball Wizard" | No synopsis available. | December 7, 1993 |
| 21 | "The Pit Stop" | No synopsis available. | December 14, 1993 |
| 22 | "The Penthouse" | No synopsis available. | December 21, 1993 |
| 23 | "Sell It Like It Is" | No synopsis available. | January 8, 1994 |
| 24 | "In the Driver's Seat" | No synopsis available. | January 15, 1994 |
| 25 | "A Life in the Theater" | No synopsis available. | January 22, 1994 |
| 26 | "It Takes a Thief" | No synopsis available. | January 29, 1994 |
| 27 | "The Rich Guy" | No synopsis available. | February 12, 1994 |
| 28 | "Three Days of the Condo" | No synopsis available. | May 28, 1994 |
| 29 | "Teacher's Pest" | No synopsis available. | June 4, 1994 |
| 30 | "Just Say No" | No synopsis available. | June 11, 1994 |
| 31 | "My Brilliant Career" | No synopsis available. | June 18, 1994 |
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Nominated | Young Artist Awards | Youth Actress Leading Role in a Television Series | Ashleigh Sterling |