Married People
Encyclopedia
Married People is an American television situation comedy
that aired on ABC
as part of its 1990-91 schedule
.
. Newlyweds Allen and Cindy Campbell (Chris Young
and Megan Gallivan) were occupants of the third floor; he attended Columbia University
while she supported them as a waitress. On the second floor were the Meyers, Russell (Jay Thomas
) and Elizabeth (Bess Armstrong
). Elizabeth was a lawyer
while Russell was a free-lance writer and househusband, particularly after the birth of their son, Max. Living on the ground floor were Nick and Olivia Williams (Ray Aranha and Barbara Montgomery
, an older black
couple who were the building's owners (the building was in a gentrified area of Harlem, but often referred to by the street name "Central Park North"). Nick was an irascible traditionalist who constantly wondered why Russell didn't go out and get a "real" job and found Allen to be "too white" ("even for a white boy"), but was basically a good, decent man.
Married People was critically acclaimed but garnered low ratings mostly due to its frequent preemption during the midseason in favor of ABC's coverage of the Persian Gulf War
. The series was cancelled in March 1991, but rerun
in August and September of that year just prior to the beginning of the 1991-92 schedule
.
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...
that aired 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...
as part of its 1990-91 schedule
1990-91 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all four networks for the fall season beginning in September 1990. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.New series are highlighted in bold....
.
Synopsis
The series follows three couples in different stages of their relationships who lived in the same building in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Newlyweds Allen and Cindy Campbell (Chris Young
Chris Young (actor)
Christopher Tyler "Chris" Young is an American actor, producer and director.-Life and career:Young was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the son of Judy , a teacher and librarian, and Dick Young, a businessman...
and Megan Gallivan) were occupants of the third floor; he attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
while she supported them as a waitress. On the second floor were the Meyers, Russell (Jay Thomas
Jay Thomas
Jay Thomas is an American actor, comedian and radio talk show host.-Personal life:Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas. He was raised in his Italian American mother's Roman Catholic faith, although his father was Protestant....
) and Elizabeth (Bess Armstrong
Bess Armstrong
Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong is an American film and television actress.-Life and career:Armstrong was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Louise Allen , who taught at Bryn Mawr, and Alexander Armstrong, an English teacher at the Gilman School...
). Elizabeth was a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
while Russell was a free-lance writer and househusband, particularly after the birth of their son, Max. Living on the ground floor were Nick and Olivia Williams (Ray Aranha and Barbara Montgomery
Barbara Montgomery (US actress)
Barbara Montgomery is an American television and film actress. Montgomery is best known for her role as Cassietta Hetebrink on the sitcom, Amen, Montgomery played the role for four years, and left in 1990...
, an older black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
couple who were the building's owners (the building was in a gentrified area of Harlem, but often referred to by the street name "Central Park North"). Nick was an irascible traditionalist who constantly wondered why Russell didn't go out and get a "real" job and found Allen to be "too white" ("even for a white boy"), but was basically a good, decent man.
Married People was critically acclaimed but garnered low ratings mostly due to its frequent preemption during the midseason in favor of ABC's coverage of the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. The series was cancelled in March 1991, but rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
in August and September of that year just prior to the beginning of the 1991-92 schedule
1991-92 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all four United States commercial broadcast television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1991. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
.
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Married People" | September 18, 1990 |
| 1-2 | "The Truth, The Whole Truth..." | September 19, 1990 |
| 1-3 | "First Impression" | September 26, 1990 |
| 1-4 | "Once More, With Passion" | October 3, 1990 |
| 1-5 | "Money Changes Everything" | October 10, 1990 |
| 1-6 | "Live and Let Go" | October 17, 1990 |
| 1-7 | "Room for One More" | October 24, 1990 |
| 1-8 | "Who You Gonna Call?" | October 31, 1990 |
| 1-9 | "Term Paper" | November 7, 1990 |
| 1-10 | "The Baby Cometh" | November 14, 1990 |
| 1-11 | "Four Neighbors and a Bab" | November 28, 1990 |
| 1-12 | "Partners" | December 5, 1990 |
| 1-13 | "Compromise" | December 19, 1990 |
| 1-14 | "To Live and Drive in New York" | December 26, 1990 |
| 1-15 | "The Nanny" | January 9, 1991 |
| 1-16 | "Mommy and Me" | January 23, 1991 |
| 1-17 | "Dance Ten, Friends Zero" | January 30, 1991 |
| 1-18 | "You Were Right and I Was..." | March 16, 1991 |
Awards
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Won | Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series | Marty Brown, Dave Owen, Rich Rose, Marvin Shearer, Mark Warshaw, and Jerry Weiss For episode "Dance Ten, Friends Zero" |