The Family Tree - a short-lived television series made in 1983. It was preceded by The Six of Us

The Six of Us

The Six of Us - a made for television movie that eventually served as a pilot movie to a short-lived television series The Family Tree...

, a 1982 television movie that served as a pilot episode

Television pilot

A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...

.

Plot

Story of Annie Benjamin; a divorced woman with three children (one of them deaf) who marries Kevin Nichols; a divorced man with a son of his own. Now, they must find a way for everyone to get along.

Cast

• Anne Archer
  Anne Archer
  Anne Archer is an American actress who has performed in feature films, television, and stage and was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971. Among her best known roles is that of Beth Gallagher in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, for which she received a nomination for an Academy Award.-Career:Archer's...
  
   as Annie Benjamin Nichols
• Frank Converse
  Frank Converse
  Frank Converse is an American actor. In 1962, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
  
   as Kevin Nichols
• Jonathan Hall Kovacs
  Jonathan Hall Kovacs
  Jonathan Hall Kovacs is an American former deaf child actor...
  
   as Toby Benjamin
• Melora Hardin
  Melora Hardin
  Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
  
   as Tess Benjamin
• Martin Hewitt
  Martin Hewitt
  Marvin Hewitt was an American impostor who became, among other things, a university physics professor.Hewitt was a high school drop-out with no qualifications who wanted to become an academic. He always used names and identities of real-life people in his impostures...
  
   as Sam Benjamin
• James Spader
  James Spader
  James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
  
   as Jake Nichols

Episode Guide

Episode	Summary
Pilot	Notes: The Six of Us The Six of Us The Six of Us - a made for television movie that eventually served as a pilot movie to a short-lived television series The Family Tree... pilot television film was released in 1982 and was completely recast in compare with the series (accept from Jonathan Hall Kovacs).
Episode 1	Annie becomes overprotective of Toby when the house is burglarized while he's home alone; Sam resents Kevin's role as the man of the house.
Episode 2	Annie decides to attend an out-of-state funeral with her first husband against Kevin's wishes; Tess falls for a dancer. Notes: Guest-starring Michael Cummings as Dance Studio Owner.
Episode 3	Jake becomes romantically involved with Annie's best friend; Kevin avoids the task of learning sign language. Notes: Guest-starring Cassie Yates Cassie Yates Cassie Yates , born in Macon, Georgia, United States, is an American actress best known for her performances on television.Her most high-profile role was probably in Dynasty as Sarah Curtis...  as Elise.
Episode 4
Episode 5	Kevin tells his ex-wife that he is no longer legally bound to support her; Tess sneaks out on a date. Notes: Guest-starring Joanna Cassidy Joanna Cassidy Joanna Cassidy is an American film and television actress. She is known for her role as the replicant Zhora in the Ridley Scott's film Blade Runner...  as Elizabeth Nichols.
Episode 6	Kevin's daughter shows up after leaving her husband; Tess's father offers a lame excuse to avoid coming to her birthday party. Notes: Guest-starring Ann Dusenberry Ann Dusenberry Ann Dusenberry is an American actress from Tucson, Arizona known primarily for a variety of television series and made-for-TV movie roles in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s.-Acting career:...  as Molly Nichols Tanner and Alan Feinstein Alan Feinstein Alan Shawn Feinstein is an American philanthropist and former mail-order and Internet promoter.-Early years:Feinstein was born in Milton, Massachusetts in 1931. He grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts....  as Dr. David Benjamin.

Notes: Guest-starred in unknown episode(s) Jonathan Perpich as Mike Taylor and Richard Molinare.

External links

• The Family Tree at The TV-Guide.com