The Van Dyke Show
Encyclopedia
The Van Dyke Show is a short-lived 1988
U.S. situation comedy
, starring Dick Van Dyke
. It was cancelled after one season due to low ratings, possibly due to competition from the Top 20 hits Growing Pains
on ABC
and the first half of Unsolved Mysteries
on NBC
.
The series marked the first time real-life father-son actors Dick Van Dyke and Barry Van Dyke
worked together.
, and his father Dick Burgess, a Broadway
musical star. Dick decided to give up Broadway to live and work with his son at the theater. The theater's staff included Doc, the stage manager, Jillian, Matt's secretary, and Eric, Matt's helper
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
U.S. situation comedy
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...
, starring Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
. It was cancelled after one season due to low ratings, possibly due to competition from the Top 20 hits Growing Pains
Growing Pains
Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based...
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...
and the first half of Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
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 series marked the first time real-life father-son actors Dick Van Dyke and Barry Van Dyke
Barry Van Dyke
Barry Van Dyke is an American actor and the second son of actor and entertainer, Dick Van Dyke, and nephew of Jerry Van Dyke. He has one older brother, Christian, and two younger sisters, Stacy and Carrie Beth...
worked together.
Synopsis
The series centered on Matt Burgess, who ran a small regional theater in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and his father Dick Burgess, a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical star. Dick decided to give up Broadway to live and work with his son at the theater. The theater's staff included Doc, the stage manager, Jillian, Matt's secretary, and Eric, Matt's helper
Cast
- Dick Van Dyke as Dick Burgess
- Barry Van Dyke as Matt Burgess
- Kari LizerKari LizerKari Lizer is an American actress, writer, and producer. She was the creator and executive producer of the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine. On May 18, 2010 CBS canceled Old Christine...
as Chris Burgess - Billy O'SullivanBilly O'SullivanBilly O'Sullivan is an Irish sportsman. He played hurling with his local club Ballygunner and with the Waterford senior inter-county team.-Early life:...
as Noah Burgess - Whitman MayoWhitman MayoWhitman B. Mayo was an American actor best known for his character Grady Wilson on the 1970s television sitcom Sanford and Son....
as Doc Sterling - Maura TierneyMaura TierneyMaura Therese Tierney is an American film and television actress, who is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on NewsRadio and Abby Lockhart on the television medical drama ER.-Early life:...
as Jillian Ryan - Paul ScherrerPaul ScherrerPaul Scherrer was a Swiss physicist. Born in Herisau, Switzerland, he studied at Göttingen, Germany, before becoming a lecturer there. Later, Scherrer became head of the Department of Physics at ETH Zürich....
as Eric Olander