The Tony Randall Show


The Tony Randall Show is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC during its first season from September 23, 1976 to March 10, 1977 and on CBS for its second season from September 24, 1977 to March 25, 1978.

Synopsis

The series starred Tony Randall as Walter Franklin, a middle-aged widowed judge, and took place in Philadelphia. The show followed the reserved Franklin dealing with being a single parent, raising his teenage daughter and preteen son. At times he also had to play surrogate parent to his daffy English housekeeper, whose inedible cooking was a frequent source of humor. At work, Judge Franklin had to contend with his stuffy and acerbic secretary, Miss Janet Reubner, and his court reporter, Jack Terwilliger, as well as presiding over court cases. Actor Zane Lasky played the recurring role of Mario Lanza, an annoying, nerdy, overbearing assistant who irritated Judge Franklin, but who kept getting rehired by Miss Reubner. Other recurring roles were played by Diana Muldaur, who appeared as Judge Franklin's love interest, Judge Eleanor Hooper; Michael Keaton, Annette O'Toole, and Michael Durrell. In the show's second season, Devon Scott was replaced by Penny Peyser, and Hans Conried joined the cast as Walter's irascible father.
The show was produced by MTM Enterprises and aired for one season on ABC. For its second season, the series moved to CBS where it aired for one more season before being canceled. Writer/producer Gary David Goldberg discusses behind-the-scenes stories in his autobiography, Sit, Ubu, Sit.

Award nominations