List of Too Close for Comfort episodes
The following is a list of episodes for the television series Too Close for Comfort. The first two seasons have been released on DVD by Rhino Entertainment.
Series overview
[edit]| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | |||||
| 1 | 19 | November 11, 1980 | May 12, 1981 | ABC | 15 | 20.8 (Tied with Happy Days) | |
| 2 | 22 | October 13, 1981 | May 11, 1982 | 6 | 22.6 (Tied with The Dukes of Hazzard) | ||
| 3 | 22 | September 30, 1982 | May 5, 1983 | 38[1] | — | ||
| 4 | 23 | April 7, 1984 | December 8, 1984 | Syndication | — | — | |
| 5 | 21 | February 5, 1985 | November 23, 1985 | — | — | ||
| 6 | 22 | April 5, 1986 | February 7, 1987 | — | — | ||
Episodes
[edit]Season 1 (1980–81)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Will Mackenzie | Arne Sultan, Earl Barrett & Brian Cooke | November 11, 1980 | 001 |
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Henry and Muriel Rush are the owners of a duplex in San Francisco, where they live with their two adult daughters: 21-year-old banker Jackie and 18-year-old college freshman Sara, in a cramped, awkward arrangement. Henry is a cartoonist of a comic strip called Cosmic Cow, while Muriel is a former musician currently working as a photographer. When Henry and Muriel's downstairs tenant, Nevell Rafkin, suddenly dies, the family discovers Rafkin was living a secret life as a cross-dresser, and the many mysterious women Henry had been opening the door for all those years were actually Rafkin himself. Sara comes up with the idea for her and Jackie to convince their parents to let them to move into Rafkin's former apartment. Henry rejects the idea at first, but after Henry interviews a couple of prospective tenants he doesn't approve of, Muriel convinces him that having the girls move in may not be such a bad idea. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "It Didn't Happen One Night" | Will Mackenzie | Arne Sultan & Earl Barrett | November 16, 1980 | 002 |
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With Sara and Jackie now living in the downstairs apartment, Henry has been excessively snooping in on their personal business. Sara asks for permission to go to Lake Tahoe for the weekend with three of her girlfriends from school, leaving behind birth control pills that one of Sara's friends left at the apartment so her father won't find out. Henry goes into panic mode after he finds the pills in her room, leading him to worry about Jackie as well when she goes out on a date with her navyman boyfriend who is in town from San Diego for the weekend, and lets him spend the night at the apartment (in Sara's room), causing Henry to hit the roof. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Bag Lady" | Will Mackenzie | Tony Garofalo | November 18, 1980 | 003 |
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Jackie, who works at a bank, tries to make a money delivery to a supermarket, but finds it has already closed and she is unable to take it to the bank's vault; after calling her boss, she finds herself in charge of a bag containing $100,000 in it. Meanwhile when the pipes in Muriel's darkroom begin to rattle, Henry finds out what's causing it and creates a small hole in the wall when he finds out what is causing the rattling, and a much bigger one when Henry tries to hammer a nail in the wall to hang a picture to cover the original hole; Muriel tries to talk him into hiring a plumber, but Henry balks at the prospect of paying a fortune for a professional one. Muriel finds two ex-convicts working as plumbers, as part of a rehabilitation program for prisoners, but Henry is convinced that the ex-con plumbers are going to rip them off. Jackie and Sara inform Henry and Muriel about the money, leading the Rushes to try and hide it from the plumbers; Henry decides to take it upon himself to hide the cash, leaving Jackie miffed that her father doesn't think she can be trusted with the responsibility. But when Henry creatively hides the cash separately in a tissue box and a flashlight, they worry that the plumbers might have run off with it when they discover the plumbers took the wrong flashlight, the one Henry hid $50,000 in. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Sara's Monroe Doctrine" | Will Mackenzie | Mort Scharfman & Harry Weitzman | November 25, 1980 | 004 |
|
Sara befriends Monroe Ficus, a recently dumped young man, who quickly follows her all over the place even following her home. Meanwhile, Henry and Muriel plan on celebrating their anniversary but just before heading out for the evening they get a phone call from Sara and Monroe with news that they have been arrested. Note: Jim J. Bullock appears for the first time in the series, in the recurring role of Monroe Ficus. Bullock became a series regular in the middle of the second season. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Que Sara, Sara" | Will Mackenzie | Mitch Markowitz | December 2, 1980 | 005 |
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Jackie and Sara have split the cost of rent but when Sara is unable to pay her half, Henry tells her to go out and get a job. Sara easily gets a job as a waitress, but Henry is in no way thrilled with the skimpy costume that she has to wear. This leads to a blow up between Henry and Muriel leading her to move in with Jackie and Sara. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Tenants Anyone?" | Howard Storm | Mitch Markowitz | December 9, 1980 | 006 |
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The furniture of the previous tenant, Rafkin, has become Jackie and Sara's but when his sister (Selma Diamond) shows up to claim his belongings, they find themselves in an unfurnished apartment. When Henry refuses to pay for new furniture, the girls decide to move out and into an unsafe part of town. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolfe?" | Howard Storm | Rich Reinhart | December 16, 1980 | 007 |
|
When Sara gets a part-time job at Jackie's bank, things go smoothly. Jackie quickly warns her of the branch manager, Mr. Wolfe, and his "friendliness" toward the women tellers. However, Jackie quickly finds herself changing her mind about Sara, when Sara begins dating him and then suddenly gets a promotion. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Mister Big" | Herbert Kenwith | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | January 6, 1981 | 008 |
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Henry is worried about his job when the new mystery loving boss, Arthur Wainwright, takes over and begins a steady practice of age discrimination. However, things may swing his way, when Muriel invites Arthur over for dinner which quickly embroils him in a quest to find the man who had snatched Sara's purse. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Location" | Russ Petranto | Austin Kalish & Irma Kalish | January 13, 1981 | 009 |
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Sara and Monroe are ecstatic when a movie director decides Jackie and Sara's apartment would be perfect to film a movie. However, Henry and Muriel are totally unsure of the situation. Things get out of hand when a lion, being used for the film, gets loose and takes up residence in Henry and Muriel's kitchen. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "A Friend in Need" | John Bowab | Rich Reinhart | January 27, 1981 | 011 |
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Monroe has been struggling with the fact he is still a virgin and seeks out a psychologist for help. The psychologist suggests that Monroe hire a sex surrogate to solve his problem, but unfortunate circumstances cause Monroe to mistake Mrs. Rafkin for the surrogate, and the surrogate to mistake Henry for Monroe. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "A Fine Romance" | Russ Petranto | Gail Honigberg | February 3, 1981 | 012 |
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Sylvia Walker, an old college friend and recently divorced friend of Muriel's arrives in town for a visit and decides to make the most of the rest of her life. Meanwhile, Henry becomes insecure about his age after glancing over the obituaries and thinks he may be on death's doorstep soon. However, things turn around for him, when Sylvia makes a play for him. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Boy in the Band" | Russ Petranto | Austin Kalish & Irma Kalish | February 10, 1981 | 010 |
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Rich Holland, a man who took Muriel on the road with a band when she was young arrives in town looking just as young as ever. Henry soon feels old and becomes insecure, however, Muriel also becomes insecure when Rich takes an interest in Jackie. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Deadline for Henry" | Linda Day | Sam Greenbaum | February 17, 1981 | 013 |
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Henry is not happy with the fact that he has been called in for jury duty. However, things get pressed when Henry's boss, Mr. Wainwright, wanting to avoid any problems associated with a possible strike, orders Henry to cough up next week's comic strip. This forces Henry to stay up all night and leads to him falling asleep in court the next day. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Huey" | Russ Petranto | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | February 24, 1981 | 014 |
|
Henry's father, Huey breaks out of the nursing home, or rather is thrown out when he has a romantic interlude with another resident. He arrives in San Francisco to stay with Henry but soon his presence sends the household into an uproar. Meanwhile, Jackie debates over whether or not to accept a job offer in New York. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Centerfold" | Russ Petranto | Bryan Joseph | March 3, 1981 | 015 |
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A football player, Buck Krulik, is in town and a fan of Henry's Cosmic Cow comic strip, so he comes by for a visit and has Jackie, Sara and Muriel fawn all over him. After admiring some of her photography, Buck remembers her when a nude centerfold photo shoot goes awry and he calls her in to take over. However, she may not be quite ready for a male nude spread, despite Henry forbidding her. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "What's Wrong with Mr. Right?" | Russ Petranto | Austin Kalish & Irma Kalish | March 17, 1981 | 016 |
|
A woman arrives at Sara and Jackie's door accusing Sara of dating her husband. However, the woman has the wrong Rush daughter, Jackie is the one and doesn't see anything wrong with it since they are separated. Still, she begins to feel her relationship coming to an end and quick. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Up Your Easter Bonnet" | Russ Petranto | Adele Styler & Burt Styler | March 24, 1981 | 017 |
|
Out of pity, Henry reluctantly allows Monroe to crash on his couch for Easter week when Monroe's parents decide they don't want him to visit them in Miami. Henry soon regrets his generosity when he learns that Monroe has ruined his unpublished Cosmic Cow drawings, and in turn his own planned vacation. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Cosmic Cow vs. the Oval Office" | Lee Lochhead | Paul Hunter | May 5, 1981 | 018 |
|
Henry is fired by Mr. Wainwright when he refuses to publish an apology for his recent Cosmic Cow comic strips that poke fun at President Reagan. Rather than face the indignity of taking unemployment compensation, he makes the regrettable decision to pursue his passion for painting and lets Muriel accept an offer for a full time job she doesn't really want. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "The Return of Rafkin" | John Bowab | Adele Styler & Burt Styler | May 12, 1981 | 019 |
|
Sara arranges for a medium to conduct a séance to connect Mildred Rafkin with her deceased brother in an attempt to find a missing antique brooch. However, an accusation leveled by Rafkin's "spirit" threatens to split up Henry and Muriel, when the voice of the Rushes' late tenant accuses Henry of marital infidelity. | ||||||
Season 2 (1981–82)
[edit]- Starting with the episode "What's Our Rush", Jim J. Bullock (Monroe Ficus) is upgraded to series regular status and appears in the opening credits from that point on (with the exception of the season two episodes "Where There's a Will", "The Remaking of Monroe" and "When the Bough Breaks", which were aired out of production order).
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 | "Guess Who's Coming to Burp?" | Russ Petranto | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | October 13, 1981 | 201 |
|
A doctor informs Muriel that she's pregnant after she faints at a restaurant while celebrating her 42nd birthday with her family. While she and Henry are initially elated, they find themselves faced with a serious decision as they begin to realize all of the implications of having another child at this point of their lives. | ||||||
| 21 | 2 | "Your Guest Is as Good as Mine" | Russ Petranto | Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn | October 27, 1981 | 202 |
|
Henry's free-spirited niece, April, shows up on his doorstep after moving from Delaware to start a song writing career, and he reluctantly allows her to stay in the guest bedroom of his apartment until she's able to get established. However, their relationship starts off on the wrong foot, and Henry hopes it isn't too late when he finally figures out why. | ||||||
| 22 | 3 | "Who's Sara Now?" | Russ Petranto | S : Skip Usen; T : Arne Sultan & Earl Barrett | November 3, 1981 | 203 |
|
Muriel and Henry read a newspaper article about a nurse who had switched babies in the maternity ward of the hospital that Sara had been delivered at. They quickly set out to find if indeed Sara had been switched at birth. However, they aren't too pleased when they discover the only other baby girl in the maternity ward is now serving time in prison. | ||||||
| 23 | 4 | "The Prince and the Frog" | Lee Lochhead | Lesa Kite & Cindy Begel | November 10, 1981 | 206 |
|
Jackie openly dreads a visit from an annoying, nerdy guy who had a crush on her when she was a kid. However, when Sara is the first to discover his physical appearance has changed completely and starts dating him, Jackie becomes extremely jealous and vindictive. | ||||||
| 24 | 5 | "What's Our Rush?" | Russ Petranto | T : Arne Sultan, Earl Barret, Austin Kalish, Irma Kalish; S/T : Jerry Winnick | November 17, 1981 | 208 |
|
Muriel goes in for an amniocentesis, but she and Henry decline to learn the sex of the baby. This doesn't sit well with Henry's mischievous father Huey, who is in town to bury his deceased friend. In the meantime, Jackie makes an unexpected decision after taking part in a successful strike at her bank. | ||||||
| 25 | 6 | "Rafkin's Bum" | Russ Petranto | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | November 24, 1981 | 210 |
|
An older man dressed like a bum shows up at the Rushes' doorstep looking for the transvestite persona of Rafkin, their deceased former tenant, because they always got together for Thanksgiving dinner. Feeling bad for him for several obvious reasons, they invite him to join their own disastrous get together, and later find out that he too has a big secret that involves his appearance. | ||||||
| 26 | 7 | "Where There's a Will" | Lee Lochhead | Austin Kalish & Irma Kalish | December 1, 1981 | 205 |
|
Hearing a story about a man who died intestate causes Henry to have a terrible nightmare, which compels him to finally make out his will. However, he soon regrets his decision to follow Monroe's advice to do it on videotape in the presence of his family. | ||||||
| 27 | 8 | "The Remaking of Monroe" | Russ Petranto | Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner | December 8, 1981 | 204 |
|
Monroe enrolls in an assertiveness class on the advice of the Rush girls after being pushed around at a concert, but the class proves to work a little too well. Meanwhile, one of Henry's colleagues suggests Henry demand a raise from Mr. Wainwright. | ||||||
| 28 | 9 | "When the Bough Breaks" | Russ Petranto | Austin Kalish & Irma Kalish | December 15, 1981 | 207 |
|
Muriel unwisely commits herself to do a coveted helicopter photo shoot, which Henry demands she cancel due to her pregnancy. The back and forth fighting cause a big headache for the girls, who are forced to change their minds several times whether to cancel an elaborate surprise 25th anniversary party they had previously scheduled. | ||||||
| 29 | 10 | "Cop-Out" | Russ Petranto | Bruce Kalish & Philip John Taylor | January 5, 1982 | 209 |
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Jackie falls madly in love with a police officer who responds to a false burglary report at the apartment due to April sneaking in late one night after getting stuck on Alcatraz with her boyfriend. She immediately accepts his marriage proposal after just a few dates, refusing her parents' plea to consider the difficulties of being a police wife. | ||||||
| 30 | 11 | "April and September" | Russ Petranto | George Bloom | January 12, 1982 | 213 |
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Henry is going up the wall with April keeping such late hours, spending time with her latest boyfriend. However, Henry and Muriel are in for a shock when they discover her boyfriend, Don is old enough to be her father. Henry puts his foot down and that's when Don asks April to move in with him, which she gladly accepts. | ||||||
| 31 | 12 | "A Fan for Henry" | Lee Lochhead | Erik Tarloff | January 19, 1982 | 212 |
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A fan of Henry's Cosmic Cow comic strip who has been sending him increasingly bizarre fan mail breaks into the apartment one night through the unlocked front door, kidnapping his puppet and vowing in a note to return before the end of the weekend. Interpreting the note as a threat on his life, Henry and Monroe set up a stakeout at the apartment with the help of a police officer, who abruptly leaves them to fend for themselves when he is called away. | ||||||
| 32 | 13 | "Brotherly Hate" | Lee Lochhead | Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn | February 2, 1982 | 211 |
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April secretly arranges for her father Bill to meet face to face with his brother Henry, so they can attempt to reconcile after a petty childhood dispute caused them to stop speaking forty years ago. The effort may be for naught, however, when Bill eats a piece of cheesecake baked by Monroe, who did not realize it was an old Russian recipe for homemade poisoned rat bait. Absent: Lydia Cornell as Sara Rush | ||||||
| 33 | 14 | "Charlie's Last Hurrah" | Russ Petranto | T : Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn; S/T : Jill Baer & Christopher Vane | February 9, 1982 | 214 |
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Henry is contacted by a rival cartoonist who has perpetrated several practical jokes on him over the years, and Henry schemes with Monroe to pay him back during a dinner visit. However, when Henry is unable to stop the prank after the man claims he is dying, Henry feels obligated to assist him in an elaborate plan to cheat on his wife. | ||||||
| 34 | 15 | "The Last Weekend" | Lee Lochhead | Jeff Cohn | February 16, 1982 | 215 |
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Upon realizing the birth of his third child is only six weeks away, Henry feels a sense of guilt for not spending enough time with his two daughters. He decides to invite them on a weekend ski trip, but the experience doesn't turn out quite the way he envisioned when the girls meet a couple of brothers and he discovers that Monroe packed the wrong suitcase in the car. | ||||||
| 35 | 16 | "My Unfavorite Martin" | Russ Petranto | Julie Friedgen | February 23, 1982 | 220 |
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Muriel secretly asks her mother Iris stay with her until she recovers from childbirth, much to the chagrin of Henry, who has always found her to be overbearing. When Muriel unexpectedly takes a stand against her mother's nonstop criticism, it is up to Henry to straighten out the mess, and he learns a big secret about Muriel in the process. Note: This is the first appearance of Audrey Meadows in the recurring role of Iris Martin. | ||||||
| 36 | 17 | "Seventh Month Blues" | Lee Lochhead | S : Jerry Winnick; T : Earl Barret & George Bloom | March 2, 1982 | 216 |
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Henry's generous offer to arrange a job interview for an attractive art student backfires when she begins showing affection for him, which puts him in the doghouse with an increasingly insecure Muriel and causes him to panic when Monroe tells him that she tried to jump out a window after her last break up. Henry and Muriel also host a Lamaze class in their apartment, which turns out to be a bad idea. | ||||||
| 37 | 18 | "As the Cookie Crumbles" | Lee Lochhead | S : Jesse Dizon & Don Haberman; T : Bruce Taylor | March 9, 1982 | 217 |
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Just before heading off on a Las Vegas vacation, Henry reluctantly lends $100 to Sara, April and Monroe so they can start a business selling home-baked cookies using Grandma Rush's recipe. However, a promising and profitable start quickly turns into a disaster that includes a trashed kitchen, hefty fines, a potential lawsuit, and a visit from the immigration service. | ||||||
| 38 | 19 | "Foreign Exchange" | Russ Petranto | S : Richard Marcus; T : Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn | March 16, 1982 | 218 |
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In order to reduce the cost of a trip to Europe, Jackie and Sara swap apartments with an English couple who wants to visit America. Henry's misgivings are confirmed when he accidentally opens a piece of their luggage that contains a high-powered rifle, and concludes they are on a mission to assassinate a Russian ambassador. | ||||||
| 39 | 20 | "A Matter of Degree" | Earl Barret & Nancy Heydorn | S : Earl Barret, Arne Sultan, Austin Kalish, Irma Kalish; T : Milt Rosen | March 23, 1982 | 221 |
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Henry refuses to accept Sara's decision to drop out of college to become the weather announcer on a local television station, which causes her to announce that she's moving out in protest. Meanwhile, Monroe's clumsy method of wallpapering the baby's nursery has an unexpected outcome, and a wealthy family friend brings the Rushes a much appreciated gift. | ||||||
| 40 | 21 | "A Policeman's Wife Is Not a Happy One" | Russ Petranto | Austin Kalish & Irma Kalish | May 4, 1982 | 222 |
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Jackie's boyfriend Brad has recovered from his gunshot wound and decides he can't work a desk job, which causes him to reconsider the appropriateness of a long term relationship with her. Meanwhile, the Rushes' furnace goes out, and Monroe's desire to help only increases Henry's agony. | ||||||
| 41 | 22 | "Don't Shoot the Piano Movers" | Jon Sharp | S : Earl Barret & Arne Sultan; T : Bruce Kalish | May 11, 1982 | 219 |
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April's father sends her his baby grand piano, and she takes up Monroe's offer to move it into the apartment with the help of a large friend for $20. This proves to be a big mistake when everyone gets trapped in the apartment just as Muriel begins feeling labor pains and Henry's just-married friend becomes desperate to be reunited with his bride. | ||||||
Season 3 (1982–83)
[edit]- This season was the last to air on ABC, as it was cancelled at the end of the season due to declining ratings as a result of the show's move to Thursday nights, as part of a lineup of short-lived freshman series.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 1 | "Break Out the Pampers: Part 1" | Russ Petranto | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | September 30, 1982 | 301 |
|
Henry and his daughters verge on total emotional and physical exhaustion after Muriel experiences one false labor after another. Henry is later called away to meet with Mr. Wainwright, leaving Muriel alone with Monroe, who has just purchased a motorcycle to replace his totaled car. | ||||||
| 43 | 2 | "Break Out the Pampers: Part 2" | Russ Petranto | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | September 30, 1982 | 302 |
|
Muriel and Monroe make it safely to the hospital, and are soon joined by Henry and the girls. Not being in a proper state of mind, Henry tasks Monroe with calling Mr. Wainwright, which results in him getting fired just as Muriel begins delivery. | ||||||
| 44 | 3 | "Guess Who's Coming Forever?" | Russ Petranto | Laurie Gelman | October 14, 1982 | 303 |
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Muriel's mother Iris (Audrey Meadows) pays an unexpected visit, and she agrees to call a truce with Henry for the sake of the new baby. The peace is short lived, however, when Iris encourages Sara to accept a job as a weekend evening weather anchor despite Henry's objection, causing Henry to move in with Monroe in protest. | ||||||
| 45 | 4 | "A Snip in Time" | Russ Petranto | Phil Doran & Douglas Arango | October 21, 1982 | 305 |
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Henry becomes increasingly frustrated as he tries to understand why he hasn't been interested in making love to Muriel in the two months since Andrew was born. He takes a friend's advice and gets a vasectomy, but quickly finds out it doesn't solve all of his problems. | ||||||
| 46 | 5 | "The Luck of the Iris" | Chuck Liotta | Laurie Gelman | October 28, 1982 | 307 |
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Andrew accidentally becomes exposed to the chicken pox, which Henry has never had. After exhausting all other options, Henry is forced to move in with Iris, and proceeds to interfere with her social life. Absent: Jim J. Bullock as Monroe Ficus | ||||||
| 47 | 6 | "Do You Take This Woman Again?" | Russ Petranto | Bruce Howard | November 4, 1982 | 310 |
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Henry and Muriel decide to renew their wedding vows on their 26th anniversary, and allow their daughters to plan a simple ceremony for fifteen guests in the apartment. When Monroe becomes involved and schedules a $3,200 extravaganza for 65 people, Henry and Muriel reconsider their options. | ||||||
| 48 | 7 | "Who Was That Baby I Saw You With?" | Russ Petranto | Mark Masuoka | November 11, 1982 | 304 |
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In an attempt to bring in extra income to buy a new couch for the girls' apartment, Muriel starts a baby photography business in the apartment using Henry and his Cosmic Cow puppet as a prop. She regrettably puts Monroe in charge of scheduling, which results in a tense situation when Andrew is mistaken for another baby and taken by one of their customers. | ||||||
| 49 | 8 | "Monroe's Secret Love's Secret" | Earl Barret | Phil Doran & Douglas Arango | November 18, 1982 | 309 |
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Monroe falls in love with a coworker of Jackie's named Pat who refuses to go out with him, and Henry's advice causes him to turn into a stalker. Henry is compelled to straighten things out, but finds himself facing a much bigger problem when he discovers Pat is actually a cross-dressing man. | ||||||
| 50 | 9 | "A Thanksgiving Tale" | Russ Petranto | Larry Balmagia | November 25, 1982 | 311 |
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Iris admits to Muriel that she gets depressed around the holidays because she thinks about her deceased husband. The whole family panics Thanksgiving morning when they hear a news report about a woman matching Iris' description who has jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. | ||||||
| 51 | 10 | "Pressure's Rising" | Lee Lochhead | David Braff | December 9, 1982 | 313 |
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The Rushes are shocked when a good family friend dies of a heart attack in the prime of his life and leaves his family penniless. Muriel pressures Henry to buy more life insurance, but he regrettably takes Monroe along to his physical. | ||||||
| 52 | 11 | "Mr. Christmas" | Russ Petranto | Larry Balmagia | December 16, 1982 | 316 |
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The Rushes are forced to cancel their plans to spend Christmas at Mammoth Mountain when Andrew comes down with a fever. Henry's day gets even worse when he allows Monroe to help him decorate the tree, and Jackie invites a mysterious man dressed as Santa to spend the day with them. | ||||||
| 53 | 12 | "The Yearning Point" | Russ Petranto | David Randall & Frank Carrasquillo | January 6, 1983 | 312 |
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Muriel is visited by Karen Day, her former singing partner from 26 years ago who has since become rich and famous. Henry becomes increasingly uncomfortable as he wonders if he prevented Muriel from becoming famous too, but Muriel discovers that wealth and fame aren't necessarily the keys to happiness. | ||||||
| 54 | 13 | "Briefly at the Counter" | Russ Petranto | S : Laurie Gelman, Jim Geoghan & Will Manus; S/T : Laurie Gelman | January 13, 1983 | 317 |
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Iris falls in love with a man she meets at a soup shop who claims to be an investment banker, and he invites Henry and Muriel to join them for dinner at an expensive restaurant. When Muriel discovers a dark secret about the man, she and Henry must come up with a strategy on how to handle the situation. | ||||||
| 55 | 14 | "To Buy or Not to Buy" | Russ Petranto | Rick Sultan & Gary Ress | January 20, 1983 | 306 |
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Sara lets two men posing as furniture refinishers into her parents' apartment who proceed to rob them of all of their valuables. Henry becomes determined to buy a shotgun despite Muriel's objections, leading to a huge fight. Meanwhile, the girls hire Monroe to fix their refrigerator. | ||||||
| 56 | 15 | "The Separation" | Lee Lochhead | Jurgen Wolff | January 27, 1983 | 314 |
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Jackie and her fiancé Brad separate after Brad demands that she become a housewife. Her parents and grandmother try to help her by each recounting their own versions of a similar situation that occurred while Henry and Muriel were dating. | ||||||
| 57 | 16 | "Girls of the Media" | Russ Petranto | S : Kevin Hopps; T : Sally Sussman | February 3, 1983 | 318 |
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Jackie achieves her own fashion line at Balaban's, and Henry's reaction convinces Sara that he treats the two of them unequally. Sara attempts to prove her point by agreeing to do a career-oriented interview and bikini pictorial for an adult magazine, but the plan backfires when the magazine superimposes her face on a naked body. | ||||||
| 58 | 17 | "The Courier" | Russ Petranto | S : Arne Sultan; T : Jurgen Wolff | February 17, 1983 | 319 |
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Henry reluctantly allows a flirtatious substitute courier named Bambi to take a cold shower when she arrives for a pickup extremely hung over. This proves to be an error in judgment when Bambi falls asleep in his bed wearing nothing but his robe just as Muriel arrives home. Note: Guest star Cisse Cameron, who appeared as Bambi in this episode, co-starred with Ted Knight in his short lived, self-titled sitcom called The Ted Knight Show (not to be confused with the later title for Too Close for Comfort, used during the sixth and final season) that aired in 1978. | ||||||
| 59 | 18 | "The Adoption Story" | Jeremiah Morris | Rick Sultan & Gary Ress | February 24, 1983 | 320 |
|
Iris buys two plane tickets to Paris for Muriel's 43rd birthday without realizing that Muriel will discover she's adopted when she applies for a passport. Henry convinces Iris to finally tell Muriel the truth, and Muriel decides to hire a private investigator to find her real parents. | ||||||
| 60 | 19 | "Out to Lunch" | Russ Petranto | Bill Daley | March 10, 1983 | 315 |
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Just when the Rushes' financial situation seems bleak, Muriel is offered a two-day photo shoot for a beer company. Henry's task of taking care of Andrew hits a snag when Monroe causes him to waste both bottles of Muriel's breast milk, forcing Henry to interrupt her and jeopardize her job. | ||||||
| 61 | 20 | "A Portrait of Henry" | Chuck Liotta | Rich Orloff | March 17, 1983 | 308 |
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Henry receives a mediocre portrait of himself from a friend, and insists on hanging it over the dining room table. It becomes a reflection of his conscience when his overreaction to Monroe's latest screw up results in Monroe sustaining serious injuries. | ||||||
| 62 | 21 | "Don't Rock the Boat" | Bruce Bilson | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | April 28, 1983 | 322 |
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Henry and Muriel travel to the Oxnard marina to visit his old Navy buddy Arthur, who is finally getting remarried after losing his wife 17 years ago. Henry convinces Arthur to cancel the wedding when he discovers Arthur's bride-to-be is only 26 years old, but he has a hard time breaking the news to her. Note: This episode was intended as a backdoor pilot for a proposed spinoff series titled Don't Rock the Boat, about a 52-year-old man who owns a boat repair business at a marina with his two adult sons, who marries a 26-year-old woman despite the objections of his sons and friends. | ||||||
| 63 | 22 | "Family Business" | Howard Storm | Phil Doran & Douglas Arango | May 5, 1983 | 321 |
|
After Iris is mugged in the garage of her condominium complex, Henry agrees to go along with Muriel's and Iris' plan to sell the condo and use the proceeds to add a third floor to the Rushes' apartment building. Unfortunately, they select a remodeling company that is going through a personnel transition. Note: As with the previous episode, this episode was intended as a backdoor pilot for a proposed spinoff series; Family Business was to have revolved around two Italian brothers, an aspiring violinist and an aspiring professional athlete, who reluctantly take over their deceased father's remodeling business at the request of their mother. ABC did not pick up the series for the 1983-84 television season, especially as Too Close for Comfort was cancelled by ABC after this episode aired and was picked up for first-run syndication the following year. | ||||||
Season 4 (1984)
[edit]- Beginning this season, Too Close for Comfort began airing in first-run syndication, after Metromedia Producers Corporation began distributing the series.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 1 | "The Enemy Above" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | April 7, 1984 | 401 |
|
The third-floor addition to the Rush apartment is complete, but Henry has conflicting emotions when Iris is suddenly offered the opportunity become a partner in a Chicago travel agency. Meanwhile, Monroe is forced to find a new living arrangement when his apartment building is demolished. | ||||||
| 65 | 2 | "Making Mountains Out of Molehills" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | April 14, 1984 | 403 |
|
Jackie is depressed that she hasn't been on a date since she broke up with Brad, while Sara seems to be dating a different guy every night. She thinks the solution to her problem is to get breast implants, which her parents and Sara try to talk her out of. | ||||||
| 66 | 3 | "Just Another Pretty Face" | Russ Petranto | Lindsay Harrison | April 21, 1984 | 411 |
|
Sara is given the opportunity to audition to become a news anchor at her station, and feels she is a shoo-in if she wears the right outfit, despite the fact Jackie exposes her total lack of preparedness for the job. Henry tries to rein in her expectations after he meets the woman she will be competing with, who is very experienced but not photogenic. | ||||||
| 67 | 4 | "Home Is Where the Bart Is" | Russ Petranto | George Yanok | April 28, 1984 | 404 |
|
The Rushes are shocked when the city proposes to demolish their entire neighborhood to build a new BART subway station. Henry is conflicted when Monroe informs him that he could have his house declared an historical landmark because it used to be a famous brothel that was visited by a former president. | ||||||
| 68 | 5 | "High Infidelity" | Lee Lochhead | Rick Sultan & Gary Ress | May 5, 1984 | 407 |
|
Monroe's father comes to San Francisco on business, and the Rushes invite him to dinner. Monroe's joy quickly turns to devastation, however, when he later goes to his father's hotel room to return his wallet only to discover him having an affair. | ||||||
| 69 | 6 | "Son of the Groom" | Lee Lochhead | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | May 12, 1984 | 408 |
|
Henry is appalled when his 78-year-old father Huey comes for a visit and announces he's going to be marrying a woman half his age. Henry pleads with his father to reconsider, but the argument takes on a different tone when Huey announces his fiancée is pregnant. Note: Ray Middleton, who portrayed Henry's father Huey in this episode and three other previous episodes, died approximately one month before the original air date of this episode. | ||||||
| 70 | 7 | "Witness for the Persecution" | Russ Petranto | Bill Daley | May 19, 1984 | 405 |
|
Henry witnesses an armed robbery and is the only person who can identify the suspect. He fears for his family's safety when the suspect is bailed out after threatening to have him killed. | ||||||
| 71 | 8 | "Henry Draws a Blank" | Russ Petranto | Robert Gosnell & Danny Morris | May 26, 1984 | 406 |
|
Henry fears that he's run out of ideas for his Cosmic Cow comic strip, but he finds unexpected inspiration in the form of a drop-in visit from Mildred Rafkin. However, he soon regrets cutting her visit short. | ||||||
| 72 | 9 | "Shipmates" | Russ Petranto | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | June 2, 1984 | 402 |
|
Henry invites his former Navy superior Frank to dinner, only to find out he's been in a gay relationship for the past 25 years. When Frank admits that his partner is terminally ill, Henry tells Muriel he has trouble feeling sympathy for them, which disturbs her deeply. Henry however by the end of the episode decides to put aside his discomforts with homosexuality and be there for his old friend in his time of need. | ||||||
| 73 | 10 | "Is There a Doctor in the House?" | Russ Petranto | Mickey Rose | June 9, 1984 | 409 |
|
Henry is excited about the possibility of receiving an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of South Cavena ("The Other USC") if he donates his drawings to the school. However, he is devastated when the selection committee unexpectedly rejects his donation. | ||||||
| 74 | 11 | "High and Inside" | Russ Petranto | Larry Balmagia | June 16, 1984 | 410 |
|
Henry takes it upon himself to schedule Sara to go on a date with a well known baseball player, which she reluctantly agrees to. While the two click almost immediately, Henry demands Sara break off the relationship when he discovers the man is a cocaine addict. Absent: Jim J. Bullock as Monroe Ficus; although, Monroe calls home at the end of the episode to tell Henry he somehow wound up in Mexico while going surfing. | ||||||
| 75 | 12 | "The Runaway" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | June 23, 1984 | 412 |
|
Henry reluctantly allows Monroe to have his friend Sam become a temporary roommate to help him with the rent. However, Henry is shocked when Sam turns out to be a runaway girl from Florida. Note: Elyse Knight, who guest starred as Sam, is the daughter of series star Ted Knight. | ||||||
| 76 | 13 | "The Graduates" | Nancy Heydorn | George Yanok | July 14, 1984 | 413 |
|
Monroe becomes depressed when both of his job interviews that Jackie and Sara arranged for him turn into disasters. When he contemplates staying in school to become a nuclear physicist, Henry regrettably talks him into becoming his assistant. | ||||||
| 77 | 14 | "Goodbye, Mr. Chip" | Lee Lochhead | Barry E. Blitzer | July 21, 1984 | 414 |
|
Monroe uses a loaned computer to pick stocks and horse races, which pays off immediately for him and the Rush girls, but makes Henry extremely upset. However, Henry has a change of heart when the computer picks a horse with 30:1 odds. | ||||||
| 78 | 15 | "No Patsy, This Kelly" | Lee Lochhead | S : Bill Davenport; S/T : George Tricker & Neil Rosen | October 6, 1984 | 415 |
|
While Henry frets over the possible expiration of his employment contract, he allows Monroe to have a colleague named Kelly spend the night because they have a security guard training class together the next day. However, Monroe fails to specify that Kelly is a Doberman Pinscher. | ||||||
| 79 | 16 | "Hawaii Five-8" | Peter Frazer-Jones | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | October 13, 1984 | 422 |
|
Iris treats Jackie and Sara to a ten-day trip to Hawaii, which Henry considers a wonderful gesture. However, his mood quickly changes when Jackie returns and announces she is engaged to a native Hawaiian surfing instructor. | ||||||
| 80 | 17 | "Quick on the Draw" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | October 27, 1984 | 424 |
|
Henry breaks his arm when Monroe falls off a ladder and lands on top of him. His nightmare becomes worse when Mr. Wainwright assigns a young and obnoxious artist to assist him, who turns out to have the talent to back up his ego. | ||||||
| 81 | 18 | "The Missing Fink" | Peter Frazer-Jones | Rick Sultan & Gary Ress | November 3, 1984 | 421 |
|
While on a photo shoot at a new art exhibit, Muriel accidentally photographs a man who was about to testify against the mob, and has her camera confiscated by two government agents. However, she is ordered not to tell anyone the circumstances of what happened, which causes Henry to conclude she is having an affair. | ||||||
| 82 | 19 | "The Sound of Mother" | Earl Barret | Rick Sultan & Gary Ress | November 10, 1984 | 416 |
|
Henry and the girls invite Muriel's biological mother, who is stopping in San Francisco before sailing to the Orient over for dinner behind Muriel's back. While Muriel plans to use the opportunity to tell the woman off, she has a change of plans when the woman turns out to be a nun. | ||||||
| 83 | 20 | "The Return of Mr. Wonderful" | Earl Barret | Mickey Rose | November 17, 1984 | 417 |
|
Iris unexpectedly returns to San Francisco to be wined and dined by the shady character she had been dating during her previous stay, and her loved ones once again fear what his motivation is. Meanwhile, Sara gets a credit card. | ||||||
| 84 | 21 | "Divorce Chicago Style" | Peter Frazer-Jones | T : Bill Davenport; S/T : Wendy Scott | November 24, 1984 | 420 |
|
Muriel becomes depressed after a visit from her friend Sylvia, who has recently gotten remarried and is having the time of her life. She decides to resume her photography career, but she feels uneasy when her employer asks her to travel out of town alone with him. | ||||||
| 85 | 22 | "Cinderella Update" | Lee Lochhead | Bill Davenport | December 1, 1984 | 418 |
|
After a terrible experience at a singles bar, Jackie considers changing her life by moving to Dallas. However, the change she was looking for unexpectedly comes to her when Sara's date arrives early at the apartment. | ||||||
| 86 | 23 | "Henry Bites the Big Apple" | Earl Barret | David Ketchum & Tony DiMarco | December 8, 1984 | 419 |
|
Henry is offered an executive position at a rival comic publisher for double his salary. He lets his enthusiasm get the best of him, however, when he tells off the new editor of Wainwright Publishing before asking where his new job will be located. | ||||||
Season 5 (1985)
[edit]- Deborah Van Valkenburgh (Jackie Rush) appears in nine of the twenty-one episodes of season 5 ("Drawing Room", "Nearly Departed", "My Son, the PhD", "All in a Day's Unemployment", "And Baby Makes Two", "For Every Man, There's Two Women", "Finders Keepers", "These Stupid Things Remind Me Of You", and "Arrividerci, Jackie").
- Joshua Goodwin takes over the role of Andrew Rush for the remainder of the series, appearing in twelve episodes over the course of the next two seasons.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 1 | "Drawing Room" | Russ Petranto | George Yanok | February 2, 1985 | 502 |
|
Henry is becoming increasing frustrated by Andrew's destructive curiosity, which culminates in him ruining one of Henry's unpublished Cosmic Cow drawings. Mr. Wainwright generously offers Henry his own office, but the transition turns out to be much less ideal than he or Muriel envisioned. | ||||||
| 88 | 2 | "Nearly Departed" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | February 9, 1985 | 501 |
|
Upon returning from his father Huey's well attended and upbeat funeral, Henry makes the realization that his own funeral won't be memorable because he only has one close friend, Herb. He decides to ask Herb to deliver his eulogy, which turns out of be a big mistake. | ||||||
| 89 | 3 | "My Son, the PhD" | Russ Petranto | Bill Davenport | February 16, 1985 | 506 |
|
Henry and Muriel become excited about the possibility that their son could be a genius when they discover Andrew can read even though he hasn't turned three years old yet. Henry is eager to enroll him in a school for gifted children, but Muriel becomes dead set against it when she learns Andrew would have to live at the school. Note: The school for gifted children that Henry and Muriel try to get Andrew accepted into was named "The Davenport Project", which was named after the episode's writer, Bill Davenport. | ||||||
| 90 | 4 | "All in a Day's Unemployment" | Russ Petranto | Al Gordon & Peter Gallay | February 23, 1985 | 504 |
|
Henry is outraged to learn that Monroe took home no pay on his last paycheck due to his employer's frivolous payroll deductions, and convinces him to demand a raise so he can pay the rent. However, the advice backfires when Monroe gets fired, and he becomes a nuisance around the apartment as he makes more money collecting unemployment. | ||||||
| 91 | 5 | "Devereaux & Son" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | March 2, 1985 | 508 |
|
While Iris is visiting the Rushes, her scheming former boyfriend Paul shows up and asks her and the Rushes to pose as his wife and family in an attempt to convince his long lost son that he has a stable home life. However, when the man proposes a business venture, Paul soon finds out they both have a lot in common. | ||||||
| 92 | 6 | "And Baby Makes Two" | Russ Petranto | Bill Davenport | May 4, 1985 | 503 |
|
Henry is thrilled that Jackie has begun dating Bill St. George again, and can't keep himself from strongly suggesting the couple consider marriage. However, his forcefulness backfires when Jackie announces that she's decided to have a baby with Bill out of wedlock. | ||||||
| 93 | 7 | "Reconcilable Differences" | Earl Barret | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | May 11, 1985 | 515 |
|
Henry and Muriel regrettably decide to forego an evening of romance in order to help Herb and his wife Marsha with their marriage problems. The next day, Muriel comes up with a plan to use that disastrous experience to trick Herb and Marsha into seeking professional help. | ||||||
| 94 | 8 | "The Two Faces of Muriel" | Peter Baldwin | Rick Sultan & Gary Ress | May 18, 1985 | 512 |
|
Muriel accepts a job offer to do a two-week photo shoot in Palm Springs for a friend who has just had a facelift that makes her look fifteen years younger. Henry is shocked when Muriel returns from the trip with her face wrapped up and proclaiming she's just had a facelift of her own. | ||||||
| 95 | 9 | "No Mas, Monroe" | Peter Baldwin | T : Bill Davenport; S/T : Sam Greenbaum | May 25, 1985 | 513 |
|
Muriel hires a housekeeper named Evon, an immigrant from a war-torn Central American country, who is in the United States on a temporary visa. She immediately begins a relationship with Monroe, and tells Muriel that her visa is about to expire and she is in need of a way to stay in the United States. When Monroe announces they are going to get married shortly after her visa expires in order to keep her in the country, Henry fears they may be making a mistake. Note: Guest star Lisa Antille would return as series regular during the sixth and final season (when the series was renamed The Ted Knight Show) as the Rushes' full-time housekeeper Lisa, following Henry, Muriel and Andrew's move to Mill Valley. Antille's character is nearly identical to the one she portrays in this episode, except her name is changed to Lisa, and her relationship with Monroe is only casually flirtatious during that season. | ||||||
| 96 | 10 | "For Every Man, There's Two Women" | Russ Petranto | Bill Davenport | July 20, 1985 | 423 |
|
Two women kidnap and blindfold Monroe while he is about to return home from his security guard job at the mall. The women take him to their apartment and rape him. When Henry learns what happened, he is appalled, especially when Muriel, Jackie, and Sara assume that the police will not take Monroe's story seriously because he was raped by women. When the police officer tells Monroe that it would be best not to pursue charges, in order to avoid any unwanted media attention that could result from a trial, Monroe considers dropping the case. Henry convinces Monroe not to give up. Henry and Monroe decide to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Note: Though this episode was broadcast during the fifth season, it was originally produced for the fourth season. Also this episode was banned after its original airing due to the controversial plot and was not seen again until decades later when the show was broadcast on Antenna TV. | ||||||
| 97 | 11 | "Finders Keepers" | Earl Barret | Mickey Rose | July 27, 1985 | 425 |
|
Henry and Monroe find a bag containing $110,000 of cash under Henry's car while at the mall. However, a tense situation quickly develops when they can't agree on what should be done with it. Note: Though this episode was broadcast during the fifth season, it was originally produced for the fourth season. | ||||||
| 98 | 12 | "These Stupid Things Remind Me of You" | Earl Barret | Arne Sultan & Earl Barret | August 3, 1985 | 426 |
|
In this clip show, Monroe is away taking care of his ill father, and Henry has been feeling depressed. He insists it has nothing to do with Monroe's absence, but his family tries to convince him otherwise through the use of flashbacks. Note: Though this episode was broadcast during the fifth season, it was originally produced for the fourth season; as a result, this episode only features clips from the first four seasons. | ||||||
| 99 | 13 | "Terms of Endangerment" | Russ Petranto | Laurie Gelman | September 28, 1985 | 509 |
|
Monroe begins dating a woman named Linda, but the Rushes are shocked to discover she is twice Monroe's age. Henry becomes convinced that Linda is married, but he and Muriel soon learn the truth is much more complicated and possibly putting Monroe in a dangerous situation. | ||||||
| 100 | 14 | "The British Are Coming, The British Are Coming" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | October 5, 1985 | 518 |
|
Henry is visited by his woman-chasing British friend Ernie, whom he met while in the Navy and has not seen in 25 years. Muriel sets him up with her recently widowed friend Helen and they hit it off immediately, but Ernie fails to mention that he made the trip alone. | ||||||
| 101 | 15 | "No Deposit, No Return" | Peter Baldwin | T : George Tricker & Neil Rosen; S/T : John Antrobus | October 12, 1985 | 514 |
|
While Henry is cleaning out the Rush home, Monroe discovers library books that Henry had checked out five years ago. Henry is determined to avoid paying the enormous fine at all costs, but disposing of the books proves to be much easier said than done. | ||||||
| 102 | 16 | "Off and Running" | Peter Baldwin | Jurgen Wolff | October 19, 1985 | 511 |
|
Muriel volunteers to be a campaign photographer for a candidate running for state legislature, and Henry decides to have Cosmic Cow endorse her through a series of playful photographs that end up on the front page of the newspaper. However, he is faced with an ultimatum when Mr. Wainwright informs him he has a pending business partnership with the corrupt incumbent. | ||||||
| 103 | 17 | "Accused, Confused and Abused" | Russ Petranto | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | October 26, 1985 | 505 |
|
Monroe brings home a teenage shoplifter named Alan, after convincing his store to drop the charges because of the young man's harsh upbringing. Alan immediately hits it off with the Rushes after demonstrating his guitar skills, but Henry's initial suspicions seem to be confirmed when he disappears with Monroe's guitar. | ||||||
| 104 | 18 | "Arrivederci, Jackie" | Russ Petranto | George Yanok | November 2, 1985 | 507 |
|
Jackie is offered a job to work for a fashion designer in Milan, Italy, but lies to her father that she is only going to Italy on vacation. Her prospective new boss comes to meet the Rush family, upon Jackie's invitation, so he can break the news to Henry. However while he does know how to speak English, there is enough of a language barrier to cause a misunderstanding when Henry believes that the man wants Jackie's hand in marriage, causing Henry to throw him out of the apartment and ruin Jackie's chances at landing her dream job. | ||||||
| 105 | 19 | "Ars Gratia Iris" | Earl Barret | Bill Davenport | November 9, 1985 | 516 |
|
Iris is put in charge of a committee to select a new logo for her travel agency association, and Muriel inadvertently encourages Henry to create a submission, after Iris makes a demeaning comment about his abilities behind his back. Muriel regrets not trying to dampen Henry's enthusiasm when Iris adamantly refuses to submit Henry's logo regardless of its quality. | ||||||
| 106 | 20 | "Henry Enters the '80s" | Russ Petranto | Mike Weinberger | November 16, 1985 | 510 |
|
Muriel sets up Sara on a blind date with an ad agency partner named Bob. On their seventh date, Sara invites Bob to a special dinner in her apartment. When Henry invites himself and Muriel as guests, Henry's fear is confirmed when Sara says she has asked Bob to move in with her. | ||||||
| 107 | 21 | "Freddie Loves It, We Love It, You're Cancelled" | Valentine Mayer | George Yanok, Bill Davenport, Aaron Ruben, George Tricker & Neil Rosen | November 23, 1985 | 517 |
|
Henry is elated when Mr. Wainwright announces that a television network is turning his Cosmic Cow comic strip into a Saturday morning animated TV series, leading Henry to get caught up in the glitz and glamour of the prospect. However, when the network decides to make major changes to the show that won't make it stay true to how Henry created the character, that could earn Henry a lot more money, his family fears he may be setting himself up for disappointment. | ||||||
Season 6 (1986–87)
[edit]- This season, the series was renamed The Ted Knight Show during the original broadcast season, but in reruns the name Too Close for Comfort was used in the titles.
- Lydia Cornell (Sara Rush) and Deborah Van Valkenburgh (Jackie Rush) do not appear this season, while Pat Carroll (Hope Stinson) and Lisa Antille (Lisa Flores) join the cast.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 108 | 1 | "Henry's Change of Life" | Peter Baldwin | George Yanok | April 5, 1986 | 601 |
|
Henry, Muriel and Andrew have sold their duplex in San Francisco and move to a new house about twelve miles north in the Marin County community of Mill Valley, and hire a full time housekeeper named Lisa Flores. The move is the result of Henry's purchase of a 49% stake in the town's weekly newspaper, The Marin Bugler, where he becomes its editor and publisher. But the paper's widowed majority owner Hope Stinson, is not too keen on Henry's ideas to make changes at the paper, finding him wanting to back out of the deal. | ||||||
| 109 | 2 | "Front Page Monroe" | Earl Barret | Bill Davenport | April 12, 1986 | 602 |
|
While Monroe is alone at the newspaper office, a dock worker storms in wanting to blow the whistle on his employer for dumping chemicals into the Bay. Monroe sees it as his chance to make a name for himself, but has a difficult decision to make when the newspaper is sued and the district attorney demands he name his source for the story. | ||||||
| 110 | 3 | "Four Is a Crowd" | Charles S. Dubin | Bill Davenport | April 19, 1986 | 609 |
|
Henry's friend Herb purchases a house in the area, and the Rushes graciously allow him and his wife to spend a few days with them while a problem with the escrow is cleared up. However, their houseguests quickly wear out their welcome. Note: Pat Carroll does not appear | ||||||
| 111 | 4 | "Ho-Ho-Ho Chi Henry" | Earl Barret | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | April 26, 1986 | 603 |
|
Henry decides to do a human interest story about the proprietors of a new Vietnamese restaurant and their difficult trip to America. However, he is stunned when the story results in several readers attempting to force the proprietors to close down and leave. Note: Lisa Antille does not appear | ||||||
| 112 | 5 | "Miss Marin Bugler" | Peter Baldwin | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | May 3, 1986 | 605 |
|
Henry decides to sponsor a beauty contest in order to increase circulation of the Bugler, much to the chagrin of Mrs. Stinson; but Henry's idea goes awry, when nude photographs photos of the winner of the Miss Marin Bugler pageant, taken when the woman was only 17 years old, surface and a man who has the risque photos attempts to blackmail Henry. Now Henry is faced with the decision as whether or not to pay the man who threatens to leak the photos. | ||||||
| 113 | 6 | "Garfield the Cat Joins the Marin Bugler" | Peter Baldwin | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | May 10, 1986 | 612 |
|
Cartoonist Jim Davis guest stars in an episode in which Henry secures the rights to get the Garfield comic strip to the Bugler while at a convention, without clearing it with Mrs. Stinson first. When he informs Mrs. Stinson upon her return from a vacation, he is shocked by her response when Hope rejects Henry's idea due to her dislike of comic strips; but it takes Monroe, who Henry hires to appear in a Garfield suit to promote the comic's appearance in the paper, to convince her to change her mind. | ||||||
| 114 | 7 | "Bedtime for Henry" | Peter Baldwin | Harry Karamazov | May 17, 1986 | 606 |
|
A misunderstanding occurs when Henry decides to take the day off from work and stay home in the bedroom for a little rest and relaxation, with strict instructions to Muriel not be disturbed. The odd circumstances lead Monroe, Lisa and Mrs. Stinson to be concerned about his health, threatening to ruin his peace and quiet. | ||||||
| 115 | 8 | "Educating Lisa" | Peter Baldwin | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | May 24, 1986 | 604 |
|
Lisa decides to attend a night class to prepare for her citizenship test, but she suddenly wants to quit, claiming she doesn't like the teacher. Henry prods her to continue the class, but he and Muriel are shocked when Lisa finally admits the teacher is sexually harassing her. Note: Pat Carroll does not appear | ||||||
| 116 | 9 | "Henry's Novel Solution" | Charles S. Dubin | George Yanok | May 31, 1986 | 610 |
|
Henry is excited to discover his favorite novelist subscribes to his newspaper, and eagerly accepts his offer to write an article during a dinner date. However, Henry finds himself conflicted when he discovers the man does all of his writing while he's drunk. | ||||||
| 117 | 10 | "Henry Gets Taken for a Ride" | Charles S. Dubin | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | June 7, 1986 | 611 |
|
When Lisa tries to look for a new car, Henry agrees to loan Lisa money to buy a used car, on the stipulation that he gets to have final say on which one she chooses. Henry doesn't trust a slick car salesman who is trying to sell Lisa the car she wants and takes it upon himself to buy a car for Lisa from an elderly woman, only to discover that it is stolen when Lisa gets arrested. | ||||||
| 118 | 11 | "Late, Great Herbert Maxwell" | Peter Baldwin | Jurgen Wolff | July 12, 1986 | 607 |
|
A prominent civic leader in Marin County, Herbert Maxwell, is found dead in his car and Henry is assigned by Mrs. Stinson to write a front page story in tribute to him printed for this week's Bugler. When Henry finds a discrepancy in the police report, in which the time Herbert's secretary said he left work and the time he was found dead are inconsistent, he and Monroe suspect that foul play may be involved, leading them to investigate the situation. But when Henry interviews Mr. Maxwell's secretary to find out what really happened, he finds out that Herbert's secretary lied about when he left work as a way to keep his secret, that she and Herbert have been having an affair. This leads Henry to make the tough decision on whether to print the story of Mr. Maxwell's secret life or to keep the name of Mr. Maxwell untarnished. Note: Lisa Antille does not appear | ||||||
| 119 | 12 | "Muriel's Fish Story" | Peter Baldwin | Rich Orloff | July 19, 1986 | 613 |
|
While attending the very first exhibition of her photography, Muriel is offered the opportunity to be the official photographer for a French oceanographer's upcoming five week expedition. Although she has doubts about accepting the offer, she sees the situation differently when Henry presumes what her decision will be. | ||||||
| 120 | 13 | "Ya Gotta Have Heart" | Peter Baldwin | Bill Davenport | September 27, 1986 | 608 |
|
Mrs. Stinson hires her niece Jennifer as an intern, and immediately begins taking her advice over Henry's. He becomes convinced that she is being groomed to replace him, and is faced with a difficult decision when Jennifer wants him to publish her sub-standard front page story. | ||||||
| 121 | 14 | "Monroe's Critical Condition" | Phil Ramuno | Harry Karamazov | October 4, 1986 | 622 |
|
Henry assigns Monroe to be the entertainment critic for the newspaper, and he receives a threatening phone call after writing a scathing review of a lounge singer. Monroe is consumed with fear as the calls continue no matter where he goes, but he becomes determined not to give in to the intimidation. | ||||||
| 122 | 15 | "Cyrano Henry" | Phil Ramuno | Bill Davenport | October 11, 1986 | 621 |
|
Henry helps Mr. Forester, an elderly man who occasionally provides Henry with neighborhood gossip, compose a personal ad to find a female companion. Mr. Forester convinces Henry to write romantic correspondence to a respondent on his behalf, only to become irate at Henry when he interprets a response from her as a marriage proposal. Note: Lisa Antille does not appear | ||||||
| 123 | 16 | "Family Feud" | Charles S. Dubin | Jerry Rannow | October 18, 1986 | 618 |
|
Muriel is infuriated when Henry passes over her photograph for the front page in favor of a photograph taken by the eight-year-old daughter of the newspaper's biggest advertiser. In retaliation, she decides to resign from her job as the paper's photographer, forcing Henry to use Monroe as a replacement. Note: Lisa Antille does not appear | ||||||
| 124 | 17 | "Rock Around Henry" | Phil Ramuno | George Yanok | November 1, 1986 | 620 |
|
When a showcase for rock-and-roll musicians is dropped from an upcoming local music festival by the city council, a famous music duo named Dudley and Bond come to the paper to state their case and asks Henry to print a letter written by them in the paper that he doesn't approve of; Monroe finds out about the two men's plight and has them come to Henry's house, believing he can convince him to write a critical editorial of the decision in the paper, not knowing that Henry already rejected the men's request. Note: The episode was dedicated to the memory of Arne Sultan, who co-developed the series and served as the show's writer and executive producer with Earl Barret until the end of the fourth season; Sultan died in March 1986 at the age of 60. | ||||||
| 125 | 18 | "Herb Kisses, Henry Tells" | Earl Barret | Harry Karamazov | November 8, 1986 | 617 |
|
Muriel sees Henry's friend Herb at a restaurant with a woman other than his wife. Herb confides the truth in Henry during a dinner party, but Henry creates a big mess for himself when he inadvertently blurts out the name of the other woman during a toast to the couple. | ||||||
| 126 | 19 | "Believing Is Seeing" | Phil Ramuno | Jurgen Wolff | November 15, 1986 | 614 |
|
Mrs. Stinson is diagnosed with cataracts and suddenly decides to retire and travel the world. Henry is thrilled to be put in sole charge of the newspaper, but has second thoughts when he finally learns the reason for her decision. | ||||||
| 127 | 20 | "Acropolis Now" | Phil Ramuno | Jurgen Wolff | November 22, 1986 | 616 |
|
Muriel's mother and Henry's mother-in-law Iris returns and announces that she is getting married again. The man and his adult son arrive at Henry's home to meet Iris' daughter and son-in-law, but Henry believes that he is after Iris just for her money. He decides to have a prenuptial agreement drafted for Iris and her fiancé to sign, agreeing for the marrieds-to-be to keep their own monetary assets in case they divorce; what Henry does not know until it is too late is that Iris' new man is actually a very wealthy Greek shipping magnate, and with the pre-nup signed, Iris is not entitled to his money if they divorce. | ||||||
| 128 | 21 | "Presenting Buddy Ficus" | Phil Ramuno | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | January 31, 1987 | 619 |
|
Monroe reviews a comedy club, and thinks that the comedians at the club were not up to par; he decides to go onstage himself to try his hand at stand-up comedy. On the night Monroe is performing, under the stage name Buddy Ficus, the audience does not think his jokes are funny and everyone (except Muriel, Henry, Hope and Lisa) leave. Monroe falsely thinks he did a great job, and it is up to Henry to tell Monroe that stand-up is not Monroe's forte. | ||||||
| 129 | 22 | "Lisa Goes Lottery Loco" | Earl Barret | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | February 7, 1987 | 615 |
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Everyone but Henry gets caught up in scratch off lottery fever, and Lisa is excited when her single ticket wins $5. However, things quickly get out of hand when she secretly begins spending entire paychecks on more lottery tickets. | ||||||
References
[edit]- ^ "1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". The TV Ratings Guide. Archived from the original on 2018-03-18. Retrieved 8 April 2018.