The New Leave It to Beaver

The New Leave It to Beaver
The New Leave It to Beaver cast photo. (Top row; left to right) Ken Osmond, Jerry Mathers, Janice Kent, Tony Dow. (Center row; left to right) Eric Osmond, Kipp Marcus, Barbara Billingsley, Kaleena Kiff. (Bottom row; front) John Snee.
Also known as	Still the Beaver
Genre	Sitcom
Written by	Al Aidekman Cindy Begel Joe Connelly Paul Diamond Michael J. DiGaetano Lawrence Gay Lesa Kite Brian Levant Dennis Snee
Directed by	Nick Abdo Bob Claver Roger Duchowny Jeffrey Ganz Steven Hilliard Stern
Starring	Barbara Billingsley Tony Dow Jerry Mathers Ken Osmond Frank Bank
Composer(s)	David Frank
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	105
Production
Executive producer(s)	Nick Abdo Brian Levant
Producer(s)	Al Aidekman Cindy Begel Fred Fox, Jr. Lesa Kite Peter Ware
Running time	22–24 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS (1983) Disney Channel (1984–1985) TBS (1986–1989)
Original run	March 19, 1983 (1983-03-19) – June 4, 1989 (1989-06-04)
Chronology
Preceded by	Leave It to Beaver

The New Leave It to Beaver (also known as Still the Beaver) is an American sitcom sequel to the 1950s and '60s series, Leave It to Beaver. The New Leave It to Beaver began with the 1983 CBS TV movie Still the Beaver, and was picked up in 1984 as a Disney Channel series with the same name; however, it only lasted one season. It was then picked up by TBS in 1986 and renamed The New Leave It to Beaver. The series, also syndicated in the late 1980s, lasted until June 1989.

It is one of the rare examples of a television series revival sequel (not spin-off) that revolves around the characters from the original series. Other examples of this would be The New WKRP in Cincinnati, The Brady Brides (and later The Bradys) and What's Happening Now!! The New Leave It to Beaver is the second longest running of any series revival in television history (after Doctor Who).

Synopsis

The series focuses on Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow) and his younger brother, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver (Jerry Mathers) all grown up, with families of their own. Theodore is divorced and living with his mother, the widowed June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley), along with his two sons, Kip and Oliver. Wally Cleaver lives next door with his wife Mary Ellen, his daughter Kelly and later, his son Kevin. Hugh Beaumont, who played Ward Cleaver in the original series, had died in 1982.

Other series regulars included Wally's old friend Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond) and his two sons, "Freddie" and "Bomber" (played by Osmond's two real-life sons), as well as "Lumpy" Rutherford (Frank Bank) and his daughter "J.J.".

Cast

• Barbara Billingsley as June Cleaver
• Tony Dow as Wally Cleaver
• Jerry Mathers as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver
• Ken Osmond as Eddie Haskell
• Frank Bank as Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford
• Kipp Marcus as Ward "Kip" Cleaver II
• John Snee as Oliver "Olly" Cleaver
• Kaleena Kiff as Kelly Cleaver
• Eric Osmond as Freddie Haskell
• Janice Kent as Mary Ellen Cleaver
• Troy Davidson as Kevin Cleaver (Season 3 & 4)
• Ellen Maxted as Gertrude "Gert" Haskell
• Christian Osmond as Eddie "Bomber" Haskell Jr.
• Giovanni Ribisi as Duffy Guthrie

Episodes

Television Movie / Pilot

• Still the Beaver (March 19, 1983); a 2-hour CBS television movie, later repackaged into four 30-minute "pilot" episodes as part of The New Leave It to Beaver series on TBS. These were referred to as "special episodes" in an added voice-over by Barbara Billingsley and were known as:

1. "Still the Beaver - Part I"
2. "Still the Beaver - Part II"
3. "Still the Beaver - Part III"
4. "Still the Beaver - Part IV"

Season 1 (1984–1985)

This season aired on The Disney Channel as Still the Beaver.

1. "Growing Pains"
2. "Supply and Demand"
3. "Thanksgiving Day"
4. "The Gladiators"
5. "Girl Talk"
6. "Pet Peeves"
7. "Haskells vs. Cleavers"
8. "Dear Pen Pal"
9. "No Free Lunch"
10. "Paper Tiger"
11. "Our Big Girl"
12. "The Piano Lesson"
13. "Slumber Party"
14. "Escape from the Salt Mines"
15. "Steppin' Out"
16. "Father's Day"
17. "Give and Take"
18. "String of Pearls"
19. "Movin' On"
20. "Carried Away"
21. "Violet Rutherford Returns"
22. "Sink or Swim"
23. "Punching In"
24. "Wow"
25. "A Boy and His Snake"
26. "While the Beave's Away"
27. "Dear Pen Pal II"

1985–1986 Season

Production was suspended during the 85–86 season as the series made its transition from The Disney Channel to TBS.

Season 2 (1986–1987)

From this season onward, the show aired on TBS as The New Leave It to Beaver.

1. "Puppy Love"
2. "A Day in Mayfield"
3. "In the Wings"
4. "On the Wrong Track"
5. "A Farewell to Freddie"
6. "Birth Announcement"
7. "Heavy Metal"
8. "Dumb Luck"
9. "In the Dark"
10. "Miss Honeywell Comes to Town"
11. "Bad Poetry"
12. "The Brothers Cleaver"
13. "A Slice of Life"
14. "Earth Angels"
15. "Perfect Candidate"
16. "Murder in Mayfield"
17. "I Had It All"
18. "Yesterday's Gone"
19. "How's Your Bird?"
20. "Home For Christmas"
21. "Got to Get You Out of My Life"
22. "Does Not a Woman Make"
23. "The Bestest Dad"
24. "Material Girl"
25. "The Bruise Brothers"
26. "A Night in Mayfield"
27. "Super Sunday"

Season 3 (1987–1988)

1. "First Base"
2. "Life Without Father"
3. "Perfect Harmony"
4. "A Part of Life"
5. "See You In Court"
6. "Oops"
7. "Ensign Cleaver"
8. "Between Friends"
9. "DRVRS-ED"
10. "The Terrible Lizards"
11. "And Everybody's Happy"
12. "Plenty of Fish in the Sea"
13. "Wrap Party"
14. "It's a Small World"
15. "Don't Go Changing"
16. "Madcap Dreams"
17. "Pacific Overture"
18. "The End of the World"
19. "Junior Prom"
20. "Day Dreamin'"
21. "Teenage Rebellion"
22. "Inside Eddie Haskell"
23. "Cursed Again"
24. "The Great Debate"
25. "A Casual Affair"
26. "Hook, Line and Sinker"
27. "Gosh, Wally"
28. "Family Scrapbook II"

Season 4 (1988–1989)

1. "First Down"
2. "Chew Slowly"
3. "On a Roll"
4. "Party Line"
5. "Road Trip"
6. "Road Trip"
7. "What Has Four Legs and Flies?"
8. "Darkness on the Edge of Mayfield"
9. "Still The New Leave It To Beaver"
10. "And Freddie Makes Three"
11. "What If?"
12. "Rockets Red Glare"
13. "The Return of the Monster in the Closet"
14. "A Day At the Mall"
15. "Brother vs. Brother "
16. "Shortcuts"
17. "Man's Greatest Achievements"
18. "Dads and Grads (Part 1)"
19. "Dads and Grads (Part 2)"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
1988	Young Artist Awards	Winner	Best Young Actress in a Cable Series or Special	Kaleena Kiff
		Winner	Best Cable Series	-
		Nominated	Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special	John Snee
		Nominated	Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special	Eric Osmond
		Nominated	Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special	Kipp Marcus
1989		Winner	Best Young Actress in a Cable Series or Special	Kaleena Kiff
		Nominated	Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special	John Snee
		Nominated	Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special	Eric Osmond
		Nominated	Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special	Kipp Marcus
		Nominated	Best Cable Family Comedy, Drama Series or Special	-
1990		Nominated	Best Young Actor in an Off-Primetime Family Series	John Snee
		Nominated	Best Off-Primetime Family Series	-

Syndication and DVDs

According to series costars Frank Bank ("Lumpy Rutherford") and Ken Osmond ("Eddie Haskell") in a May 28, 2008 internet radio interview at shokusradio.com, the reason the series has not aired in American syndication since the early 1990s is because Universal sold the show's master videos and distribution rights to Qintex Productions (named after an Australian company), which went out of business shortly after the purchase was made, leaving the broadcast rights in limbo. This is also the reason why the series may never be released on DVD.

Also, according to the Bank/Osmond interview, the show does on a rare occasion air in British and Australian markets.

External links

• Still the Beaver at the Internet Movie Database (Television movie)
• The New Leave It to Beaver at the Internet Movie Database
• The New Leave It to Beaver at TV.com