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Babes (TV series)

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This article is about the television series. For other uses, see Babeş.
Babes
Created bySandy Gallin
Gail Parent
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22
Production
Executive producersSandy Gallin
Dolly Parton
Gail Parent
Tracey Jackson
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1990 (1990-09-13) –
August 10, 1991 (1991-08-10)

Babes is an American situation comedy series that ran for one season on the Fox Television Network from September 13, 1990 to August 10, 1991. It was created by Gail Parent and executive produced by Dolly Parton and Sandy Gallin's Sandollar Productions for Twentieth Century Fox Television. Parton even guest starred as herself in episode #14, entitled "Hello, Dolly".

Overview

The series followed the lives of the Gilbert sisters, a trio of plump siblings who had other things on their mind besides their weight: like work, relationships, popularity, and starting a family. The ladies also shared a small one-bedroom apartment in New York City together, which added to the comic friction.

The Gilbert sisters were Darlene (Susan Peretz), the eldest, who was a dog groomer and recently divorced (her husband had a affair with their weight loss conselor); Charlene (Wendie Jo Sperber), the middle sister, who was a makeup artist for a commercial photographer and was the most active one out of the three; and Marlene (Lesley Boone), the youngest sister, a former toll collector (and later a actress in a pantyhose commercial and a soap opera), who was seen as a dreamer with a naive, yet trusting, personality. Also in the cast was Charlene's boyfriend, Ronnie Underwood (Rick Overton) a restuarant owner. He disappeared at mid-season, as a result putting all three sisters on the dating market. At that time, the girls' landlady, Florence Newman (Nedra Volz), became a regular.

All three also had physical elements in their resume and it was evidenced in most of the episodes whenever something would tick off the sisters. Among the notable examples: Darlene breaking a hockey stick while attending a New York Rangers game that got her on probation and headbutting Ronnie over who was going to spend the night at the apartment, and the sisters ganging up on a mime after he mocked them.

Controversy and cancellation

At first, the show was criticized by several groups for making fun of overweight people due to some of the jokes that were used in the show's early episodes, but the controversy faded as later episodes began to put a more positive spin on the characters when it came to weight issues (this was pointed out in one episode in which they vowed the word "Fat" would not come up in the conversation while they had a argument). Although it had the Top 30 hit The Simpsons as its lead-in, it could not hold on to a large enough percentage from that show, and also at least partially because of the controversy, it did not earn a second season and was cancelled at the end of the 1990–1991 season.

Production notes

Although the characters never mentioned their ages on the show, the stars' age gap are years apart: Peretz was 50, Sperber was 32, and Boone was 22 when the series aired.

International Broadcasts

Outside the US, the series also aired in France under the title "Jamais Deux Sans Trois" ("Never Two minus Three").

Episode list

№ Title Airdate Code Synopsis
1 "Pilot" 1990·Sep·13 7E79 Charlene's romantic night with Ronnie-and her life of living by herself-is ruined when Darlene moves in after her husband Wilbur has a affair and Marlene loses her job as a New Jersey Turnpike toll collector.
Note: This episode had a different opening; it was replaced after it was reruned.
2 "Bend Me, Shape Me" 1990·Sep·20 7E01 Charlene tries to get Darlene and Marlene to become weight conscious after she shows a workout video, but the two don't want to weigh in on the reaction when they are enticed by Charlene to join a health club, which comes true for Charlene after she receives the predjudical taunting after they join. Erica Yohn guest stars.
Note: beginning with this episode, a new opening is used, replacing the one used in the pilot.
3 "Everything But Love" 1990·Sep·27 7E02 In a effort to clean up Darlene's love life and to get her mind off Wilbur (Brandon Maggart), Charlene takes her to a unlikely place to meet guys... the neighborhood laundromat! The experience also gives Darlene a chance to wash herself clean from her 14 years of marriage after she realizes that Wilbur doesn't really know anything about Darlene.
4 "(The One Where) Charlene Meets Mom" 1990·Oct·11 7E04 Things do not go as planned when Charlene meets Ronnie's mother (Dena Dietrich).
5 "Temper, Temper" 1990·Oct·18 7E03 Darlene's temper becomes a issue after Wilbur (Brandon Maggart) demands spousal support.
6 "No Regrets" 1990·Oct·25 7E05 The sisters have a life-changing experience after surviving a near fatal accident that almost crushed them to death. Jeff Corey and Gretchen Wyler guest-star.
7 "Dream Vacation" 1990·Nov·01 7E07 Actually, the girls are in for a nightmare when they visit "Club Cabo" in this Fantasy Island-inspired episode. Cesar Romero guest stars as the "Mr. Roarke"-like resort owner.
8 "Marlene's Problem" 1990·Nov·08 7E06 After Charlene's interference that results in losing her job as the "Hefty Hose Girl", Marlene lands a job on a TV soap opera. Meanwhile, Darlene babysits a puppy that really dogs her out. Matt McCoy guest-stars.
9 "The Thanksgiving Show" 1990·Nov·22 7E08 After vowing they would not eat anything on Thanksgiving Day, the Gilberts meets a homeless man (played by Baby D) and promises him that they would serve him a Thanksgiving dinner.
10 "Ribs" 1990·Dec·06 7E09 The girls help Ronnie watch over his restaurant while he is away on vacation. It is what happens afterwards when he returns that will change Charlene's life forever.
Note: This will be Rick Overton's last appearance in the series as a regular.
11 "Rent Strike" 1990·Dec·20 7E10 The girls organize a rent strike to get the landlord (Tracey Walter) to fix the repairs in the building—only to learn that he transferred the ownership of the building to the tenants, including the Gilberts.
Note: This will be Nerda Volz's first appearance in the series as a regular.
12 "Most Likely to Succeed" 1991·Jan·10 7E12 In a effort to prove that she has accomplished everything she said she would after graduating high school, Charlene does just that in time for her high school reunion.
13 "All Bummed Out" 1991·Jan·24 7E14 The girls' offer of being a good Samaritan to a homeless guy (William Windom) is not returned in good faith when the guy turns his back on them after he is cleaned up and lands a job.
14 "Babes, Lies & Videotape" 1991·Jan·31 7E11 Things are really cooking for the Gilberts when Marlene, Darlene and Charlene tries to serve up a chance to romance a chef that Marlene was doing a dating videotape for. Wolfgang Puck guest stars.
15 "Hello, Dolly" 1991·Feb·07 7E13 Charlene lands a job as Dolly Parton's makeup artist, which comes at the same time as a series of rumors about the singer hits the tabloids. Lucy Lee Flippin guest stars.
16 "Babes in Boyland" 1991·Feb·14 7E15 It's off to Alaska as Charlene and Darlene mine the last frontier for single guys. Meanwhile, back in NYC, Marlene finds the perfect fling.
17 "Mom" 1991·Feb·21 7E16 The Gilbert's mother (Barbara Barrie) visits, and its not all family-friendly when she starts coddling them and blaming Charlene for turning her away.
18 "The Last Temptation of Marlene" 1991·Mar·14 7E17 Just as Marlene starts to make a vow to give up dating, she meets a unlikely guy (Steve Witting) at a punk music record store.
19 "The House of Gilbert" 1991·Mar·28 7E18 A House of Style-inspired episode which finds the Gilberts becoming fashion designers after a department store notices Charlene's unique designs. But they're about to find out soon enough that their new venture is not as fashionable as they envisioned. Leslie Jordan and Susan Kellerman guest-star.
20 "Not Married with Children" 1991·Apr·25 7E19 After being placed on probation for causing an incident at a New York Rangers game, child-hater Darlene takes her community-service job of being a teacher to a group of children so seriously that she now wants to have children.
21 "11 Angry Men and Charlene" 1991·May·02 7E20 Charlene falls for a fellow juror (Christopher Rich) while she is on jury duty. Sal Viscuso guest-stars.
22 "Three's a Crowd" 1991·May·09 7E21 Fed up with living in a one-bedroom apartment, the sisters search for bigger space. But tensions may force the trio to space out on their own.
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