'' was an
NBC /
Lifetime Dramedy that
Debuted In 1987 . It was created by
Jay Tarses and starred
Blair Brown in the title role. The show earned Brown five
Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, one for each year the show was on. Tarses was also the recipient of multiple nominations.
The show depicted the life of a
Yuppie woman living in
New York City , dealing with issues in her life ranging from career to family to dating. Molly Bickford Dodd is a divorced woman who drifts from job to job and relationship to relationship, a
Jazz singer who fancies herself a poet. Her ex-husband, a ne'er-do-well jazz musician, still adores her. Every man she meets (and the occasional woman) adores her. In fact, being an easy person to love is the root cause of most of Molly's problems in life.
Unlike the traditional
Sitcom , story lines often did not resolve in a single episode.
Tarses also wrote and
Directed many of its episodes (and made a number of
Cameo Appearance s). The show was filmed using a
Single Camera , departing from the
Three-camera Technique common in U.S.
Sitcom s since the days of ''
I Love Lucy ''. Using only one camera created a single
Point Of View , as if the viewer were observing the goings-on as Molly's companion.
NBC first broadcast the show as a summer replacement, running 13 episodes. It was a moderate ratings success, but not enough to be featured in the network's fall schedule. It was a mid-season replacement for NBC again in spring 1988, with 12 episodes (a season-ending 13th episode was produced by not aired).
Once cancelled, the Lifetime cable network picked it up, first re-airing the 26 episodes originally produced, then commissioning three more 13-episode seasons for 1989, 1990, and 1991.
In addition to Brown and Tarses, the cast included
Allyn Ann McLerie as Molly's mother,
James Greene as her building's elevator operation/doorman,
William Converse-Roberts as her ex-husband Fred Dodd, and
Maureen Anderman as her best friend Nina.
Sandy Faison was a cast member during its run on NBC,
David Strathairn and
Richard Lawson each appeared in about a third of the episodes.
Major recurring roles were held by
Victor Garber ,
Richard Venture (who played Molly's father),
George Gaynes ,
John Pankow , and
J. Smith-Cameron .
Now-well-known actors making multiple appearances in guest roles include
Nathan Lane and
Gina Gershon .
Wesley Snipes and
Samuel L. Jackson appear in a single episode as guests at a party.
