| Nearly Departed | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Roger Shulman John Baskin |
| Starring | Eric Idle Caroline McWilliams Stuart Pankin Wendy Schaal Jay Lambert Henderson Forsythe |
| Composers | Kevin Quinn Randy Petersen Robert Irving |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Baskin-Shulman Productions Lorimar Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | April 10 (1989-04-10) – May 1, 1989 (1989-05-01) |
Nearly Departed is an American sitcom that aired on NBC on Monday nights from April 10, 1989 to May 1, 1989. It was an updated version of Topper.
Premise
The series focused on English professor Grant Pritchard and his wife Claire who are killed in a rockslide. They return to their home as ghosts to find plumbing contractor Mike Dooley and his wife Liz, son Derek, and his father, Jack, living there. Grandpa Jack was the only one who could see and hear the Pritchards. In exchange for continuing to live in the house as ghosts, the Pritchards would mediate through Grandpa Jack and try to help the Dooleys with their problems. In one such instance, Derek was doing poorly in school because he was intimidated by bullies; Grant and Claire use their abilities to scare off the bullies.
Cast
- Eric Idle as Grant Pritchard
- Caroline McWilliams as Claire Pritchard
- Stuart Pankin as Mike Dooley
- Wendy Schaal as Liz Dooley
- Jay Lambert as Derek Dooley
- Henderson Forsythe as Grandpa Jack Garrett
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | Rating/share (households) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Grant Meets Grandpa" | John Rich | Roger Shulman & John Baskin | April 10, 1989 (1989-04-10) | 23.5 | 15.1/24 |
| 2 | "Adventures in Babysitting" | John Rich | Roger Shulman & John Baskin | April 17, 1989 (1989-04-17) | 19.9 | 13.2/22 |
| 3 | "Altared States" | John Rich | Daniel Palladino | April 24, 1989 (1989-04-24) | 18.6 | 12.1/20 |
| 4 | "TV or Not TV" | John Rich | Neil Alan Levy | May 1, 1989 (1989-05-01) | 19.3 | 11.9/19 |
| 5 | "Grandpa's Date" | John Rich | Dale McRaven | Unaired (Unaired) | N/A | N/A |
| 6 | "Grant's Aunt" | John Rich | Sy Dukane & Denise Moss | Unaired (Unaired) | N/A | N/A |
References
- The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 838. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). Penguin. p. 592. ISBN 01402-4916-8.
- ^ "CBS squeaks by into second". Life. USA Today. April 19, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306176608.
- ^ "Sitcom rewards ABC's faith". Life. USA Today. April 26, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306174966.
- ^ "We loved CBS' 'Lucy' tribute". Life. USA Today. May 3, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306197470.
- ^ "Bright spots for No. 3 ABC". Life. USA Today. May 10, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306210811.