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Duet
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Ruth Bennett Susan Seeger
Written by	Ruth Bennett Bruce Ferber Lisa Medway John Peaslee Judd Pillot Susan Seeger Michael Zinberg
Directed by	Peter Baldwin Gabrielle Beaumont Lee Shallat-Chemel Arlene Sanford David Steinberg Michael Zinberg Stephen Zuckerman
Starring	Matthew Laurance Mary Page Keller Chris Lemmon Alison LaPlaca
Theme music composer	Buddy Budson
Composer	John Beasley
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	54
Production
Producer	Linda Nieber
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	UBU Productions Paramount Television
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	April 19, 1987 (1987-04-19) – May 7, 1989 (1989-05-07)
Related
Open House

Duet is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from April 19, 1987, to May 7, 1989. Originally, the story centered on the romance of a novelist (Matthew Laurance) and a caterer (Mary Page Keller), but gradually the focus shifted to their yuppie friends (Chris Lemmon, Alison LaPlaca) and the show was rebranded as Open House. The series was created by Ruth Bennett and Susan Seeger, and was produced by Paramount Television.

Synopsis

Ben Coleman is a struggling mystery novelist, while his girlfriend Laura Kelly is a caterer with her younger sister Jane (Jodi Thelen). Richard and Linda Phillips were a high-powered yuppie couple. He was in the family patio-furniture business and she was a studio executive. Linda's boss at World Wide Studios was Cooper Hayden (Larry Poindexter), who eventually became infatuated with Jane. Richard later quit his job to become a professional pianist. Geneva (Arleen Sorkin) was the Phillipses' wisecracking, sexy maid who sometimes fraternized with the sisters.

Near the end of season 2, Linda gave birth to a daughter, Amanda. When the show returned for season 3, Amanda was now a four-year-old (Ginger Orsi). Also at the start of season 3 Ben and Laura had married, and Linda lost her job at World Wide Studios. Linda then sought a partnership in Laura's catering business. Just prior to the end of that season, Linda met real estate mogul Ted Nichols, played by guest star and LaPlaca's then-boyfriend, Philip Charles MacKenzie. Ted schmoozed her into joining his realty firm, selling upscale properties to snobs just like herself.

When the show returned for a 4th season, it was now retitled Open House, and was centered around Linda and Ted. The characters of Laura, Richard, Amanda and Geneva all returned for Open House, but Amanda and Geneva were written out after only a few episodes. Eventually so was Richard. The spin-off lasted for one season.

Production

The series was among the first to appear on the Fox network when they launched a Sunday night prime-time TV lineup in 1987, alongside Married... with Children, The Tracey Ullman Show and Mr. President. Loosely based on the love lives of creators Bennett and Seeger, the show was originally noted for being serialized, with events unfolding in succession from week to week.

Matthew Laurance was the first actor hired, but they couldn't find a leading lady that sparked with him in Los Angeles, so they held auditions in New York, where they finally found Mary Page Keller. Keller and Jodi Thelen met at the audition and had such an instantaneous sisterly rapport that they were both cast within days. Alison LaPlaca was originally hired to appear as the undefined wife of a supporting character in two episodes, but a pregnancy was written into the next script, requiring her to stick around. Acting wasn't Chris Lemmon's primary career goal—he had studied extensively as a pianist—but his musical dreams and abilities were eventually utilized in the show.

There was a period of adjustment as the actors became familiar with one another, but once things began to click, there was a fun atmosphere on the set, and little interference from the network. Susan Seeger got her whole family into the act, with brother David and their famous father Hal Seeger creating the opening title sequence, sister Mindy portraying Ben's publicist Nina, and sister Charbie Dahl (aka Charlene Seeger) writing a few of the scripts.

Although the first season focused squarely on Ben and Laura, season two became an ensemble with ongoing stories revolving around Jane, Richard, and Linda. As the meaning of the show's title blurred, Fox tried to spin it in promotion claiming, "Duet means two, so why is it about five people, a dog, and a baby? Because it's a show you shouldn't watch alone!" By the third season, Fox executives began forcing changes. Noticing the popularity of Alison LaPlaca's character, they pushed Ben, Laura, and Jane into the background as stories became exclusively centered on Linda and Richard. They also flashed ahead three years so they could turn the Phillipses daughter into a talking toddler, which was proving popular with audiences on ABC's Full House. The Phillipses also eclipsed the newlywed Colemans in the network's promotion.

The theme music over the opening titles was composed by Buddy Budson, and in the first two seasons performed by Ursula Walker and Tony Franklin.

Beginning in season two, the opening titles changed to begin featuring clips of the characters in scenes from the show. These were book-ended by the show's title appearing in gold on a maroon leather-textured photo album cover, which opened to reveal the series of episode clips, and the photo album closing, with creators Ruth Bennett and Susan Seeger being credited in gold on the album cover. (In season one, the show title was displayed over the beginning of the opening scene.) In season three, the same sequence style remained, but the theme music was rearranged into a complete saxophone/electric guitar instrumental, with the instruments taking the place of the notes sung by vocalists Walker and Franklin.

Cast

Note: * Ben's dog (live animal actor)

Broadcast history

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1987)

Note: Many of the titles that appear on-screen differ from those found in TV listings. Only the first season featured on-screen title cards, as well as music-themed names.

Season 2 (1987–1988)

Season 3 (1988–1989)

Reception

The show received a largely positive reception. TV Guide compared it to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, noting that it "manages to balance whimsy and reality." Remarking on the Sunday night schedule, which included a movie-of-the-week on two of the three other broadcast networks, The Houston Post said, "If you are tired of movie after movie on the networks, Duet is for you." The South Florida Sentinel hailed it as Fox's "best series to date", and The Journal News remarked that "producers Ruth Bennett and Susan Seeger choreograph this mating dance beautifully."

Despite good reviews, the show remained ratings-challenged. The Fox network was initially regarded as a joke in Hollywood and ratings weren't published until the second season, which found Duet near the bottom of the yearly TV ratings list in 118th place. The third season didn't fare much better, with it ranking in 104th place.

References

1. Jerry Buck (August 27, 1989). "Duet Turns Into Open House". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. It's not really a new show. Duet has been revamped and has been given the new name Open House and a largely new cast.
2. Chuck Rothman (2014-06-29). "Duet (TV )". Great But Forgotten. It was extremely difficult it to set up a fourth broadcast TV network... And Duet was one of the shows that they based their original Sunday schedule on. The others were Married with Children, 21 Jump Street, The Tracey Ullman Show, and Mr. President.
3. Bill O'Hallaren (February 6–12, 1988). "Her Voice Was So Loud She Got a Handshake from the Pope". sitcomsonline.com. TV Guide. Duet, according to Seeger, is about the delights, tribulations and pratfalls a couple experiences in attempting a relationship. Much of the material, she adds, is based on events she and Bennett encountered in their own marriages.
4. Eirik Knutzen (May 31, 1987). "His Dual Passions for Life and Role". sitcomsonline.com. Philadelphia Inquirer TV Week. Duet is presented in cinematic style, exploring the evolutionary relationship of Ben Coleman and Laura Kelly in terms of "real time," starting with their first encounter and building on each successive event in their lives.
5. HOWARD ROSENBERG (April 18, 1987). "TV REVIEWS : SURRENDERING TO A DUET OF SITCOMS". LA Times. "Duet" is unusual in that it approaches comedy almost as a serial, with episodes following chronologically.
6. Lane Crockett (1987-04-10). "'Duet' actor finds link between character, his own personality". The Journal News. Matthew Laurance was hired for "Duet" before Keller. Laurance read with many actresses. Then the auditions moved to New York and there materialized Mary Page Keller. Immediately, Laurance says, they had found Laura.
7. Bill O'Hallaren (February 6–12, 1988). "Her Voice Was So Loud She Got a Handshake from the Pope". sitcomsonline.com. TV Guide. Keller says, "Jodi Thelan and I did the test together in an office in New York. We had never met, but we hit it off like sisters. She kept looking at me and saying, 'Gee, I wish I'd worn that. Got any more of that lipstick?' Like a real little sister." A few days later, they were at work, Keller as Laura and Jodi as her sister Jane.
8. Bud Wilkinsin (August 27, 1989). "Going for Broker". newspapers.com. Arizona Republic. Actress Alison La Placa Alison La Placa has gone from afterthought to focal point playing the go-getting, acerbic Linda Phillips. Originally cast to guest star on two episodes of Fox's now-defunct Duet series, she became a regular and now is the star of its spinoff.
9. Jay Bobbin (August 27, 1989). "Playing Linda: Surprising, Fun". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Actually, I first came on in a two-part guest spot to play Richard's wife. The part wasn't any more defined than that. Then we got the next script after the taping, and I opened it, and it said, 'Linda's pregnant.' I went, 'WHAT?'
10. Jerry Buck (August 27, 1989). "Chris Lemmon Plays New Key". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Lemmon, who has a degree in classical piano and composing, had hoped to pursue his dream. "It was a typical case of a man biting off more than he could chew," Lemmon said. "I wanted to be a pianist, a composer, then an actor, a producer, and a director. I still want to do all of them, but in time."
11. Fred Bernstein (June 29, 1987). "That Bubbly Soap Charmer Mary Page Keller Gets Pressed into Beefing Up Duet's Tv Ratings". People Magazine. No one is denying that Duet became a hit only after smoothing over some early rough spots. Keller admits the show seemed out of sync at first, mostly because the cast members weren't used to each other. "But in the ensuing episodes we've worked well together," she says.
12. Bill O'Hallaren (February 6–12, 1988). "Her Voice Was So Loud She Got a Handshake from the Pope". sitcomsonline.com. TV Guide. The mood on the Duet set seems loose and easy, and rehearsal lines get a surprising number of laughs from cast, writers, and producers. "The attitude here is kind of giddy," Mary Page Keller admits.
13. John J. Archibold (July 5, 1987). "Acting Dreams Come True". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. We have fun when we're taping the show, clowning around like we have all the time in the world," Jodi Thelen said. "I think the good feeling among the actors is apparent in the finished product.
14. Eirik Knutzen (May 31, 1987). "His Dual Passions for Life and Role". sitcomsonline.com. Philadelphia Inquirer TV Week. "The show is getting better every week, and there isn't a day that I don't sing on my way to work," Matthew Laurance says with apparent sincerity.
15. Bill O'Hallaren (February 6–12, 1988). "Her Voice Was So Loud She Got a Handshake from the Pope". sitcomsonline.com. TV Guide. Bennett say, "Here we don't have five network men in suits telling us they don't like a certain line."
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22. Alex McNeil (1996). Total Television. Penguin Books. p. 241. After Ben and Laura's return, however, little was seen of them as the episodes focused increasingly on the Phillipses, particularly on Linda, whose delightfully bitchy character had become popular with viewers.
23. Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh (2003). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Random House. p. 341. As the season progressed, the focus shifted more and more to stories about Linda and, when Duet was canceled, she became the star of Open House, the spin-off series that replaced it in the Fox lineup.
24. "234 Bruce Ferber, TV writer, "Home Improvement," novelist, "Cascade Falls"". Mr. Media Interviews by Bob Andelman. 2015-06-22. It was one of those shows where you grew up the baby in three years. And then the network wanted to change it completely, they wanted to make the supporting couple the main couple.
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54. "NBC clinches season's ratings title". Life. USA Today. January 18, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306171627.
55. "Midseason entries boost NBC". Life. USA Today. February 1, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306144802.
56. "Comedies sweep up for NBC". Life. USA Today. February 8, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306179902.
57. "CBS gallops to a tie with NBC". Life. USA Today. February 15, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306163263.
58. "NBC's back alone on top". Life. USA Today. February 22, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306175741.
59. "CBS up despite Grammy drop". Life. USA Today. March 1, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306152931.
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62. Jeff Pearlman (November 12, 2014). "Matthew Laurance". Archived from the original on 2016-11-19. When I told the Duet producers, they graciously agreed to write me out of one episode to go back to back with our normal week off.
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64. "Sitcom rewards ABC's faith". Life. USA Today. April 26, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306174966.
65. "We loved CBS' 'Lucy' tribute". Life. USA Today. May 3, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306197470.
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67. Bill O'Hallaren (February 6–12, 1988). "Her Voice Was So Loud She Got a Handshake from the Pope". sitcomsonline.com. TV Guide. Duet went through its initial season with a fair amount of critical praise and high enough ratings for a renewal.
68. "October 3, 1987 commercials". YouTube. Duet manages to balance whimsy and reality. Remember the old Mary Tyler Moore Show? Then you know what I mean.
69. Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh (2003). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Prime Time Schedule: Fall 1987: Random House. p. 1394.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
70. ewjxn. "3-5-1988 Fox Network Promos". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
71. Bill Kelley (April 18, 1987). "KING'S 'CHRISTINE' HAS ITS NETWORK PREMIERE". Then, at 9 p.m., Fox Broadcasting unveils its best series to date, Duet (on WCIX-Ch. 6 and WFLX-Ch. 29), a sitcom about a hack writer (Matthew Laurance) and his on-and-off girlfriend (Mary Page Keller).
72. Mike Hughes (1987-04-24). "Fox Shows Highlight Weekend". Newspapers.com.
73. LazyJournalist (September 13, 2017). "1987-88 Sitcom Scorecard -- Unilateral Drops as ABC Rebounds, CBS Plunges and FOX Is a Joke". thetvratingsguide.com. As the data counted for shows which debuted by the close of March, FOX was omitted from previous data.
74. LazyJournalist (September 13, 2017). "1988-89 Sitcom Scorecard". thetvratingsguide.com.

External links

• Duet at IMDb

• 1987 American television series debuts
• 1989 American television series endings
• 1980s American romantic comedy television series
• 1980s American sitcoms
• American English-language television shows
• Television series by CBS Studios
• Television shows set in Los Angeles
• Television series by Ubu Productions
• Fox Broadcasting Company sitcoms