80s TV Ladies

Just a quick message and some ways to help from Susan and guest Richard Hatem (Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf) who live in Pasadena, CA. Links below on how to help.  Thankfully, the 80s TV Ladies team are all safe - Sharon, Susan, Melissa, Kevin, Sailor, Sergio, Megan and Serita. Rich and I were lucky enough to be in a good spot. We housed evacuees from Altadena and La Canada this week. We k...

On March 16, 1974, a sketch appeared on The Carol Burnett Show featuring Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence and Harvey Korman portraying a “normal” American family -- warts and all. This sketch, known as “The Family”, led by a then 25 year-old Vicki Lawrence playing a gray-haired 63 year-old ‘Mama’, spawned 30 more sketches, a TV Movie (Eunice) and finally a spin-off series of its own (Mama’s Family) w...

What's the best Christmas episode of The Facts of Life? The Nanny vs Mama's Family? Let's find out! If you grew up in the 80s, tuning in to the special “Holiday” episodes of our favorite shows was a winter ritual. Susan and Sharon bring that tradition home as they dive into the “Best Holiday Episodes” of three favorite 80’s and 90s TV shows -- The Facts of Life, Mama’s Family and The Nanny . Music...

“I was the highest paid actor in Hollywood -- if you were counting by the word.”           - actor Eric Brown THE CONVERSATION TAKING THE PIPPIN BUS: Nine-year-old Eric played the lead in the original touring company of Bob Fosse’s Pippin! “It was 1974. I was the only child in a cast of adults. One-and-two-night stands. In a bus. Thirty states. Six months. ” PRIVATE LESSONS: The lead got fired --...

“The roles I’ve played on soap operas are infinitely superior to any roles I’ve played anywhere else. They are about women and women’s stories. The men are just there to screw you -- or screw you over.” -- Dorothy Lyman Just three chicks sitting around talking... Susan and Sharon clean house -- and air some dirty laundry -- with The Nanny director and Emmy-award winning actress Dorothy Lyman. You...

Susan and Sharon are thrilled to sit down with award-winning singer, songwriter, actress -- and stuntwoman -- Marneen Fields. As a gymnast, swimmer and stuntwoman in the 1970s and 80s, Marneen’s career sky-rocketed with roles on Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Lou Grant, Quincy, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Man from Atlantis, The Fall Guy, Murder She Wrote, Dynasty -- as well as the Clint Eastw...

There is no fandom like the Scarecrow & Mrs. King fandom -- passionate, dedicated and absolutely obsessed with red hats, train stations, the Q bureau, and Cream-&-Wood 1983 Ford LTD Country Squire Station Wagons. In this episode, Susan and Sharon meet up with super-fans Taya Johnston, Jennifer Peterson and Miranda Thomas from The Mrs. King’s Chronicles, a re-watch podcast about -- what els...

“Katie and I, our relationship could be a little exciting -- I had to watch my step, I had to toe the line. I had to behave myself or I’d get taken to the principal’s office... And she was the principal.” -- Bruce Boxleitner In Part Two of their conversation, Bruce reflects on the differences between doing TV then and now, his relationship with Kate Jackson -- and how the long hours can sometimes...

“ Kate was able to go off script. Then I found I could go with her. Pretty soon we’re doing stuff that is not on the written page. That’s where we found the little ‘in-between’ moments.”  - Bruce Boxleitner Susan and Sharon are so excited to talk with the star of one of their favorite 80s TV shows of all time -- Bruce Boxleitner from Scarecrow & Mrs. King!   Bruce’s television career started w...

‘The Princess Diaries’, ‘Romy & Michelle’, ‘10 Things I Hate About You’, ‘Clueless’… Whenever I think my work doesn’t mean anything to anyone at any time and never will… somebody says to me, ‘Those movies -- I watched them and I showed them to my kid.” -- Casting Director Marcia Ross In Part Two of our conversation with Casting Director Marcia Ross, Susan and Sharon discuss the changing busine...

“An actor is either compelling -- or they are NOT compelling. Doesn’t matter if they’re green. You want to watch them. That’s what makes them a star. How do I know? I just feel it.”   -- Marcia Ross, Casting Director How did “Clueless” and “Princess Diaries” and “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion” find their leads? Casting Director Marcia Ross has been instrumental in putting together amazin...

Welcome to Season 3! Sharon and Susan kick off a new season with Jennifer Keishan Armstrong, the New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything, When Women Invented Television, Sex and the City and Us, and Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted.  Jennifer writes about entertainment and pop culture for the New York Times Book Review, Fast Company, Vulture, BBC...

In this special bonus episode, Susan, Sharon and Melissa spill a few secrets about our upcoming season and fun guests coming soon to 80s TV Ladies. Can you guess what female-driven television shows from the 1980s we’ll be covering in our upcoming season? THE CONVERSATION Do we know what we did this summer? How was your summer? What is that feeling in the air? Is it hope?!! Are you ready to Vote? D...

BONUS: Check out this exciting encore episode from Season 1: Part TWO of our interview with true show business icon and classic 8os TV Lady --  “Remington Steele’s” one-and-only Laura Holt -- Stephanie Zimbalist. In a career spanning six decades, Stephanie has performed on stage and screen with everyone: Alec Baldwin, Walter Matthau, Jessica Tandy, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Patricia Neal, Alf...

It's more Summer Reruns. Check out this cool encore episode from Season 1: Susan and Sharon sit down with a true show business icon and classic 8os TV Lady --  “Remington Steele’s” one-and-only Laura Holt -- Stephanie Zimbalist. In a career spanning six decades, Stephanie has performed on stage and screen with everyone: Alec Baldwin, Walter Matthau, Jessica Tandy, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Pa...

Encore! Encore! For the summer break, Sharon and Susan take you back to the 80s with reruns, and back to Season 1 with a very special encore presentation of Ep. 119.  Meet the woman behind Mary Beth Lacey. Sharon and Susan are excited and honored to talk with Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and the star of Cagney & Lacey, Tyne Daly. In a career spanning eight decades, Tyne Daly has appeare...

"One of the things I love about looking back at 80s television is you get to see some early and amazing young stars and very exciting stunt casting." It's Guest Stars Galore on 80s TV Ladies! We're taking a nostalgic trip back to the iconic 80s sitcom " A Different World ." Susan and Sharon debate -- and celebrate -- the amazing roster of guest stars that walked the halls of Hillman College during...

The 90s TV Babies are back to examine the 80s sensation A Different World! Serita Fontanesi, Sergio Perez and Megan Ruble signed up for classes at Hillman College TV. But now it’s time for finals. This will ALL be on the test. Professors Lambert and Johnson assigned these episodes to watch:  S1: E1 -- “Pilot” S2: E1 -- “Dr. War Is Hell” S2: E20 -- “No Means No” S6: E9 & 10 -- “Faith, Hope and...

“A lot of production companies… who decide to do stories about people of color are not used to having the people of color they hire coming in with an opinion. Coming in contradicting them on certain things.” -- Neema Barnette, director, A Different World Susan and Sharon welcome legendary producer-director Neema Barnette to talk about her journey from Harlem to Hollywood. Ms. Barnette made history...

“You can be anything you want in this world, darling. But if you become an actress or a nun, I’ll kill myself.”    -- legendary actress Josephine Premice to her daughter, writer/producer Susan Fales-Hill. Susan and Sharon welcome writer and showrunner Susan Fales-Hill as they continue their look back at the classic 80’s comedy series A Different World . Ms. Fales-Hill’s writing career began on The...

Sharon and Susan begin an all-new series of episodes looking at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom  A Different World (1987-1993). This Cosby Show spin-off starred Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Charnele Brown, Dawn Lewis and Marissa Tomei. It explored the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, and addressed issues such as race, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and equal rights whil...

“I was quite set on theater. I was going to go out to Los Angeles for one year -- and that was it. Then I was going to go back to New York and devote myself to the theater. It didn’t work out that way.” -- Jan Eliasberg 80s TV Ladies "Director Ladies" series continues as Susan and Sharon welcome legendary director Jan Eliasberg. Jan began her television director career in the 1980s with an episode...

The Best Indie Podcast nomination IS the award! Susan and Sharon thank ALL the listeners who came out to support “80’s TV Ladies” as Best Indie Podcast for the WEBBY AWARDS. A big welcome to all our new listeners! And a sincere thank you to all who voted and to our listeners who reached out.   BIG THANKS to our friends who shouted us out, including: Chris Stachiw from Weirding Way Media Network an...

Help us win a Webby Award - Vote at WebbyAwards.com . Vote for 80’s TV Ladies for Best Indie Podcast at the Webby Awards Now! Voting ends Thursday, April 18th, 2024 . Vote: tinyurl.com/vote80tvl Thanks to our dear friends, Weirding Way Media and  Astonishing Legends for all their support! Cheers and welcome to any Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf fans.  One Day More! Visit 80sTVLadies.com for...

BREAKING: 80s TV Ladies has been nominated for a Webby Award! Help us win. VOTE  HERE!    Back to our episode: Sharon and Susan burst into the Blue Moon Detective Agency and hire Maddie and David to help them answer ONE BURNING QUESTION: What are their Top 8 favorite episodes of the entire series? Maddie: “Eight? Eight? Why not ten?” David: “Can’t do it. It would make them too tens.”  In the words...