80s TV Ladies

In this episode, hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson revisit season one, episode six of 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King,' originally launched on September 28, 2022. The rerun features actress Martha Smith, the first actress/celebrity guest on 80s TV Ladies. They dive into Smith's experiences and roles, from her motion picture debut in 'Animal House' to her portrayal of Agent Francine Desmond in...

Join hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson as they revisit a beloved episode featuring the co-creator of 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King,' Eugenie Ross-Leming. Originally aired on August 31, 2022, this rerun dives into Ross-Leming's storied career, from her early days at Second City to creating the iconic 80s TV series. Delve into the casting choices, character dynamics, and behind-the-scenes chal...

In this special summer rerun reminiscent of those hot and fabulous days of 1980s television, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem take listeners back to the very first episode of our own 80s TV Ladies.  Originally dropped July 20, 2022, this throwback episode revisits the launch of the podcast and the cultural moment that inspired it—emerging from the pandemic, navigating a changing world,...

"Darrin is super comfortable in himself. Darrin knows he is not the powerful one 'cause he is like, ‘I married a witch'…  It's nice to see a dude that loves his wife.” - Marty Schneider Hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson team up with Marty Schneider and Dan Ludwig of the Breaking Mayberry podcast for a magical, hilarious crossover! In this bonus episode, the crew dives into the world of...

Welcome to our final Season Three episode of 80s TV Ladies! Hosts Sharon Jonson and Susan Lambert Hatem continue their in-depth conversation with actor Jon Cryer. In this second part, Jon shares behind-the-scenes stories from his television and film career, including his start in 80s television with "The Famous Teddy Z," the ups and downs of sitcom life, and his experiences working with legends li...

Susan and Sharon are thrilled to welcome director, writer and actor Jon Cryer to 80s TV Ladies ! Jon Cryer is an Emmy-winning film and television icon, known for starring as “Duckie” in the 1986 John Hughes teen classic Pretty in Pink -- and then going on to star in all twelve seasons of Chuck Lorre’s long-running, award-winning sitcom, Two and A Half Men . Along the way, Jon has starred or appear...

“This show makes me feel like I have a blanket around me and I’m eating mac & cheese.” -- Megan Ruble, 90s TV Baby, about The Facts of Life. Susan and Sharon welcome back the notorious “90s TV Babies” to find out what they think about The Facts of Life, which ran August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988.  Did they “take the good” and “take the bad”?  Did the “World Live Up To Their Dreams”? We’re gonna...

Susan and Sharon keep the good times rolling with Part 2 of their conversation with singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate Gloria Loring!  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer and singer of the impossible to forget Facts of Life theme song! In Part 2 of their conversation, they touch on Gloria’s work for the Juvenile Diab...

“When I sang, I knew who was on the stage. When I got off the stage, I was very shy, couldn’t look people in the eye. But when I was ON the stage I was just filled with my own light.”   - Gloria Loring Susan and Sharon welcome Gloria Loring -- singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate.  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer a...

"It is equally treacherous when you are very successful as when you are trying to get your foot in the door in terms of keeping the sense of who you are.”   -- Asaad Kelada, producer/director, The Facts of Life In Part 2 of their conversation with Asaad Kelada, Susan and Sharon talk with the director about the gifts and pitfalls of success; his reputation as a director who brings harmony to the mo...

“There was a sense of discovery about what this series was going to be about. It was going to be about young people -- with all of their shenanigans, and the maneuvering, and all the silliness that takes place with that. But it was also going to be about growing up. These five people, and the fabric that holds them together.”  -- Asaad Kelada - producer/director, The Facts of Life Susan and Sharon...

Susan and Sharon continue their conversation with legendary 80s TV Lady -- and The Facts of Life writer/producer -- Margie Peters! In Part 2, the conversation turns to the challenges of making comedy out of date rape and toxic masculinity; “comedy sparring” in the Different World writer’s room with Debbie Allen, Thad Mumford and Susan Fales-Hill; the creative opportunities for “women of a certain...

"We're thinking of doing this show with all women. Becasue women are becoming this big thing, ya know. And the leads of the show would all be women!" Susan and Sharon are excited to talk with legendary 80s TV Lady -- and writer/producer of 80 episodes of The Facts of Life -- Margie Peters!  Margie Peters has written and produced over 140 hours of television, including The Love Boat, Valerie, One D...

Episode 315: “Everything I Ever Learned About TV Writing, I Learned From ‘The Facts Of Life’ | Anupam Nigam” The Facts of Learning about Television Writing from The Facts of Life The Golden Girls of Eastland: TV Writer Anupam Nigam Shares His Lessons from The Facts Of Life The Golden Girls of Eastland: Top Lessons TV Writer Anupam Nigam Learned from The Facts Of Life   For some people, a childhood...

What's your favorite childhood show? If you grew up in Canada or watched Nickelodeon in the 80s, you know and loved The Elephant Show & Skinnamarink TV -- and if you didn't, you’re about to find out all about it! Susan and Sharon welcome Sharon Hampson, one of the creators of The Elephant Show and Skinnmarink TV.  As part of the musical trio “Sharon, Lois & Bram” -- featuring Sharon Hampso...

They’re BAAAACK! It’s 2025 and the world-renowned 90s TV Babies have reconvened around the TV screen to gaze upon 80s classic sitcom, Mama’s Family, starring Vicki Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman, Betty White, Rue Mclanahan and Carol Burnett. Do they see what Mama's fuss is all about!? Serita Fontanesi, Megan Ruble -- and A BRAND NEW 90s TV Baby, Sailor Franklin -- drop in on “Mama” Harper, take a seat on...

“You’re in acting class and you’re studying Chekov or ‘Waiting for Godot’ -- and then you end up doing 80s tits-and-a**… You caught on pretty quick what it was about and where the power lay.” -- Actress Heather Thomas What was it like to be an 80s poster icon and sex symbol? Susan and Sharon welcome The Fall Guy star and “80s Poster Lady” Heather Thomas. She’s an actor, writer and activist -- but...

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...