80s TV Ladies

“What do we want? Fair Pay! When do we want it? NOW!” The 80’s TV Ladies fast-forward from the 1980s to the RIGHT NOW – for a special "breaking news" episode about the ongoing 2023 WGA Writer’s Strike that is having a major impact on television production – and the future of entertainment as we know it. As the strike enters its third month writers and other guilds are calling out for “transformati...

“To be able to see it represented on TV means so much to a young mind." Susan and Sharon continue their celebration of Pride Month by welcoming JD and Denise, hosts of "The Rainbow Remix", a podcast featuring LGBTQ lifestyle news, music, arts, media -- and mixology! Denise Warner is an out lesbian and veteran podcaster going all the way back to 2006 with “The Lesbian Lounge". JD Danner is a musici...

What did Queer representation look like in 70s, 80s and 90s television? Could you say gay? Susan and Sharon kick off their Pride Month celebration with author, podcaster and video maker Matt Baume. His latest book, “Hi Homey, I’m Homo!” traces the evolution of LGBTQ+ characters on American sitcoms. His previous book - “Defining Marriage” - chronicles the personal stories of people who fought for m...

In Part Two of our conversation with Cynthia Bemis Abrams, host of the “Advanced TV Herstory” podcast, we continue our discussion of feminism in American culture and its effect on television as we delve into sports, politics, female stereotypes – and the unsung feminist heroes of Hollywood’s mysterious “Secret Sisterhood”. THE CONVERSATION WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE: What stereotypes were women assign...

Welcome to 80’s TV Ladies: Season Two! Susan and Sharon kick-off the new season with Cynthia Bemis-Abrams, the host of sister podcast “Advanced TV Herstory” -- a fascinating deep dive into the backstory of women in television, that connects the dots between TV, feminism, American culture and politics. In Part One of a two-part conversation, we’ll talk about the shows, actresses and characters that...

Episode 23 - Who ever thought we’d get this far?!? Susan and Sharon celebrate their first season finale with a wrap-up on “Cagney & Lacey.” How did a little idea about having a female “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid” buddy movie turn into a legendary, award-winning TV series that spanned 7 seasons, 125 episodes and 4 TV movies? We discuss the show’s origins and controversies, its impact...

What do those crazy 90s kids think of 80s Cagney & Lacey? We’re gonna find out! Susan and Sharon welcome back Serita Fontanesi, Megan Ruble and Sergio Perez – the 90’s TV Babies! We asked them to watch three episodes: the original one-hour pilot, starring Tyne Daly as Lacey and Loretta Swit as Cagney; the “new” pilot with Meg Foster in the role of Cagney; and finally, Sharon Gless’s first turn...

What was it like to break into directing in the 1970s and '80s? Let's find out! Sharon and Susan are honored to talk with Emmy-winning director Karen Arthur. Karen started out as an actress on such shows as “Get Smart”, “The Streets of San Francisco”, “Mannix”, “That Girl” and “The Monkees”. In 1975 she made the transition to directing and has since helmed episodes of classic TV series including “...

Susan and Sharon are thrilled to sit down with show business legend Sharon Gless. Multi-Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Sharon Gless has appeared in dozens of television shows such as “Nip/Tuck”, “Rizzoli & Isles”, “The Rockford Files”, “House Calls,”The Bob Newhart Show”, “Station 19” and “The Exorcist.” She has created iconic and ground-breaking characters in the shows “Burn Notice”, “Queer as...

Join us to 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 appeared on stage and screen in over 100 roles in everything from “The Mod Squad” and “Judging Amy” to co-starring with Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry film “The...

Wait! There were THREE Cagneys? In Part 2 of our conversation with creator/executive producer Barney Rosenzweig, we follow along as the massive success of the Cagney & Lacey TV movie launches it directly into a weekly series for CBS and into a very tumultuous road from multiple cancellations to hit ratings and 14 Emmys. The rest, as they say, is 80’s TV herstory… THE CONVERSATION GOOD NEWS/BAD...

Buckle up, kids - We’re kicking off our series on Cagney & Lacey ! Sharon & Susan begin their look back at the classic 80’s TV series Cagney & Lacey with a conversation with the show’s creator and executive producer, Barney Rosenzweig. Rosenzweig’s career spans five decades and hundreds of hours of television including Charlie’s Angels, Daniel Boone, Christie, Twice in a Lifetime , and...

Could you be a stuntwoman? Find out what it takes. Susan and Sharon are honored to talk with legendary award-winning stuntwoman Debbie Evans Leavitt. In a career spanning six decades, Debbie has risked life and limb in classic television shows and massive blockbuster movies. She talks doubling Stephanie Zimbalist on Remington Steele and what that moment between take-off and crash-landing feels lik...

It’s the return of the 90’s TV Babies! Susan and Sharon welcome back Serita Fontanesi, Megan Ruble and Sergio Perez to get their 90s TV take on “Remington Steele”. We asked them to watch three episodes and share their thoughts: The pilot: “License to Steele” S1, Ep21, “Sting of Steele”, featuring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Steele’s mentor Daniel Chalmers – and Beverly Garland, making a return appeara...

Susan and Sharon sit down with “Remington Steele” assistant director Jerram Swartz. In a career spanning 5 decades, Jerram has worked on movies including “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial” and “The Blues Brothers” as well as 80’s TV classics such as “The A-Team”, “Cagney & Lacey” and “Riptide”. In this episode, he shares stories about the fun, excitement and controversy of working on the fifth – and...

In 1980s television, cars were the stars -- From “Knight Rider’s” KIT to Miami Vice’s Testarossa to the A-Team van, everyone knew who drove what -- and why. But what did the women get to drive? The 80s TV Ladies sit down with television writer and auto aficionado Evan Ball (“Stargirl”, “Colin in Black and White”, “Mayor of Kingstown”) to talk Remington Steele and 80s cars. THE CONVERSATION The 3 C...

Susan and Sharon take on Season Two and Three of “Remington Steele” as they talk TV tropes, favorite episodes and the introduction of Doris Roberts as fan-favorite Mildred Krebs! THE CONVERSATION Doris Roberts -- and how she completed the Remington Steele “family”. Everyone Loves Doris: a rundown of (almost) everyone Doris Roberts has ever played “mother” to on the big and small screen. Ms. Robert...

Steele Talking: Susan and Sharon continue their interview with award-winning stage, TV and film actress Stephanie Zimbalist who created the 80s iconic character, Laura Holt… THE CONVERSATION - Working with her real-life dad – showbiz legend Efrem Zimbalist Jr – How he became a father figure for co-star Pierce Brosnan. (And how he taught Stephanie the secret to “playing drunk”…!) - Her decades-long...

Susan and Sharon sit down with a true show business icon and classic 80’s 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 from Alec Baldwin, Walter Matthau, Jessica Tandy, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Patricia Neal, Alfred Molina, Tommy Tune, Jimmy Stewart AND her own fathe...

But did they? Join Part Two of our interview with TV writer/producer Robin Bernheim, to discover the complicated answer to the burning question: Did Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan get along while filming “Remington Steele”? The Conversation: - Laura vs. Remington: Who got the most screen-time? Who got to drive the car? And whose show was it, anyway? - How did a writing staff of mostly men...

From Remington Steele to Princess Switch - Susan and Sharon sit down with legendary television writer Robin Bernheim. Robin’s career began in her mid-twenties with the “Remington Steele” episode “Steele in the Chips”, co-written with series star and long-time friend Stephanie Zimbalist. In a career spanning five decades, Robin has gone on to write and produce episodes of “MacGyver”, “Matlock”, “Qu...

"Try this for a deep, dark secret..." Susan and Sharon begin their examination of the hit 1980s series “Remington Steele”. Premiering on October 10, 1982, “Remington Steele” starred two relative newcomers to the network TV landscape -- Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan. The premise was simple: Private eye Laura Holt finds that clients are reluctant to hire a female investigator. So she invent...

Sharon and Susan talk with “Scarecrow & Mrs. King’s” one-and-only “Francine Desmond” – actress Martha Smith. Our conversation covers everything from her early days as a model for the Ford Motor Company to her “National Lampoon’s Animal House” adventures and finally to working on the show she first knew only as “The Secret Kate Jackson Project” – we’ll find out why Martha Smith truly is the “Gal Wi...

Season 3 of “Scarecrow & Mrs. King” is a fun, and kind of bonkers, 22-episode journey that is anything but straight-forward. International intrigue, poisoned food and wine, eclectic guest stars and a herky-jerky path to romance all add up to a season with surprising rewards – and puzzling road blocks. In this week’s tour of near-misses and near-kisses, we discuss… - Are Lee (Bruce Boxleinter) and...

Susan and Sharon sit down with the co-creator of “Scarecrow & Mrs. King” - Eugenie Ross-Leming - to get some real behind-the-scenes insight on the show's creation, Kate Jackson, Bruce Boxleitner, feminism in television, and managing long-term success in Hollywood. The discussion includes… - Eugenie’s early years with the legendary improvisation troupe Second City, where she performed with the...