Bette was a CBS network sitcom series created by Jeffrey Lane, starring singer\actress Bette Midler in the lead role.
The show aired from October 11, 2000 to March 7, 2001, lasting for one season & 16 episodes.
Plot[]
The show centered on Bette, a wildly successful singer with numerous hits, adoring fans, and showbiz friends who often drop by.
Keeping her grounded is her professor husband Roy, her best friend Connie, and her 13-year-old daughter, Rose.
Cast[]
- Bette Midler as Bette
- Kevin Dunn (episodes 1–12) and Robert Hays (episodes 16–18) as Roy
- Lindsay Lohan (pilot)\Marina Malota as Rose
- Joanna Gleason as Connie Randolph
- James Dreyfus as Oscar
Production[]
Recasts[]
When "Bette" went into production, Lindsay Lohan was the original choice to play the role of Rose.
After the completion of the pilot episode, Midler decided that the series would shoot in Los Angeles, instead of New York City, where the pilot was filmed.
However, Lohan did not want to continually commute from her family's current residence in New York City, as the filming schedule for a TV series (typically 22 episodes per season) was more than the 14-year-old was willing to do when having to travel the country.
Therefore, Lohan was out of the series, but Midler and the producers decided to keep the pilot (presumably because it added extra attention to the show's debut; at the time, Lohan had already made her name as a major child star in the film, "The Parent Trap"). They began shooting the following episodes with the next choice in casting, Marina Malota.
Several episodes into the series, Kevin Dunn grew unhappy with the increasingly minimal role and lack of development his character Roy was facing. Immediately after episode 12, Dunn left the show.
The next three episodes of Bette made mentions to Roy, but did not use the role, as a replacement was in the midst of being found.
Before long, Robert Hays was hired to take over, whose well-chiseled and more youthful physique provided a stark contrast to Dunn. Although Hays filmed three episodes of "Bette" before its official cancellation, his debut broadcast was the last one aired on CBS.
Broadcast History[]
The 16 episodes of "Bette" aired on Wednesday nights until its cancellation. Originally in the 8pm time slot, the show was moved to 8:30/7:30c in February 2001 and aired only a few more times.
Two episodes went unaired on network TV, but the last two episodes of "Bette" were aired in HDTV in which it was simulcast.
Accolades[]
- Golden Globe (2001) – Nominated – "Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical" – Bette Midler
- People's Choice Awards (2001) – Won – "Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series" – Bette Midler
- TV Guide Awards (2001) – Won – "Actress of the Year in a New Series" – Bette Midler
- TV Guide Awards (2001) – Nominated – "New Series of the Year"
- Primetime Emmy Award (2001) – Nominated – "Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series" – Bernard Vyzga (production designer) & Lynda Burbank (set decorator) for the pilot
- Excellence in Production Design Award Television – Won – "Episode of a Multi-Camera Series" – Bernard Vyzga (production designer) & Rich Rohrer (assistant art director) for the pilot