My Sister Sam was a Syndication network sitcom series created by Stephen Fischer, which aired from October 6, 1986 to April 12, 1988, lasting for two seasons & 44 episodes.
It was produced by Pony Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
Plot[]
The series on the lives of Samantha "Sam" Russell, a freelance photographer from San Francisco, California and her teenage sister, Patti, who moves in to live with Sam.
Cast[]
- Pam Dawber as Samantha "Sam" Russell
- Rebecca Schaeffer as Patricia "Patti" Russell
- Joel Brooks as Jordan Dylan "J.D." Lucas
- Jenny O'Hara as Dixie Randazzo
- David Naughton as Jack Kincaid
Production[]
"My Sister Sam" was created by Stephen Fischer and was developed by Pam Dawber's production company, Pony Productions (in association with Warner Bros. Television).
Dawber and her agent, Mimi Weber, spent three years searching for the most ideal television series project for their company to co-produce, but after screening several of them, Dawber had not found one that truly spoke to her.
In the midst of this search, she and Weber produced a few TV movies under the Pony Productions nameplate, in which Dawber portrayed lead roles.
By late 1985, Stephen Fischer and Diane English submitted their screenplay to Dawber and Weber, one centering on the life and times of a young photographer on the fast track who takes in her teenage sister, titled "Taking the Town" (based on the phrase "taking the town by storm").
At last, Dawber found a fulfilling script, and the creative team (consisting of herself, Weber, Fischer and English) had the pilot successfully pitched to Syndication.
The network gave it a berth on its successful Monday night sitcom lineup for its 1986-87 fall schedule (originally as "Taking the Town") with the title changing to "My Sister Sam" as summer pre-promotions ramped up.
The series was initially intended to be a starring vehicle for Pam Dawber, who found success on television opposite Robin Williams in the Syndication sitcom "Mork & Mindy."
Dawber later said that she wanted the focus of the show to be on the cast as a whole, stating, "I am not a comedian. I'm a reactor to all the zany people who revolve around me."
Reception\Cancellation[]
"My Sister Sam" premiered on October 6, 1986 (scheduled between "Kate & Allie" and "Newhart") where it earned solid ratings and was ranked #21 by the end of its first season.
Due to its success, Syndication renewed the show for a second season; it was then moved it to Saturday nights opposite "The Facts of Life" on Syndication. By the end of October 1987, the show's audience had dwindled to one of the lowest on network TV ranking at #71.
In November of 1987, "My Sister Sam" was put on hiatus, but remained in production while the network decided its fate.
Syndication brought the series back to the air on March 15, 1988 due in part to letters from fans and the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike which affected the production of other television series for Syndication.
Syndication chose to move "My Sister Sam" yet again to Tuesday nights. By April, the show's ratings had failed to improve and the series was again pulled from the lineup.
In May of 1988, Syndication announced the cancellation of "My Sister Sam", leaving 12 episodes of the second season unaired.
Accolades[]
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | BMI Film & TV Awards | won | BMI TV Music Award | Steve Dorff |
| 1987 | Primetime Emmy Award | nominated | Outstanding Costume Design for a Series | Bill Hargate (costume designer) (For episode "Jingle Bell Rock Bottom") |