Boys Are Back - Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries

The Boys Are Back aired from September 1994 until January 1995 on CBS.

Fred and Jackie Henson ( Hal Linden, Suzanne Pleshette), had just packed the youngest of their 3 sons off to college, leaving Fred delighted at the prospect of finally enjoying his recent retirement while Jackie suffered a little empty-nest syndrome. Their solitude was short-lived. Son Mike( George Newburn), who had just lost his job moved back home, with his wife Judy ( Bess Myer), and their 3 rambunctious kids Peter, Sarah, and Nicky( Ryan O'Donahue, Kelsey Mulrooney, Justin Cooper).Then Rick ( Kevin Crowley), a Portland, Oregon cop arrived after his wife threw him out of his house. There was a predictable uproar as these 3 generations tried to live together. Fred, who spent more time at home than any of the other adults in the family, groused about the loss of his peace and quiet; Jackie who worked as a real estate agent, skirmished with her daughter-in-law; Mike, who was very neurotic, felt pressured to find a job and get his family out of his parents house, and Rick, agonized over the failure of his marriage.

What The Critic's said

"Stars add chemistry to sitcom.
'Boys' stumbles, but Pleshette, Linden dance.
How could a sitcom that stars proven, beloved veterans like Suzanne Pleshette and Hal Linden miss?. . . [T]he pace of the pilot is awkward, the characters are poorly defined and the cuter-than-cute grandchildren are annoying. Nevertheless, with Pleshette and Linden on board, you hope the series will settle down and improve after the pilot. . . . Despite the pilot's flaws, The Boys Are Back is worth watching for improvement. Linden and Pleshette are terrific together, even when the material isn't up to speed." —Diane Holloway, Austin American-Statesman (9/11/94)

"Pleshette and Linden's easy byplay is pleasurable. . . . Never underestimate the drawing power of charming, familiar stars." —Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly (9/16/94)

"Linden and Pleshette dignify a standard-issue sitcom. It's fascinating to see what two TV pros can do with the slight sitcom material in The Boys Are Back. . . . C" —Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly (9/16/94)

"[O]n CBS's numbingly bland The Boys Are Back, Hal Linden and Suzanne Pleshette's two Gen-X sons 'boomerang' back home to live with their parents." —Rick Marin, Newsweek (9/19/94)

"Better think twice, critics said regarding David Caruso's decision to leave NYPD Blue this season. . . . Good parts aren't easy to come by, and viewers won't always accept a purported star in another role. You'll find further proof on TV's fall schedule. The unlucky examples are Hal Linden, so fondly remembered as Barney Miller, and Suzanne Pleshette, everyone's favorite sitcom wife on The Bob Newhart Show.Good idea, bringing them back to weekly TV on the same series. Not so good when the show turns out like The Boys Are Back. . . . See you next show, Hal and Suzanne." —Tom Feran, The Plain Dealer (9/10/94)

"It's a tired premise for a sitcom that's invigorated by the sharp timing and engaging rapport of the costars. My score: 5." —Skip Carrington, TV Guide (9/10/94)

"I don't much care about these boys being back—I'm just glad that Hal Linden and Suzanne Pleshette are. After their memorable sitcom runs on Barney Miller and The Bob Newhart Show, each made forgettable stabs at drama (Pleshette on Nightingales and Bridges to Cross, Linden on Blacke's Magic). But now they've returned to where they belong: comedy. Not that either is exactly a cutup. They are straight men with a remarkably similar style, delivering their lines with the same foghorn-clear, eye-rolling, wise and weary but still amused touch. And now each actor has found the perfect partner and part. . . . Boys is filled with such sharp and funny moments, all masterfully handled by a good cast—especially Linden and Pleshette. Yes, the pros are back." —Jeff Jarvis, TV Guide (10/1/94)

"Its stars are throwbacks to a greater age, at least for them: Hal Linden and Suzanne Pleshette, gamely trying to establish comic rhythm in their remarkably upscale empty nest—complete with pool and boat—when their grown-up loser kids move back in. . . . Give it 13 weeks." 1 1/2 stars (out of 4) —Matt Roush, USA Today (9/12?/94)

A Review from Variety

The Boys Are Back
((Sun. (11), 8-8:30 p.m., CBS))
By TONY SCOTT

Filmed at Paramount Studios by Vanity Logo Prods. and ABC Prods. Executive producer/creator/writer, Matthew Carlson; producer, Linda Nieber; director, James Burrows.

Cast: Hal Linden, Suzanne Pleshette, George Newbern, Kevin Crowley, Bess Meyer, Kelsey Mulrooney, Justin Cooper, Paul Walker.

Preview of the new Hal Linden-Suzanne Pleshette series about a middle-aged couple freed at last when their third and last son flies the coop proves disappointing, though an occasional line or idea hits the bull's eye; it'll take more than that to pull it through.
Major problem arises right off the bat with the Pleshette-Linden mismatch; as devoted Jackie and Fred Hansen they don't jell.

The setup, too, isn't much help: with their three grown sons gone, with Fred ecstatic and Jackie in the dumps, the inevitable occurs: The older two birds fly back to the nest to make a sitcom. How much more challenging it would have been to have the deserted parents grow into individuals.

Exec producer/writer/creator Matthew Carlson has cooked up an eccentric household to keep things at a slow boil. Weak son Mike (George Newbern) has lost his job, and he, wife Judy (Bess Meyer) and their two obstreperous wee ones, seeking refuge, move in with all their excruciatingly politically correct awarenesses.

The wife of oldest son Rick (Kevin Crowley), a neurotic, alcoholic police detective, has rightfully booted him out; he's back for shelter.

Linden looks distraught, drops hoary pearls like "When people need to talk they talk; when people say they need to talk, they need money!" and retreats to a boat he has in the yard. Pleshette, whose sophisticated style almost brings off Carlson's thin material, gives the comedy a boost with her presence. Newbern's Mike and Crowley's Rick need more exposure; Meyer's Judy may be the sitcom's real comic entry.

Concept of three generations under the same roof is hardly new, but the working of it should be. Director James Burrows uses the oddities of the characters with a fine hand.

CBS "previews" the pilot Sunday and airs it again in the series' assigned timeslot at 8 p.m. Wednesday, following it with another seg. First real episode might make the difference.

A Review from The Virginia Pilot

LINDEN IS BACK IN NEW CBS SITCOM ABOUT PARENTHOOD
HAL LINDEN is one smart dude who knows what primetime television is all about.

``People either want you in their living rooms or they don't.''

Linden uttered those words of wisdom at a recent gathering of TV writers who had come to Los Angeles to hear Linden and his co-star, Suzanne Pleshette, talk about their new sitcom on CBS, ``The Boys are Back.''

You'll be able to get a look at ``The Boys are Back'' on Sunday at 8 p.m. before the series rolls out in its regular time period on Wednesday at 8 - this week with back-to-back episodes.

It is one of 10 new shows to premiere in the week ahead including two you should check out:

``Under Suspicion,'' a film noir-ish CBS show on Friday at 9 about a female detective who is harassed as she tries to do her job.

``Sweet Justice,'' an NBC drama that has a sneak preview Thursday at 10 before settling into a Saturday night run on Sept. 24. Melissa Gilbert and Cicely Tyson play idealistic lawyers in the deep South.

Linden and Pleshette return to series TV in a show about kids who move out, then move back in when times get tough. ``It's a situation that many parents have lived through including me. It's a traditional family sitcom with parents and children, only this time the children are adults,'' said Linden.

Linden with ``Barney Miller'' and Pleshette with ``The Bob Newhart Show'' have been in shows which viewers watched in droves and watched religiously. That is when people wanted them in their living rooms, to borrow a line from Linden. Both actors have known a time or two when they weren't welcome by the masses - when Linden was in ``Blacke's Magic'' and ``Jack's Place,'' for instance, and Pleshette in ``Nightingales'' and ``Suzanne Pleshette is Maggie Briggs.''

Why did Linden and Pleshette click in one series and not in others?

``The shows that lasted had quality scripts and a certain chemistry between the actors. You can control the scripts to a degree, but that chemistry is there or it isn't,'' said Linden. He and Pleshette feel that chemistry thing is present in ``The Boys are Back.''

Mini-review of ``The Boys are Back'': Linden and Pleshette still ooze charm, but the supporting cast is blah. It's as good as any new sitcom on TV this year, but that isn't saying much.

Ten new shows in the days to come! Wow! But that's not all the goodies awaiting channel surfers in September. A&E highlights

It was about six months ago when Ian McShane, star of A&E's ``Lovejoy'' series showed up in North Carolina to do a show about Lovejoy's American relatives and how they are tied up in solving the Lost Colony mystery. That special, ``Lovejoy: The Lost Colony,'' will be on cable Sunday at 8 p.m. as the A&E channel begins its fall season of programming.

Sir John Gielgud, Ken Kercheval, Barbara Barrie and Kate Vernon join McShane in rattling around Wilmington, N.C., hinting that they may have solved the mystery of the British colonists who disappeared without a trace in the 16th century. Need I say they don't come close to untangling the mystery?

A&E's new season of ``Biography'' continues at 8 p.m. Monday with a study of the Roman Catholic Church, ``John Paul II: Statesman of Faith.'' Also scheduled next week are biographies of Mike Tyson, Bette Davis and Gilda Radner.

On Wednesday at 10 p.m., A&E revives a great old CBS documentary series, ``Twentieth Century'' with Mike Wallace. First up is ``The Shah of Iran and the Iranian Hostage Crisis.''

And right in time for the Miss America pageant, A&E presents ``Beauty Pageants: Bright Lights, Big Business'' on Thursday at 9 p.m. A&E host Jack Perkins promises to look into the lighter side of this flesh on parade. Women's work

Now let's get serious about women and what they do.

Mary Alice Williams has joined Lifetime for a project called ``Picture What Women Do,'' which will be on cable Tuesday night at 9. Williams, who was a star on the rise at CNN and NBC before she decided to slow down and raise a family, pulled herself away the twins long enough to do this special for Lifetime. It's about women being overwhelmed by their everyday lives - women like you, perhaps.

``We have become a generation of exhausted overachievers,'' said Williams when she met TV reporters in Los Angeles not long ago. ``That is what this program is about. Women, no matter what walk of life they are involved in, share common ground. They do laundry. This is about women who want somebody to share the responsibility of the mundane, mind-numbing chores at home.'' Football history

With pro football back in the lives of couch potatoes, who needs baseball? Baseball strike? What baseball strike? TNT reminds viewers of the past glory of the National Football League on Tuesday at 8 with a special, ``75 Seasons: The Story of The National Football League.'' Seventy five years ago, George Halas and three other men met in an auto showroom in Canton, Ohio, and kicked in $100 apiece to start a professional football league. The first NFL game on TV? It was in 1939 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn when the Dodgers (yes, there was a pro football team with that name, too) met the Philadelphia Eagles. Elsewhere on TV

Heads up for Cox Cable subscribers: The cable company signs on with a free HBO preview today and Sunday on Channel 4. .

Tonight at 9, Rachel Ward begins hosting a series on Lifetime guaranteed to make you feel warm all over. ``In the Name of Love'' is about the sacrifices people make for love. . . Here is what new parents have been waiting for: A marathon on The Learning Channel featuring six episodes of ``A Baby's World.'' It starts Sunday at 8 p.m. . . .Shades of ``Shangri La.'' On Sunday at 9 p.m., The Discovery Channel puts on a special about a remote kingdom high up in the Himalayas, ``Mustang: The Hidden Kingdom,'' hosted by Harrison Ford. . . The unsung heroes of World War II were the men and women who helped to break the Axis codes and gave the Allies the edge in many battles. On PBS Tuesday night at 8, see how well they did their jobs on ``Nova: Codebreakers''. . . And finally, a reminder for all you followers of ``The X-Files'' on Fox. Agents Mulder and Scully return for a new season Friday night at 9.

For more on the Boys are Back go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_Are_Back_(TV_show)