I got the first season of the series on DVD. The pilot was good. The rhythm and flow of the show was shaky at first. You can tell there was a reliance on the dumb blonde act from Lydia Cornell in the early episodes and her body. The character of Jackie was underwritten and the actress who played her was very good. In my opinion she was far more attractive than Lydia Cornell.

I did enjoy the interaction of Ted Knight and Nancy Dussault. Their chemistry was good and the Muriel was a TV wife who knew how to hold her own but she was underwritten as well. Nancy Dussault is an excellent comic actress.

What killed the show in mid-season was the addition of Monroe Ficus. It became an overkill because his character was so annoying as well as his voice. I did not enjoy the episodes that he was in. The interaction between him and Henry Rush (Ted Knight) was an overkill. Too much of an 80's version of Laurel and Hardy.

We all knew what ultimately hurt the show was Muriel's late in life pregnancy. It was because Nancy Dussault was unhappy with the underdevelopment of her character and she felt she was not getting enough laughs. The pregnancy storyline was not the one for laughs.

What killed the show in mid-season was the addition of Monroe Ficus. It became an overkill because his character was so annoying as well as his voice. I did not enjoy the episodes that he was in. The interaction between him and Henry Rush (Ted Knight) was an overkill. Too much of an 80's version of Laurel and Hardy.

We all knew what ultimately hurt the show was Muriel's late in life pregnancy. It was because Nancy Dussault was unhappy with the underdevelopment of her character and she felt she was not getting enough laughs. The pregnancy storyline was not the one for laughs.

I don't think the show would have survived if Monroe wasn't added. The interaction between him and Henry was the best thing about the show. The look Henry got on his face everytime Monroe pissed him off was great. I do agree, however that Muriel's pregnancy hurt the show.

I got the first season of the series on DVD. The pilot was good. The rhythm and flow of the show was shaky at first. You can tell there was a reliance on the dumb blonde act from Lydia Cornell in the early episodes and her body. The character of Jackie was underwritten and the actress who played her was very good. In my opinion she was far more attractive than Lydia Cornell.

I did enjoy the interaction of Ted Knight and Nancy Dussault. Their chemistry was good and the Muriel was a TV wife who knew how to hold her own but she was underwritten as well. Nancy Dussault is an excellent comic actress.

What killed the show in mid-season was the addition of Monroe Ficus. It became an overkill because his character was so annoying as well as his voice. I did not enjoy the episodes that he was in. The interaction between him and Henry Rush (Ted Knight) was an overkill. Too much of an 80's version of Laurel and Hardy.

We all knew what ultimately hurt the show was Muriel's late in life pregnancy. It was because Nancy Dussault was unhappy with the underdevelopment of her character and she felt she was not getting enough laughs. The pregnancy storyline was not the one for laughs.


Monroe was one of the best additions that show ever made. They needed to have a foil for Henry and they found it in Monroe. He was great.

Monroe does annoy me every now and again, but I agree, he was a vital addition to the show. Without him, it probably wouldn't have lasted as long as it did.

Without Monroe, Too Close For Comfort wouldn't have been the same. His character, in my opinion, was just as important as the rest. And I agree that it wouldn't have survived without him.

monroe didn't hurt TOO close for comfort.
most of the time monroe was funny and important to the cast.
but april rush in season 2 was a totally unnecessary character.
but do you really want to know "what really hurt TOO close for comfort!"
it was the new baby at the beginning of season 3!
TOO close for comfort was a very funny sitcom the first 2 seasons.
then at the start of the 3rd season TOO close for comfort turned sappy and unentertaining.
in other words TOO close for comfort JUMPED THE SHARK when baby andrew joined the cast.
it was one of the worst mistakes in the history of television and the reason why TOO close for comfort isn't the sitcom classic it should've of been!

What really hurt Too Close for Comfort was ABC moving itto Thursday Nights in the 82-83 season up against Simon & Simon at 9pm. Simon &Simon was a popular show at the time on CBS.

I don't think the show would have survived if Monroe wasn't added. The interaction between him and Henry was the best thing about the show. The look Henry got on his face everytime Monroe pissed him off was great. I do agree, however that Muriel's pregnancy hurt the show.


I agree entirely - it was Monroe that made that show! JimJ was a riot playing off straight guy Ted!

Nancy's pregancy might have hurt, but I think she was in real life so there wasn't much they could do other than address it somehow.

Nancy's pregancy might have hurt, but I think she was in real life so there wasn't much they could do other than address it somehow.

Nancy Dussault was not pregnant in real life when her character, Muriel Rush, had a late in life pregnancy during the second season. The reason why they made her pregnant because Nancy complained that during the first season her character wasn't giving enough laughs. She felt that Muriel Rush was underdeveloped. From what I understand Nancy was not happy on the show and she and Ted did not exactly get along very well especially after she was public about her feelings about the show and her co-stars.

I think Nancy Dussault is a great comic actress but was not given good enough material to show that.

What wasn't to like about Monroe. He was my second favorite character behind Ted's.

I've only seen the first two seasons, thanks to Rhino. Monroe made the show better, in my opinion.

In season six, both of the daughters are off the show. To me, their departures would be what hurt the show. Of course, the series was only canceled due to the death of Ted Knight. So it must have still had the ratings in the end.

What killed the show in mid-season was the addition of Monroe Ficus.

I like Monroe. He was excellant on the show.

He was the main reason I love Too Close For Comfort.

Him and the theme song!

I don't think the show would have survived if Monroe wasn't added. The interaction between him and Henry was the best thing about the show. The look Henry got on his face everytime Monroe pissed him off was great. I do agree, however that Muriel's pregnancy hurt the show.

I couldn't agree with u more!

u said it just perfect!

Just like Steve Urkel on Family Matters, that show wouldn't survive either.

both nerds - Monroe and Steve - SAVED both shows!

Nancy Dussault was not pregnant in real life when her character, Muriel Rush, had a late in life pregnancy during the second season. The reason why they made her pregnant because Nancy complained that during the first season her character wasn't giving enough laughs. She felt that Muriel Rush was underdeveloped. From what I understand Nancy was not happy on the show and she and Ted did not exactly get along very well especially after she was public about her feelings about the show and her co-stars.

I think Nancy Dussault is a great comic actress but was not given good enough material to show that.

Don't see how her and Henry having a baby when their 2 daughters were college aged would have helped the Muriel character.

They both looked pretty odd because of that.

Good to see at least one person agree with me that Monroe was obnoxious and unfunny! The show wasn’t very good to begin with, but he killed it.

I do somewhat remember Muriel having a baby. What a stupid idea.

Nancy Dussault was not pregnant in real life when her character, Muriel Rush, had a late in life pregnancy during the second season. The reason why they made her pregnant because Nancy complained that during the first season her character wasn't giving enough laughs. She felt that Muriel Rush was underdeveloped. From what I understand Nancy was not happy on the show and she and Ted did not exactly get along very well especially after she was public about her feelings about the show and her co-stars.

I think Nancy Dussault is a great comic actress but was not given good enough material to show that.

Nancy was in her late 40s when her character was made pregnant.

What really hurt Too Close for Comfort was ABC moving itto Thursday Nights in the 82-83 season up against Simon & Simon at 9pm. Simon &Simon was a popular show at the time on CBS.

Well, I have suggested (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=396006) in the past that the continued Top-30 ratings success of Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley going into the '82/'83 season resulted in Too Close for Comfort being held back by those shows. TCfC's ratings nosedived from #6 to #38 with that move to Thursday. No way there was room on the ABC schedule for all three sitcoms in the long term. Had HD and L&S ended their runs earlier (like 1980 or 1981), it would've been easier for TCfC to stay on ABC Network for the duration of its run.

If ABC had put TCfC in the Happy Days timeslot in '81/'82, ABC would likely have had their new top sitcom in TCfC.

Nancy was in her late 40s when her character was made pregnant.What they said about being a late in life pregnancy is correct. The average person doesn't become pregnant when they are almost 50, that is really old for pregnancy.

I don't hate Monroe like the OP here. But I would also say he is overrated by so many Too Close for Comfort fans. The daughters added a lot more to the show, which is why season 6 jumped the shark and is easily its weakest.

I thought the show suffered when they eliminated Jackie and Sara. Anybody know why they did that?

Monroe does annoy me every now and again, but I agree, he was a vital addition to the show. Without him, it probably wouldn't have lasted as long as it did.

The "April" character was much, much more annoying than Monroe IMO.

I thought the show suffered when they eliminated Jackie and Sara. Anybody know why they did that?

Deborah Van Valkenburgh decided that she wanted to do more dramatic roles, so she quit the show. I read somewhere that Lydia wanted to stay on the show, but they got rid of her because Ted Knight was annoyed that she frequently showed up late (I can't say I blame him!)

Deborah Van Valkenburgh decided that she wanted to do more dramatic roles, so she quit the show. I read somewhere that Lydia wanted to stay on the show, but they got rid of her because Ted Knight was annoyed that she frequently showed up late (I can't say I blame him!)

Thank you !!!!!

Deborah Van Valkenburgh decided that she wanted to do more dramatic roles, so she quit the show. I read somewhere that Lydia wanted to stay on the show, but they got rid of her because Ted Knight was annoyed that she frequently showed up late (I can't say I blame him!)

Yes they wrote the character of Jackie off the show since DVV wanted out to pursue other acting opportunities. They had Jackie move to Italy to pursue fashion design. At that point both girls were well into their 20's and the actresses were both in their 30's. The Sara character had graduated college and was a tv weather girl the last few seasons that Lydia Cornell was on the show.

My main gripe with season 5 is they never explained what happened to Sara after Henry sold the San Francisco house.

Deborah Van Valkenburgh decided that she wanted to do more dramatic roles, so she quit the show. I read somewhere that Lydia wanted to stay on the show, but they got rid of her because Ted Knight was annoyed that she frequently showed up late (I can't say I blame him!)

Also, to make a long story (https://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2008/10/sitcomsonlinecom-exclusive-interview_29.html#google_vignette) short, after Arne Sultan (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-19-me-22601-story.html) died, Ted Knight was now according to Lydia Cornell, free to design the show his way. The new producers who came in after Sultan's death, were simply resistant to upsetting Ted. Hence why, they in no small part, didn't want to work harder in developing Jackie and Sara's characters and roles on the show. They were in effect, little more than "yes men" for Ted Knight, who keep in mind, had an ownership stake in Too Close for Comfort (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031132334/http://www.jumptheshark.com/t/toocloseforcomfort.htm).

I've only seen the first two seasons, thanks to Rhino. Monroe made the show better, in my opinion.

In season six, both of the daughters are off the show. To me, their departures would be what hurt the show. Of course, the series was only canceled due to the death of Ted Knight. So it must have still had the ratings in the end.

I wonder if Season 6 had the same problem as Three's a Crowd, when it was spun off from Three's Company. The cast was too small (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=5746236&postcount=15) and the whole set up for the show didn't make sense. Like at the newspaper offices that Henry worked at, there's hardly anybody else working there.

Like in Season 6 of Too Close for Comfort, what exactly compelled Henry and Muriel to move from San Francisco to Mill Valley (https://www.iamnotastalker.com/2016/09/29/too-close-for-comfort-final-season-filming-locations/)? How come we don't hear anything about their daughter Sara's whereabouts? What's the justifiable reason for Monroe to still constantly be in Henry's life if Henry moved out of the city? How and why did Henry go from being an illustrator to a newspaper editor, which is a completely different skillset?