VEI (Visual Entertainment Inc.) is releasing a 2 DVD set of Stockard Channing in Just Friends and The Stockard Channing Show. These short-lived shows aired on CBS in 1979 and 1980.

Here are the details:

After movie roles in the Joan Rivers’ camp classic, 'The Girl Most Likely To...', 'The Fortune', alongside Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson, and the timeless part of tough-girl Rizzo in the blockbuster film 'Grease', the CBS network offered Stockard Channing her own television sitcom series “Stockard Channing in Just Friends” and “The Stockard Channing Show”. From 1979 to 1980 Channing starred as a bright young divorcee who removes herself from the shackles of married life and strikes out on her own to create a brand new life in LA.

“A ratings winner with a ’38’ Share”
- National Nielson Ratings

"TV is lucky to have the likes of Channing... and even luckier to have her headlining this sophisticated comedy!"
- The Hollywood Reporter

"It may be the best female-centered comedy CBS has brought us since “The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
– The Los Angeles Times

2 DVD Set - 23 Episodes

Stockard Channing…
• an Academy Award nominee for Best Actress for ‘Six Degrees of Separation'
• a two time Emmy Award winner for her roles on NBC’s “The West Wing” and in the ‘The Matthew Sheppard Story’
• has been nominated 12 times for various Emmy Awards
• currently stars in the new CBS sitcom “Out of Practice” alongside Henry Winkler

I'm not sure if this is the complete series of both series. A book I have lists 13 episodes for each. Can anybody confirm the number of episodes? TV.com doesn't have any episode guides for them.

This will probably be a release that is sold in stores only in Canada or at online retailers like amazon.ca . They list it for only $13.97 CDN. VEI is also releasing Gimme A Break - Season 1 and Kate & Allie - Seasons 1 & 2. They've previously released Hardcastle and McCormick - Season 1 (Season 2 is coming soon), The Best of Bizarre (Volumes 1-4), and The Best Moments of The Amazing Kreskin.

You can purchase it here:
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000F0UU7I/ref=nosim/sitcomsonline-20

Wow, amazing that 2 failed sitcoms like that would get a release. I just transferred a few of Just Friends over that I had recorded off the CBS airings. I wouldn't have thought in a million years anyone would put this out.

TJ,

Thanks for letting us know about this release. I've never seen any episodes of either of Stockard Channing's two sitcoms but it seems a great price, and being a fan of sitcoms and Stockard I think I'll take a chance on this.

I searched the net trying to find any episode information to help confirm how many episodes of each sitcom was made. After a lot of searching, I found the following links:


"The Stockard Channing Show" :

http://online.tvguide.com/newsearch/detail.aspx?id=755975&sourcetype=s&tvobjectid=204614

It lists that there were 11 episodes of this sitcom. It also lists the episode titles and a brief description of each episode.


"Just Friends" :

http://online.tvguide.com/newsearch/detail.aspx?id=701439&sourcetype=s&tvobjectid=202463

It lists that there were 15 episodes. It doesn't list the episode titles but does give a brief description of the episodes.


This adds up to 26 episodes, which is what you quoted, TJ, but it would seem there appears to be 11 episodes for one and 15 for the other, not 13 and 13.

This does mean that there does appear to be three episodes missing from the forthcoming DVD release.

I don't like there being 23 episodes on only 2 DVDs, considering that sitcoms in those days ran longer than they do now. I don't think this DVD company do double-sided discs, so it would appear that there will be 11 episodes on one disc and 12 on another.

As there appears to be 11 episodes of "The Stockard Channing Show", it's possible that these will all be put on one disc and 12 episodes of "Just Friends" on another, meaning 3 episodes are not included. Perhaps 12 is the most number of episodes they are able to fit on one DVD. It does seem a lot of episodes on one disc though!

VEI are releasing "Kate & Allie - Season 1 & 2", which amount to 28 episodes and they have spread these over 4 DVDs, yet they seem to be releasing 23 episodes of Stockard's show squeezed onto 2 DVDs, even though there are only 5 episodes less! Perhaps it's due to a good chance of being a lot less interest in Stockard's shows compared to Kate & Allie, and they are doing them on only 2 discs to keep costs down.

Is it possible that the DVD only includes the 11 episodes from "The Stockard Channing Show" - 5 episodes on one disc and 6 episodes on another? This would appear to make more sense. Perhaps amazon.ca have made a mistake listing there are 23 episodes.

I tried to find an e-mail address to contact VEI but can't find one. I suppose we'll just have to wait until the DVD Set is released, although I would prefer 23 episodes compared to 11 episodes!

I hope the episode information that I found is helpful to you, TJ. If you find any further info on the DVDs be sure to post.

Take care. :)

I'm in for purchasing it but I have a question about the story. It says VEI released Season 1 & 2 of Hardcastle & McCormick but I thought they had only released Season 1 and I do not see 2 at amazon.ca . Is it out but not carried at amazon?

The Hardcastle set crammed 5 episodes on 1 disc which would translate to about 10 sitcom episodes.

I have never seen this show but from what I can tell is Stockard Channing plays a woman named Susan in both shows but with a different last name and a woman named Sydney Goldsmith is in both shows with different names. Also Mimi Kennedy (Abby on Dharma & Greg) is in Stockard Channing in Just Friends.

I should have said Season 2 of Hardcastle & McCormick is coming soon. I don't know the date yet, but there were photos of the Season 2 cover on the Gimme A Break set.

I should be getting a review copy of the Stockard Channing set soon, so I'll have more details then.

I should be getting a review copy of the Stockard Channing set soon, so I'll have more details then.

Thanks, TJ. Look forward to it. :)

I'm interested to see how they've done this set and what episodes are missing. VEI seem to have a good, although short?, track-record.

I just found out the set has been delayed until the fall at the earliest. They are trying to obtain better masters. So better a delay than bad quality episodes!

Back on the schedule with a Nov. 21 date:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2006/09/silver-spoons-coming-to-comcast-on.html

...[when they were on CBS in 1979 and 1980], and I think you might be in for a disappointment. Stockard Channing could not rise above the mediocre scripts used in both of her shows (to me, they were standard sitcom fodder of the late '70s, a result of the "ABC syndrome" involving light, airy comedies whose plots you forget an hour after you've seen them); there were good reasons why both series "tanked" after "about" 13 episodes apiece [not even Aaron Ruben could save "THE STOCKARD CHANNING SHOW", although it was a little better than "JUST FRIENDS"].

The only reason "JUST FRIENDS" got big ratings in the beginning was because it originally followed "ALICE" on Sunday nights- 9:30pm(et)- in March 1979 (that's why the show initially earned a "38 share")- once viewers saw what a great series it WASN'T, the ratings fell, and the network quickly moved it to Saturday nights that summer, and burned off the repeats before it was cancelled. ["THE JEFFERSONS" moved to Sundays that June in Stockard's time period, and earned the big ratings she might have gotten, from then on] Trying to establish a Monday night "beachhead" with the second show in March 1980 didn't work (how'd you like to be opposite "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE"?), and once again, CBS dumped the show on Saturdays for a few weeks that June before pulling her off for good. I know Bill Paley {"Mr. CBS"} saw Ms. Channing as a "star" comedienne after watching her in "Grease", but he couldn't do anything to help her shows, either.

If anyone comes out ahead of those DVD releases of her series, it'll be Stockard: she OWNS them, through her "Little Bear" production company (the one she and her husband created...they never produced another series after the second one, especially after they got divorced a few years later). My guess is, this'll be a curiousity to those viewers who only know her from "THE WEST WING" {"I didn't know she starred in a sitcom....and I know why. WHY did I buy this ----???"}. This is merely my opinion. You have yours. Beware!!

;)

Having reviewed the set, there are 10 episodes of "Just Friends" and 13 episodes of "The Stockard Channing Show". Disc 1 is lists 11 "Just Friends" episodes, but in reality, show # 11 is the first episode of "The Stockard Channing Show".

That blows my mind because: a) I don't think there were more than six episodes of The Stockard Channing Show broadcast in total between its Monday and Saturday slots, so I never had an inkling more episodes than those ever existed and b) I did *not* think it was superior to Just Friends. I thought The Stockard Channing Show's premise (she was a reporter for a Consumer Reports type magazine or some damn thing) was too gimmicky compared to her earlier series in which she worked at a health club. I also preferred the Just Friends supporting cast.

Other things I recall after 26 1/2 years: the set used for "Susan's apartment" had identical contours in both shows, though I don't recall if all or any of the furniture, etc. used to dress the set was the same in both. The theme music was rearranged in 1980, but it was the same tune. When the CBS fall lineup was announced in May of '79 Just Friends was not on it, but the network did specifically designate it as a backup series, saying that it would return before the end of the year. Sometime between May and August is when they changed their mind because "Last show of the series" was indicated below the TV Guide listing for the final broadcast, which was not in its regular Saturday slot but on a Wednesday. I also recall that by the middle of July it seemed like the turnaround time of the repeats from their original broadcast was very short. In at least on case I'm sure it was less than two months between airings because watching it was, like, "my god I just saw this one!"

The similarities between the two series may have been superficial, but they were impossible to ignore, especially when those changes that did make the new show a different series didn't constitute an improvement IMHO.

I liked Stockard Channing In Just Friends a lot then and thought it would last longer than it did. I guess I'll have to pop for the DVD and see how it holds up.

Following the success and critical acclaim from roles in the Joan Rivers' camp classic, 'The Girl Most Likely To...', 'The Fortune', alongside Warren Beatty and Jack Nicolson, Neil Simon's 'The Cheap Detective', and as tough-girl Rizzo in the musical classic 'Grease', the CBS television network offered Stockard Channing her own sitcom series - Stockard Channing in Just Friends (1979) and The Stockard Channing Show (1980).

In both these series Stockard plays an adventurous bright woman, estranged from her husband and determined to make it on her own. By removing herself from the shackles of married life in Boston and creating anew in Los Angeles, Stockard is a million other women who have done the same thing--for better or worse. Striking out on your own is at best a shaky road, and in Stockard's interpretation of Susan - from her wacky jobs at a health club and as a television investigative reporter to her face-to-face confrontation with her Ivy League hubby - "it's pure sophisticated comedy with a streak of reality so broad you could drive a tractor-trailer on it".

These beloved shows offer Stockard Channing's fan base an early glimpse into the talents of a young actress who has since gone on to star in numerous dramatic and comedic roles on the big screen as well as on television. Presented together, for the first time on home video, in this unique two disc collection are the cult TV series that nostalgic fans have been longing for!

Read our review here:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/thestockardchanningshowdvdreview.html

Post any questions or comments about this set.

I just bought this. Actually, you can order it at amazon.com in the U.S. and it will be cheaper. It was actually available at Newbury Comics for $12.99. That's where I bought it for only $10.99 with a coupon. It's a great package and I've been enjoying seeing this show for the first time. It's a great little sitcom. Stockard and Sydney are very funny in it. I also like the guy who plays Leonard. Definitely worth checking out even if you've never seen it before. :)

Yes, I got mine from AMAZON as well. Quality
is very decent. I'm sure it won't be a big seller,
but glad it came out. I'd forgotten that JUST FRIENDS
and STOCKARD CHANNING SHOW had the same theme song,
Stockard portrayed Susan in both,
and SYDNEY GOLDSMITH co-starred in both (reminscent of
FUNNY FACE and THE SANDY DUNCAN SHOW.

One thing for sure is these did not come off the 2-inch masters. They look like they came from 3/4 inch umatic tapes, probably the backups that Stockard had lying around. And that would explain the missing episodes as well. They either got lost over time or else wouldn't play and couldn't be salvaged. Too bad they didn't go back to the masters but for a limited appeal show like this, one can't be too picky.

So there are actually 5 Just Friends episodes missing.

After doing extensive research, 3 episodes of Just Friends is Missing from the sets. The Tom Selleck episode A Fine Romance that aired on 6/10/79, Room at the Top in which Coral dates an abusive plumber which aired on 4/22/79 and one other episode with Dick Gautier offering Susan a promotion, that episode aired on 4/29/79 but I have yet to find a resource that lists that episode title.

Thus here is a complete episode list of all 13 episodes:

03/04/1979 Pilot
03/11/1979 Last of the Red Hot Tubs
03/18/1979 A Little Fright Music (Airdate to be confirmed)
03/25/1979 The Boy in the Band
04/01/1979 Health May Be Hazardous
04/08/1979 Lost Weekend (Airdate to be confirmed)
04/15/1979 Same Time, Next Night
04/22/1979 Room at the Top (Missing from DVD)
04/29/1979 (Unknown title) Dick Gautier guest stars (Missing from DVD)
05/06/1979 The Ziegenfuss Force
06/10/1979 A Fine Romance
06/17/1979 Invasion of the Body Grabber (Airdate to be confirmed)
06/23/1979 The Hollywood Syndrome (The series has moved to CBS Sat nights)

I wonder why they are missing. I think VEI obtained the masters directly from Stockard Channing who owns the rights to the show (her company Little Bear Productions, I think). Too bad. I'd like to see the Coral episode.

When I first viewed Stockard Channing in Just Friends in early 1979, I thought that it was a good sitcom and because of its high ratings it should have been renewed for another season. However, the series was cancelled after its first season had finished. Why this sitcom was cancelled is not public knowledge, but The Stockard Channing Show probably got cancelled because of low ratings.

I wonder why they are missing. I think VEI obtained the masters directly from Stockard Channing who owns the rights to the show (her company Little Bear Productions, I think). Too bad. I'd like to see the Coral episode.


Because they didn't access the 2-inch masters. Either they don't have them or they didn't want to go to the expensive transfer process. It's very possible that CBS retains the 2-inches and all Stockard had were 3/4 inch backups, which is what the shows look like they came from.

Ah, that makes sense. Too bad they didn't get them all transferred. I'm glad to have what we have of it though. :)

...was due to her role as "Rizzo" in the 1978 movie version of "Grease". Bill Paley, who was still running CBS at the time, upon seeing the film, insisted she had "star quality" as a potential sitcom star, and had her signed to the network. She would produce her series through her and then-husband David Debin's production company, "Little Bear". Unfortunately, the "magic" that was supposed to make her first series a success just wasn't there: even though "...JUST FRIENDS" was scheduled as a 1979 mid-season replacement, right after "ALICE" on Sundays at 9:30pm(et), the ratings weren't as high as Linda Lavin's, and didn't carry over into "THE MARY TYLER MOORE HOUR" (another well-intentioned disaster) at 10. Before the 13 episode commitment was up, the network moved it to their version of "TV Siberia" on Saturdays, with the promise of her "trying again" next season with a different format.

Stockard's second {self-titled} series (with only Sydney Goldsmith held over as a co-star from the first one), created and produced by Aaron Ruben {veteran writer and/or producer of "THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW", "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW", "GOMER PYLE, U.S.M.C." and "SANFORD AND SON'}, went on in the spring of 1980 as a mid-season replacement, Monday nights at 8:30. Again, lackluster ratings [how could she FAIL right after "WKRP IN CINCINNATI"???] forced CBS to move her that June to the same Saturday nignt time period "...JUST FRIENDS" had been "burned off" the previous year. This time, there was no "reprieve". Stockard swore off any further sitcoms (her marriage ended at the time, as well), and headed to Broadway, where she slowly rebuilt her career into what it is today. Just don't look for her to star in any further sitcoms: the last one she appeared in, "OUT OF PRACTICE", co-starring Henry Winkler, lasted just one season on CBS in 2005-'06, with 14 out of 22 episodes shown...just a bit longer than her previous series.

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