Reposted from old board:

Posted by TJ:

Did anybody watch this show during its' original run? Was it ever shown in syndication?

Posted by TV Guy:

I remember it during it's original run (1979-82), it was one of my mother's favorite shows, and it was on after "MASH". It did play in syndication for awhile -- in Boston, it was on Ch. 68 in the mid-80s.

This is a really funny show, and I think it even got better after Sharon Gless replaced Lynn Redgrave as the female lead (Sharon Gless is more naturally funny). Anyone remember the nasty hospital administrator, Mr. Peckler? Or the ditzy volunteer, Mrs.
Phipps?

It was still doing well in the ratings (in the top 20) when it was cancelled. I read somewhere that the producers didn't want to continue, because Wayne Rogers was so difficult.

Posted by luvinjuan1980:

Isn't it weird how Wayne Rogers was Trapper John on Mash, Then when Trapper John, MD. came out, they got Pernell Roberts to play Trapper and Wayne Rogers went on to play Charlie Michaels on House Calls.

Posted by TV Guy:

Definitely strange. When you think about it Charley Michaels is a lot closer to Trapper John from "M*A*S*H" than "Trapper John, M.D." is. Trap always had a good sense of humor, and Pernell Roberts portrays him as completely humorless.

I've never heard of and never sean this sitcom. I've heard and might have seen once or twice a talk show with some doctor guy with the same title as this...

HOPE THIS HELPS!

I don't remember this show but remember the Name! Maybe I can find a link to a website about it and refresh my memory!

I remember just the name too!

The sitcom was a spinoff of a movie of the same name which starred Walter Matthau.
The onl thing I remeber about the series was the episode in which Lynn Redgrave's character left the show. Apparently she got inot a big contract dispute with the Producers and her character was abruptly written off the show.
I also remember David Wayne, who played the Mad Hatter in the Batman TV series had a role as the eccentric Dr. Weatherby.

i dont remember this show

i sure do remember the show and i think that lynn redgrave and wayne rogers played off each other quite nicely. better than the movie.

i liked this show. never heard of it in syndication around here in NC

I not only remember this show, I have 2 of them on tape, one with guest star June Allyson (I'm a big fan of hers).

I not only remember this show, I have 2 of them on tape, one with guest star June Allyson (I'm a big fan of hers).

if these are good quality eps, i'd be interested in buying.

I remember this show. It was pretty good until Lynn Redgrave left the show.

i liked it , and was POed that Wayne Roberts shot himself in the foot AGAIN...what a jerk, no wonder her never got another show ( That i can recall, at least )

oh wait, he got some detective show, but it wasnt a big hit as i recall

...because it always followed "M*A*S*H" on Monday nights at 9:30pm(et) from 1979 through '82 throughout its entire run on CBS [57 episodes]. It was a pretty good show....but I could see where Wayne Rogers' "palace coup" began with the second season. He changed the theme music {the score was recorded in France due to a musicians' strike in Hollywood during the 1980-'81season}, brought in his own team of writers and producers, and "eased" Lynn Redgrave off the show, replacing her with the last Universal "contract player" on the lot, Sharon Gless, in early 1982. This is why Wayne is more of a behind-the-scenes businessman than a working actor today.

:tv:

I too remember this show. It had such a very beautiful theme song in its 2nd and 3rd seasons.
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/sounds/housecalls2nd.wav

And no one remembers the theme song from its first season.
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/sounds/housecalls1st.wav

I have not watched this sitcom since 1986 because this hit series is currently extinct.:( This needs to be released on DVD soon.

I remember WGN playing reruns in the late '80s.

Wayne Rogers today is a very very successful real estate mogul.

Of course I do! And I have the movie with Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson.

HC was a charming show! Wayne Rogers and Lynn Redgrave were wonderful on it! It's a real shame when shows like this just seem to disappear. I remember it vividly and enjoyed it very much.

Of course I do! And I have the movie with Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson.

HC was a charming show! Wayne Rogers and Lynn Redgrave were wonderful on it! It's a real shame when shows like this just seem to disappear. I remember it vividly and enjoyed it very much.
I've never seen it on in reruns anywhere. I enjoyed the show too....well until Lynn Redgrave left it.

Lynn Redgrave actually left House Calls in the middle of the third season. Sharon Gless's first episode "Fun With Doc and Jane" actually aired in the beginning of 1982. Should the show have continued for at least a fourth season if Redgrave hadn't left or if fans took a liking to Gless's character (Jane Jeffries)?

Reposted from old board:

Posted by luvinjuan1980:

Isn't it weird how Wayne Rogers was Trapper John on Mash, Then when Trapper John, MD. came out, they got Pernell Roberts to play Trapper and Wayne Rogers went on to play Charlie Michaels on House Calls.

Posted by TV Guy:

Definitely strange. When you think about it Charley Michaels is a lot closer to Trapper John from "M*A*S*H" than "Trapper John, M.D." is. Trap always had a good sense of humor, and Pernell Roberts portrays him as completely humorless.

I agree. Even though Trapper John, M.D. is technically a spinoff of M*A*S*H, I've never considered it one. I'm lucky if I've seen more than two episodes in its entirety.

It premiered on September 23, 1979. Nearly three months later, House Calls premiered on December 17, 1979. I do remember watching this show during its network run. In fact, the irony is that I saw Wayne Rogers playing Charley Michaels before I saw him on M*A*S*H, as I didn't start watching M*A*S*H until 1981 in reruns.

Another irony is that the humorless Trapper John, M.D. outlived House Calls by four seasons. The change from Lynn Redgrave to Sharon Gless did change the show a bit.

However, if House Calls hadn't been cancelled, Sharon Gless wouldn't have been able to replace Meg Foster as Christine Cagney on Cagney & Lacey in the fall of 1982.

Gless was hesitant to replace another actress after what happened on House Calls, but it proved to be a good move because she is remembered most for playing Chris Cagney.

And there's another connection to M*A*S*H -- Loretta Swit was the first actress to play Christine Cagney in the original Cagney & Lacey TV movie.

What were we talking about again?

I REALLY want this show on DVD!!!!!!!!

I REALLY want this show on DVD!!!!!!!!

From your mouth to God’s ears! I’d buy it in a minute! Lynn and Wayne had such great chemistry! A charmer of a show.

LOL..never heard of this & I was a kid back then!

Yes = from early 80s & I loved it. Lynn Redgrave was fantastic in it.

According to Wikipedia, Lynn Redgrave was fired.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Calls_(TV_series)

Yes I remember it (I was almost 11 when it premiered) and I liked it. I might be one of the few people who liked it with Lynn Redgrave and also liked it when Sharon Gless replaced her. It was a very funny show and it's a shame it didn't last longer.

Ed.

It followed MASH while at the same time there was a show called Trapper John MD, which was the character Wayne Rogers played on MASH.

Yes I remember it (I was almost 11 when it premiered) and I liked it. I might be one of the few people who liked it with Lynn Redgrave and also liked it when Sharon Gless replaced her. It was a very funny show and it's a shame it didn't last longer.

Ed.

The Time Sharon Gless and Lynn Redgrave Staged a Shouting Match (https://playbill.com/article/the-time-sharon-gless-and-lynn-redgrave-staged-a-shouting-match)

Back to her being a contract player (before Cagney and Lacey). There was a show called House Calls (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Calls_(TV_series)) that starred Lynn Redgrave (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/29874414-sharon-gless-lynn-redgrave-catfight-on-gless-s-driveway). After a few seasons, she asked for the same salary (https://thewritelife61.com/2020/12/28/this-doctor-made-house-calls-every-monday-night/) as her co-star Wayne Rogers and to be allowed to breast feed on the set. In response, she was fired (https://www.johnclarkprose.com/a-space-for-reflection/house-calls/house-calls-what-really-happened.html). Horrific. Sharon, still under contract for Universal, had to replace (https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-sharon-gless-book-20211209-2b2sk4krcbcvxdrleojrl7ttwu-story.html) her (https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/18/nyregion/notes-on-people-lynn-redgrave-replaced-in-tv-series.html), and did the show for a year. In the book, she writes about her not enjoying working with Wayne Rogers. Well, at the end of the series, she writes that she had a party for the cast (not Wayne). She decided to invite Lynn Redgrave, whom she had never met! I told her I thought that was so cool of her, and she said that Lynne was even cooler…she said yes! Lynn then asked Sharon if she wanted to mess with the cast and stage a fight. Sharon loved the idea and said YES. So, a few hours into the party, Sharon saw a car pull into the driveway. She muttered out loud, "Who could that be?" and went outside. She and Lynn quietly introduced themselves and then started a loud, fake argument. Lynn yelled “You stole my job!” Sharon yelled “You lost it because you can’t act for sh*t!” Finally it ended with Lynn yelling, “F*ck you!” followed by Sharon standing at her door yelling, "F*** me? F*** you!!!!!" Sharon said she turned around and the cast was standing there with their mouths hanging open. Sharon "apologized" to everyone…and then, of course, invited Lynn inside. Brava!!

John Clark, a former British actor and Lynn’s ex-husband, had a blog about 20 years ago in which he discussed his and Lynn’s ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit following her dismissal from the series. Clark claims there was a massive conspiracy to deny them justice. But I wouldn’t accept his word as the whole truth, since he and Lynn had a bitter divorce and he put the all the blame on her, even though he was the one who had an affair and fathered a child out of wedlock. In fact, Clark blames everyone else for his problems. It is possible he was the one who prevented a favorable outcome in the lawsuit.

Wayne Rogers' MASH Follow-Up House Calls Was A Ratings Hit (https://screenrant.com/mash-show-house-calls-wayne-rogers-quit-controversy-fired-factoid/)

Like MASH, House Calls was a movie spinoff

https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-intro-screen-for-house-calls-sitcom-starring-wayne-rogers-and-lynn-redgrave.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1

The intro screen for House Calls (https://screenrant.com/db/tv-show/house-calls/) sitcom starring Wayne Rogers (https://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/wayne-rogers-legendary-temper-mash-house-calls/) and Lynn Redgrave (https://www.reddit.com/r/mash/comments/iffqxd/cbs_1981_promo_house_calls_starring_wayne_rodgers/)

Easily Rogers' highest profile series outside of MASH was House Calls (https://www.google.com/search?q=%22House+Calls%22&sca_esv=2ab293e83490bf26&sxsrf=ADLYWIJKnYHQEF-IUSLDWGxcLYVSp8-nPg%3A1736397667311&source=lnt&tbs=bkt%3As%2Ccdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1%2F1%2F1979%2Ccd_max%3A12%2F31%2F1982&tbm=bks), another medical sitcom. This was based on the 1978 comedy movie House Calls (https://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2018/09/house-calls-film-review.html) starring Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson, with the TV version casting Rogers (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2016/01/rip-wayne-rogers.html) as a surgeon (https://travsd.wordpress.com/2018/04/07/trapper-john-and-house-calls-a-chronology-of-comic-doctors/) who falls for Lynn Redgrave (https://m.facebook.com/forgottentv/photos/onthisday-in-1979-house-calls-debuted-on-cbs-tvproduced-by-universal-television-/1175281504603099/)'s hospital administrator. The show quickly became a success (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/ieabqi/top_10_most_popular_shows_that_did_not_have/) after it debuted in 1979, managing to capture the spirit of the original film while Rogers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sRytV804sk) and Redgrave (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-05-ca-2992-story.html) shared great chemistry.

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Wayne Rogers may have been a jerk, but I think he ended up making more money from business investments than he did from acting. I remember him appearing on some TV program about investing in his later years.

According to Wikipedia, Lynn Redgrave was fired.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Calls_(TV_series)

Wayne Rogers apparently, had a lot of pull and even got executive producer Jerry Davis fired and replaced with his own personal manager (https://www.tvguide.com/news/question-remember-65342/), Arthur Gregory (https://www.messingermortuary.com/obituaries/Arthur-U-Gregory?obId=27126989). Gregory, as it turns out, also represented Lynn Redgrave, but when it came time for contract renegotiations, he withdrew from managing her.

Wayne and Lynn also shared an agent at William Morris, Freddie Westheimer (https://www.johnclarkprose.com/a-space-for-reflection/house-calls/house-calls-what-really-happened.html). But Westheimer announced that he would only fight for Wayne's interest and assigned a junior level agent to represent her. That agent proved to be ineffective, so Redgrave fired the agency and enlisted her husband, John Clark (http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/592936-1572926?email=0f55c4f0-a56e-4ba6-ac51-20c757f3e8ae), to represent her. That being said, Lynn was frozen out of Wayne's circle and left out to dry.

Wayne Rogers apparently, had a lot of pull and even got executive producer Jerry Davis fired and replaced with his own personal manager (https://www.tvguide.com/news/question-remember-65342/), Arthur Gregory (https://www.messingermortuary.com/obituaries/Arthur-U-Gregory?obId=27126989). Gregory, as it turns out, also represented Lynn Redgrave, but when it came time for contract renegotiations, he withdrew from managing her.

Wayne and Lynn also shared an agent at William Morris, Freddie Westheimer (https://www.johnclarkprose.com/a-space-for-reflection/house-calls/house-calls-what-really-happened.html). But Westheimer announced that he would only fight for Wayne's interest and assigned a junior level agent to represent her. That agent proved to be ineffective, so Redgrave fired the agency and enlisted her husband, John Clark (http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/592936-1572926?email=0f55c4f0-a56e-4ba6-ac51-20c757f3e8ae), to represent her. That being said, Lynn was frozen out of Wayne's circle and left out to dry.

Lynn definitely had a lot of tough breaks - being fired from “House Calls”, betrayed by her husband, and finally developing terminal cancer. If she had any consolation, it was that few people wanted to watch the series without her as a cast member.

Top 10 most popular shows that did not have actually have a cultural zeitgeist impact (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/ieabqi/top_10_most_popular_shows_that_did_not_have/)

5. House Calls (CBS, 1979–1982) (https://chatgpt.com/s/t_6915852b12488191a7058ddea1761e79)

Wayne Rogers’ post-MASH* vehicle (https://x.com/i/grok/share/adMys1t74cSnU2dn1KvzZXt2j) actually cracked the Top 10 (https://poe.com/s/EHT3MQ6FT3GJ0Cvf5lQ9) — and is almost entirely unknown today (https://www.perplexity.ai/search/top-10-most-popular-shows-that-RHr04t7QSkOQc_YZDr4r.w#1). Internal disputes with co-star Lynn Redgrave derailed it early. Its ratings suggest hit status; its absence from cultural memory suggests otherwise. Few even recall that it existed.

5. House Calls (https://www.google.com/search?q=Five.+House+Calls.+Wayne+Roger%E2%80%99s+best+attempt+at+a+vehicle+and+it+was+actually+wildly+popular+until+there+was+some+fallout+with+Lynn+Redgrave.+This+show+ran+from+79-82+and+despite+my+love+for+TV+history+I+legitimately+had+never+even+heard+of+this+show+until+I+started+researching+for+this+post.+It+was+ranked+14th+in+season+1%2C+8th+in+Season+2+and+%2323rd+in+season+3.+Zero+attempts+at+syndication+and+not+much+of+a+ripple+on+the+TV+landscape+in+it%E2%80%99s+time+despite+it%E2%80%99s+ratings+I+rank+this+show+5th+all+time+for+lowest+impact+on+the+Cultural+Zeitgeist+in+context+of+the+show%E2%80%99s+ratings.&sca_esv=b1a2f407046ddbac&sxsrf=AE3TifMJy2r0p50jzSEafM-EU36UtE3blg%3A1763014434660&ei=IncVabSIKK2IwbkPzqOz8Qg) (CBS, 1979–1982)

The Paradox of a Vanished Hit

A spinoff of the 1978 Walter Matthau–Glenda Jackson movie of the same name, House Calls was conceived as a light workplace/romantic dramedy set in a California hospital — a formula that seemed tailor-made for late-1970s network audiences. It starred Wayne Rogers, fresh off his breakout as “Trapper John” on MASH*, and Lynn Redgrave, an acclaimed film actress making the leap to television.

The show’s ratings were impressive from the start:


Season 1 (1979–80): #14 overall in Nielsen ratings

Season 2 (1980–81): #8 overall — higher than Taxi, Barney Miller, or Diff’rent Strokes that year

Season 3 (1981–82): #23 overall


Yet almost no one talks about (https://x.com/i/grok/share/zgmnmOFNvc9xA1zVg2N7N3gC4) House Calls today (https://www.google.com/search?q=Five.+House+Calls.+Wayne+Roger%E2%80%99s+best+attempt+at+a+vehicle+and+it+was+actually+wildly+popular+until+there+was+some+fallout+with+Lynn+Redgrave.+This+show+ran+from+79-82+and+despite+my+love+for+TV+history+I+legitimately+had+never+even+heard+of+this+show+until+I+started+researching+for+this+post.+It+was+ranked+14th+in+season+1%2C+8th+in+Season+2+and+%2323rd+in+season+3.+Zero+attempts+at+syndication+and+not+much+of+a+ripple+on+the+TV+landscape+in+it%E2%80%99s+time+despite+it%E2%80%99s+ratings+I+rank+this+show+5th+all+time+for+lowest+impact+on+the+Cultural+Zeitgeist+in+context+of+the+show%E2%80%99s+ratings.&sca_esv=b1a2f407046ddbac&sxsrf=AE3TifPxyPQ32AJFdzTMuPSmesqIOP1ogQ%3A1763018865238&udm=50&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ59Aj-dkSgmXWKpa2HWaBZPGTDZtOU71PjDWW70svawb7CcXDTdlwgesciHJaVzqE5aN9zFln6-v1bUCH1uRqqb2Pz_vz6ucMSt6seumdqQwmgw4U9VU72g09C5vsBGUgpj9rgVdDuyipFKESpvbaTRqcjYXUkEmePJVCO5QZk0bUce_5SrzpNwJbei9syLs_wa5CKQ&aep=1&ntc=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2usCJze6QAxXhSDABHcK2C-8Q2J8OegQIEhAE&biw=1600&bih=747&dpr=1&mstk=AUtExfDW2jJyfIsquaGlfFdJQ9RDL0gyCe8ptvL_OHbDXyJcc5I5KmFpLKxC2_Y-562dDkq8XeIpFN29yHPRHwTbh3nTYcLkQUkYI0yxWMn1adajiYJs_5w5SHZJuF4HPnLv9z29kgH-qDQebctxnJPiW48ZQUOImZcp7vBBYxFvjQKms2vbQthWEgrmnq0b767VEHfEISCw3IZ_eAn-nKjCgP2wPm2p1iag95WPhHxFzw0-3W8m4xvXs3zqcfSQmnTIyRLyfN96gkepXqk4LIcuIgYkeb5yOKcQqowKixLwqKQUQbiNe7hJYVOAaJHZvaCNTLyl71s9pc70fw&csuir=1&mtid=wogVab_bO8KEwbkPpKW-6A4).

There are no DVD releases, no streaming availability, and almost no syndication record — rare even for a Top 10 network show of its era. It didn’t generate quotable lines, breakout stars, or critical conversation, and it lacked the satirical or cultural hook of contemporary hits like Soap or MASH*.

The show’s downfall began with a behind-the-scenes dispute: Lynn Redgrave was fired after the second season following a conflict with producers (reportedly over her insistence on bringing her infant to set to breastfeed). She was replaced by Sharon Gless, but the show never recovered creatively or in public perception. Ratings slid, and House Calls was quietly canceled in 1982.

In hindsight, House Calls is a perfect case study of a “statistical hit” that left no cultural legacy. Its success owed more to network scheduling and star familiarity than to distinctive creative identity. Once canceled, it vanished — not because it was bad, but because it had no afterlife in syndication, pop references, or nostalgia TV.

Despite ranking alongside some of the biggest hits of its era, House Calls is now so obscure that even serious TV historians sometimes overlook it entirely.

Cultural Footprint: Minimal.
Legacy: Proof that even a Top 10 hit can disappear without a trace.