This series might have done a little better, ratings wise, if it was set in NYC for the entirety of its run. But, in its first season, it was the story of a couple of identical twin sisters, one fun loving and free, while the other was studious and serious, living with their dad in Des Moines. Those episodes were mostly twin swapping storylines, with the girls taking each other's places for various things. Not incredibly inspired.
Things slightly improved for the series when they shifted it to Manhattan (which is my point in reviewing 400 shows set in NYC in honor of the 400th Anniversary of the founding of New York).
In the first season, the girls, unfortunately named Kate and Allison (as there was already a "Kate & Allie" on TV, a month before this series began) were aspiring dancers and were constantly seen in their dad's studio, wearing typical 80's workout apparel. But that wasn't enough to interest viewers, so the network waited until the mid-season replacement to retool and bring the show back.
The dance storyline was as good an excuse as any to send the twins to NYC to live with their Aunt Margo, played by Barbara Barrie, and to explore and pursue the world of entertainment they seemingly sought.
Two guys, played by James Vallely and Jonathan Schmock, were living in the same building and were continually taking the oddest of odd jobs, usually something that required some sort of outrageous costuming, which provided them with a lot of sight-gag style humor.
And another source of laughs was Anne-Marie Johnson, who was a heavily accented West Indian worker who turned up frequently to provide even more ridiculousness.
New York played a part as a game board that the girls would negotiate, either auditioning for roles, exploring the city, and doing all of the typical things everyone has to do while trying to make their dreams come true. There were also the requisite unusual people they would meet, difficult characters that gave them a hard time and the challenges of getting work in their chosen field.
Finally, their dad came to town, and having seen how his daughters were living in such a decadent and worldly way, wanted to drag them back to Iowa! We never found out for sure if they stayed or left because the program was canceled after that episode.
Jean and Liz are still active in the business, only now, mostly behind the camera. Jean has been a director of episodic TV, most recently directing eps of the reboot of the Paramount+ series "iCarly," Apple TV's "Amber Brown" and the Bounce TV comedy "Act Your Age." And Liz has been working as a writer and story editor; she served as a producer for the award-winning Max series, "The Flight Attendant."
And many people know that the Sagal twins have a big sister, Katey, who has appeared in numerous films and TV series, but is probably best remembered for her portrayal of Peg Bundy in "Married... With Children" and for voicing the character Leela in the animated comedy "Futurama."
Things slightly improved for the series when they shifted it to Manhattan (which is my point in reviewing 400 shows set in NYC in honor of the 400th Anniversary of the founding of New York).
In the first season, the girls, unfortunately named Kate and Allison (as there was already a "Kate & Allie" on TV, a month before this series began) were aspiring dancers and were constantly seen in their dad's studio, wearing typical 80's workout apparel. But that wasn't enough to interest viewers, so the network waited until the mid-season replacement to retool and bring the show back.
The dance storyline was as good an excuse as any to send the twins to NYC to live with their Aunt Margo, played by Barbara Barrie, and to explore and pursue the world of entertainment they seemingly sought.
Two guys, played by James Vallely and Jonathan Schmock, were living in the same building and were continually taking the oddest of odd jobs, usually something that required some sort of outrageous costuming, which provided them with a lot of sight-gag style humor.
And another source of laughs was Anne-Marie Johnson, who was a heavily accented West Indian worker who turned up frequently to provide even more ridiculousness.
New York played a part as a game board that the girls would negotiate, either auditioning for roles, exploring the city, and doing all of the typical things everyone has to do while trying to make their dreams come true. There were also the requisite unusual people they would meet, difficult characters that gave them a hard time and the challenges of getting work in their chosen field.
Finally, their dad came to town, and having seen how his daughters were living in such a decadent and worldly way, wanted to drag them back to Iowa! We never found out for sure if they stayed or left because the program was canceled after that episode.
Jean and Liz are still active in the business, only now, mostly behind the camera. Jean has been a director of episodic TV, most recently directing eps of the reboot of the Paramount+ series "iCarly," Apple TV's "Amber Brown" and the Bounce TV comedy "Act Your Age." And Liz has been working as a writer and story editor; she served as a producer for the award-winning Max series, "The Flight Attendant."
And many people know that the Sagal twins have a big sister, Katey, who has appeared in numerous films and TV series, but is probably best remembered for her portrayal of Peg Bundy in "Married... With Children" and for voicing the character Leela in the animated comedy "Futurama."