She's the Sheriff

She's the Sheriff is an American television sitcom that aired in first-run syndication from September 19, 1987, to April 1, 1989. Produced by Lorimar Television, the series marked the return of Suzanne Somers to television for the first time since she left her role as Chrissy Snow on ABC's Three's Company in 1980.

She's the Sheriff
GenreSitcom
Created byDan Guntzelman
Steve Marshall
Written byCheryl Alu
Gene Braunstein
Bobby Fine
Dan Guntzelman
Lawrence H. Hartstein
Juliet Law Packer
Steve Marshall
Mark Miller
Marty Nadler
Barry O'Brien
Bob Perlow
Richard Rossner
Mark Rothman
Directed byDavid Grossman
Gary Menteer
Lee Miller
Russ Petranto
Alan Rafkin
Doug Smart
Howard Storm
StarringSuzanne Somers
George Wyner
Pat Carroll
Nicky Rose
Taliesin Jaffe
Lou Richards
Guich Koock
Leonard Lightfoot
Theme music composerBruce Miller
ComposerBruce Miller
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes44 (plus unaired pilot)
Production
Executive producerMark Rothman
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time2224 minutes
Production companyLorimar-Telepictures
Release
Original networkSyndication
Original releaseSeptember 19, 1987 (1987-09-19) 
April 1, 1989 (1989-04-01)

In 2002, She's the Sheriff was ranked number 44 on TV Guide's "50 Worst TV Shows of All Time".[1]

Synopsis

Somers stars as Hildy Granger, a young woman whose husband, the sheriff of fictional Lakes County, Nevada (near Lake Tahoe), has died suddenly. Now a widow with two children to support, Hildy accepts the county commissioner's offer to appoint her to serve as sheriff herself, despite her lack of relevant experience. The show focuses on her efforts to handle the daily problems of locals and tourists, while learning to work with her four deputies. In particular, Hildy has regular battles with Deputy Max Rubin, who thinks her undeserving of the job.

Cast and characters

  • Suzanne Somers as Hildy Granger, the newly appointed Sheriff of Lakes County, Nevada
  • George Wyner as Deputy Max Rubin, indignant that he has been passed over for the job of sheriff.
  • Pat Carroll as Gussie Holt, Hildy's mother and a part-time writer.
  • Lou Richards as Deputy Dennis Putnam, a naïve man who takes things too literally.
  • Guich Koock as Deputy Hugh Mulcahy, a man admired for his intelligence.
  • Leonard Lightfoot as Deputy Alvin Wiggins, who tries to be a voice of reason.
  • Taliesin Jaffe as Hildy's son Kenny
  • Nicky Rose as Hildy's daughter Allison.

Episodes

Season 1 (1987–88)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
00"She's the Sheriff"Alan RafkinMark RothmanN/A
11"All in a Day's Work"Alan RafkinMark RothmanSeptember 19, 1987 (1987-09-19)
22"Butterfly Is Free"Mark RothmanBarry O'Brien,
Juliet Law Packer
September 26, 1987 (1987-09-26)
33"Unsafe at Any Speed"Alan RafkinJuliet Law PackerOctober 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)
44"A Little Romance"Lee MillerGene Braunstein,
Bob Perlow
October 10, 1987 (1987-10-10)
55"Lover Boy"Alan RafkinLawrence H. Hartstein,
Richard Rossner
October 17, 1987 (1987-10-17)
66"Monkey Business"Alan Rafkin,
Doug Smart
Mark Miller,
Mark Rothman
October 24, 1987 (1987-10-24)
77"Max Moves In"Doug SmartBarry O'Brien,
Mark Rothman
October 31, 1987 (1987-10-31)
88"Poker Fever"
"The Golden Streak"
Russ PetrantoBobby FineNovember 7, 1987 (1987-11-07)
99"Hildy Gets Shot"Russ PetrantoBarry O'Brien,
Mark Rothman
November 14, 1987 (1987-11-14)
1010"Child's Play"Russ PetrantoBobby FineNovember 21, 1987 (1987-11-21)
1111"Call Me Madam"Alan RafkinBarry O'Brien,
Mark Rothman
November 28, 1987 (1987-11-28)
1212"The Perils of Pauline"Russ PetrantoBobby FineDecember 5, 1987 (1987-12-05)
1313"A Hero"David GrossmanMark RothmanDecember 12, 1987 (1987-12-12)
1414"The Feds"Lee MillerSimon HunterDecember 19, 1987 (1987-12-19)
1515"New Year's Eve"Russ PetrantoLawrence H. Hartstein,
Richard Rossner
January 2, 1988 (1988-01-02)
1616"The Great Escape"Arlando SmithGene Braunstein,
Bob Perlow
January 9, 1988 (1988-01-09)
1717"Hostage"Marc GassDan Guntzelman,
Steve Marshall
January 16, 1988 (1988-01-16)
1818"All Alone"Russ PetrantoUnknownJanuary 30, 1988 (1988-01-30)
1919"Hildy the Homewrecker"Russ PetrantoMark RothmanFebruary 6, 1988 (1988-02-06)
2020"Hair"Russ PetrantoLawrence H. Hartstein,
Richard Rossner
February 13, 1988 (1988-02-13)
2121"Dinsmore's Wedding"Russ PetrantoLawrence H. Hartstein,
Richard Rossner
February 20, 1988 (1988-02-20)
2222"Hildy's First Kiss"Russ PetrantoBarry O'BrienFebruary 27, 1988 (1988-02-27)

Season 2 (1988–89)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
231"A Not So Fatal Attraction"David GrossmanBarry O'BrienOctober 8, 1988 (1988-10-08)
242"Hildy's Public Defender"Russ PetrantoBarry O'BrienOctober 15, 1988 (1988-10-15)
253"A Friend in High Places"Russ PetrantoMarty NadlerOctober 22, 1988 (1988-10-22)
264"Have a Nice Day"Russ PetrantoUnknownOctober 29, 1988 (1988-10-29)
275"Gussie Behind Bars"Gary MenteerCheryl AluNovember 5, 1988 (1988-11-05)
286"Max's Ten"David GrossmanUnknownNovember 12, 1988 (1988-11-12)
297"Mulcahy Gets Kicked Out"Gary MenteerMark MillerNovember 19, 1988 (1988-11-19)
308"Dream the Implausible Dream"Gary MenteerMark MillerNovember 26, 1988 (1988-11-26)
319"Father-Son Banquet"Russ PetrantoMark MillerDecember 3, 1988 (1988-12-03)
3210"Love Hurts"Michael MillerMichael KleinDecember 10, 1988 (1988-12-10)
3311"Down for the Count"Gary MenteerCheryl AluDecember 17, 1988 (1988-12-17)
3412"Midnight Run"Howard StormKimberly YoungJanuary 7, 1989 (1989-01-07)
3513"Tastes Great, Less Killing"Howard StormDoug McIntyreJanuary 14, 1989 (1989-01-14)
3614"Divorce, Wiggins Style"Gary MenteerMarty NadlerJanuary 21, 1989 (1989-01-21)
3715"Forever Young"Gary MenteerBarry O'BrienFebruary 4, 1989 (1989-02-04)
3816"The Teflon Sheriff"Gary MenteerBarry O'BrienFebruary 11, 1989 (1989-02-11)
3917"The Mother Mugger"Gary MenteerCheryl AluFebruary 18, 1989 (1989-02-18)
4018"I'm Okay, You're All Crazy"Gary MenteerCheryl AluFebruary 25, 1989 (1989-02-25)
4119"Max Gets Trumped"Gary MenteerCheryl AluMarch 4, 1989 (1989-03-04)
4220"You Always Hurt the One You Love"Gary MenteerCheryl AluMarch 18, 1989 (1989-03-18)
4321"Me Tarzan, You Hildy"Gary MenteerCheryl AluMarch 25, 1989 (1989-03-25)
4422"Kissing Cousins"Gary MenteerSuzanne SomersApril 1, 1989 (1989-04-01)

Original pilot

The title card for Cass Malloy, 1982.

The series had its origins in the 1982 CBS sitcom pilot Cass Malloy. Creators Dan Guntzelman and Steve Marshall pitched the format to CBS that later became the syndicated She's the Sheriff: that of a late sheriff's wife taking over her husband's job, and the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-oriented environment. Annie Potts was originally cast as the titular Cass Malloy, but she was soon dropped during development in favor of Caroline McWilliams, who was in search of a starring vehicle after leaving the hit ABC series Benson. The pilot was shot and greenlighted by CBS, and aired as a one-off on July 21, 1982. The pilot did not perform to CBS' expectations, and thus was not picked up as a series.

George Wyner and Lou Richards appeared in both Cass Malloy and She's the Sheriff, but in the CBS pilot, their characters' surnames were different. Wyner played Deputy Max Rosenkrantz, who had hoped to fill the shoes of deceased sheriff Big Jim Malloy, but who was now upset about being passed over in favor of Malloy's wife. Richards played Deputy Dennis Little in the pilot. The cast also featured Glynn Turman as officer Woodrow Freeman, a character that served as the basis for Leonard Lightfoot's Alvin Wiggins in She's the Sheriff; Dick Butkus as officer Alvin Dimsky; Murphy Dunne as Adam Barrett; and Dianne Kay (in her first project after Eight is Enough) as Tina Marie Nelson.

Sheriff Cass Malloy had three children in the original pilot: teenager Colleen (Amanda Wyss), preteen Nona (Heather Hobbs) and the youngest, "Little Big" Jim (Corey Feldman). While She's the Sheriff was set in Lakes County, Nevada, Cass Malloy was situated in Burr County, Indiana.

Guntzelman and Marshall would find success as producers a few years later with ABC's Growing Pains, which prompted them to revisit the Cass Malloy teleplay in hopes of finally getting it on the air as a series. Lorimar-Telepictures took an interest in a revised version of the script and greenlighted a series order in 1987 for the then-burgeoning first-run syndication market. Early in production, a two-page ad was placed in the January 5, 1987, issue of Broadcasting & Cable magazine listing the show under the working title Suddenly Sheriff and with Priscilla Barnes as the star (Barnes had been the second replacement for Suzanne Somers on Three's Company.) It is not known exactly when the show's name and casting were finalized.[2][3]

Production

David Goldsmith and Arthur Silver were the executive producers, Marty Nadler was producer, Wenda Fong was co-producer and Lisa Lewis was associate producer.

Syndication

She's the Sheriff was part of NBC's much-hyped "Prime Time Begins at 7:30" campaign, in which the network's owned-and-operated stations would air first-run sitcoms in the 7:30-8 p.m. time slot to counter competing stations' game shows, sitcom reruns and other offerings. However, this experiment was short-lived, and although She's the Sheriff was renewed for a second season, it was moved to a weekend time slot.

City Station
Atlanta WXIA 11[4]
Austin KBVO 42
Chicago WGN 9[5]
Concord WNHT 21[6]
Des Moines KDSM 17[7]
Detroit WXON 20[8]
Great Falls KTGF 16[9]
Greenville WYFF 4[10]
Hartford WFSB 3[11]
Honolulu KGMB 5[12]
Indianapolis WXIN 59[13]
Joplin KODE 12[14]
Knoxville WTVK 26 (This remained on the channel after WTVK became a CBS affiliate in September 1988.)[15]
New York WNBC 4[16][17][18]
Portsmouth WAVY 10[19]
Providence WJAR 10[20]
Spokane KAYU 28[21][22]
St. Joseph KQTV 2[23]
Syracuse WSYT 68[24][25]
Tequesta WPBF 25[26]
Toledo WUPW 36[27]
Washington, D.C. WRC 4[28]
Wilmington WECT 6[29]
Wichita KSNW 3[30]

References

  1. "50 Worst Shows of All Time". TV Guide. 2002.
  2. "BC" (PDF). Americanradiohistory.com. 1987-01-05. p. 28. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  3. "BC" (PDF). Americanradiohistory.com. 1987-01-05. p. 29. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  4. "Who aired what where: Lesser-known syndicated shows". Radio Discussions. July 26, 2014.
  5. WGN 9 commercials/superbreak, 7/28/1989 part 1 on YouTube
  6. "Retro: Boston MA: Sunday, April 24, 1988". Radio Discussions. January 3, 2019.
  7. FOX commercials (May 1989) on YouTube
  8. "Retro: Detroit, Sun. July 31st, 1988". Radio Discussions. October 15, 2016.
  9. "Retro: Montana Sat, Aug 26, 1989". Radio Discussions. August 21, 2012.
  10. "Retro: Spartanburg, SC, Saturday, July 16, 1988". Radio Discussions. November 28, 2017.
  11. "Retro: Boston/Providence/New Hampshire Sat 8/20/88". Radio Discussions. October 7, 2005.
  12. "Retro: Montana Sat, Aug 26, 1989". Radio Discussions. March 26, 2010.
  13. 1989 - Promo for 'She's the Sheriff' Starring Suzanne Somer on YouTube
  14. "Retro: Joplin/Pittsburg Sun, Nov 13, 1988". Radio Discussions. November 13, 2012.
  15. "Retro: Tri-Cities, TN/VA Sat, Sept 17, 1988". Radio Discussions. September 17, 2010.
  16. "Random TV GUIDE Ad - She's The Sheriff". The Cult of Dougsploitation. February 28, 2012.
  17. WNBC She's the Sheriff promo, 1987 on YouTube
  18. October 12, 1987 commercials on YouTube
  19. 1989 - Promo for 'She's the Sheriff' Starring Suzanne Somers on YouTube
  20. February 13, 1988 commercials on YouTube
  21. April 30, 1988 commercials on YouTube
  22. September 23, 1988 commercials with 20/20 closing and KAYU sign-off on YouTube
  23. "Retro: Kansas City and Topeka, Thursday, August 11, 1988". Radio Discussions. November 28, 2016.
  24. She's the Sheriff promo 20sec on YouTube
  25. She's the Sheriff promo 15sec on YouTube
  26. "Retro: Miami/West Palm Beach, Saturday, January 21, 1989". Radio Discussions. August 13, 2017.
  27. "FIRST RUN FUN!". THE VINTAGE TOLEDO TV SITE. December 12, 1987.
  28. WRC Station ID/She's the Sheriff! Promo (10/12/87) on YouTube
  29. "Retro: Wilmington, NC, Saturday, May 20, 1989". Radio Discussions. October 24, 2017.
  30. "Retro: Kansas Sat, May 6, 1989". Radio Discussions. May 3, 2011.
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