Mulligan's Stew

Mulligan's Stew is an American comedy-drama television series, that originally aired as a 90-minute NBC television film on June 20, 1977, and later, as a 60-minute series from October 25 to December 13, 1977. The series focused on the lives of the Mulligan family, who live in the fictitious Southern California community of Birchfield; high school teacher and football coach, Michael (Lawrence Pressman), his wife, Jane (Elinor Donahue), who is a school nurse.[1]

For the stew, see Mulligan stew (food). For the 1972 educational television series, see Mulligan Stew (TV series).
Mulligan's Stew
The cast of Mulligan's Stew
GenreComedy drama
Created byJoanna Lee
StarringLawrence Pressman
Elinor Donahue
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 episodes
Production
Running timePilot movie: 90 mins
Series: 60 mins
Production companiesChristiana Productions
Paramount Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseTV movie / Pilot
June 20 (1977-06-20)
Series
October 25, 1977 (1977-10-25) –
December 13, 1977 (1977-12-13)

Synopsis

Michael and Jane Mulligan have three children: Mark, Melinda and Jimmy. They find making ends meet difficult, but manageable. Things get tighter moneywise and spacewise when the Mulligans take in their nephew Adam (Moose) and nieces Polaris (Polly) and Starshine (Stevie) Freedman, after their parents (Michael's sister and brother-in-law) are killed in a plane crash in Hawaii while in the process of adopting the Vietnamese-born Kimmy, leaving the Mulligans to finalize the adoption. They deal with the changes and bond as a family.

Cast
  • Lawrence Pressman as Michael Mulligan
  • Elinor Donahue as Jane Mulligan, Michael's wife
  • Johnny Whitaker (movie) / Johnny Doran (series) as Mark Mulligan, Michael & Jane's son
  • Julie Anne Haddock as Melinda Mulligan, Michael & Jane's daughter
  • K.C. Martel as Jimmy Mulligan, Michael & Jane's son
  • Lory Koccheim as Polaris "Polly" Freedman, Michael & Jane's paternal niece
  • Suzanne Crough as Stevie Freedman, Michael & Jane's paternal niece
  • Chris Ciampa as Adam "Moose" Freedman, Michael & Jane's paternal nephew
  • Sunshine Lee as Kimmy Nguyen Freedman, Michael & Jane's adoptive paternal niece

Episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
TVM"Mulligan's Stew"Noel BlackJoanna LeeJune 20, 1977 (1977-06-20)
1"Biggest Mansion"UnknownUnknownOctober 25, 1977 (1977-10-25)
2"Melinda Special"UnknownUnknownNovember 1, 1977 (1977-11-01)
3"Winning the Big Ones"UnknownUnknownNovember 8, 1977 (1977-11-08)
4"Little Grey Bird"UnknownUnknownNovember 22, 1977 (1977-11-22)
5"Ah, Wilderness"UnknownUnknownDecember 6, 1977 (1977-12-06)
6"The Perils of Being Pretty"UnknownUnknownDecember 13, 1977 (1977-12-13)

Reception

Mulligan's Stew was scheduled opposite four Top 20 hits: Three's Company and Soap on ABC, and M*A*S*H and One Day at a Time on CBS. As a result, it suffered from dismal ratings, and was cancelled at the end of 1977. It ranked dead last out of 104 shows airing that season with an average 10.5 rating.[2]

References
  1. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 806. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  2. "Broadcasting" (PDF). Americanradiohistory.com. p. 36. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
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