[Gary]

I agree. Most of them are good. Even the ones that aren't so great still have a few memorable moments.

[Sam]

Last night I watched two episodes of Empty Nest...

A Christmas Story
Change of Heart

I really like the Christmas episode. I'd forgotten the storyline and how Dryfuss ran off because he didn't want to go into kennels while the family went skiing for the festive season.

Change of Heart is quite a good one aswell, where Harry has an Angina attack and ends up in hospital. I noticed Harry displaying a lot of Dorothy-esque facial expressions in this episode which always delights me. His doctor in hospital was a young surfer type and Harry wasn't impressed by this - as he was lying there it could have almost been Dorothy lying in her hospital bed in The Operation. I knew there was a reason I loved EN all those years ago when it was airing on Channel 4. He and Dorothy have a wonderful thing in common.

I think I'll watch some more episodes tonight now that I have rekindled the flame

Sam

[Empty Nest Online]

"Change of Heart" is one of my favorite episodes from the second season. The show had really started to find its footing by that time. It was funny with just enough emotion to make it engaging as well. I haven't watched any Empty Nest episodes lately (too busy watching TV shows on DVD -- i.e. GG season six and Soap), but the last one I did watch was their hurricane crossover effort from the fourth season. It's one of my favorites. The Westons put the house up for sale just as the hurricane hits, while Laverne is left to entertain her visiting mother-in-law during the storm. It had some nice sitcom "special effects" (so to speak), as the Westons were hit hardest by the storm among the three Saturday shows.


Matt

[Sam]

Empty Nest Online, on Jan 9 2007, 12:39 AM, said:

"Change of Heart" is one of my favorite episodes from the second season. The show had really started to find its footing by that time. It was funny with just enough emotion to make it engaging as well.

Yeah, it was one of the S2 episodes that made me realise that the show was definitely improving.

Quote

I haven't watched any Empty Nest episodes lately (too busy watching TV shows on DVD -- i.e. GG season six and Soap), but the last one I did watch was their hurricane crossover effort from the fourth season. It's one of my favorites. The Westons put the house up for sale just as the hurricane hits, while Laverne is left to entertain her visiting mother-in-law during the storm. It had some nice sitcom "special effects" (so to speak), as the Westons were hit hardest by the storm among the three Saturday shows.

Aw, I'd love to see that episode. I already have the GG and Nurses hurricane crossover episodes, both of which I loved, so I'm sure EN's effort would also be a good one. Let's hope EN is announced on DVD soon then, huh?

Sam

[Empty Nest Online]

After talking about the show on here again, I popped in one of my tapes and watched "Take My Mom, Please" from season two -- the one where Harry's patient tries to fix him up with her mother. Anybody familiar with that one? It's pretty good. I found the kid kind of annoying, but the subplot with Carol and Barbara hiring a maid for the house was funny. The lady with the list of demands cracked me up. "I'll need a ten minute break every hour and an hour for lunch.......I don't drive, and I refuse to take the bus so here's my address....and if Oprah has an interesting guest, I'll need some alone time." Then Carol sincerely asking "Do you clean??" Haha.

Jennifer Salt played the mother in that episode. She costarred with Richard Mulligan and Dinah Manoff in "Soap," another of Susan Harris' creations. I received some of the "Soap" DVD sets for Christmas and have been watching them lately. Richard Mulligan's character was extremely different than Harry Weston. So was Dinah Manoff's for that matter. She was only one for the first two seasons though -- her character was killed off. In fact, it was apparently the first time a sitcom regular died on screen. There were a lot of actors that appeared on "Soap" that later popped up in roles on "The Golden Girls" and "Empty Nest."

Matt

[Sam]

Empty Nest Online, on Jan 10 2007, 11:48 PM, said:

After talking about the show on here again, I popped in one of my tapes and watched "Take My Mom, Please" from season two -- the one where Harry's patient tries to fix him up with her mother. Anybody familiar with that one? It's pretty good. I found the kid kind of annoying, but the subplot with Carol and Barbara hiring a maid for the house was funny. The lady with the list of demands cracked me up. "I'll need a ten minute break every hour and an hour for lunch.......I don't drive, and I refuse to take the bus so here's my address....and if Oprah has an interesting guest, I'll need some alone time." Then Carol sincerely asking "Do you clean??" Haha.

I have that episode on tape, and I vaguely recall seeing it but can't remember the Carol line you mentioned. I'll have to break out my tapes again later and give that an airing.

Sam

[Sam]

Empty Nest Online, on Jan 10 2007, 11:48 PM, said:

After talking about the show on here again, I popped in one of my tapes and watched "Take My Mom, Please" from season two -- the one where Harry's patient tries to fix him up with her mother. Anybody familiar with that one?

Well, I dug out this episode last night and I loved it I had seen it before, but I must have been half-assed watching it because there was a lot I couldn't remember. I'm going to watch some more S2 episodes tonight because no doubt I half-assed watched them in the past, too.

Sam

[Robert]

I really wish BV would get a hurry on with EN on DVD. I'm dying to see this show.

Anyway, I decided to watch some Golden Palace from videotape last night:

One Old Lady To Go
Ebbtide for the Defense

I must say that I rather enjoyed them. They were a nice change from The Golden Girls. I remember liking TGP when I first saw it in August 2004, and I don't think I've watched it properly since then, so it is a nice alternative. The thing that makes it for me is Sophia, as always. As many of you know, Sophia is my favourite Golden Girl and she is on top form in TGP. I think I shall watch some more episodes today.

[Stephen]

rc.uk, on Feb 12 2007, 10:31 AM, said:

I really wish BV would get a hurry on with EN on DVD. I'm dying to see this show.

Preaching to the choir here. From what Sam and Matt have said, it sounds like a great comedy.

Quote

Anyway, I decided to watch some Golden Palace from videotape last night:

One Old Lady To Go
Ebbtide for the Defense

I must say that I rather enjoyed them. They were a nice change from The Golden Girls. I remember liking TGP when I first saw it in August 2004, and I don't think I've watched it properly since then, so it is a nice alternative. The thing that makes it for me is Sophia, as always. As many of you know, Sophia is my favourite Golden Girl and she is on top form in TGP. I think I shall watch some more episodes today.

Sophia is my favourite too but for some reason that doesn't make me watch my Golden Palace DVD's any the more often. But I think you're right in that it is a nice change from TGG from time to time. I think I will use view it as the 8th season and watch the episodes once I finish Season 7.

This post has been edited by Casper: 12 February 2007 - 05:18 PM

[Sam]

Since I have watched the majority of EN episodes in Seasons 1 and 2 only once (excluding the episodes featuring the girls which have been played to death, lol) I am going to make EN my night-time viewing right after I'm done with The Golden Girls Season 7. I believe you need to watch episodes more than once to appreciate them. When EN was airing on ABC1, it was followed by Nurses. I would settle down in the evening and watch EN first, then Nurses. However, because I was so keen to get to the Nurses episode (as it had already established itself as my favourite spin-off years ago) I feel like I have often half-assed watched Empty Nest.

Once I'm done with EN then Nurses will get another airing. Although I have watched Season 2 and 3 to death, Season 1 hasn't had frequent play over the past couple of years so I often cannot remember the plot of some of the episodes.

I can't wait for the day when all the spin-offs are released to DVD. Whilst I'm happy to have the show myself, it's not quite as much fun talking about it when others haven't seen it.

Sam

[Empty Nest Online]

FessParkerInHeels, on Feb 13 2007, 10:10 PM, said:

I can't wait for the day when all the spin-offs are released to DVD. Whilst I'm happy to have the show myself, it's not quite as much fun talking about it when others haven't seen it.

Amen to that. I'd love to be able to talk about later seasons of Empty Nest -- especially the final two years when Sophia was a regular -- but even you don't have those, do you Sam? I haven't watched too much Empty Nest myself in quite a while. It's rare that I ever pop in my season one episodes. It just doesn't have the "pizazz" that later seasons (notably 3 and 4) have.

Matt
www.emptynestonline.net

[Sam]

Empty Nest Online, on Feb 14 2007, 03:35 AM, said:

Amen to that. I'd love to be able to talk about later seasons of Empty Nest -- especially the final two years when Sophia was a regular -- but even you don't have those, do you Sam?

That's right. When EN was originally aired in the UK then I'm sure I saw later seasons, but my memory of those are very rusty right now.

I'd be very surprised if EN didn't make it to DVD. The fact it lasted as long as it did is no fluke - it was clearly a very popular show (me and my mum LOVED watching it together, just like we did the GG's) so I won't be content until I have the entire series on DVD. If they can bring a cancelled-after-2-seasons show like Joey to DVD then c'mon...

Sam

[Robert]

FessParkerInHeels, on Feb 16 2007, 03:19 PM, said:

I'd be very surprised if EN didn't make it to DVD. The fact it lasted as long as it did is no fluke - it was clearly a very popular show (me and my mum LOVED watching it together, just like we did the GG's) so I won't be content until I have the entire series on DVD. If they can bring a cancelled-after-2-seasons show like Joey to DVD then c'mon...

Sam

That's what annoys me, too, Sam. Some awful shows have been released on DVD over the last few years, yet Empty Nest (and The Golden Palace) hasn't even been announced. I'm very keen to see EN, and it looks like DVD will be the only way I will be able to see it (I got a reply from ABC1 today and they said there are no plans to air it again). TGG fans seem to be a forgotten bunch. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that TGG has had its DVD release in full (despite the lack of good quality bonus material) but the treatment of its spin-offs and airings on TV have really annoyed me.

[TomCatt13]

You are very correct rob, However, in a way a TV spin-off is like a movie sequel...you might watch it, but probably will never see it again

The same could be said of TV show spin-offs and movie sequels are really gambles there hits and misses and that's probably what the execs of the spin offs (TGP and EN) are thinking!!!

[Sam]

rc.uk, on Feb 16 2007, 04:59 PM, said:

I'm very keen to see EN, and it looks like DVD will be the only way I will be able to see it (I got a reply from ABC1 today and they said there are no plans to air it again).

Ugh! I can't imagine that they get good ratings for endless repeats of Less Than Perfect, Hope and Faith, 8 Simple Rules and the other shows they've been airing since the channel began. I like Home Improvement but I'd rather they gave that a rest and showed something a little more refreshing for a few months. Empty Nest Seasons 1 and 2 aired around 3 times in total, Nurses perhaps a little more. But, once they took it out of schedule then it hasn't seen the light of day since. I had higher hopes for ABC1 but it's turned into a typical endless repeats channel.

Sam