Brand New Life is an American comedy-drama television series starring Barbara Eden and Don Murray and produced by Walt Disney Television and NBC Productions that aired on NBC as part of The Magical World of Disney during the 1989–90 television season.[1]

Brand New Life
Created byChris Carter
Written byChris Carter
Duane Clark
John J. Strauss
Dori Pierson
Directed byEric Laneuville
Steve Robman
Don Weis
StarringBarbara Eden
Don Murray
Shawnee Smith
Byron Thames
Jennie Garth
Alison Sweeney
David Tom
Eric Foster
Theme music composerSteve Tyrell
Opening theme"Brand New Life" performed by Jill Colucci
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (including the pilot)
Production
Executive producerChris Carter
ProducersEric Laneuville
George W. Perkins
Running time120 minutes (pilot)
60 minutes (per episode)
Production companiesWalt Disney Television
NBC Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 1, 1989 (1989-10-01) –
April 15, 1990 (1990-04-15)

The series originally premiered as a two-hour television movie pilot entitled Brand New Life: The Honeymooners on September 18, 1989, as part of NBC Monday Night at the Movies and its ratings success led to the commissioning of a weekly series. Afterwards, the show's regular timeslot was on Sunday nights on NBC's The Magical World of Disney from October 1, 1989, to April 15, 1990. The series also marked Barbara Eden's first television series since Harper Valley PTA (1981–1982) and is also her third collaboration with Don Murray, having previously starred together in the television films Return of the Rebels (1981) and The Stepford Children (1987).

The theme song "Brand New Life" was written by Steve Tyrell and performed by Jill Colucci.

Synopsis

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Barbara McCray (Barbara Eden) is a struggling divorced mother of three teenagers working part-time as a waitress while studying to become a court reporter, who meets and marries Roger Gibbons (Don Murray), a wealthy attorney and widower with three teenagers of his own. Together, they set up housekeeping in his Bel Air home and stories follow the comedic and dramatic incidents of blending two families with contrasting social backgrounds.

Cast

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Episode list

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TV movie pilot

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Title Director Airdate
0"Brand New Life: The Honeymooners"Eric LaneuvilleSeptember 18, 1989 (1989-09-18)

Series

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Title Director Airdate
1"Above and Beyond Therapy"Eric LaneuvilleOctober 1, 1989 (1989-10-01)
2"I Fought the Law"Steven RobmanOctober 15, 1989 (1989-10-15)
3"Private School"Eric LaneuvilleOctober 22, 1989 (1989-10-22)
4"Children of a Legal Mom"Steven RobmanJanuary 7, 1990 (1990-01-07)
5"Even Housekeepers Sing the Blues"Don WeisApril 15, 1990 (1990-04-15)

References

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  1. ^ "Television". The New York Times.
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