Babes (TV series)
Babes is an American sitcom series that aired Thursdays at 8:30 for one season on Fox from September 13, 1990, to May 9, 1991. Reruns were shown Saturdays at 9:30 from July to August 1991. It was created by Gail Parent and Tracey Jackson and executive produced for 20th Century Fox Television by Sandollar Productions, a former production company run by Sandy Gallin and Dolly Parton.
Overview
The series follows a trio of overweight sisters facing the challenges of work, relationships, popularity, and starting a family. The ladies also shared a small one-bedroom apartment in New York City, which added to the comic friction.The Gilbert sisters include Darlene, the eldest, who was a dog groomer and recently divorced ; Charlene, the middle sister, who was a makeup artist for a commercial photographer and was the most active one out of the three; and Marlene, the youngest sister, a former toll collector, who was seen as a dreamer with a naive, trusting personality. Also in the cast was Charlene's boyfriend, Ronnie Underwood, a restaurant owner. He disappeared at mid-season, as a result putting all three sisters on the dating market. At that time, the girls' landlady, Florence Newman, became a regular.
All three also had physical comedy experience on their resume, and those skills were put to use in the series. Among the notable examples: Charlene getting in a helium-filled dress, Darlene breaking a hockey stick while attending a New York Rangers game, Marlene waking the sisters up with potato chips after they didn't hear her come in, and all three sisters ganging up on a mime after he mocked them.
Cast
- Wendie Jo Sperber as Charlene Gilbert
- Susan Peretz as Darlene Gilbert
- Lesley Boone as Marlene Gilbert
- Rick Overton as Ronnie Underwood
- Nedra Volz as Mrs. Florence Newman