My Two Dads

The show's premise about a young single mother dies leaving orphan Staci Keanan to be raised by two potential fathers who are very opposite of one another. They are played by a former hometown resident Greg Evigan and Paul Reiser. The Judge who put them together is played by the wonderful Florence Stanley. Okay, the plot may have been dumb but something clicked on this show about two very different men who are not gay raising a daughter in New York City. Of course, a simple blood test would determine who the father was but it was more important that it did not matter after awhile. That family can be redefined about people who love and care for each other. The show also had the two fathers date women. Of course, now the show would be about two gay men raising a daughter which would have left the fire out of them trying to get along and live together as a family. Isn't family about people who love each other after all?

Need one of television's ad hoc families? I recommend this one. Nicole's (Staci Keenan) mother dies, and her two old flames inherit her per her will. One of them is her father, but no one knows who. They used to be best friends, but parted enemies, and now make up their differences for Nicole's sake and move into Joey's apartment and try to put up a "normal" family. Of course, the two dads have totally different personalities;Michael is an uptight consultant while Joey is a carefree, spontaneous artist. This makes for the funniest situations which of course get settled by the end of the episode. I think this is one of the funniest comedies of the '80s. If you have the time, check it out.

*** out of ****

This show may have more meaning for me than most anyone else. I've seen every episode at least five times. I would love a chance to own the videos if the show ever comes to DVD. I'm an adoptee who had a very difficult time living with my adoptive parents. My adolescent years were too painful for me to want to remember them. I could understand a child trying to cope with a foreign environment. I can definitely see much of my personality in her character. I was a bright kid. She had two parents that cared for her and tried to relate to her and understand her. I wish that I would have had so much. Her parents may not have known what to do in every situation, but they made an effort to seek outside guidance when they felt their own advice was inadequate. In this show I see the parents and the adolescent memories that I never had but wanted.

Childhood best friends Michael Taylor (Paul Reiser) and Joey Harris (Greg Evigan) have been estranged since fighting over girlfriend Marcy Bradford thirteen years earlier. They are brought in to the reading of her will. They are shocked to discover that they both inherited her 12 year old daughter Nicole Bradford (Staci Keanan). The father is biologically indeterminate. Michael is a stuffy financial advisor and Joey is the irresponsible free-spirit artist. They move into Michael's artistic loft. Judge Margaret W. Wilbur oversees their case and also owns Michael's apartment building. They often hang out at a local diner owned by Ed Klawicki (Dick Butkus). Cory Kupkus (Giovanni Ribisi) has a crush on Nicole while she has a crush on Zach Nichols (Chad Allen). Shelby Haskell (Amy Hathaway) is her wild friend.

It's a bright neon 80's family sitcom with an odd premise. The judge makes no sense. Here's my idea. The two guys can move into the Bradford home. The judge is the neighbor friend which is why she is the executor of the estate and often comes over to their home. Instead, she's just randomly the owner of Joey's building and even takes over Klawicki's diner. Paternity testing became much more accurate during the 80's although popular culture may not have caught up. They do eventually tackle the issue in season three. The premise is convoluted but ultimately harmless. The show is passable. There is missed opportunity to pair up Cory with Shelby. Reiser does a few slightly funny things. Evigan is a good foil for him. The girl is cute and sweet. It's way too early to do a gay couple parenting a kid. Instead, we're doing Three Men and a Baby in a network sitcom. Just in case anyone is wondering. This show came first. I watched this back in the day. It's not that memorable or outstanding. I remember a few episodes and definitely the bright 80's neon-art loft apartment. Otherwise, this is a mostly forgotten show with a memorable name.

When my wife and I married in 1985, I became the step-father of an eight-year old girl, whom I have raised as my own. At the time she had recently been adopted by another man because she never met her real father. In a sense, she now had two dads. When the show aired we had been in this situation for three years. This show gave her a connection to the rest of the world because she thought she was the only kids with two dads. The man who had adopted her was very money-oriented and I am an artist, so she felt a real connection to Nichole. I hated to see the series end because it was a great source of excitement for my daughter and it made me feel like our whole situation was not so abnormal. Although the show was a comedy, it made a lot serious statements about life and how to deal with situations as they are thrust upon you.