Down to Earth (American TV series)

Down to Earth is an American fantasy sitcom series that ran on Superstation WTBS from March 10, 1984 to 1987. The series was originally produced by The Arthur Company, and later, by Procter & Gamble Productions and was the Superstation's first original series.^[1][2]

Down to Earth
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Sam Harris Bruce H. Newberg
Starring	Carol Mansell Stephen Johnson Dick Sargent David Kaufman Kyle Richards Randy Josselyn Marla Rubinoff Lester Fletcher Ronnie Schell Michael Delano Rip Taylor
Composer	Tom Wells
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	106
Production
Executive producer	Arthur Annecharico
Producers	Jerry Brown Rick Miner
Running time	22 mins.
Production companies	Arthur Company Procter & Gamble
Original release
Network	WTBS
Release	March 10, 1984 (1984-03-10) – 1987 (1987)

Premise

The series revolved around Ethel MacDoogan (Carol Mansell), a free-spirited woman who lived the "Roaring 1920s" era. However, in 1925 she suffered a fatal accident, colliding with a trolley. Ethel waits in Heaven for 60 years for a chance to earn her wings, until finally she is sent to earth in the 1980s to help the Preston family.^[3]

The Prestons are a typical modern-day American family with modern-day situations: widowed father Richard (Stephen Johnson, then Dick Sargent) is a realtor, though he retired a few months after and began working as a licensing agent for new inventors; older son Duane (David Kaufman) is very class-conscious; teenage daughter Lissy (Kyle Richards) is very opinionated; Jay Jay (Randy Josselyn), the youngest, just wants someone who can fill their late mother's void. It is Jay Jay's prayer for an angel to come into their lives that summons Ethel, and he is the only one who knows her true identity.

Infiltrating the household as housekeeper and maid, Ethel is unsurprisingly clueless about even the simplest conveniences of modern-day 1980s family life. Jay Jay helps cover for her when it comes to adapting to the newfangled inventions of the past 60 years, and she eventually wins over the Prestons by successfully helping them deal with their problems.

Popping in from time to time is the Prestons' ditsy next-door neighbor Candy Carlysle (Marla Rubinoff), who became a regular character in 1985.

In addition to her earthly employer, Ethel is under the constant eye of her heavenly boss and their successors, who watch her every move—and her every mistake. Her first overseer, Mr. Divine (Lester Fletcher), kept a close eye on her. He was moved to another position in Heaven a few months after, and the very concerned but comical Lester Luster (Ronnie Schell) took over, followed by her ex-fiancé/con-man Jake (Michael DeLano), with the outrageous Stanley McCloud (Rip Taylor) taking over in the show's final years.

A few months after the show's beginning, a turning point occurred: Ethel's mission on Earth proved successful and she was ordered back to Heaven. Realizing how much the Prestons meant to her and vice versa, she begged Lester Luster to postpone her return to Heaven. Together, they created a deal that she would help him with any crises on Earth that he brought to her attention and that she would have to return to Heaven if she was unsuccessful.

Production notes

The series made several changes to its cast. Besides the ethereal bosses, it changed the earthly father as well, becoming the second series in which Dick Sargent replaced another actor in the same role.^[4]

The show's central characters were jointly created, and the core format was jointly developed, by Sam Harris, who collaborated with Arthur L. Annecharico to do so. Harris also wrote several episodes of the show.

In addition to having run on WTBS, Down to Earth also had subsequent runs on Good Life TV.

Reception

The Ocala Star-Banner called Down to Earth "one of the better sitcoms on the air nowadays".^[5]

Cast

 

Season 3 main cast of Down to Earth
(l–r) Kyle Richards, Dick Sargent, Carol Mansell, David Kaufman, Randy Josselyn and Marla Jeanette Rubinoff.

Actor	Character
Carol Mansell	Ethel MacDoogan^[3]
Stephen Johnson	Richard Preston, 1984
Dick Sargent	Richard Preston, 1984–87
David Kaufman	Duane Preston
Kyle Richards	Lissy Preston^[6]
Randy Josselyn	Jay Jay Preston
Marla Rubinoff	Candy Carlysle, 1985–87
Lester Fletcher	Mr. Divine, 1984
Ronnie Schell	Lester Luster, 1984–85
Michael DeLano	Jake Fiore, 1985–86
Rip Taylor	Stanley McCloud, 1985–87
Annie Golden	Starr Gardner, 1986

Episodes

Season 1 (1984)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Happy Birthday to Me"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	March 10, 1984 (1984-03-10)
2	2	"Make Mine Murder"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	March 17, 1984 (1984-03-17)
3	3	"Back to Basics"	Unknown	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	March 24, 1984 (1984-03-24)
4	4	"Food for Thought"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	April 4, 1984 (1984-04-04)
5	5	"Everything Old is New Again"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	April 11, 1984 (1984-04-11)
6	6	"A View from Above"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	April 18, 1984 (1984-04-18)
7	7	"Duane for President"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	April 25, 1984 (1984-04-25)
8	8	"Aunt Roz"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	May 2, 1984 (1984-05-02)
9	9	"For Better, For Worse"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	May 9, 1984 (1984-05-09)
10	10	"Romance and Real Estate"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	May 16, 1984 (1984-05-16)
11	11	"Rejuvenation of Richard"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	May 23, 1984 (1984-05-23)
12	12	"Practical Jokes"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	June 1, 1984 (1984-06-01)
13	13	"Selling the House"	John Tracy	Sam Harris & Bruce H. Newberg	June 8, 1984 (1984-06-08)

Season 2 (1984–85)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
14	1	"Heaven Can Wait"	Doug Rogers	Bruce H. Newberg	September 15, 1984 (1984-09-15)
15	2	"The Kazinsky Krunch"	Doug Rogers	Robert Bruce & Marty Weiss	September 29, 1984 (1984-09-29)
16	3	"Gone with the Wind"	John Tracy	Roger Garrett	October 15, 1984 (1984-10-15)
17	4	"The Buck Stops Here"	Doug Rogers	Stephanie Anderson & Jon S. Denny	October 29, 1984 (1984-10-29)
18	5	"The Ball's in Your Court"	Unknown	Robert Bruce & Marty Weiss	November 10, 1984 (1984-11-10)
19	6	"In Praise of Older Women"	Doug Rogers	Barry Rubinowitz	November 17, 1984 (1984-11-17)
20	7	"Jay Jay's Dream"	Alan Bergmann	William Bickley & Michael Warren	November 24, 1984 (1984-11-24)
21	8	"Uncle Roscoe's Watch"	Alan Bergmann	Sam Greenbaum	December 16, 1984 (1984-12-16)
22	9	"Luster Gets Stuck"	Alan Bergmann	George Hampton & Mike Moore	December 30, 1984 (1984-12-30)
23	10	"Ethel's Memory Loss"	Gary Shimokawa	George Hampton & Mike Moore	January 2, 1985 (1985-01-02)
24	11	"The Bully"	Mel Ferber	Richard Freiman	January 9, 1985 (1985-01-09)
25	12	"The Quiz Show"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Roger Garrett	January 16, 1985 (1985-01-16)
26	13	"A Valentine for Valentino"	Bob Claver	Charlotte Dobbs	January 23, 1985 (1985-01-23)

Season 3 (1985)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
27	1	"The Russian Defector"	Unknown	Unknown	February 1, 1985 (1985-02-01)
28	2	"Eskimo Shoes"	Unknown	Unknown	February 8, 1985 (1985-02-08)
29	3	"Art or Bust"	Alan Bergmann	Bruce H. Newberg	February 15, 1985 (1985-02-15)
30	4	"Epidemic"	Mel Ferber	Bruce H. Newberg & Bruce Kane	February 22, 1985 (1985-02-22)
31	5	"Obsolete Ethel"	Mel Ferber	George Hampton & Mike Moore	February 29, 1985 (1985-02-29)
32	6	"Name, Rank and Social Security Number"	Unknown	Unknown	March 3, 1985 (1985-03-03)
33	7	"Duane's Car"	Mel Ferber	Story by : Charlotte Dobbs Teleplay by : Warren Murray	March 10, 1985 (1985-03-10)
34	8	"House Arrest"	Mel Ferber	Bill Taub	March 17, 1985 (1985-03-17)
35	9	"Lost and Found"	Doug Rogers	David Ketchum & Tony DiMarco	April 1, 1985 (1985-04-01)
36	10	"The Radio Show"	Don Barnhart	Robert Bruce & Marty Weiss	April 8, 1985 (1985-04-08)
37	11	"Future Shock"	Unknown	Unknown	April 15, 1985 (1985-04-15)
38	12	"Remember When"	Unknown	George Hampton & Mike Moore	April 22, 1985 (1985-04-22)
39	13	"The Lissy Caper"	Unknown	Unknown	April 29, 1985 (1985-04-29)
40	14	"Luster/Jake Special"	Unknown	Unknown	May 6, 1985 (1985-05-06)
41	15	"Romeo and Juliet"	Russ Petranto	Stephanie Anderson & Jon S. Denny	May 13, 1985 (1985-05-13)
42	16	"A Star is Born"	Don Barnhart	Jim Rogers	May 20, 1985 (1985-05-20)
43	17	"Trading Places"	Unknown	Unknown	May 27, 1985 (1985-05-27)

Season 4

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
44	1	"Real Candy"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
45	2	"A Touch of Ethel"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
46	3	"Play It Again, Ethel"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
47	4	"Taking Stock"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
48	5	"Frozen Rope"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
49	6	"Hypnotic Ethel"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
50	7	"Angelbusters"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
51	8	"Chucky Chipmunk"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
52	9	"The Dentist Show"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
53	10	"Knight in Heavenly Armor"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
54	11	"Money, Money"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
55	12	"The Dummy Show"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
56	13	"He Ain't Bozo, He's My Brother"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
57	14	"Duane's Dilemma"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
58	15	"Lusterado"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
59	16	"The Burro"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
60	17	"The Bag Lady"	Lee Lochhead	Harry Cauley	1985 (1985)
61	18	"Easy Rider"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
62	19	"Rear Window"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
63	20	"Scenes from a Marriage"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
64	21	"Perfect Match"	Howard Storm	Richard Miner & Joel Parks	1985 (1985)
65	22	"Goodness Flakes"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
66	23	"Lissy's Mother"	TBD	TBD	1985 (1985)
67	24	"Christmas Story"	Don Barnhart	Karl Epstein & Marvin Braverman	1985 (1985)

Season 5 (1986)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
68	1	"The Inferior Decorator"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
69	2	"Duane Takes a Wife"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
70	3	"Stewed Ethel"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
71	4	"The Russians Are...Here"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
72	5	"The Big Freeze"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
73	6	"Sixteen Candles"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
74	7	"Billie Jean is Not My Sitter"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
75	8	"Angel Flu"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
76	9	"Wish I May, Wish I Might"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
77	10	"One Flew Over the Prestons' Nest"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
78	11	"Amelia Earhart's Diary"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
79	12	"Bird of Paradise"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)
80	13	"Comet Night Fever"	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)

Season 6 (1986)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
81	1	TBA	TBD	TBD	1986 (1986)

Season 7 (1987)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
95	1	TBA	TBD	TBD	1987 (1987)

Crew

• Executive Producer: Arthur Annecharico
• Producer: Rick Miner

References

1. "Author Co. makes cable comedies". The Madison Courier. Associated Press. June 4, 1985.
2. Carman, John (September 2, 1985). "Latest comedy has 'Rocky Road' to hoe on WTBS". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
3. Rothenberg, Fred (March 9, 1984). "Ted Turner's first sitcom makes its debut Saturday". The Beaver County Times. Beaver, PA. Associated Press. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
4. "Cable capers". The Ledger. Lakeland, FL. November 30, 1984. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
5. "Impersonator Prefers Mondale". Ocala Star-Banner. May 26, 1984. p. 51.
6. . Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2009-12-29.

External links

• Down To Earth at IMDb  
• "Down to Earth" at RetroJunk, including opening credits video