Duet

Duet was a wonderful program. It was cute without being sappy or saccharine. Who could forget their first date with a married couple in the middle of an argument? The cause of their argument was about family life. In the middle of it all, the dates try to compose themselves while the other couple are ready for combat at each other. They try to compose some normal conversation. In the end of their first date, the younger couple sit in the first seat while the older couple reunite the passion. It was all about passion and discovering one another. It was better than Mad about You then and is now. Duet was Fox's first show about relationships. I loved the casting of Alison LaPlaca and Chris Lemmon (Jack Lemmon's son) as the arguing couple. Jodi Thelen has a great role as Mary Page Keller's sister in the series. Mary Page Keller and her co-star Matthew/Mitchell Lawrence (They're identical twins and actors). Lawrence plays a struggling writer while Keller plays a caterer. They meet at a wedding of course in the first episode. They had a great opening segment. It's a shame that shows do not have the quality it once had like it did then.

I at least would love to see it on Nick at Night! I don't exactly know how to request it on the TV on DVD site, but if you've never seen it and it got added to the TV on DVD list, you'd be an instant fan also. It's a late 80's/early 90's gem lost in a sea of smut. Along came "married with children" and soon the quality of the programming went downhill, and the rest of the lineup followed suit. It was cool seeing Alison LaPlaca as Rachel's boss on Friends, and I was remembering first seeing her on "Duet" as Linda Phillips. I also remember one episode where Ben & Laura went to a motel and stayed in "room 214" when they got back together after a brief breakup to have a wildly romantic romp. I wish I could see this program again!!!

I remember DUET as being part of the new Fox network in '87, along with Tracey Ullman, Werewolf, and...hmmm..can't remember the other. DUET was canceled well before its time! The casting was great and the chemistry between the two leads (Laurance & Keller) was excellent. I also remember the spin-off, OPEN HOUSE. LaPlaca was incredibly funny on Duet, the writing for Open House wasn't up to par and didn't do her (or Lemmon) justice. OPEN HOUSE also featured Ellen Degeneres! I dunno, there was just something warm and charming about DUET. I don't use "warm and charming" often, that's for sure! Perhaps TV Land will have a "lost shows" weekend and show it.

I've never seen a sitcom that did what this show did. It was based around a set of lead characters then introduced a set of supporting characters. The supporting characters got more and more screen time, then by the end of the show the supporting characters became the leads and the leads became the supporting characters.

But the insanity doesn't end there! Most of the cast continued their roles on an entirely new series. Laura, the original lead female who became the supporting lead character, loved professional cooking and was becoming more and more successful in that field. Then suddenly she abandoned her career and made a logical jump into a similar field by becoming a real estate agent! Fortunately this was just in time for the sequel that was based in. ta-dah, a real estate office!

Sorry, but this show was good but it had strange direction.

"Duet," a unique little sitcom dealing with the ups-and-downs of love and courtship on a date-by-date basis, benefited from some sharp writing and likable leads, especially Ms. Keller, who never achieved success commensurate with her talent. I wholeheartedly agree that someone, anyone, should rerun this or put it out on a DVD. (The less said about the spin-off "Open House," the better.) It would take a hard heart indeed not to be captivated by this buried treasure.