Friends

I always ask people about this show, and people look at me like I am crazy. Finally, redemption! Anyway, this was an original premise for a show, I remember enjoying it and my mother actually watching it with me. This was not a common occurrence, believe me. It centered around three friends and their lives. Kind of soap opera meets "Family" meets an "ABC Afterschool Special." One particular storyline centered around the crush of Jill's character of Pete Richards. It was very realistic and not written from an adult perspective, as most of these usually are. I think this would have been a good example of shows that can work for kids today. Not sure why they haven't thought about modernizing it for today...goth/"emo" kid, rock/surfer kid, prep/clique kid and athlete/sports junkie and theater/dance kid have been friends since elementary school--their parents were best friends growing up (maybe even the original "cast" characters). Now, even though they are all different, they are friends and go through trials and tribulations together. An intelligent "Saved By The Bell." All of my friends were buzzing, but I guess the time slot wasn't conducive. :( I wish I could see some of these episodes now (you tube, anyone)?

At the time I was 11 years old and I also had a kiddie crush on Jill.And the same thing happened with me I looked forward to it every week and then it was just gone canceled off the air??I never understood why now I realize that its rating were probably very low at the time.And for whatever reason the show couldn't drum up enough fans.And now years later I still remember it.I do remember Jill's character had a crush on Pete Richards. And that it revolved around the three friends.The other thing I do remember still very clearly from 1979 was The Iran hostage crisis and the extremely long lines waiting for gas at the gas stations.My favorite 70s TV show was the Six Million Dollar Man.

I remember this show. I was six when it came out and it was the first show I always looked forward to watching weekly. Probably drove my folks nuts asking when it was coming on the tube again. I remember three kids being friends and one of them being black. I also remember an episode where Jill Whelan's character was in the hospital. Can't remember why though. Unfortunately, it was canceled after only a few episodes. Only back in 1979 I didn't understand what "canceled" meant. I remember waiting for it to come back on and my parents not giving me a logical explanation why it didn't. What disappointment. Especially with my strange crush in Jill Whelan. It's funny now looking at the history of the show, only running from Feb 1979 through April 1979. As a six year old it seemed to me that that show was on forever. Anyways, I always wondered what happened with this show. Now I can sleep easier at night!

I remember the show very well, it came on Sunday night at 7 o'clock and I had no idea now as an adult that it only had five episodes. I remember liking it so much, and when I saw Jill Wheelan on Love Boat remembering that she came from this show. I was about 12 years old when it came out and remember thinking that this was a show about me and my friends. My parents were going through a divorce at the time, and I just remember relating to the friendship of the three kids. I would love to see a DVD with these five episodes produced, if I came across it I'm sure I would buy it. This is one of those shows that nobody seems to remember but is burned in my brain so well that I could picture the room that I had to watch it in, because I had to watch it on the second TV as my family would like something else in the living room. It's a nostalgic childhood memory and one that I will never forget.

The three friends were a white girl, a white boy, and a black boy, not the most common grouping at the time. I remember a particularly poignant episode where the white boy has lied to his athletic father, claiming to be the star pitcher on his little league team. The old man will never know - he works 6 days a week running his dry cleaning business. Then the dad announces he will make a major sacrifice and take Saturday off just to see the kid play. Horrified, the boy seeks advice from his older sister:

Sister: Just tell him. You can talk to your father. He's not going to hit you.

Boy (with a whine that makes it clear how much worse this is): He'll LOOK at me!