Sam suffit

This was a great series starring Pam Dawber ("Mork & Mindy") as a San Francisco photographer whose life was turned upside down when her teenage sister Patti (Rebecca Schaeffer) came to live with her. Samantha (Dawber) never really knew whether to treat Patti as a friend, sister, or child, and sometimes, she treated her as all three.

The series premiered in 1986, and after mild success on Monday nights, CBS tampered with its schedule and moved it to Saturday nights opposite NBC's successful comedy lineup. Unable to find the show, its audience dwindled to one of the lowest on network TV, and CBS canceled it in mid-1988, after only half of the second season had aired.

A little over a year later (July 1989 to be exact) Schaeffer, then a promising movie star ("Scenes from the Class Struggle In Beverly Hills") was shot and killed in her Los Angeles home by a deranged fan who had idolized her as the young, energetic character she played on "My Sister Sam." Contrary to popular belief, "My Sister Sam" left the air 15 months BEFORE Schaeffer was murdered. Not long thereafter, USA Network picked up syndication rights to the series, eventually running all 44 episodes (including those never shown on CBS).

The show's writing was crisp, sharp and witty, and the acting, especially that of the young, never-before-seen Schaeffer, was top notch. Years later, the WB sitcom "What I Like About You" (2002-2006) re-introduced the premise with some success, but did not match the promise of its earlier sitcom cousin.

It would be a joy to see this show again on DVD.

Both actresses are appealing and lovely, but the show is not much of anything. Honestly without the laugh track you would have a hard time spotting the jokes. Most are slight. None are laugh out loud funny.

When it came out there was some interest because of Pam Dawber's long history as Robin Williams' co star. After this she did one bad movie with John Ritter and one dull TV movie and that's about it. She's appealing but not much beyond Williams' "straight man." As for her younger co star, we won't ever know if she would have done more, sadly. But this series didn't have much for either of them to do except look pretty.

Sam Russell (Pam Dawber) is a 29 year old commercial photographer working out of her spacious San Francisco studio loft. Dixie Randazzo (Jenny O'Hara) is her assistant and J.D. Lucas (Joel Brooks) is her agent. Jack Kincaid (David Naughton) is her neighbor from across the hallway and a globe-trotting news photographer. She lost her parents at 16 and her younger sister Patti Russell (Rebecca Schaeffer) lived with aunt Elsie and uncle Bob in Oregon. Then Patti moves in after Elsie took away her guitar.

Pam Dawber is cute and so is Rebecca Schaeffer. They are the sweetest sibling duo. Pam Dawber was essentially the straight man with Robin Williams. None of the actors on this show is a wacky comedian. It leaves the show cute but not that funny. Sometimes, it's left to Dawber to do the wackier antics. Jack is the obvious romantic target but he's always stuck in the friends zone for all of first season. The writing struggles to put them together and their romance has a tough time starting. Patti is in desperate need of a school best friend and romance of her own. The show needs to do more with Patti in her school. It's all too centered on Sam when it should center on both sisters. The diet episode is probably the most compelling considering the fitting combination of body imagine issue and Sam's fashion photographic job. I definitely remember the Scott Bakula episode from its initial run but I doubt I watched much more especially after it got moved around in the schedule. It's simply not that funny no matter how lovely the sisters are. Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered a year after the show's cancellation. It's sad to not know how bright her star could have shined. She has a sweet innocence which could have brought her a long way.

The premise with Pam Dawber, Samantha Russell, as a successful San Francisco photographer who is reunited with her younger sister, Patti Russell, played by the late Rebecca Schaeffer. Supporting cast members include the wonderful Jenny O'Hara as Dixie, Sam's assistant, and Joel Brooks. David Naughton as a friend and neighbor. The show only lasted two seasons on network television but I bet it could have done well in syndication if given the opportunity. The sadness comes when you realize that Schaeffer was killed by a deranged fan. The case was prosecuted by Marcia Clark. Sadly, the show never really peaked or risen to the occasion. It came across in the midst of a sitcom frenzy on television in the era of the sitcoms. The premise may have been light but the show worked for the time it was on television. The cast was first rate and the writing was second rate but the show always tried harder to succeed.

Rebecca Schaeffer was certainly an attractive and fast rising young actress in Hollywood. Her career may have reached new heights had she lived beyond the age of 21. Her tragic death resulted in new laws which guarded personal privacy, and safety. However, the sitcom she was featured in was hardly memorable.

The show was fairly mediocre and lasted a little over a season when it was canceled.

The show is now remembered for the fact one of it's stars was murdered by a lunatic. People should get their information straight before posting.

The show was not canceled due to the death of the actress, It was canceled due to poor ratings a year before she died.