Charles in Charge: Season 01 (1984)

Season one of Charles in Charge finds the title character, a 19-year-old college student, securing free room and board by agreeing to work as "male governess" in the New Brunswick home of Jill and Stan Pembroke (Julie Cobb, James Widdoes). With the help of his best friend Buddy (Willie Aames), Charles does his best -- which is very good indeed -- to keep the three Pembroke children on the straight and narrow. Of course, 14-year-old Lila (April Lerman) would rather be chasing every boy in her class, 12-year-old Douglas (Jonathan Ward) prefers to crack wise than to do his household chores, and 10-year-old Jason (Michael Pearlman) just wants to be left alone to do whatever he pleases. In the course of the season, the kids benefit mightily from the wisdom and common sense of Charles, just as he learns a lot about his role in life through his responsibilities as substitute daddy. During his off hours, Charles devotes himself to winning the heart of the toothsome Gwendolyn Pierce (Jennifer Runyon) a nice young lady who sees no reason to tie herself down to just one boy. Some interesting faces pop up among the guest performers this season, among them such stars in the making as Meg Ryan, Kathy Ireland, Christina Applegate, and Matthew Perry. Also, sitcom veteran Rue McClanahan makes a few memorable appearances as Stan Pembroke's mother. Though Charles in Charge enjoyed a sizeable fan following amongst Scott Baio enthusiasts, the series was far from a success, prompting CBS to cancel the property after a mere 22 episodes. Who could have guessed that Charles in Charge would pull a phoenix two and a half years later, re-emerging in off-network syndication and subsequently enjoying a healthy run of 104 additional episodes? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi