''Ask Harriet'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

created by

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

Jonathan Prince Jonathan Alexander Prince (born August 16, 1958) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and movie producer. Career Prince embarked on an acting career following graduation from Harvard University. His played Leo in the 1981 CBS series ''M ...

, and Billy Riback, that ran on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

for one season from January 4 to March 26, 1998. Cassidy also wrote and performed the theme song.

Synopsis

The premise of the series revolves around a sexist sports

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

named Jack Cody (

Anthony Tyler Quinn Anthony Tyler Quinn is an American actor best known for playing Jonathan Turner on ''Boy Meets World'' from 1994 to 1997, a role he later reprised on ''Girl Meets World''. Career He has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies (especially TV ...

). After being fired from his job at the ''Dispatch'' by his ex-girlfriend Melissa (

Lisa Waltz Lisa Waltz is an American actress who has had roles in many television shows and who played Nora in the film adaptation of ''Brighton Beach Memoirs''. Personal life Waltz was born and raised in Limerick, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Bobby and ...

), Jack decides to apply for the job of advice columnist. To hide his true identity, Jack dresses in drag and poses as Sylvia Coco. Jack is rehired and forced to dress as a woman to keep his new job. The series also featured

Edward Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

as Mr. Russell,

Jamie Renée Smith Jamie Renée Smith (born April 10, 1987) is an American actress best known for her respective roles as Tara Westover, Margaret Rhodes and Lauren Wando in the films '' MVP: Most Valuable Primate'', '' Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering'' (199 ...

as Jack's 10-year-old daughter Blair, and

Willie Garson William Garson Paszamant (February 20, 1964September 21, 2021) was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the HBO series ''Sex and the City'', in the related ...

as Jack's best friend Ronnie.

Julie Benz Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972) l is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Darla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' (1997–2004), and as Rita Bennett on ''Dexter'' (2006–2010), for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award ...

also appeared in a recurring role. ''Ask Harriet'' premiered as a

midseason replacement In American network television scheduling, a mid-season replacement is a television show that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between December and May. Mid-season replacements usually take place after a ...

on Sunday, January 4, 1998, and was then moved to its regular timeslot on Thursdays. Fox did not broadcast any episodes during the February sweeps month. Back to Back episodes begins in March.

Cast

as Jack Cody/Sylvia Coco *

as Mr. Russell *

as Ronnie Rendall *

Damien Leake Damien Leake (born August 12, 1952, in The Bronx, New York City) is an American actor and record-holding masters track and field athlete. Starting with a role in 1973's ''Serpico'', Leake has had a continuous career appearing in some 70 motion pi ...

as Marty * Patrick Y. Malone as Trey Anderson *

as Blair Cody *

as Melissa Peters

Episodes

References

External links

Official Website
* *{{epguides, id=AskHarriet 1990s American sitcoms 1998 American television series debuts 1998 American television series endings American LGBT-related sitcoms 1990s American LGBT-related comedy television series Cross-dressing in television English-language television shows Television series about journalism Fox Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in New York City