''Marie'' is an American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

hosted by and starring singer-actress

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and pop ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from December 12, 1980 to September 26, 1981 with a total of seven episodes, split across two abbreviated seasons.

Overview

Marie Osmond aboard USS Ranger (CV-61), 1981

Fred Silverman Fred Silverman (September 13, 1937 – January 30, 2020) was an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as '' ...

, then the President of NBC, had attempted to replicate the success of the 1976–79 variety show '' Donny & Marie'' (which Silverman had commissioned while at

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

) when he green-lit ''

Pink Lady and Jeff ''Pink Lady'' is an American variety show that aired for five weeks on NBC in 1980, starring the Japanese musical duo of the same name. The show also is referred to by the title ''Pink Lady and Jeff'', referring to co-star Jeff Altman. The show w ...

'' earlier in 1980. That show proved to be an all-around disaster and was canceled after only five episodes. The Osmond family was in a lull in their career in 1979 after the cancellation of ''Donny & Marie'', with their 1979 album ''Steppin' Out'' being a commercial failure and star Donny Osmond distancing himself from the family. Marie had starred in an unsold pilot ''

Marie Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...

'' With the Osmonds in debt from their investment into ''Donny & Marie'', and with Silverman in need of an established hit,

returned to variety television in December 1980 and headlined her own show on

in an attempt to repeat the success of her earlier variety series. She was contracted to do seven shows for NBC. The new show showcased Osmond's singing, acting and comedic talents in the same format of a traditional variety series (similar to ''Donny & Marie'') which featured musical numbers, comedy sketches and various guest stars each week. Guest stars included TV personalities and musical artists such as

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and

Andy Gibb Andrew Roy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the younger brother of Barry, Robin and Maurice, who went on to form the Bee Gees. Gibb came to prominence in the late 1970s through th ...

. Noticeably absent on-camera were Marie's brothers; of them, only

Jimmy Osmond James Arthur Osmond (born April 16, 1963), also known as Little Jimmy Osmond, is an American singer, actor, and businessman. He is the youngest member of the sibling musical group the Osmonds. As a solo artist, Osmond has accumulated six gold r ...

appeared on the show as a guest in one episode, though Donny Osmond appeared as a surprise during the closing number of the premiere episode to tell Marie he thought she was great and had a winner. (Alan and Jay were listed as executive producers.)

Episode list

Broadcast history

NBC ordered seven episodes of ''Marie'', which aired in two batches. The first four episodes aired weekly from December 12, 1980 through January 2, 1981. The remaining three episodes aired in September 1981, again airing weekly. The series was produced by the Osmond family's production company, Osmond Productions.

References

* Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, ''

The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present'' is a trade paperback reference work by the American television researchers Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, first published by Ballantine Books in 1979. History Th ...

'' ;Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mary (1978 Tv Series) 1980 American television series debuts 1981 American television series endings 1980s American sketch comedy television series 1980s American variety television series 1980s American musical comedy television series NBC original programming English-language television shows

Overview

Episode list

Broadcast history

See also

References

External links