''Ozzie's Girls'' is an American

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 ne ...

starring Ozzie and

Harriet Nelson Harriet Nelson (formerly Hilliard; born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Nelson is best known for her role on the sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. Early life and career Ne ...

that was broadcast in

first-run syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...

from September 1973 to September 1974. It served as a continuation and revival of ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'', which aired on radio and television from 1944 to 1966. The pilot episode, written by Ozzie Nelson and directed by David Nelson, aired as a "special presentation" on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

on September 10, 1972. After NBC passed on the series, it was sold into first-run syndication where it aired as a weekly series during the 1973–74 season.

Overview

Like ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'', the premise of ''Ozzie’s Girls'' mirrored some aspects of the Nelsons’ real lives. ''Ozzie’s Girls'' picks up seven years after the cancellation of ''Ozzie and Harriet''. Ozzie and Harriet's sons,

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and

Ricky Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic * Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

, have grown up, moved out and have families of their own. (David served as a series producer, but Ricky, at this point distancing himself from his past and going by the name "Rick Nelson," had no involvement; neither David nor Rick appeared on-camera.) In the pilot episode, Ozzie and Harriet discuss how empty and quiet their home is with their boys gone. They then decide to rent their sons' old bedroom to a college student and place an ad in the campus news. The ad is answered by Jennifer McKenzie (

Brenda Sykes Brenda Sykes (born June 25, 1949) is an American actress who made a number of films and appeared in television series in the 1970s. She was discovered on ''The Dating Game''. Life and career Sykes was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the daughte ...

), a sophisticated, neat and studious college student, who speaks to Harriet over the phone. After Harriet tells Jennifer (who was renamed “Brenda” in the series) that the room is available, Jennifer sets up a time to come to the Nelsons house. While Jennifer is en route to the Nelsons’ home, another student, a free spirited hippy “slob” named Susan “Susie” Hamilton (Susan Sennett), answers the ad in person. After a minor misunderstanding over who answered the ad first, the girls decide to share the room. Despite their differences, the girls become fast friends and are soon considered to be part of the Nelson family by Ozzie and Harriet. Much like ''Ozzie and Harriet'', episodes of ''Ozzie’s Girls'' center around the Nelsons being involved in lives and problems of “the kids”. Much of the humor stems from Ozzie and Harriet having to contend with girls' trials and dilemmas in more liberated era, after having raised two boys in a more conservative era. A total of 24 half-hour episodes were produced and aired in select markets from September 1973 to September 1974. The series ended after a single season, as Ozzie Nelson began experiencing health issues. He died of liver cancer on June 3, 1975, less than a year after the series ended.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0069619 1973 American television series debuts 1974 American television series endings 1970s American sitcoms American television spin-offs English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by MGM Television Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Filmways