''Life with Bonnie'' is an ABC 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 ...

that originally aired from September 17, 2002 to April 9, 2004. The show outlined the life of character Bonnie Malloy, who juggled her personal life and her job as a daytime TV talk show host. The series was created by

Bonnie Hunt Bonnie Lynn Hunt (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, director, producer, writer and television host. Her film roles include ''Rain Man'', ''Beethoven'', '' Beethoven's 2nd'', ''Jumanji'', ''Jerry Maguire'', '' The Green ...

and

Don Lake Donald Lake (born November 26, 1956) is a Canadian actor, writer, and television producer. He is frequently cast by director Christopher Guest, and is also a close friend and the collaborative partner of Bonnie Hunt. He had a role in '' The Bo ...

and produced by Bob & Alice Productions, in association with

Touchstone Television The second incarnation of Touchstone Television (formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios) was an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Disney Media Networks' Walt Disney Television owned by The Walt Disney Company. It ...

The series had fair ratings in the first season, but struggled in the second season, resulting in its cancellation. ''Life With Bonnie'' was also shown on

Living TV Sky Witness is a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version of Sky Witness, named S ...

during ABC's airings.

Cast and characters

Main

as Bonnie Malloy, the mother of two children (three in season one), a loving wife, and host of a local talk show. Bonnie tries to maintain a public image of the perfect wife and mother, but in reality her life is chaotic. *

Mark Derwin Mark Derwin (born October 28, 1960) is an American film and television actor. Derwin began his career on ''Days of Our Lives'' in 1987 with a minor role as Jeremiah Brown. In 1988, Derwin appeared in the role of Adrian Hunter on ''The Young and ...

as Mark Malloy, a doctor, Bonnie's husband, and the father of their children. He looks on as she tries to balance her hectic life. Mark is much less concerned about what other people think than Bonnie is, which causes problems on occasion. He has a generally more professional demeanor, and sometimes does not understand why Bonnie continues to put up with annoying people in her life. * Charlie Stewart as Charlie Malloy, Bonnie's son. Charlie shares most of his scenes with his friend Frankie. His role is small and usually unscripted, although he adds comedy to the show. * Samantha Browne-Walters as Samantha Malloy (season one), Bonnie's eldest child, yet another ingredient in Bonnie's hectic life. She was removed without explanation from the cast when season two started. *

Marianne Muellerleile Marianne Muellerleile (born November 26, 1948) is an American actress. Early life Muellerleile was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Margaret (née Keaney) and Cecil E. Muellerleile, an American football player, coach, and college a ...

as Gloria, Bonnie's live-in housekeeper/nanny. She was only intended to stay there until Charlie started school, but despite the fact that she actually provided little help, they could not let her leave because they had grown attached to her. * David Alan Grier as David Bellows, the producer of the ''Morning Chicago'' show. David is most often seen yelling and frantically rushing to get things for the show in order while pushing his lectern around the studio. * Anthony Russell as Tony Russo, Bonnie's affable piano player on ''Morning Chicago''. Bonnie's housekeeper, Gloria, has a crush on Tony. * Holly Wortell as Holly, Bonnie's make-up artist on ''Morning Chicago''. She often gives advice on Bonnie's marriage issues and seems to date many men. * Chris Barnes as Marv, the cue-card guy on ''Morning Chicago''. Marv is very protective of Holly, who does not return his interest. * Frankie Ryan Manriquez as Frankie, Charlie's best friend who spends most of his time at the Malloy home. He contributes many funny anecdotes about his screwed-up family.

Guest stars

Rip Taylor Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor Jr. (January 13, 1931 – October 6, 2019) was an American actor and comedian, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, including his wild moustache, toupee, and his habit of showering himself (and others ...

as "Rappin' Rip" (four episodes) *

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

as Mr. Portinbody (three episodes) *

David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for portraying FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series ''The X-Files'' (1993–2002, 2016-2018) and as writ ...

as Johnny Volcano (two episodes) *

Martin Mull Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on '' Mary Hartman ...

as Le Nord (two episodes) *

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

as himself (episode: "What If?") *

Teri Garr Teri Ann Garr (born December 11, 1944) is an American former actress, dancer, and comedian. She frequently appeared in comedic roles throughout her career, which spans four decades and includes over 140 credits in film and television. Her accola ...

as Mrs. Portinbody (episode: "Buy the Book") *

Jack LaLanne Francois Henri LaLanne (; September 26, 1914 – January 23, 2011) was an American fitness and nutrition guru and motivational speaker. He described himself as being a "sugarholic" and a "junk food junkie" until he was aged 15. He also had behav ...

as himself (season-two premiere) *

The Smothers Brothers The Smothers Brothers are Thomas ("Tom" – born February 2, 1937) and Richard ("Dick" – born November 20, 1938), American folk singers, musicians, and comedians. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on acoustic gu ...

as contractors (episode: "Everything Old is New Again") *

Dick Van Patten Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Brad ...

as himself (episode: "It's a Wonderful Job") *

Jonathan Winters Jonathan Harshman Winters III (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. Beginning in 1960, Winters recorded many classic comedy albums for the Verve Records label. He also h ...

as Q.T. Marlens, a writer with multiple personalities (season one, episode nine) *

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

as Kevin Powalski (episode: "Psychic") * Morgan York as Christine Harris (episode: "Dare To Be Different")

Episodes

Season 1 (2002–03)

Season 2 (2003–04)

External links

* {{TGIF (ABC) 2000s American sitcoms 2002 American television series debuts 2004 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Television shows set in Chicago Television series about television Television series by ABC Studios