''Harry and the Hendersons'' 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 ...

based on the film of the same name, produced by

Amblin Television Amblin Television is the television production division of Amblin Partners. It was established in 1984 by Amblin Entertainment as a small-screen production arm for Steven Spielberg's '' Amazing Stories'' anthology series for NBC. The company h ...

for

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a prede ...

. It aired in

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

from January 13, 1991, to June 18, 1993, with 72 half-hour episodes produced. It is about a family who adopts a

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

called Harry.

Synopsis

Bruce Davison and

Molly Cheek Molly Cheek (born March 2, 1950) is an American actress. A Connecticut College graduate she worked in ‘dinner-theater productions and summer stock’ before finding television and film work. Cheek is best known for her roles in the televisio ...

played the parents George and Nancy (in the film, they were played by

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

and Melinda Dillon respectively) with Carol-Ann Plante and Zachary Bostrom as the children Sarah and Ernie (in the film, they were played by

Margaret Langrick Margaret Langrick (born 1971) is a Canadian writer and retired actress. She is now known as Maggie Langrick, and is the CEO of the publishing company Wonderwell. Filmography Films *''My American Cousin'' (1985) as Sandy Wilcox *''Harry and the ...

and Joshua Rudoy respectively).

Kevin Peter Hall Kevin Peter Hall (May 9, 1955 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor. Hall stood tall, and frequently played monster characters during his career. He was the original title character in the science fiction ''Predator'' franchise, appearing ...

played the role of Harry in both the film and TV series, until his death late in the production of the first season. He was replaced first by Dawan Scott and then by Brian Steele in the third season (Steele had filled in for Scott in the Harry costume for numerous scenes during season two, before taking over the role full-time). Harry's vocal effects were provided by

Patrick Pinney Patrick Cullen Pinney (born June 30, 1952) is an American television, film and voice actor. Early life, family and education Pinney was born in San Francisco County, California. His mother's maiden name is his middle name. He attended college a ...

, where the vocal effects were previously provided by Fred Newman in the film. In the series, George and Nancy were an upwardly mobile two-career couple, with the former working for a sporting goods company. George eventually launched his own magazine, ''The Better Life'', late in the second season. Initially helping the Hendersons with Harry's care, and Sasquatch research, was Walter Potter, a biologist working for the Department of Animal Control. Also seen early on were the Glicks, neighbors of the Hendersons; Samantha was a pretty, young single mother and reporter, and Tiffany was her precocious little girl, a classmate of Ernie's who had an obvious crush on him. Samantha, Tiffany, and Walter were all written out after the first season, but the aspect of having a girl next door who chased after Ernie was retained through a new character, Darcy Payne, for the 1991–92 season. Darcy was more annoying than her predecessor, and spent all her waking hours trying to make the Hendersons' young son hers. However, she did catch on to the fact that the family was hiding a bigfoot, and had several close encounters with Harry; fortunately, Darcy disappeared from the show before she could have exposed the secret about him. Nancy's younger brother Brett, a photographer, moved in with the Hendersons in the second season, and was also sworn to secrecy about Harry. When George began ''The Better Life'' in the spring of 1992, Brett was hired as the publication's chief photographer and a financial beneficiary. The following year brought many changes, as in the season premiere Harry's existence was accidentally exposed. Just as the Hendersons feared he would be captured by the government and possibly killed, he was rather embraced by the public and received overnight regional fame. For a while, Harry had to adjust to a high-profile life full of exhibition and additional scientific studies, but at the same time the entire family got used to resting more comfortably now that they did not have to hide the big creature from view anymore. Hilton, a friend of Ernie's and the son of a local police chief, joined the cast in the third season. The TV series credits contains an artistic representation of key scenes from the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

Cast

as Harry (1991) * Dawan Scott as Harry (1991–1992) * Brian Steele as Harry (1992–1993) * N. Brock Winkless IV as Harry (face performer, 1991–1993) *

as Harry (vocal effects, 1991–1993) * Bruce Davison as George Henderson *

as Nancy Henderson * Carol-Ann Plante as Sarah Henderson * Zachary Bostrom as Ernie Henderson * Gigi Rice as Samantha Glick (1991) * Cassie Cole as Tiffany Glick (1991) * David Coburn as Walter Potter (1991) * Noah Blake as Brett Douglas (1991–1993) * Courtney Peldon as Darcy Payne (1991–1992) * Mark Dakota Robinson as Hilton Woods, Jr. (1992–1993) * Jared Henderson as Himself (1992)

Episodes

Season 1: 1991

Season 2: 1991–92

Season 3: 1992–93

Production

Among the series' directors were series star Bruce Davison,

Scott Baio Scott Vincent James Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off ''Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on t ...

, Frank Bonner, Tony Dow,

Richard Kline Richard Kline (born April 29, 1944) is an American actor and television director. His roles include Larry Dallas on the sitcom '' Three's Company'', Richie in the later seasons of ''It's a Living'' and Jeff Beznick in ''Noah Knows Best''. Early ...

, Dwayne Hickman, and

Donna Pescow Donna Gail Pescow is an American film and television actress and director. She is known for her roles as Annette in the 1977 film ''Saturday Night Fever'', Angie Falco-Benson in the 1979-1980 sitcom '' Angie'', Donna Garland in the sitcom '' ...

. The series' theme song was " Your Feet's Too Big", performed by Leon Redbone.

Broadcast stations

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0098818, title=Harry and the Hendersons 1991 American television series debuts 1993 American television series endings 1990s American sitcoms American fantasy television series Television about Bigfoot First-run syndicated television programs in the United States English-language television shows Fantasy comedy television series Live action television shows based on films Television series about families Television series by Universal Television Television shows set in Washington (state) Cryptozoological television series Television series by Amblin Entertainment