Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m diving back into the 20th century for a bit of Sitcom Archaeology, paying tribute to Demond Wilson, who passed away earlier this year.
BABY… I’M BACK (January 1978 – May 1978, CBS)
Premise: A gambling addict who abandoned his wife and kids returns, hoping to make up for lost time.
Cast: Demond Wilson, Denise Nicholas, Kim Fields, Tony Holmes, Helen Martin, Ed Hall
Writers: Lila Garrett & Mort Lachman, Martin Rips & Joseph Staretski, April Kelly & George Geiger, Kevin Hartigan & David Garber, Richard Powell, Marion Freeman & Mark Evanier, Gary Jacobs, Chet Dowling & Sandy Krinski, Erwin Washington, Shelley Zellman & Wally Dalton, Jim Belcher, Harry Cauley, Bruce Kalish & Philip Wickham Taylor
Thoughts: Baby… I’m Back! is a non-traditional family sitcom from a pair of veteran scribes affiliated with Norman Lear’s camp. Lear’s influence is clear — not only because this is another videotaped multi-cam, but also via several familiar faces, including Sanford And Son’s Demond Wilson, Good Times’ Helen Martin, and future Facts Of Life star Kim Fields. Beyond that, it’s also conceived with an eye towards social commentary, with a premise about an absentee Black father returning to his wife and kids after years away. This was a new, novel setup for situation comedy, featuring two legally married but separated adults attempting to co-parent, all complicated by the literal estrangement caused by his long absence. Not to mention several more personified obstacles inside the regular ensemble — namely her disapproving mom (Helen Martin), and a deferred fiancé waiting for the chance to legally become the kids’ step-dad. Both are there to prevent the hero from wooing back his wife — an objective that Baby… I’m Back! explicitly pursues. Indeed, this is a rich situation, and in the show’s brief run — 12 episodes, plus an initial October 1977 pilot that sold the series — the premise is well-explored. As for the character work, well, it was still being refined. The kids are both sassy, but too vague and unspecific to uniquely drive plot. And while the adults pretty much play their conceptually determined positions, they don’t yet feel like detail-oriented, personalized figures, capable of making ideas unique just from their definitions. The leading lady, in particular, lacks a way to be funny, while Wilson’s centralized Ray is treated with kid gloves, probably to ensure that he remains likable in spite of his original sin. However, the show’s unique higher-concept trappings are enough to guide story for a while, which means Baby… I’m Back! would have had plenty of time to improve. And in just one half-season, I see a lot of potential already.
Episode Count: 12 episodes, plus a pilot that aired in October 1977.
Episodes Seen: All 12 plus the pilot.
Key Episodes: #1: “Living Proof” (01/30/78)
#5: “Beat By A Drum” (02/27/78)
#6: “The Gospel According To Angie” (03/13/78)
#7: “The Confessions of Col. Wallace Dickey” (03/20/78)
#8: “A Day At The Races” (03/27/78)
#9: “Survival Of The Fittest” (04/03/78)
Why: “Living Proof” is the series’ premiere following a one-off pilot from several months prior. It’s a narrative progression that nevertheless is reiterative, with Wilson’s Ray again stalling his wife from remarrying by preventing her from declaring him legally dead. It’s got a fun screwball sensibility. “Beat By A Drum” is a parenting conflict that speaks to the realities of the premise, with dad trying to make up for lost time. “The Gospel According To Angie” boasts a memorable centerpiece where the kids air their family’s dirty laundry while enacting a Biblical story. “The Confessions Of Col. Wallace Dickey” attempts to give some depth and color to the relationship between the two romantic rivals. “A Day At The Races” uses the leading man’s gambling problem in a parenting story that also enjoys a subplot where Helen Martin gets to play drunk. And “Survival Of The Fittest” is notable simply because it’s memorable, pairing Wilson and Martin (who don’t like each other) for long, extended scenes.
Come back next week for a new Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more Middle!