My Two Dads

This article is about the American sitcom. For the Doogie Howser, M.D. episode, see List of Doogie Howser, M.D. episodes § ep44.

My Two Dads
Genre	Family sitcom
Created by	Michael Jacobs Danielle Alexandra
Starring	Paul Reiser Greg Evigan Staci Keanan Florence Stanley Dick Butkus Giovanni Ribisi Chad Allen
Theme music composer	Greg Evigan, Lenny Macaluso & Michael Jacobs
Opening theme	"You Can Count on Me," performed by Greg Evigan
Ending theme	"You Can Count on Me" (instrumental)
Composers	Don Peake (1987–1988) Ray Colcord (1988–1990)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	60 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Michael Jacobs
Camera setup	Videotape; Multi-camera
Running time	approx. 22 minutes
Production companies	Michael Jacobs Productions Tri-Star Television (1987) (season 1) Columbia Pictures Television (1988–1990) (seasons 1-3)
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 20, 1987 (1987-09-20) – April 30, 1990 (1990-04-30)

My Two Dads is an American sitcom television series that was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions in association with Tri-Star Television (later Columbia Pictures Television) and distributed by TeleVentures. It stars Paul Reiser, Greg Evigan, and Staci Keanan. The series premiered on NBC on September 20, 1987, airing three seasons through to April 30, 1990.

Synopsis

"This is me, Nicole Bradford. Cute, huh? This is my dad and this is my dad. How did I get two dads? They inherited me. This is the judge who brought us together. She's here to make sure we're one happy family, with one dad who's down to earth and one dad with his head in the clouds!"

- Nicole Bradford's opening narration.

The series begins in 1987, after Marcy Bradford (only seen in the second-season episode "In Her Dreams"), the mother of 12-year-old Nicole Bradford, has died. The two men who had competed for Marcy's affections in Key West during the summer of 1974, Michael Taylor, a successful but slightly neurotic financial advisor; and Joey Harris, a struggling, but laid-back artist - former friends turned rivals over their mutual interest in Marcy - are awarded joint custody of Nicole.

Each week, the mix-ups and trials of two single men raising a teenage daughter provide the stories. Judge Margaret V. Wilbur, a family court judge who gave custody of Nicole to Michael and Joey, frequently visits the new family. She bought the building in which Joey lived, so is now the live-in landlord. Michael originally has his own condo uptown, but in Episode 2, Nicole stages a sit-in at school because she feels she had no home, and the men decide it is better to all live in one home. They choose Joey's loft.

Nicole's paternity is never revealed on the show, but in the episode "Pop, the Question," Michael and Joey – after a falling out – have a DNA test to determine which of them is Nicole's biological father. The test is conducted against Nicole's wishes; she is happier not knowing who her true father is, and she destroys the results before opening them. Michael and Joey later resolve their differences and reconcile. Judge Wilbur looks at the results, but throws them away without revealing them to the audience.

The series comes to an end (in the episode called "See You in September?") when Joey reconnects with a former girlfriend named Sarah, and eventually moves to San Francisco to live with her and her daughter, Grace. He stays in contact with Nicole, Michael and Judge Wilbur, all of whom remain in New York. Nicole writes a letter to Joey, in which she makes reference to going out to San Francisco to visit, and she ends by saying that no matter what, or where he is, or who he is with, she would always be happy with him as one of her two dads.

The exterior shots of the building were taken at 484 Broome Street in New York City.

Cast and characters

Cast

The lead cast of My Two Dads: Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan (top); Staci Keanan (bottom)

• Paul Reiser as Michael Taylor
• Greg Evigan as Joey Harris
• Staci Keanan as Nicole Bradford
• Florence Stanley as Judge Margaret V. Wilbur
• Giovanni Ribisi (credited as Vonni Ribisi) as Cory Kupkus
• Dick Butkus as Ed Klawicki (seasons 1 & 2)
• Chad Allen as Zach Nichols (seasons 2 & 3)
• Amy Hathaway as Shelby Haskell (seasons 2 & 3)

Characters

The series regularly featured Giovanni Ribisi and Chad Allen as two boys (Cory Kupkus and Zach Nichols, respectively) who competed for Nicole's affections, similar to how her two dads had done for her mother's. Florence Stanley appeared as Judge Margaret Wilbur, who was responsible for assigning Nicole's custody, and who regularly looked over the family; she was also their landlady, being the resident owner of the apartment building where the family lived. Amy Hathaway played Nicole's worldly best friend, Shelby Haskell. The cast was rounded out by former football player Dick Butkus, who managed the cafe on the building's first floor. The cafe (Klawicki's) was the second spot in the show around which a plot usually revolved; the first being the family's apartment. In the third season, when Dick Butkus left the series, the diner was then run by cook Julian (Don), but there was no explanation as to what happened to Ed Klawicki. Ownership of the diner was explained to have been taken over by Judge Wilbur at this point, and it was renamed The Judge's Court Cafe.

Night Court crossover

My Two Dads had crossovers with another NBC show, Night Court. Judge Margaret W. Wilbur, played by Florence Stanley, appeared on Night Court. In turn, Richard Moll guest starred as his Night Court character Bull Shannon in the My Two Dads episode "Playing with Fire", protecting Judge Wilbur from a recently released criminal that she had sent to prison years before.

Episodes

Main article: List of My Two Dads episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	22		September 20, 1987 (1987-09-20)	August 14, 1988 (1988-08-14)
2	16		January 11, 1989 (1989-01-11)	July 29, 1989 (1989-07-29)
3	22		September 24, 1989 (1989-09-24)	April 30, 1990 (1990-04-30)

Broadcast

In August 1990, USA Network paid Columbia Pictures Television Distribution about $250,000 an episode, for as many as 15 runs over a three-year period, a price that was the syndication record until Major Dad surpassed that price two years later. Reruns of the show aired on the USA Network through the 1990s and again in the early 2000s.

Home media

Shout! Factory (under license from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) has released the first two seasons of My Two Dads on DVD in Region 1. Season 2 was released as a Shout! Factory Exclusives title, available exclusively through their online store.

Mill Creek Entertainment released a 10 episode best-of set entitled My Two Dads – You Can Count on Me on March 22, 2011. The single disc release features episodes from the first 2 seasons.

DVD name	Ep #	Release date	Special Features
The Complete First Season	22	March 3, 2009	A look back at My Two Dads with Greg Evigan and Staci Keanan.
The Complete Second Season	16	March 16, 2010	N/A

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Refs
1988	Young Artist Awards	The Most Promising New Fall Television Series	My Two Dads	Won
		Best Young Actress Featured, Co-starring, Supporting, Recurring Role in a Comedy or Drama Series or Special	Staci Keanan	Won
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite New TV Comedy Program	My Two Dads	Won
1989	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Drama or Comedy Series	Chad Allen	Won

External links

• My Two Dads at IMDb
• My Two Dads at epguides.com