Joanie Loves Chachi
Joanie Loves Chachi is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of Happy Days that aired on ABC from March 23, 1982 to May 24, 1983. It stars Erin Moran and Scott Baio as the characters Joanie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola, respectively. The series was a ratings flop and was cancelled after only 17 episodes.
| Joanie Loves Chachi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Lowell Ganz Mark Rothman Garry Marshall |
| Developed by | Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett |
| Written by | Cheryl Alu James Patrick Dunne Lowell Ganz Terry Hart Neil Rosen George Tricker |
| Directed by | Lowell Ganz John Tracy Tom Trbovich Joel Zwick |
| Starring | Erin Moran Scott Baio Al Molinaro Ellen Travolta Art Metrano |
| Opening theme | "You Look at Me", performed by Scott Baio and Erin Moran |
| Composer(s) | Howard Pearl |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lowell Ganz Robert L. Boyett Ronny Hallin Garry Marshall Edward K. Milkis Thomas L. Miller |
| Producer(s) | James Patrick Dunne Fred Fox, Jr. |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Paramount Television Miller-Milkis-Boyett Productions Henderson Productions |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | March 23, 1982 – May 24, 1983 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Love, American Style Happy Days |
| Related shows | Laverne & Shirley Blansky's Beauties Mork & Mindy Out of the Blue |
Storyline
The series is set in the early to mid-1960s and follows the exploits of Joanie and Chachi as they moved to Chicago and tried to make it on their own with a rock band and a music career at a time when the British Invasion was looming (one episode was titled "Beatlemania"). It mixed the traditional elements of a sitcom with musical performances on each show by Baio and Moran. In fact, the beginning credit sequence of the show had them singing to each other. Their backup band consists of a spaced-out drummer named Bingo and Chachi's blasé cousins Mario and Annette.
The series also starred Ellen Travolta as Louisa Delvecchio, Chachi's mother (Travolta and Baio would star again as mother and son later in Charles in Charge), and Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio, Chachi's stepfather (and formerly the owner of Arnold's Drive-In in Happy Days), who opened a restaurant in which Chachi and Joanie performed most of their music. Art Metrano played Chachi's uncle Rico Mastorelli, who was the band's manager and helped Joanie and Chachi advance in their careers. Winifred Freedman (later a cast member of the syndicated soap opera Rituals) played Rico's daughter, Annette, Chachi's cousin and bandmate.
Production
Joanie Loves Chachi was the first Miller-Boyett (and only Garry Marshall-produced) sitcom developed by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, and was created by Lowell Ganz, Mark Rothman, and Garry Marshall. Unlike other Garry Marshall/Miller-Boyett sitcoms, this is the only series that does not have Charles Fox and/or Norman Gimbel as the show's theme song/music cue composer.
A false urban legend circulated that the show was far more popular in Korea due to "chachi" being similar to a Korean word for "penis". The program was shown on the Armed Forces Network terrestrial channel 2, which was seen by the general population, but did not cause a stir because of the name and because the program was not very popular.[1]
Scott Baio later recalled that:
All the Happy Days people had written the first four episodes, when the show got picked up for series, but then they left to go back to Happy Days, and we were stuck with new writers who didn’t know us. So that was a problem. And then some of the people on the show had chemical issues, and that was a problem. It was just on and on and on, and it just sort of all crumbled and fell apart. In retrospect, if given the choice again, I would not have done that show. That was just the wrong idea. If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve waited ’til Happy Days was over until I did anything else.[2]
US TV Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Start Date | End Date | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating | Tied With |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-82 | 4 | March 23, 1982 | April 13, 1982 | 4 | 23.3[3] | Three's Company |
| 1982-83 | 13 | September 30, 1982 | May 24, 1983 | 70[4] | N/A | N/A |
Cancellation
The show initially attracted high ratings for the first few episodes, but the ratings plummeted in Season 2 with a move to Thursday nights, and the series only lasted for two seasons (both abbreviated) before the characters were rolled back into Happy Days for that program's final season. ABC determined that the show was losing too much of its lead-in, suggesting low appeal if the show were moved.
In 2010, TV Guide Network listed the show at #17 on its list of 25 Biggest TV Blunders, arguing that Joanie and Chachi was not what viewers wanted to see and that it was the Fonz who drew viewers in to Happy Days.[5]
Main cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Scott Baio | Chachi Arcola |
| Erin Moran | Joanie Cunningham |
| Al Molinaro | Al Delvecchio |
| Ellen Travolta | Louisa Delvecchio |
| Art Metrano | Rico Mastorelli |
| Robert Pierce | Bingo Pierce |
| Derrel Maury | Mario Mastorelli |
| Winifred Freedman | Annette Mastorelli |
Episodes
Season 1 (1982)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Chicago" | Tom Trbovich | Lowell Ganz | March 23, 1982 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Performance" | TBA | TBA | March 30, 1982 |
| 3 | 3 | "I Do, I Don't, I Do" | TBA | TBA | April 6, 1982 |
| 4 | 4 | "College Days" | TBA | TBA | April 13, 1982 |
Season 2 (1982–1983)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | "Fonzie's Visit" | Joel Zwick | Dana Olsen | September 30, 1982 |
| 6 | 2 | "Joanie's Roommate" | Joel Zwick | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | October 14, 1982 |
| 7 | 3 | "One-on-One" | Howard Storm | Larry Levinson | October 21, 1982 |
| 8 | 4 | "No Nudes Is Good Nudes" | Lowell Ganz | Terry Hart | October 28, 1982 |
| 9 | 5 | "Everybody Loves Aunt Vanessa" | John Tracy | Steve Granat & Mel Sherer | November 4, 1982 |
| 10 | 6 | "Beatlemania" | John Tracy | Gary Menteer | November 11, 1982 |
| 11 | 7 | "Best Foot Forward" | Henry Winkler | Joan Brooker & Nancy Eddo | November 18, 1982 |
| 12 | 8 | "Goodbye Delvecchio's, Hello World" | John Tracy | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | November 25, 1982 |
| 13 | 9 | "Term Paper" | John Tracy | Cheryl Alu & Barry O'Brien | December 2, 1982 |
| 14 | 10 | "My Dinner with Chachi" | John Tracy | Paula A. Roth | December 9, 1982 |
| 15 | 11 | "Christmas Show" | TBA | TBA | December 16, 1982 |
| 16 | 12 | "First Love, Last Love" | John Tracy | Terry Hart | May 17, 1983 |
| 17 | 13 | "The Elopement" | John Tracy | James P. Dunne & Millee Taggart | May 24, 1983 |
Home media
On February 4, 2014, CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) released Joanie Loves Chachi - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[6]
In popular media
In the pilot episode of Friends, taped on 4 May 1994, Rachel Green is watching the show after she breaks up with her fiancé Barry. She says, "See! But Joanie loved Chachi! That's the difference!"[7]
The show is referenced in the Bloodhound Gang song, “Yummy Down on This”, from their third studio album, Hooray for Boobies.
On the Beastie Boys track "Get It Together", released on 17 March 1994, guest vocalist Q-Tip likens band member Ad Rock's close relationship with his then-wife Ione Skye to that of "Chachi and Joanie"; Ad Rock himself then replies, in rhyme, "'Cause she's the cheese and I'm the macaroni!"[8]
In the 2004 film DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story when White Goodman (played by Ben Stiller) hits Justin with a dodgeball, he says "Joanie loves Chachi!"
In Jason Mraz's 2018 song "Unlonely", Mraz references Chachi and Joanie in the line, "We could keep it sweet like Chachi and Joanie".
In the series Cybill starring Cybill Shepherd as a character with her own first name who is a failing actress, she frequently refers to her role on Joanie Loves Chachi although the actress did not appear on the show.
References
- "'Joanie Loves Chachi' - Highest-Rated TV Show Ever in Korea?". 5 April 2014.
- Will Harris, "Scott Baio talks Chachi, Bob Loblaw, and Howard Cosell", AV Club 3 April 2014 accessed 7 April 2014
- Lina. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1981-82 Ratings History -- Primetime is Awash in a Bubble Bath as Nighttime Soaps Become the Rage". Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- Lina. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- "Breaking News - TV Guide Network's "25 Biggest TV Blunders" Special Delivers 3.3 Million Viewers". thefutoncritic.com. 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- "Joanie Loves Chachi DVD news: Box Art for Joanie Loves Chachi - The Complete Series: Seasons 1 & 2 - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2014-01-01.
- "The Pilot". FRIENDS. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- "Get It Together". Genius. 28 January 2018.
External links
- Joanie Loves Chachi on IMDb
- Joanie Loves Chachi at TV.com
- Joanie Loves Chachi at epguides.com
- Joanie Loves Chachi at Sitcomsonline.com
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