Matt Burgess (Barry Van Dyke) is a former stage actor who now runs the Arley Playhouse, a struggling regional theatre in Pennsylvania. His father, Dick Burgess (Dick Van Dyke), a veteran Broadway song-and-dance man, helps him run the playhouse.
Stories follow Matt and Dick’s efforts to stage shows and make the Arley Playhouse a notable Pennsylvania attraction.
Matt is married to Chris (Kari Lizer), a woman who enjoys the theatre experience and mediates between her husband and his father. Matt and Chris are the parents of Noah (Billy O’Sullivan).
Jillian (Maura Tierney) is the smart-alec box office girl; Doc Sterling (Whitman Mayo) is the wise old stage manager, and aspiring actor Eric (Paul Scherier) is the usher and cleaning boy.
The CBS series – which critics described as being “slapped together” from a kit at the sitcom store – was cancelled after the sixth episode. The remaining four episodes were never aired.
Dick Burgess
Dick Van Dyke Matt Burgess
Barry Van Dyke Chris Burgess
Kari Lizer Noah Burgess
Billy O’Sullivan Jillian Ryan
Maura Tierney Doc Sterling
Whitman Mayo Eric Olander
Paul Scherier
Stories follow Matt and Dick’s efforts to stage shows and make the Arley Playhouse a notable Pennsylvania attraction.
