1 9 8 7 (USA)
13 x 30 minute episodes
This spin-off from the hit series Cheers starred Dan Hedaya as barmaid Carla’s ex-husband, Nick, and Jean Kasem as his wife, Loretta.
Nick relocated from Boston (where Cheers was located) to Vegas and took teen son Anthony (Timothy Williams) with him in an attempt to patch things up with Loretta, who was out there pursuing a showbiz career.
Nick split his time between running a TV repair business (Tortelli’s TV Hospital) and being a talent manager – the sole proprietor of “Nick’s Talent Emporium”.
Loretta was his main client, a singer with a group called The Grinning Americans (later called the Lemon Sisters).
Rounding out the wacky cast were Anthony’s wife, Annie (Mandy Ingber), and Loretta’s sister, Charlotte (Carlene Watkins), a substitute school teacher who didn’t exactly hit it off with Nick.
Unfortunately, The Tortellis didn’t hit it off with the audience, either. The show debuted on NBC’s schedule in January 1987 and was gone by May.
Nick Tortelli
Dan Hedaya
Loretta Tortelli
Jean Kasem
Anthony Tortelli
Timothy Williams
Annie Tortelli
Mandy Ingber
Mark Cooper
Aaron Moffatt
Charlotte Cooper
Carlene Watkins