Babes

1 9 9 0 – 1 9 9 1 (USA)
22 x 30 minute episodes

Charlene, Darlene, and Marlene Gilbert were sisters living together in a studio apartment in Manhattan.

Darlene (Susan Peretz), the cynical, divorced eldest sister, worked as a dog groomer. Charlene (Wendie Jo Sperber), the outgoing and vivacious middle sister, made her living as a makeup artist for a commercial photographer. Trusting, naive youngest sister Marlene (Lesley Boone), was unsure of what she wanted to do.

Episodes dealt with their social lives, the problems they had sharing a small apartment, and their working lives.

Ronnie Underwood (Rick Overton) was Charlene’s boyfriend early on. Mrs Florence Newman (Nedra Volz) lived in the same building as the sisters.

In the spring of 1991 Darlene went to work at a day-care centre.

In stark contrast to the svelte women usually seen on television, all three actresses were considerably overweight, and early in its run, Babes made liberal use of fat jokes and situations that focused on girth.

This aspect of the show was eventually de-emphasised and their size became incidental to the stories.

Charlene Gilbert
Wendie Jo Sperber
Darlene Gilbert
Susan Peretz
Marlene Gilbert
Lesley Boone
Ronnie Underwood
Rick Overton
Mrs Florence Newman
Nedra Volz