Valerie Harper (Rhoda) returned to sitcom television on this short-lived comedy from CBS.
Harper starred as big-haired widow Liz Gianni, working as City Manager for corrupt Deputy Mayor Ken Resnick (Stephen Lee) at the Department of City Services in a moderately large, unnamed American city (even the seal shown in the opening credits only referred to it as “City”)
Resnick (Stephen Lee) was a pompous, manipulative, petty bureaucrat who was not above using his position to try to line his pockets with “gifts” from favoured contractors.
Assistant City Manager Roger Barnett (Todd Susman) was Liz’s right-hand man – an unflappable career civil servant who had seen it all and had a weakness for gambling. Her secretary was African American Wanda Jenkins (Tyra Ferrell) was once married to a classical pianist.
Other members of Liz’s staff included Cuban purchasing agent Anna-Maria Batista (Liz Torres), who pronounced “yep” as “jep” and whose revolutionary husband was incarcerated in her homeland; Lance (Sam Lloyd), the obsessive and obnoxious head of the records department; Gloria (Mary Jo Keenan) the flighty bubbleheaded social services coordinator, and Victor (James Lorinz), the overly enthusiastic acting chief of security.
LuAnne Ponce featured as Liz’s 19-year-old college-dropout daughter, Penny, who wanted to be treated as a “friend,” not as a daughter, something Liz found difficult to accept – particularly when it came to Penny’s offbeat social relationships.
Liz Gianni Valerie Harper Penny Gianni
LuAnne Ponce Anna-Maria Batista Liz Torres Wanda Jenkins Tyra Ferrell Gloria Elgis Mary Jo Keenan Roger Barnett Todd Susman Lance Armstrong
Sam Lloyd Deputy Mayor Ken Resnick Stephen Lee Victor Sloboda
James Lorinz Sean
Shay Duffin
