John Ritter (Three’s Company) returned to TV in this genial sitcom as John Hartman, an aide to senile conservative Senator Strobe Smithers (George Gaynes) in Washington DC.
John was divorced from Diandra (who left him for another woman) and the father of Ben (Justin Burnette) and Elliot (Clark Duke). Ther dog was called Rugboy.
The senator’s speechwriter, Georgie Lahti (Markie Post), had a father (Ed Asner) who was a disbarred attorney and had spent two years in prison for financial impropriety.
Receptionist Dee Dee Starr (Beth Broderick) had been a beautician but headed for DC when she decided she was meant for better things.
Motivated by patriotism and a love of country, Dee Dee’s wild sexual activities earned her the name “the Last Bimbo on the Hill”.
As the series progressed, John and Georgie fell in love and married. The political aspect of the series was dropped when John, Georgie, Elliot, and Ben moved to John’s hometown in Clay County to begin new lives.
Here, John and his friend Billy Bob Davis (Billy Bob Thornton) took over the local weekly newspaper, the Courier, which was located on Main Street.
Billy Bob was married to Mavis Davis (Wendie Jo Sperber) and the father of Carson Lee (Doreen Fein). Mavis was Strobe’s office secretary and left Billy Bob to get her masters degree at New York University.
John became the paper’s editor, Georgie the news reporter and Billy Bob the society editor. Madeline Sossinger (Conchata Ferrell) – a psychologist who rented space in the paper’s building – joined the staff as the advice columnist (“Dear Madeline”).
The paper later became the Daily Beacon and Georgie gave birth to a girl named Amelia Rose as the series ended.
John Hartman
John Ritter Georgia “Georgie” Anne Lahti/Hartman
Markie Post Senator Strobe Smithers
George Gaynes Dee Dee Starr
Beth Broderick Elliot Hartman
Clark Duke Ben Hartman
Justin Burnette
J. Skylar Testa Billy Bob Davis
Billy Bob Thornton Mavis Davis
Wendie Jo Sperber Carson Lee Davis
Doren Fein Dr Madeline Stoessinger
Conchata Ferrell Lonnie Garr
Leslie Jordan Adam Carlson
Adam Carl Miss Lula
Beah Richards George Lahti
Ed Asner Vicki Bumpers
Debbie Gregory
The senator’s speechwriter, Georgie Lahti (Markie Post), had a father (Ed Asner) who was a disbarred attorney and had spent two years in prison for financial impropriety.
John became the paper’s editor, Georgie the news reporter and Billy Bob the society editor. Madeline Sossinger (Conchata Ferrell) – a psychologist who rented space in the paper’s building – joined the staff as the advice columnist (“Dear Madeline”).
