"Love, Sidney" (1981) TV series 1981-1983

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

28 October 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A middle-aged gay artist shares his New York apartment with a single mother and her little girl.

Plot Keywords:

Single Mother | New York City | Roommate | Commercial Artist | Actress

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Tony Randall	...	Sidney Shore (44 episodes, 1981-1983)
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Laurie Morgan (44 episodes, 1981-1983)
Kaleena Kiff	...	Patti Morgan (44 episodes, 1981-1983)
Chip Zien	...	Jason Stoller (29 episodes, 1981-1983)
Alan North	...	Judge Mort Harris (18 episodes, 1981-1982)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Warner Bros. Television

Trivia:

Even though Sidney was openly gay in the television movie that the show was based on, the producers toned down that aspect of his personality when the show premiered due to the fact that they were afraid that they would not get any sponsors for a show featuring an openly gay character.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gimme a Break!: The Big Apple: Part 2 (#3.18)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Friends Forever

A show that was as good as it could be, for its time

This series popped into my head this evening, and I checked out IMDb. I have read the other comments, and would like to add my two-cents worth.

One fact that I have not seen mentioned is this: Sidney is miserable and friendless because he is bitter over the loss of his lover, which he seems incapable of getting over. If I remember correctly, his boyfriend had died, and - with the great reluctance to explore that relationship on the show - it is easy to assume in retrospect that the boyfriend was a victim of one of the big issues - gay bashing? AIDS? ...Anyway....

The whole message of the show, as sugary sweet as it was, is that everyone needs someone to share his life with, and, while the ideal is to have a lover (whatever your sexual persuasion), good platonic friends can be a pretty good substitute. Families are made, not born.

The great achievement of the show was that it shattered stereotypes - that was the whole point of Sidney being neither a disco-dwelling, toy-boy hunting sugar daddy, nor a camp, shrieking queen. The show also captured an ennui that was soon to swamp the gay community, and those who saw it as a pop-culture touchstone, as AIDS took a greater and greater toll.

Love, Sidney was soulful and complex, and is owed much by all involved with, and fans of, such shows as Will and Grace.