DADDY DEAREST (1993) – As usual for Father’s Day and Mother’s Day Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at obscure movies or television shows that fit the occasion. For this Father’s Day it’s Daddy Dearest, a largely forgotten sitcom that starred RICHARD LEWIS and DON RICKLES, a very bizarre pairing.
Lewis played psychologist Steven Mitchell who lived in Manhattan with his son Danny following a divorce. Rickles portrayed Al Mitchell, Richard’s retired used-car salesman father who just separated from his wife and moves in with Steven. True to Rickles’ insult-comic persona, Al proves VERY difficult to live with, setting up the theme of the show.
The Fox Network was apparently hoping that Rickles’ abrasive humor would cause controversies that made Daddy Dearest an edgy hit, like Married, with Children in the 1980s. Though Al Bundy was allowed to pull off jokes about gay people it turned out that Don Rickles’ insults about races and ethnic groups didn’t come across as edgy, even though his character was happy to also pepper in jokes about gay people.
The Fox Network really should have known. After all, reruns of the 1970s sitcom CPO Sharkey had recently been banned from the rotation on Comedy Central over the ethnic and racial insults made by Rickles as the title character. Here in 2026 CPO Sharkey can be viewed online but in 1992 it got dropped, just one calendar year before Daddy Dearest premiered.
As for the rest of the cast, Renee Taylor played Helen Mitchell, Steven’s mother and Al’s soon to be ex-wife. Actress Sydney Walsh was Steven’s eventual romantic interest Christine Winter and Barney Martin was nosey neighbor Pete Peters.
Alice Carter appeared as Steven’s ex-wife Lisa and Carey Eidel was Steven’s brother Larry. Jonathan Gibby played young Danny Mitchell in the pilot episode, but Jeff Bomberger took over the role beginning with the first official episode of the series.
THE EPISODES:
01. PILOT (Sep 5th, 1993) – When a rude and cranky retired used car salesman separates from his wife he moves in with his Manhattan psychologist son and his son.
02. RAGING BULLY (Sep 12th) – Steven is furious when he learns the kind of advice that his father Al gave his son about dealing with a school bully. Guest starring Nealla Gordon as the bully’s mother and Steven Hartman as the bully.
03. PRIVATE LIVES (Sep 19th) – Steven asks for Christine’s advice on how to deal with his abrasive father’s meddling in his life. Diane DiLascio guest stars.
04. AL VS THE DMV (Sep 26th) – Al may have met his match when he goes to the DMV to renew his driver’s license and clashes with a rude clerk played by THE Kaye Ballard.
05. YOU BET YOUR LIFE (Oct 3rd) – Frank Sinatra appears as himself in this episode about Al winning big money in an Atlantic City casino on the arm of gangster Johnny-O’s (Alex Rocco) girlfriend (Adrienne Barbeau).
06. MOTHER LOVE (Oct 10th) – Christine’s visiting mother (Angie Dickinson) tries to seduce Steven.
07. MOUNT ST. HELEN (Oct 17th) – Steven’s mother Helen brings a date to see Danny’s school play, upsetting Al.
08. THE TORTOISE AND THE SCARE (Oct 24th) – Steven and Al accidentally take the wrong costumed kid home from a Halloween Party. Guest starring Leann Hunley.
09. AMERICAN WE (Nov 7th) – Both Al and Steven wind up in jail when Steven attacks a man he believed robbed him earlier in the day. Guest stars include Garrett Morris, Bubba Smith, Donald Gibb and Huntz Hall of the Dead-End Kids/ Bowery Boys in his final television appearance.
10. THANKS, BUT NO THANKS (Dec 5th) – At a big Thanksgiving Dinner at the Mitchell home, Helen and Steven’s ex-wife Lisa show up with dates, making things even more awkward. Lyle Waggoner, Alice Ghostley, Brett Porter and Janet Gunn guest star.
11. OFFENSIVE CARE (never aired) – When Steven has his father Al try lifting a cast-iron statue the older man gets chest pains that send him to the hospital. Joseph Bologna appears.
12. JAWS, TOO (never aired)
13. MINIMUM RAGE (never aired)
FOR MORE FORGOTTEN TELEVISION CLICK HERE.
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