The New Odd Couple

The New Odd Couple
Genre	Sitcom
Written by	Lowell Ganz Mark Rothman Millee Taggart Kurt Taylor
Directed by	Joel Zwick
Starring	Ron Glass Demond Wilson John Schuck Bart Braverman Jo Marie Payton Liz Torres
Theme music composer	Neal Hefti
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	18 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Garry Marshall Anthony W. Marshall
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Henderson Productions Paramount Network Television
Distributor	CBS Television Distribution
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	October 29, 1982 (1982-10-29) – May 26, 1983 (1983-05-26)
Chronology
Related shows	The Odd Couple
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

The New Odd Couple is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1983, and was an updated version of the 1970s television series The Odd Couple. The New Odd Couple was the second attempt to remake a series of one of Neil Simon's plays with a primarily African-American cast. The first was Barefoot in the Park (which also premiered on September 24, 1970, the same day the original Odd Couple series did).

Synopsis

In this series, Felix and Oscar were both African-American college buddies who met in the 1950s. Felix was portrayed by Ron Glass and Oscar was portrayed by Demond Wilson. The characterizations were still the same, as Felix was a prissy neatfreak and Oscar was a fun loving and sloppy character. John Schuck also appeared as Murray the Cop, who was kept Caucasian, as was the character of Roy, who was played by Bart Braverman.

The show ran for 18 episodes; eight of the episodes used recycled scripts from the original series. By the time the writers began producing new scripts, it was too late, as the show never found an audience. The series was cancelled in 1983.

Cast

• Ron Glass…Felix Unger
• Demond Wilson…Oscar Madison
• Sheila Anderson…Cecily Pigeon
• Bart Braverman…Roy
• Ronalda Douglas…Gwendolyn Pigeon
• Jo Marie Payton…Mona
• John Schuck…Murray
• Liz Torres…Maria

Production notes

The New Odd Couple was executive produced by Garry and Anthony W. Marshall, and distributed by Paramount Television. The theme music was still the same as the original series (composed by Neal Hefti), but it was played with a more updated urban arrangement.

Episodes

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"The Ides of April"	October 29, 1982
Felix receives a letter from the IRS. While correcting the error at the IRS Office, he accidentally gives away the information about Oscar's tax violations. Felix helps Oscar with his backlogged taxes and saves the day.
2	"The Hustler"	November 5, 1982
Oscar is suckered into a contest with a pool hustler.
3	"Frances Moves In"	November 12, 1982
Felix's ex-wife moves in, interrupting the weekly poker game.
4	"That Was No Lady"	November 19, 1982
Felix falls for the girlfriend of a boxing great, KO'ing Oscar's hopes of writing a book on the champion.
5	"Brother, Can You Spare a Job?"	November 26, 1982
At Felix's prodding, Oscar demands a raise and is immediately promoted into the ranks of the unemployment.
6	"The New Car"	December 3, 1982
In this episode, Felix and Oscar win a car. The car becomes a problem when the two are forced to take turns getting up early to move it across the street. Problems are made worse when Felix refuses to let Oscar drive the car for fear that something will happen to it. Eventually they decide to get rid of the car so that it does not come between their friendship.
7	"The Cordon Bleus"	December 10, 1982
A socialite friend thinks Felix has the panaches to manage her new restaurant.
8	"The Odd Triangle"	December 17, 1982
Felix suspects the model Oscar is dating is using his roommate to get to Felix - and his influence as a fashion photographer.
9	"Opening Night"	December 31, 1982
Felix helps Oscar review a Broadway play whose backer insists on a favorable notice - or else.
10	"Security"	January 7, 1983
In the aftermath of a robbery, Felix gets a guard dog and looks for an apartment with tighter security.
11	"Bachelor of the Year"	January 14, 1983
Felix and Oscar are pitted against each other in a magazine's Man of the Year contest
12	"A Grave for Felix"	January 21, 1983
The money Felix entrusts to Oscar for a cemetery-plot deposit becomes ready cash for Oscar's gambling.
13	"My Strife in Court"	January 28, 1983
Oscar can't find a date for a concert, so Felix gets them both arrested for scalping at the door
14	"Oscar Dates Felix's Frances"	February 18, 1983
Oscar agrees to accompany Felix's ex-wife to a boring lecture. The unexpected happens when Oscar and Frances decide to begin dating.
15	"Murray's Hot Date"	February 25, 1983
Oscar gives the household money to Charity - a prostitute he hires as Murray's date for the Civil Servant
16	"The Perils of Pauline"	May 13, 1983
Murray's palm reading points to bad luck down the line for Felix, beginning with Oscar ruining his roommate's chances to enter a photo exhibition.
17	"The Only Way to Fly"	May 20, 1983
A crazed man throws a brick through Felix's studio window, and it's wrapped with a message threatening Felix for dating his wife.
18	"The Night Stalker"	May 26, 1983
Oscar's pals surprise him with a word processor, but Oscar can't compose without "Pauline" - his trusty typewriter.

Syndication

Reruns of the series aired on BET in the early 1990s. TV Land occasionally aired reruns when they were airing reruns of the original 1970s series.

External links

• The New Odd Couple at IMDb
• The New Odd Couple at TV.com