It Takes Two is a low-key situation comedy from Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. A total of 22 episodes were produced and aired from October 14, 1982 to April 28, 1983 on ABC-TV. The program focuses on the Quinn family, a dual income household living in a nice high-rise apartment in downtown Chicago. This set-up paved the way for other dual income sitcoms in the 1980s like The Cosby Show (1984-1992), which debuted two years later and was also about a husband doctor and wife lawyer; as well as Growing Pains (1985-1992), which was about a husband doctor and wife reporter.
The main characters in It Takes Two are a pair of over-achievers who learn that their professional careers sometimes get in the way of family life. Dr. Sam Quinn (Richard Crenna) is a chief of surgery at a downtown hospital, and his wife Molly (Patty Duke) is an assistant D. A.
In the early years of their marriage, Molly was the one who raised their children. But after taking college courses, she earned a law degree and now has a job as a city prosecutor. She no longer has time to be a totally devoted wife, and that creates some of the conflict in the initial episodes. Sam feels neglected, but loves Molly and aims to be supportive. Yes, on some level, this show is about women's lib and the realigning of traditional relationships.
The Quinns have two teenaged kids, high school daughter Lisa (Helen Hunt) and her slightly older brother Andy (Anthony Edwards). Andy has already moved out and is an aspiring musician. Since Molly is busy at work everyday, domestic chores are taken on by her mother, known simply as Mama (Billie Bird), who lives with the family full-time.
It Takes Two was produced by Susan Harris along with Paul Junger Witt (whom she married in 1983) and Tony Thomas (son of Danny, brother of Marlo). The trio of Witt/Thomas/Harris had previously brought television audiences the bold serial comedy Soap (1977-1981) and its spinoff Benson (1979-1986).
It Takes Two was a response by Harris to write a mainstream situation comedy that would still bring up relevant social issues. She had gone into outlandish territory with Soap and focused on race relations and political satire with Benson. But now it was time to prove she could write a more 'sensible' series about a traditional nuclear family.
In It Takes Two, the characters played by Crenna and Duke deal with substantial upper-middle-class problems. Susan Harris presents them as intelligent people with an understanding about modern life. The wide-eyed teenaged offspring and the nutty grandmother are sitcom archetypes that provide interesting subplots and give the main duo multi-generational conflicts to play.
While Harris' blueprint for It Takes Two is a situation comedy, it is also a program that can switch from hijinks to serious issues. Sam and Molly often discover in their parenting that they are repeating certain patterns with their children. Also their jobs allow darker themes to sneak into the framework of the series. One episode has Molly advocating for the death penalty in a criminal case she is prosecuting, while Sam works hard to save the life of a dying man.
Harris has made Sam the more liberal character, while Molly is conservative. It's a neat subversive trick, because if Molly has to ultimately take the traditional route of deferring to her husband, then she is going to refer to an increasingly liberal point of view.
As episodes progress during the show's single season, there are scenarios about the quality of life in America. One episode involves young Lisa coming to terms with how we all live with the bomb and the fear that nuclear war could happen. Not standard sitcom fodder, but definitely a way to make points with the audience. Lisa learns how doing the right thing is essential to everyone's survival.
It Takes Two is a show that deserves to be remembered for its groundbreaking depiction of dual income families, and its seamless ability to combine standard situation comedy with social message drama. It should also be remembered for its very accomplished cast.
The main characters in It Takes Two are a pair of over-achievers who learn that their professional careers sometimes get in the way of family life. Dr. Sam Quinn (Richard Crenna) is a chief of surgery at a downtown hospital, and his wife Molly (Patty Duke) is an assistant D. A.
In the early years of their marriage, Molly was the one who raised their children. But after taking college courses, she earned a law degree and now has a job as a city prosecutor. She no longer has time to be a totally devoted wife, and that creates some of the conflict in the initial episodes. Sam feels neglected, but loves Molly and aims to be supportive. Yes, on some level, this show is about women's lib and the realigning of traditional relationships.
The Quinns have two teenaged kids, high school daughter Lisa (Helen Hunt) and her slightly older brother Andy (Anthony Edwards). Andy has already moved out and is an aspiring musician. Since Molly is busy at work everyday, domestic chores are taken on by her mother, known simply as Mama (Billie Bird), who lives with the family full-time.
It Takes Two was produced by Susan Harris along with Paul Junger Witt (whom she married in 1983) and Tony Thomas (son of Danny, brother of Marlo). The trio of Witt/Thomas/Harris had previously brought television audiences the bold serial comedy Soap (1977-1981) and its spinoff Benson (1979-1986).
It Takes Two was a response by Harris to write a mainstream situation comedy that would still bring up relevant social issues. She had gone into outlandish territory with Soap and focused on race relations and political satire with Benson. But now it was time to prove she could write a more 'sensible' series about a traditional nuclear family.
In It Takes Two, the characters played by Crenna and Duke deal with substantial upper-middle-class problems. Susan Harris presents them as intelligent people with an understanding about modern life. The wide-eyed teenaged offspring and the nutty grandmother are sitcom archetypes that provide interesting subplots and give the main duo multi-generational conflicts to play.
While Harris' blueprint for It Takes Two is a situation comedy, it is also a program that can switch from hijinks to serious issues. Sam and Molly often discover in their parenting that they are repeating certain patterns with their children. Also their jobs allow darker themes to sneak into the framework of the series. One episode has Molly advocating for the death penalty in a criminal case she is prosecuting, while Sam works hard to save the life of a dying man.
Harris has made Sam the more liberal character, while Molly is conservative. It's a neat subversive trick, because if Molly has to ultimately take the traditional route of deferring to her husband, then she is going to refer to an increasingly liberal point of view.
As episodes progress during the show's single season, there are scenarios about the quality of life in America. One episode involves young Lisa coming to terms with how we all live with the bomb and the fear that nuclear war could happen. Not standard sitcom fodder, but definitely a way to make points with the audience. Lisa learns how doing the right thing is essential to everyone's survival.
It Takes Two is a show that deserves to be remembered for its groundbreaking depiction of dual income families, and its seamless ability to combine standard situation comedy with social message drama. It should also be remembered for its very accomplished cast.