The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Information

The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd is an American comedy-drama series that aired on NBC from 1987 to 1988, and on Lifetime from 1988 to 1991. It was created by Jay Tarses and stars Blair Brown in the title role.

Premise

The show depicts the life of Molly Bickford Dodd, a divorced woman in New York City with a lifestyle that could be described as both yuppie and bohemian. Molly seems to drift from job to job and relationship to relationship. Her ex-husband, a ne'er-do-well jazz musician, still cares for her. In fact, nearly every man she meets (and the occasional woman) adores her. Her warmth and emotional accessibility are the root cause of most of Molly's problems in life.

In addition to Brown and Tarses, the cast included Allyn Ann McLerie as Molly's mother, James Greene as her building's elevator operation/doorman, William Converse-Roberts as her ex-husband Fred Dodd, and Maureen Anderman as her best friend Nina. Sandy Faison was a cast member during its run on NBC. Actors David Strathairn and Richard Lawson each appeared in about a third of the episodes (both playing characters who were romantic interests for Molly).

Major recurring roles were held by Victor Garber, Richard Venture (who played Molly's father), George Gaynes, John Pankow, and J. Smith-Cameron.

Production

The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd had story lines that often did not resolve in a single episode.

The show was filmed using a single camera.

Tarses wrote and directed many of its episodes (and made a number of cameo appearances).

Reception and network change

NBC first broadcast the show as a summer replacement in 1987 running 13 episodes. Molly Dodd was critically acclaimed and a moderate ratings success (it was featured in the network's then-powerhouse Thursday night lineup), but was not featured in the network's fall schedule. It was a mid-season replacement for NBC again in spring 1988, with 12 episodes (a season-ending 13th episode was produced but not aired). NBC canceled Molly Dodd after its second season.

After being canceled by NBC, Lifetime cable network picked the show up, first re-airing the 26 episodes originally produced, then commissioning three more 13-episode seasons for 1989, 1990, and 1991. Lifetime would continue to air Molly Dodd in reruns after original production stopped.

Award nominations

The show earned Brown five Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, one for each year the show was on. Tarses was also the recipient of multiple nominations.