Kate & Allie (1984–1989)

When Allie Lowell divorces her husband and gets custody of their two children, she moves to New York City and moves in with her best friend, Kate McArdle, also divorced and raising a ... See full summary »

Creator:

Sherry Coben

Stars:

Susan Saint James, Jane Curtin, Fred Koehler

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Susan Saint James	...	Katherine 'Kate' McArdle (122 episodes, 1984-1989)
Jane Curtin	...	Allison 'Allie' Lowell (122 episodes, 1984-1989)
Fred Koehler	...	Charles 'Chip' Lowell (98 episodes, 1984-1989)
Allison Smith	...	Jennie Lowell (95 episodes, 1984-1989)
Ari Meyers	...	Emma McArdle (87 episodes, 1984-1988)

Storyline

When Allie Lowell divorces her husband and gets custody of their two children, she moves to New York City and moves in with her best friend, Kate McArdle, also divorced and raising a daughter. They form a unique kind of family unit in this comedy from the 1980s.

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Plot Keywords:

best friend | new york city | new york | friend | divorce | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aline et Cathy

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alan Landsburg Productions, Mort Lachman & Associates, Reeves Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (122 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Loeffler, who sings the signature theme song at the end of the show, appears as a piano teacher in the second series episode "Piano Lesson." He sings a few other songs during the course of the episode, in addition to the regular end theme.

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Quotes

Allie Lowell: [after joke has been successfully pulled] And people say I'm not the fun one.

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Connections

Referenced in Wordplay (2006)

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Soundtracks

Theme Song
Performed by John Loeffler

User Reviews

Finally a sitcom that deals with adults!

I first stumbled across KATE & ALLIE back in 1988, when the series was being transmitted by our national broadcasting service. At first I didn´t find the premise all that promising - two divorced mothers and their respective offspring sharing an apartment and their lives in New York.

I must have watched the initial episode at least 12 times before I decided to keep the recording.

What made me change my mind? First of all, there were the sterling performances by most of the actors, Jane Curtin and Susan St. James in particular. Slowly I began to appreciate that this series was not only funny, it dealt with real, everyday issues in a non-preachy way.

And finally - what REALLY convinced of me of the show´s high quality was the Queen of Deadpan herself, Jane Curtin. (So called by John Lithgow, her co-star in the current hit series "3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN, no less!) She can make even duff lines shine with her spot-on delivery.