Billy (1979 TV series)

*Billy*
Billy
Genre	Sitcom
Based on	Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse &; Willis Hall
Directed by	John Rich
Starring	Steve Guttenberg; Peggy Pope; James Gallery; Paula Trueman; Michael Alaimo; Bruce Talkington
Opening theme	"You Could Be The Only One"; performed by Ray Kennedy
Composer	Earle Hagen
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	7
Production
Producer	John Rich
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	John Rich Productions; 20th Century Fox Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	February 26 –; April 28, 1979

Billy is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from February 26 to April 28, 1979. The series was based on Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall's 1960 British play Billy Liar and their 1973-74 TV series of the same name.

Synopsis

Billy stars Steve Guttenberg as Billy Fisher, a mortician's clerk with a tendency to daydream. His Walter Mitty-like tendency would have him imagining that he was a famous surgeon, a rock superstar, a disk jockey, a television network executive, or a football star. Each episode of Billy had at least two of his fantasies, which included appearances by Don Adams, Suzanne Somers, Larry Csonka, Merv Griffin, and Lou Ferrigno.

Peggy Pope and James Gallery portray Billy's often-frustrated parents (she thought Billy had a vivid imagination; he viewed Billy as a chronic, compulsive liar). Paula Trueman played his grandmother, who believed that Billy was insane, Bruce Talkington played Billy's friend Arthur Milliken, a fellow worker at Shadrack and Shadrack funeral home and Michael Alaimo as Billy's employer.^[1]

Reception

Billy replaced Co-Ed Fever in CBS' Monday night lineup during February 1979, when the latter series was cancelled after one episode. Billy did only slightly better and was cancelled two months later, its last episode broadcast by CBS on April 28, 1979. It ranked 76th out of 114 shows that season, with an average 15.0/24 rating/share.^[2]

Episode list

Nº	Title	Original air date
1	"Pilot"	February 26, 1979 (1979-02-26)
2	"My Son the Doctor"	March 5, 1979 (1979-03-05)
3	"Showbiz"	March 12, 1979 (1979-03-12)
4	"Computer Dating"	March 24, 1979 (1979-03-24)
5	"Camping Trip"	March 31, 1979 (1979-03-31)
6	"Disco"	April 21, 1979 (1979-04-21)
7	"Dream Date"	April 28, 1979 (1979-04-28)

References

^ "The Herald-News from Passaic, New Jersey - 82". The Herald-News. March 18, 1979. p. 82.
^ American Radio History ^{[dead link]}

Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4., Retrieved July 23, 2024. p. 146
Ausiello, Michael (2006). TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-7572-9.