Mr. Smith is an American sitcom that aired on Fridays at 8:00 pm ET on NBC from September 23 through December 16, 1983. The title character was a talking orangutan.[1] Mr. Smith was canceled after thirteen episodes had been aired.
The orangutan who played Mr. Smith had previously been featured in the 1978 film Every Which Way But Loose and its 1980 sequel Any Which Way You Can.[2]
Synopsis
Originally a part of a traveling act called the Atwood Orangutans, Cha Cha and Bobo are separated from their trainer Tommy Atwood (Tim Dunigan) after he is knocked unconscious in a car accident while the act is traveling from Arizona to California. Frightened by the commotion caused by the accident, Cha Cha and Bobo both run away. Cha Cha is eventually found and sent to a government research center in Washington, D.C.. Weeks later, Cha Cha escapes from the center and ends up in a research lab where he finds an experimental mixture to increase human intelligence being developed. After drinking the mixture, Cha Cha is able to talk (his voice was provided by series executive producer Ed. Weinberger)[3] and is later determined to have an I.Q of 256. He is then renamed Mr. Smith and, due to his high intelligence, becomes a political adviser. Mr. Smith's old trainer Tommy later becomes his assistant while Mr. Smith attempts to solve various political problems and his surrounding staff, which includes his secretary Raymond Holyoke (Leonard Frey), attempt to keep his identity hidden from the general public.
Mr. Smith's premiere episode brought in a weak 12.1/22 rating/share and ranked 47th out of 57 shows that week [4] and was panned by critics. Viewership decreased as the season progressed and the series was canceled (along with seven other NBC series) on December 14, 1983.[5][6][7]
Cast
- Leonard Frey as Raymond Holyoke
- Tim Dunigan as Tommy Atwood
- Terri Garber as Dr. July Tyson
- Laura Jacoby as Ellie Atwood
- Stuart Margolin as Dr. Klein
US television ratings
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank |
Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | |||||
| 1 | 13 | September 23, 1983 | TBD | September 16, 2013 | TBD | 1983-84 | 95 | [8] |
Episode list
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to Washington: Part 1" | Unknown | Unknown | September 23, 1983 |
| 2 | "Welcome to Washington: Part 2" | |||
| 3 | "Mr. Smith Finds His Brother" | Unknown | Unknown | September 30, 1983 |
| 4 | "Mr. Smith Operates" | Ed. Weinberger | David Lloyd | October 14, 1983 |
| 5 | "Mr. Smith Rescues Bobo" | Gerald Hirschfeld | Al Aidekman | October 21, 1983 |
| 6 | "Mr. Smith Falls in Love" | Gerald Hirschfeld | David Lloyd | October 28, 1983 |
| 7 | "Mr. Smith Gets Physical" | Unknown | Unknown | November 4, 1983 |
| 8 | "Goodbye, Mr. Smith" | Unknown | Unknown | November 11, 1983 |
| 9 | "Mr. Smith Loses a Friend" | Unknown | Unknown | November 18, 1983 |
| 10 | "Mr. Smith Plays Cyrano" | Unknown | Unknown | November 25, 1983 |
| 11 | "Mr. Smith Makes a Commercial" | Unknown | Unknown | December 2, 1983 |
| 12 | "Mr. Smith Goes Public" | Unknown | Unknown | December 16, 1983 |
| 13 | "Mr. Smith Goes to Court" | TBD | TBD | 1983 or Unaired? |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) | Patrick Williams (For episode "Mr. Smith Falls in Love") |
Nominated | |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Laura Jacoby | Nominated | ||
| Best New Television Series | Mr. Smith | Nominated | |||
| 1985 | Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Laura Jacoby | Nominated |
References
- ^ Bedell, Sally. "NBC Schedules Nine New Programs for Fall," The New York Times, Wednesday, May 11, 1983. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 789. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- ^ Brant, Marley (2006). Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms, 1974-1984. Billboard Books. p. 260. ISBN 0-8230-8933-9.
- ^ "10 Of The Most Outlandish TV Concepts Ever - TVObscurities". Television Obscurities. August 16, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Sally Bedell. "NBC Revises Prime-Time Schedule," The New York Times, Thursday, December 15, 1983. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ "Television Obscurities - 10 Of The Most Outlandish TV Concepts Ever". tvobscurities.com. January 1, 2004. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- ^ Shah, Diane K. (October 25, 1987). "Starting Over: TV's Grant Tinker". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- ^ "1983-84 Ratings History -- The Networks Are Awash in a Bubble Bath of Soaps". Archived from the original on December 5, 2017.