Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends
Encyclopedia
Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends was an hour-long daytime talk/variety show that ran on ABC
from June 10, 1996 to May 30, 1997. The series was produced by Viacom Productions
.
, who gained fame as the comedy duo known as The Mommies
. The show offered lighter fare which consisted of humor, celebrity guests, cooking segments, fashion tips and health issues. The two hosts did not want to use the "Mommies" name for this series, as they had for their previous television effort (a short-lived sitcom for NBC
), for they wanted to use their longtime friendship as the basis for the show.
The program was stunted by heavy pre-emptions or relocation to overnight timeslots by ABC affiliates that had been displeased by the network's previous mid-day lifestyle programming, The Home Show and Mike and Maty
, in addition to tough competition from CBS
's longtime ratings powerhouse The Price is Right
. It also had the disadvantage of being produced by an outside distributor in Viacom, which meant ABC had little to no input on the program's content. The ratings never improved at all from ABC's previous efforts, and the program was canceled two weeks before the first anniversary of its premiere to be replaced by The View, a program featuring ABC News
's Barbara Walters
and completely under the purview of ABC itself, which has remained in the timeslot since.
, Paula, the talent booker, threatened to leave the show after getting an offer to produce Caryl & Marilyn. However, it is not discussed if Paula actually took the job.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from June 10, 1996 to May 30, 1997. The series was produced by Viacom Productions
Viacom Productions
Viacom Productions was a television production company active from 1974 until 2004.-History:*1971: Viacom Enterprises was reincorporated from CBS Enterprises .*1973: Viacom Enterprises was spun-off from CBS....
.
Details
The program was hosted by Marilyn Kentz and Caryl KristensenCaryl Kristensen
Caryl Kristensen is one-half of the comedy troupe The Mommies. The duo had a half-hour sitcom, called The Mommies, that ran from 1993–1995 and a daytime talk show called Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends that ran during the 1996-1997 season...
, who gained fame as the comedy duo known as The Mommies
The Mommies
The Mommies is the name of an American female comedy duo whose real-life tales of suburban life, domestication, family, marriage and other odds and ends, would serve as their comedic trademark....
. The show offered lighter fare which consisted of humor, celebrity guests, cooking segments, fashion tips and health issues. The two hosts did not want to use the "Mommies" name for this series, as they had for their previous television effort (a short-lived sitcom for NBC
The Mommies (TV series)
The Mommies is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1993 to June 1995. Produced by Paramount Television, the series ran for two seasons with a total of 38 episodes.-Synopsis:...
), for they wanted to use their longtime friendship as the basis for the show.
The program was stunted by heavy pre-emptions or relocation to overnight timeslots by ABC affiliates that had been displeased by the network's previous mid-day lifestyle programming, The Home Show and Mike and Maty
Mike and Maty
Mike and Maty was a daytime talk show that aired on ABC from April 11, 1994, to June 7, 1996. It was aired weekdays at 11:00 a.m. and was a 60-minute show. ABC aired it as a replacement for The Home Show, a daytime/nighttime informational talk show that aired on ABC from 1988 to 1994.It ran for a...
, in addition to tough competition from CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's longtime ratings powerhouse The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
. It also had the disadvantage of being produced by an outside distributor in Viacom, which meant ABC had little to no input on the program's content. The ratings never improved at all from ABC's previous efforts, and the program was canceled two weeks before the first anniversary of its premiere to be replaced by The View, a program featuring ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
's Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
and completely under the purview of ABC itself, which has remained in the timeslot since.
In pop culture
On the HBO series The Larry Sanders ShowThe Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
, Paula, the talent booker, threatened to leave the show after getting an offer to produce Caryl & Marilyn. However, it is not discussed if Paula actually took the job.