Too Close for Comfort

This was probably Ted Knight's second most famous role behind that of Ted Baxter. This show allowed him to pretty much play a role that was totally the opposite of that character. While Baxter was an annoying and vain dim bulb, Henry was more or less a very intelligent man who had a hard time dealing with the changing world around him. Also, the running gag on the show was that he was still trying to get over the fact that his daughters were growing up and that even though they technically didn't live in "his" house, they still were under the same roof. Also, Nancy Dussault was great in the role of Muriel. She pretty much was the middle ground between Henry's conservatism and the girl's more liberal attitude. The only thing that keeps it from being more fondly remembered is Jm J. Bullock as Monroe. He and the character of Steve Urkel were two of the most annoying characters ever created for television.

Finally Ted Knight got a hit show, the last Mary Tyler Moore alum to do so. While hardly top-notch, this sitcom was nonetheless a great 80s memory for me. Sure Jim J. Bullock was annoying as hell, but Ted Knight was good for a chuckle as Henry Rush, and watching his two on-screen daughters jiggle around didn't hurt either. The only drawback is that I now always refer to the memory of Ted's on-screen wife as "Murual" ...and only recently realized the actress had a real name: Nancy Dassault. And that theme song is just oh-so-80s.

Ted Knight played cartoonist, Henry Rush, who lives with his photographer wife, Muriel, in a two family home in San Francisco, California. The series opens up with the loss of their downstairs tenant, Mr. Rafkin, who was a transvestite. Selma Diamond played his sister. Henry and Muriel's adult daughters, Jackie and Sara, lived with them in their two bedroom apartment upstairs. It would be sensible for the girls as they were called to move downstairs. The actresses who played the daughters were fine. Nancy Dussault is ideal as Muriel. Jim J. Bullock played the annoying Monroe Ficus. While there were plenty of memorable moments between Monroe and Henry, there were tender moments between him and Muriel and his daughters. Audrey Meadows joined the show as Muriel's adopted mother. There were lots of friendly, light moments mixed with heavy issues as well. But there was a general tenderness there that isn't in today's sitcoms.

I first saw "Too Close for Comfort" last fall as reruns on a local WLVI-TV in Boston.Ted Knight, in his last TV role, was excellent in the role of Henry Rush, cartoonist of "Cosmic Cow". Oh sure.....I also thought Henry's wife Muriel and and two grown up daughters Sara and Jackie added comic relief but my all time favorite character has to be Monroe Ficus (JM J. Bullock) who was a very geeky and stupid person. He became a very big part of Henry's family in later episodes originally passed as Sara's student friend from college.

need i say more, this show is from the 80s, its already a classic. this show is hilarious. this show was also the most popular show in 1981.

Henry Rush, a conservative San Francisco cartoonist of children's comic book heroine, Cosmic Cow, resided in the upstairs apartment of a two story home with wife, Muriel, a former big band singer, (which allowed us to occasionally hear Nancy Dussault's terrific voice), and free-lance photographer. Their college-aged daughters, pretty brunette Jackie, a bank teller and sexy blonde Sara, a freshman at San Francisco State, wanting independence, moved into the downstairs apartment. Guys came and went and Henry agonized over his 2 "little girls".Other characters in the show included Henry's boss, tiny Mr. Wainwright, Monroe, Sara's goofy school friend and thorn in Henry's side, Mildred Rafkin, the sister of the deceased former transvestite downstairs resident and Henry's Cosmic Cow puppet, which he always wore when he was drawing.During the subsequent seasons, Henry's hippie niece April stayed with the family for a year, Muriel became pregnant and gave birth to son, Andrew, Henry's hated mother-in-law Iris was a semi-regular, Jackie became a fashion designer and was engaged to a policeman, Brad, but broke the engagement, and went to Italy to pursue her career. Sara became a TV weather girl and eventually Monroe and she graduated from college.When the show's title changed from "Too Close for Comfort" to "The Ted Knight Show", there was a huge format change. Henry purchased a 49% share in a weekly newspaper, the Marin Bugler, and Muriel, Andrew and he moved to Mill Valley, CA to be closer to his new business. Jackie and Sara were not seen as they were now on their own. Monroe, who had lived with the Rush family in San Francisco and worked as a security guard, worked for Henry at the newspaper, but had his own place, which was never seen. The Rushes' gained a Hispanic housekeeper, Lisa, and the publisher of the Bugler, 51% owner, Hope Stinson, who enjoyed her conflicts with Henry, the editor. Muriel worked as a staff photographer. "The Ted Knight Show" was due to go into its second season of production when its star, who was ill with cancer, passed away.