My Two Dads

I've read through these comments, all bashing MTD's, but for me growing with two homosexual fathers, the show was a godsend! There, once a week, was a family that looked and acted just like mine - except I didn't have a neighbor like Dick Butkus, he-he. Greg Evigan and Paul Reiser had this unspoken sexual chemistry, just like my father's, Stan and Randy (though sometimes their chemistry was more that just unspoken but that's a story for Dr. Phil!). MTD's quickly became my life. I collected the entire set of trading cards (sold only in Israel), the backpack, and the hair gell endorsed by Greg Evigan at the time (for a firm, stylish hold...). Really, the only thing I can say to sirs, Evigan and Reiser, "Thank you, my two sweet princes."

Childhood best friends Michael Taylor (Paul Reiser) and Joey Harris (Greg Evigan) have been estranged since fighting over girlfriend Marcy Bradford thirteen years earlier. They are brought in to the reading of her will. They are shocked to discover that they both inherited her 12 year old daughter Nicole Bradford (Staci Keanan). The father is biologically indeterminate. Michael is a stuffy financial advisor and Joey is the irresponsible free-spirit artist. They move into Michael's artistic loft. Judge Margaret W. Wilbur oversees their case and also owns Michael's apartment building. They often hang out at a local diner owned by Ed Klawicki (Dick Butkus). Cory Kupkus (Giovanni Ribisi) has a crush on Nicole while she has a crush on Zach Nichols (Chad Allen). Shelby Haskell (Amy Hathaway) is her wild friend.

It's a bright neon 80's family sitcom with an odd premise. The judge makes no sense. Here's my idea. The two guys can move into the Bradford home. The judge is the neighbor friend which is why she is the executor of the estate and often comes over to their home. Instead, she's just randomly the owner of Joey's building and even takes over Klawicki's diner. Paternity testing became much more accurate during the 80's although popular culture may not have caught up. They do eventually tackle the issue in season three. The premise is convoluted but ultimately harmless. The show is passable. There is missed opportunity to pair up Cory with Shelby. Reiser does a few slightly funny things. Evigan is a good foil for him. The girl is cute and sweet. It's way too early to do a gay couple parenting a kid. Instead, we're doing Three Men and a Baby in a network sitcom. Just in case anyone is wondering. This show came first. I watched this back in the day. It's not that memorable or outstanding. I remember a few episodes and definitely the bright 80's neon-art loft apartment. Otherwise, this is a mostly forgotten show with a memorable name.

The show's premise about a young single mother dies leaving orphan Staci Keanan to be raised by two potential fathers who are very opposite of one another. They are played by a former hometown resident Greg Evigan and Paul Reiser. The Judge who put them together is played by the wonderful Florence Stanley. Okay, the plot may have been dumb but something clicked on this show about two very different men who are not gay raising a daughter in New York City. Of course, a simple blood test would determine who the father was but it was more important that it did not matter after awhile. That family can be redefined about people who love and care for each other. The show also had the two fathers date women. Of course, now the show would be about two gay men raising a daughter which would have left the fire out of them trying to get along and live together as a family. Isn't family about people who love each other after all?

This was a great show in the tradition of The Wonder Years and Silver Spoons. Really good characters, particularly 12 year old Nicole. I'm sure there are many who would disagree with me but it leaves Friends in the dust. Nicole's two fathers Michael and Joey do a lot for the show too and her young friend Cory (a great kid also) and Judge Wilber certainly contribute also. My favourite episodes are Nicole's Big Adventure, Crime and Punishment, Advice and Consent and Nicole's First Date. I've really enjoyed the first season on DVD and I now have season 2 on order. I'm not sure if season 3 has been released on DVD yet. If not then I hope it will be at sometime because this is one of those shows you just can't get enough of.

When my wife and I married in 1985, I became the step-father of an eight-year old girl, whom I have raised as my own. At the time she had recently been adopted by another man because she never met her real father. In a sense, she now had two dads. When the show aired we had been in this situation for three years. This show gave her a connection to the rest of the world because she thought she was the only kids with two dads. The man who had adopted her was very money-oriented and I am an artist, so she felt a real connection to Nichole. I hated to see the series end because it was a great source of excitement for my daughter and it made me feel like our whole situation was not so abnormal. Although the show was a comedy, it made a lot serious statements about life and how to deal with situations as they are thrust upon you.