Bridget Loves Bernie

A standard 70s sitcom, in most ways. I remember it as having the standard "wacky" plots and few, if any, real surprises. It was a cute show. I was prompted to look it up today because of the parallel nature of the plot with the more current "Dharma and Greg". Just replace Catholic with Hippie and Jewish with Staunch Republican.

I'm surprised that CBS actually caved-in to cancel a popular show, just due to hate mail. I didn't know anybody at the time that even remotely considered this fluffy, light entertainment program to be controversial, or shocking. If CBS had any sense, they would have played up the controversy to boost the ratings. No apologies!

It was simply a "feel good" show about a couple who lived in an apartment over a delicatessen who had nosy, annoying parents.

I remember watching Bridget Loves Bernie when we moved from New Jersey to Minnesota in 1972. It was an outstanding comedy that CBS put in its Saturday night lineup between two classics All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It had the potential to be a hit.

Unfortunately, viewer protests.over interfaith marriage and complaints from religious groups contributed to the network axing the show after one season.

The show had an outstanding cast anchored by David Birney as Bernie and Meredith Baxter as Bridget. Portraying Bernie's parents were Harold J. Stone and Bibi Osterwald. Bridget's parents were played by David Doyle and Audra Lindley. There was Robert Sampson as Bridget's brother Michael, a priest and William Elliott as Bernie's friend Otis.

Even the show lasted only one season, Birney and Baxter fell in love in real life and got married. Unfortunately, they got divorced. Baxter Birney would go on to play Elyse Keaton in Family Ties.

If you have never seen Bridget Loves Bernie, you can find it on Crackle. Though interfaith marriage was controversial in the 1970s, it's much more accepted today and you'll enjoy seeing a sitcom that got cancelled too soon.

As an impressionable 10 year old, I liked the "love conquers all" philosophy of the 70s sitcom "Bridget Loves Bernie." I did understand the controversy, which was about the romantic complications between a Jewish cab driver (David Birney) and an Irish Catholic school teacher (Meredith Baxter) and both sets of parents (Harold J. Stone and Bibi Osterwald as Bernie's parents; Audra Lindley and David Doyle as Bridget's parents) who have issues with the young couple's interfaith marriage.

Looking at the show now with years of personal life experiences, I am amazed that the show was even a success for one, albeit, highly-rated season. Created by veteran TV writer Bernard Slade, who a few years after the show's cancellation would write the successful play "Same Time, Next Year", "Bridget Loves Bernie" was a very light, superficial comedy that collapsed under its own airy weight.

There was no denying the real-life chemistry between Birney and Baxter. But, in later years, both actors have shown that they are better actors in other projects (Birney in his short-lived role in "St. Elsewhere" and Baxter in "Family" and "Family Ties"). Here, they were trying to breathe life in a show that needed a much gritter comic edge, which might have given the complications more depth to a very controversial subject.

The show aired Saturday nights between two CBS powerhouses: "All in the Family" and "Mary Tyler Moore". Both of those shows were smart, funny and had enough of an edge (more so on the former that the latter) that kept my interest in the situation and the characters. "Bridget Loves Bernie" was not very smart and only had some occasional chuckles.

This was another example of a show that really was not as good as I remembered.

I remember watching Bridget Loves Bernie. It was controversial at the time and received lots of hate mail. That was the reason CBS canceled the show. It wouldn't happen today. There have been interfaith marriages on TV since then. Soap Operas have been doing it for years. This is was a show about a teacher who happened to be from a wealthy Irish Catholic Family and cab driver who was Jewish. His parents owned a deli. Both families were upset about it at first but as each Bridget's family got to know Bernie and Bernie's family got to know Bridget, they accepted the marriage. David Birney, who played Bernie Steinberg, is as Irish as The Kennedys.

I haven't seen this show since it was first shown on CBS in the '70's. I'm sure we'll never see this show on DVD. How about airing it on TV LAND??

"Bridget loves Bernie" didn't last too long, only one season. It lasted long enough to make stars of David Birney and Meredith Baxter(Family Ties). The chemistry between the two made it worth watching. I guess falling in love while making the show help too. They were married shortly after the show was cancelled.

I guess the subject of a Jew marrying a Catholic girl was too hot a subject back then for TV to handle. Hey, it's still a hot topic today in some circles. Love is love people.