The Torkelsons

infobox television
show_name = The Torkelsons/Almost Home


caption = "Almost Home" logo
format = Comedy
runtime = approx. 00:22:00 (per episode)
creator = Lynn Montgomery
starring = Connie Ray
Olivia Burnette
Lee Norris
Anna Slotky (1991-1992)
William Schallert (1991-1992)
Aaron Michael Metchik (1991-1992)
Rachel Duncan Paige Gosney (1991-1992)
Michael Landes (1991-1992)
Brittany Murphy (1993)
Jason Marsden (1993)
Perry King (1993)
country = USA
network = NBC
first_aired = September 21, 1991
last_aired = June 6, 1993
num_episodes = 33
imdb_id = 0101223
tv_com_id = 919|

"The Torkelsons", produced by Walt Disney Television is an American sitcom which aired on the NBC television network from September 1991 to June 1992, starring Connie Ray, Olivia Burnette and William Schallert. A sequel of the series, "Almost Home", from Touchstone Television was broadcasted from February to June of 1993.

Plot

Living in Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma, Millicent Torkelson did what she could to survive financially, after her husband, Randy (Gregg Henry) left the family. Randy later returned and was seen in several episodes, and the two parents ended up divorcing. The pilot episode deals with Millicent being so far in debt that she even has furniture in her home repossessed. In order to support her family, Millicent gets a boarder named Wesley Hodges (William Schallert) who ends up living with them for the year in the house basement.

Millicent's children were 14-year-old Dorothy Jane (Olivia Burnette), sweet and exceptionally articulate for her age, who also served running commentary throughout the show by having talks with the "Man on the Moon" by her bedroom window; 12-year-old Steven Floyd (Aaron Michael Metchik), the athletic second oldest; 10-year-old Ruth Ann (Anna Slotky); 8-year-old Chuckie Lee (Lee Norris), the bug collector, always recognizable with his thick-rimmed glasses; and the youngest, 6-year-old Mary Sue (Rachel Duncan), who acted as if nothing was ever wrong. The pilot also involves Dorothy Jane meeting the new neighbor for the first time, 18-year-old Riley Roberts (Michael Landes), and becoming completely infatuated with him. Another neighbor of the Torkelsons was Kirby Scroggins (Paige Gosney), a pesky but well-meaning teenage boy clad in plaid who was forever chasing a disinterested Dorothy Jane (think of a much less nerdier, white version of Steve Urkel). Dorothy Jane is also quite embarrassed by her family and their situation, even though she would never let someone else make fun of them.

The pilot also featured Ernie Lively as J.W., a butcher who is smitten with Millicent. In the pilot episode, Benj Thall and Elizabeth Poyer played Steven Floyd and Ruth Ann Torkelson. All these actors were originally going to be part of the show, as they were credited in the pilot's opening sequence, but thereafer, the children were subsequently recast and the character of J.W. was dropped entirely.

"Almost Home"

After ending in June 1992, the story was later picked up in the "sequel", "Almost Home", in February 1993. In this series, the family could no longer afford to be living in their own house. Millicent Torkelson got a job as a nanny in Seattle, Washington. In this series, Steven Floyd and Ruth Ann did not appear nor were mentioned. Millicent took the other three children to live with Brian Morgan (Perry King) and his two kids; Gregory (Jason Marsden) and Molly (Brittany Murphy). Brian ran a successful clothing catalog/magazine titled "Molly Gregory", a business started by his late wife and so-named after both his children. The novel practice of having Dorothy Jane talk to the Man on the Moon about her issues and dreams from her bedroom window remained. This incarnation of the show ended in June 1993.

Trivia

*Series creator Lynn Montgomery, in her youth, had her first boyfriend in a real-life Steven Floyd Torkelson. In addition to giving Ms. Montgomery her first kiss, Steven Floyd also shared with her his love for collecting bugs. These details would stay with Montgomery through the years, so much to the point that when she received a sitcom development deal with NBC in 1991, she reveled in the prospect of using the name Torkelson for her fictional TV family. In another homage to her first love, she gave the character of Chuckie Lee Torkelson the hobby of bug collecting.
*The theme song for "The Torkelsons" was a moving ballad performed by Naomi and Wynonna Judd. The "Almost Home" theme featured a primary male vocalist and a female backup singer performing the song "Life Turns"; this theme was more uptempo than the one sang by The Judds, and also didn't have as much of a country feel as the series relocated to Seattle.
*Comedian Drew Carey guest starred in an episode of "The Torkelsons", in what was his very first appearance in a TV sitcom.
*Ben Affleck appeared in one episode of "Almost Home". He was a football player that Dorothy Jane fell in love with. Ironically, Affleck would appear as a high school football player on another NBC series the following season, in "Against the Grain".
*"The Torkelsons" was shot on film, while "Almost Home" was done on tape in front of a studio audience. The change in production during the "Almost Home" season was because of a new show-running team taking over, led by Michael Jacobs ("Charles in Charge", "My Two Dads"). All of Jacobs' programs were known for being shot on videotape. Plus, regardless of the set and location of the show being changed in the second year, the show began to take on a lot more of a Jacobs-style feel in the writing and overall look. This was opposed to the rustic-like atmosphere and razor-sharp adult humor which often defined "The Torkelsons".
*After "Almost Home" was cancelled, Michael Jacobs decided to take Lee Norris under his wing; he cast the young actor in his new ABC series "Boy Meets World", which premiered the following season. Although Norris only lasted one season on the latter show, his character of geeky Stuart Minkus remains popular among fans of "World". At the conclusion of the show's fifth season, Norris did reprise the role of Minkus in a two-shot guest spot.
*The Disney Channel aired reruns of "The Torkelsons" and "Almost Home" on their weekday and weekend lineups from January 1994 to late 1999. All Disney Channel advertising for the shows packaged both seasons under the "Torkelsons" name; however, when the "Almost Home" episodes aired in circulation, the title was never altered in the opening credits. It was through these cable reruns that the complete series actually became popular among younger viewers, and even more so when former cast members such as Michael Landes, Brittany Murphy and Jason Marsden each became successful in their own careers.

External links

* [http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/torkelsons-general-comments/2017 Jump The Shark - The Torkelsons/Almost Home]
* [http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=122 Sitcoms Online Message Boards > 1990's Sitcoms > The Torkelsons]