‘Who’s The Boss?’ Sequel With Tony Danza & Alyssa Milano In Works At Sony Pictures Television
EXCLUSIVE: One of the most beloved television comedies is making a comeback. A Who’s the Boss? sequel is in development at Sony Pictures Television.
Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano are on board to reprise their iconic roles as Tony and Samantha Micelli, a father/daughter relationship that families around the world grew up with over the course of 196 episodes on ABC from 1984-92.
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The show averaged more than 33 million live viewers per episode during its eight-season run on ABC and went on to be a big hit in U.S. and international syndication. Who’s the Boss? was progressive in its depiction of a modern family in the ’80s with a reversal of gender roles and stereotypes. The show was nominated for 10 Emmys and five Golden Globes.
The new show will take place 30 years after the events of the original series, centered around former Major League Baseball player/retired housekeeper Tony Micelli and his relationship with his daughter Samantha Micelli. She is now a single mother, living in the house the original series was set in. In line with Norman Lear’s classic shows, the new comedy will explore generational differences, as well as opposing world views and parenting styles within the dynamic of a modern family in 2020.
Original cast members Judith Light (Angela) and Danny Pintauro (Jonathan) are supportive of the new series, and the hope is to find creative ways to work them and their characters into the show. The cast remains very close to this day. The other standout cast member, Katherine Helmond (Mona), passed away on February 23, 2019.
The deal comes at a time when some of the biggest streaming hits are classic half-hour comedies from past decades, comfort food and a reminder for some of a simpler time. Series like Friends, The Office and Seinfeld are still huge draws and a redrawn Fuller House just completed a successful run on Netflix.
Who’s the Boss? is part of Norman Lear’s extensive library under his Embassy Communications banner that was sold to The Coca Cola Company in 1985 and is now owned by Sony Pictures Television.
The sequel will be Executive Produced by Lear, his producing partner Brent Miller of ACT III Productions and Dan Farah of Farah Films, who brought the updated take to Sony with Danza and Milano attached. Danza and Milano will also serve as Executive Producers.
The project will eventually be shopped to buyers with the opportunity to also license the 196 episodes of the original series.
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