Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries - United States: Beau Bridges and Helen Shaver

United States aired from March until April 1980 on NBC.

Produced by Larry Gelbart, who had developed MASH for tv nearly a decade earlier, United States was supposed to be a breakthrough in its blending of drama and comedy to explore the joys and the problems of contemporary marriage. Richard and Libby Chapin ( Beau Bridges, Helen Shaver),were a young, middle-class couple with 2 young children named Dylan and Nicky ( Rossie Harris, Justin Dana), and most of the action took place in their home. The series was certainly not a typical situation comedy. The frank discussions of problems, the open hostilities and the inability to often reach long-term solutions all made difficult the Chapin's search for " United States," those moments when they felt at one with each other, a single enity. The subjects they discussed included death and dying , Libby's reunion with an old family friend who had molested her when she was 8, the mixed feelings they had had about becoming parents, their differing attitudes about their sexual relationship, and the admission that each of them had been unfaithful. Far from being funny, United States was often tedious, boring, and didactic. Viewers turned out in droves. It lasted less than 2 months

For a Page dedicated to Helen Shaver go to http://legacyweb.com/cast_n_crew/helenshaver/

For more on United States go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_(TV_series)