Classic Television - Prime Time

The Good Life

Original channel

NBC

Original run

September 18, 1971 – January 8, 1972

Starring

Larry Hagman

Donna Mills

David Wayne

Hermione Baddeley

The Good Life is an American situation comedy which was aired on NBC as part of its 1971-72 lineup. The series stars Larry Hagman and Donna Mills, and was produced by Lorimar, in association with Screen Gems.

The Good Life is the story of a middle class American couple, the Millers (Hagman and Mills), who had tired of their mundane existence. However, instead of following the time-honored premise of "hitting the road" to seek adventure or engaging in a stereotypical period activity such as joining a communal farm, they decided to seek new employment as the live-in butler and cook of millionaire industrialist, Charles Dutton. He noticed that they were not particularly talented at their jobs but found them to be agreeable enough. Their limited skills most definitely were not enough for his stuffy sister Grace, however, and she constantly worked to get them fired. Dutton's teenaged son Nick was the only one aware of what the Millers were doing in their new roles but found great fun in their situation and he began helping them to become accustomed to the social etiquette of high society and the wealthy in an effort to improve their skills in their roles.

This program did not garner much of an audience and it was cancelled at midseason. It was replaced by the action drama, Emergency!.

A decade later, Hagman and Mills were reunited onscreen when he guest starred on Knots Landing, on which Mills had become a series regular in 1980. Being a spin-off from Dallas, Hagman played J. R. Ewing, who was often in cahoots with Mills' character Abby Cunningham. Both series were also Lorimar productions. David Wayne would also reunite with Hagman on Dallas where he originated role of Willard "Digger" Barnes.

The British television series released as Good Neighbors in American syndication was originally titled The Good Life in the United Kingdom, but changed its name for American audiences to avoid confusion with this earlier series.