''I Had Three Wives'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

television series that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

from August 14 to September 11, 1985. The series' lead was

Victor Garber Victor Garber, (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian stage and film actor and singer. Known for his work on stage and screen, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2022, he was made an ...

in his first starring role on television.

Plot

The series follows Los Angeles-based "eternally romantic" private investigator Jackson Beaudine (Victor Garber) who leverages the skills of his three ex-wives to help solve cases. His first wife, Mary, who has remarried and who also has custody of Jackson's 10-year-old son Andrew, is a lawyer. Second wife, Samantha, is an actress with skills in disguise and martial arts. And his third wife, Liz, is a newspaper reporter with a number of useful contacts.

Cast

Main

as Jackson Beaudine * Teri Copley as Samantha * Shanna Reed as Liz * Maggie Cooper as Mary Beaudine Parker *

David Faustino David Anthony Faustino (; born March 3, 1974) is an American actor who played Bud Bundy on the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children''. He has also voiced animated characters for Nickelodeon, including Mako on ''The Legend of Korra'' and Heli ...

as Andrew Beaudine

Recurring

* Luis Avalos as Lt. Gomez

Production

Six episodes were produced, but only five episodes were aired during summer 1985 as the pilot episode of the series was never aired. Bill Bixby was among those who directed an episode of the series. ''I Had Three Wives'' was one of four television shows that were part of an early experiment by

to program original series during summer.

Episodes

Reception

Howard Rosenberg of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' reviewed ''I Had Three Wives'' negatively, calling the comedy/mystery series "...thin-plotted idiocy, a sort of citified Sleuths of Hazzard..." Rosenberg later reported that the series earned "weak ratings" during its summer run, which likely damaged its chances for renewal. The final episode of the series, aired on September 13, ranked 53rd for the week of September 9–15, 1985, earning a 10.5 rating.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, tt0088539, I Had Three Wives 1980s American comedy-drama television series 1985 American television series debuts 1985 American television series endings Television shows set in Los Angeles American English-language television shows Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios CBS comedy-dramas