Turnabout (partially lost NBC sitcom; 1979)

Series title featured in the introduction sequence.

Status: Partially Found

Turnabout was a short-lived American sitcom created by Steven Bochco and Michael Rhodes that aired on NBC from January 26th, 1979 to March 30th of the same year. It was based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Thorne Smith, also adapted into a film in 1940.

Premise

The cast, clockwise from top left: Geoffrey St. James, Sam Alston, Penny Alston, Al Brennan, Judy Overmeyer, and Jack Overmeyer.

Married couple Sam (John Schuck) and Penny (Sharon Gless) both envy the other’s life; he’s a sportswriter, she’s a cosmetics executive. After Penny purchases a Buddha-like statue with magical powers, that night she wishes that they could change places with each other. The next morning, they discover that that wish has come true: they’ve switched places, but Sam is now in Penny’s body, and Penny is in his. The two try to live each other’s lives without anyone else finding out - confusing both her boss, Geoffrey St. James, and his boss, Al Brennan - in the process. The couple’s neighbours, the Overmeyer’s, are equally perplexed by the notable changes. Throughout all of this, the husband and wife try to discover how to reactivate the statue, so they can switch back to normal.

Reception

The series was one of 36 new shows released by the three major networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) during the infamous TV mid-season of 1979. It lasted 7 episodes, before being cancelled due to poor ratings. This was in part due to airing after the poorly rated Hello, Larry, and competing with CBS hit Dallas.

Avaliability

Out of the 7 produced episodes, 5 are available online, albeit in poor quality. Copies of every episode are currently held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, but have not been released publicly.

Episodes

#	Episode Title	Air Date	Status
1	Turnabout	January 26, 1979	Found
2	Penny’s Old Boyfriend	February 2, 1979	Found
3	We’re a Little Late, Folks	February 9, 1979	Found
4	Cry Me a Touchdown	February 16, 1979	Found
5	Til Dad Do Us Part	March 9, 1979	Found
6	Crass Reunion	March 23, 1979	Lost
7	Statutory Theft	March 30, 1979	Lost

“Turnabout”, “Penny’s Old Boyfriend”, “Till Dad Do Us Part”, and “Statutory Theft” were later re-cut and compiled into a single TV Movie by The Disney Channel, titled Magic Statue. It has yet to surface online in any form.

Gallery

The show’s intro.

Promo advertising the series premiere.

The previous promo but slightly extended (starts at 12:16).

Clip of Rick Springfield’s Appearance in “Til Dad Do Us Part”.

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  Ad for the series in TV Guide.

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  Promo photo.

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  Promo photo for the episode "Crass Reunion".

External Links

• Wikipedia page for Turnabout. Retrieved 18 Aug '21
• IMDB page for the series. Retrieved 18 Aug '21
• KXAS-TV/NBC news report with footage from the series premiere. Retrieved 18 Aug '21
• Washington Post review for the show. Retrieved 18 Aug '21