Empty Nest - wikipedia Empty Nest This article is about the TV series. For the Argentine film, see Empty Nest ( film ). For the psychological phenomenon, see Empty nest syndrome. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2015 ) Empty Nest Genre Sitcom Created by Susan Harris Directed by Andy Cadiff Hal Cooper Dinah Manoff Doug Smart Steve Zuckerman Starring Richard Mulligan Kristy McNichol Dinah Manoff David Leisure Park Overall Paul Provenza Lisa Rieffel Marsha Warfield Estelle Getty Theme music composer John Bettis George Tipton Opening theme `` Life Goes On '' performed by Billy Vera Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons 7 No. of episodes 170 ( list of episodes ) Production Executive producer ( s ) Hal Cooper Nina Feinberg Susan Harris Gary Jacobs Paul Junger Witt Rod Parker Tony Thomas Bob Tischler Producer ( s ) Gil Junger Dennis Snee Steven Sullivan Ursula Ziegler Camera setup Multi-camera Running time 22 -- 24 minutes Production company ( s ) Touchstone Television Witt / Thomas / Harris Productions Distributor Disney - ABC Domestic Television Release Original network NBC Original release October 8, 1988 ( 1988 - 10 - 08 ) -- April 29, 1995 ( 1995 - 04 - 29 ) Chronology Related shows The Golden Girls Nurses Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from October 8, 1988 to April 29, 1995. The series, which was created as a spin - off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris, starred Richard Mulligan as recently widowed pediatrician Dr. Harry Weston, whose two adult daughters return home to live with him. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year 's top 10 most - watched programs. It was produced by Witt / Thomas / Harris Productions in association with Touchstone Television. Empty Nest was part of NBC 's Saturday night block of programming, and during its first four seasons it aired at 9 : 30pm ET, directly following The Golden Girls. Contents 1 History 2 Episodes 3 Cast 3.1 Notable guest stars 4 Production notes 4.1 Theme song 5 Crossovers 6 Syndication 7 Awards 8 See also 9 References 10 External links History An early version of the series initially appeared in the 1987 Golden Girls episode `` Empty Nests '' and was intended to act as a backdoor pilot for the spin - off, which was to begin during the fall 1987 TV season. In the episode, George and Renee Corliss ( played by Paul Dooley and Rita Moreno ), were introduced as the Girls ' neighbors, a middle - aged couple suffering from empty nest syndrome. Their teenage daughter Jenny ( Jane Harnick ), who had left for college, and Renee 's brother Chuck ( Geoffrey Lewis ), also appeared. The Corlisses also had an annoying neighbor played by David Leisure ( although in this version his character was named Oliver ). Ultimately, the series did not go ahead as planned and the premise was later extensively revamped with a new cast before Empty Nest debuted in 1988. The set of the Corlisses ' house, however, was exactly the same as the one that later became the Weston residence. Episodes Main article : List of Empty Nest episodes Season Episodes Originally aired Nielsen ratings First aired Last aired Rank Rating 22 October 8, 1988 ( 1988 - 10 - 08 ) April 1, 1989 ( 1989 - 04 - 01 ) 9 19.2 24 September 30, 1989 ( 1989 - 09 - 30 ) April 28, 1990 ( 1990 - 04 - 28 ) 9 18.9 24 September 22, 1990 ( 1990 - 09 - 22 ) May 11, 1991 ( 1991 - 05 - 11 ) 7 16.7 ( Tied with America 's Funniest Home Videos ) 24 September 21, 1991 ( 1991 - 09 - 21 ) May 2, 1992 ( 1992 - 05 - 02 ) 22 14.3 ( Tied with The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air ) 5 26 September 19, 1992 ( 1992 - 09 - 19 ) May 22, 1993 ( 1993 - 05 - 22 ) N / A N / A 6 26 September 25, 1993 ( 1993 - 09 - 25 ) April 23, 1994 ( 1994 - 04 - 23 ) N / A N / A 7 24 September 24, 1994 ( 1994 - 09 - 24 ) April 29, 1995 ( 1995 - 04 - 29 ) N / A N / A The show revolved around pediatrician Dr. Harry Weston ( Richard Mulligan ), whose life was turned upside down when his wife, Libby, died and two of his adult daughters moved back into the family home in Miami. Early episodes established that The Golden Girls were neighbors of the Westons. Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty all guest - starred as their Golden Girls characters, and Mulligan appeared occasionally on The Golden Girls. In later seasons, Getty would join Empty Nest 's cast as a regular. Eldest daughter Carol ( Dinah Manoff ) was a neurotic, high - strung recent divorcée, while middle daughter Barbara ( Kristy McNichol ) was a tough undercover police officer. The two sisters frequently bickered and vied for the attention of their father, whom they called `` Daddy. '' ( Harry occasionally expressed regret at never having had a son. ) The Westons ' large dog Dreyfuss was also prominently featured. In 1992, McNichol left the show and the youngest Weston daughter, Emily ( Lisa Rieffel ), joined the cast. Her character had not been seen before, but had been mentioned as being away at college. Rieffel left after one season, and for the show 's final two seasons only Carol remained of the Weston children. McNichol returned for the series finale in 1995. Another main character was the Westons ' neighbor, Charley Dietz ( David Leisure ), a womanizing cruise ship employee who frequently barged into the house unannounced to borrow food or make sexist comments. Charley had a father - son relationship with Harry and a love - hate relationship with Carol. Harry 's job was another major focus for the show. For the first five seasons he worked at a hospital, where he was assisted by wisecracking Southern nurse Laverne ( Park Overall ). In season six Harry retired, eventually going to work for a struggling inner - city medical clinic run by the tough - talking Dr. Maxine Douglas ( Marsha Warfield ). Laverne, having been fired by Dr. Weston 's replacement, came to work there as well. Other characters who later joined the cast were Carol 's boyfriend, Patrick ( Paul Provenza ), an artist who was almost as eccentric as she. Patrick convinced the Westons to let him use their empty garage as his new painting studio and, when his relationship with Carol became serious, he eventually moved in altogether. Their romantic bliss was short - lived, as they broke up at the beginning of season six. However, this was not before Carol became pregnant with Patrick 's child ; their son, Scotty, was born in November 1993, and Carol chose to raise the baby on her own. Estelle Getty reprised her Golden Girls character Sophia Petrillo during Empty Nest 's final two seasons ( after the cancellation of The Golden Palace ). It was explained that Sophia had moved back into the nearby Shady Pines retirement home. Cast Cast of 1988 -- 1992 Cast of 1993 -- 1995 Lisa Rieffel ( Emily ) and Paul Provenza ( Patrick ), who appeared in Season Five ( 1992 -- 93 ) do not appear in either cast photo. Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston Dinah Manoff as Carol Weston Kristy McNichol as Barbara Weston ( 1988 -- 1992, 1995 ) David Leisure as Charley Dietz Park Overall as Laverne Todd Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo ( 1993 -- 1995 ) Paul Provenza as Patrick Arcola ( 1992 -- 1993 ) Lisa Rieffel as Emily Weston ( 1993 ) Marsha Warfield as Dr. Maxine Douglas ( 1993 -- 1995 ) Bear the Dog as Dreyfuss Notable guest stars Don Adams Bea Arthur Diana Muldaur Loni Anderson Mayim Bialik Eddie Bracken Garth Brooks Patricia Crowley Angie Dickinson Stephen Dorff Morgan Fairchild Zsa Zsa Gabor Marla Gibbs Bobcat Goldthwait Lee Grant Pat Harrington Phil Hartman Earl Holliman Shirley Jones Gordon Jump Carol Kane Joey Lawrence Mark Linn - Baker Jane Lynch Barbara Mandrell Rue McClanahan Audrey Meadows Edie McClurg Jerry Orbach Luke Perry Matthew Perry Geraldo Rivera Doris Roberts Debra Jo Rupp Peter Scolari Liz Sheridan Yeardley Smith Renée Taylor Jeffrey Tambor Danny Thomas Adrian Zmed Harold Gould Betty White Production notes In 1991, Empty Nest spawned its own spinoff, Nurses, a sitcom about a group of nurses working in the same hospital as Dr. Weston. The three series ( Empty Nest, The Golden Girls and Nurses ) represented one of the few times in American television history that three shows from the same producer, all taking place in the same city and explicitly set up with the characters knowing each other from the very beginning, aired on the same network in one night. On at least two occasions, Harris wrote storylines which carried through all three series as fictional crossovers. Theme song The show 's theme song was `` Life Goes On '', written by John Bettis and George Tipton and performed by Billy Vera. For the first three seasons, the song was presented in a slower, more melancholy yet comical arrangement. The original opening titles sequence showed Harry Weston taking Dreyfuss for a walk around town, with still images of the other regular cast members shown as they were credited. When the third season began, a new opening sequence debuted, made up of footage from the series ' episodes showing each of the regular cast members. For the final four seasons the theme song was presented in a higher, more upbeat arrangement with female backup singers ; the titles sequence style introduced in the third season remained. Crossovers The following is a list of Empty Nest episodes featuring characters from The Golden Girls or Nurses. Season One Episode 4 : `` Fatal Attraction '' -- Blanche Devereaux from The Golden Girls Episode 10 : `` Libby 's Gift '' -- Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls Episode 14 : `` Strange Bedfellows '' -- Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls Episode 17 : `` Dumped '' -- Dorothy Zbornak from The Golden Girls Season Two Episode 6 : `` Rambo of Neiman Marcus '' -- Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls Season Four Episode 8 : `` Windy '' -- Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls Episode 20 : `` Dr. Weston and Mr. Hyde '' -- Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls Season Five Episode 20 : `` Love and Marriage '' -- Jack Trenton from Nurses Season Six Episode 2 : `` Bye - Bye, Baby... Hello : Part 1 '' -- Casey MacAfee from Nurses Episode 7 : `` Mother Dearest '' -- Casey MacAfee from Nurses Syndication The series ran in syndication from September 1993 to September 2000, shortly before the death of star Richard Mulligan. During this time, Empty Nest aired on TBS from September 16 to December 6, 1996, and on WGN from September 16, 1996 to March 26, 1999, with both stations airing the series as part of the regular syndication run ( both TBS and WGN were superstations ). In the subsequent decade, the series did not air on American television. Hallmark Channel, which also owns the rights to The Golden Girls, picked up the rights to the show in early 2011 and aired it from February 26 to June 26 of that year, but eventually removed it altogether. Upon its launch on April 15, 2015, the new digital sub channel Laff began airing the series. In Canada, the series was rerun by CBC during the 1990s. Awards In 1989, Richard Mulligan won both the Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The series received a number of other Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations over the years, especially for Mulligan and for Park Overall, who was nominated three times for a Golden Globe Award. Year Association Category Nominee ( s ) Result Golden Globe Awards Best Actor -- Television Series Musical or Comedy Richard Mulligan Won Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Won Viewers for Quality Television Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series Park Overall Won Golden Globe Awards Best Actor -- Television Series Musical or Comedy Richard Mulligan Nominated Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy Empty Nest Nominated Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Richard Mulligan Nominated Viewers for Quality Television Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series Nominated Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series Park Overall Won 1991 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor -- Television Series Musical or Comedy Richard Mulligan Nominated Best Supporting Actress -- Series, Miniseries or Television Film Park Overall Nominated Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Danny Thomas Nominated Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Richard Mulligan Nominated Viewers for Quality Television Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series Nominated Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series Park Overall Won Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress -- Series, Miniseries or Television Film Park Overall Nominated Nominated See also Dear John ( 1988 ) References Jump up ^ `` Golden Girls ' Creator Adds Shows ''. LA Times. September 10, 1991. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 24. Jump up ^ `` BBC -- Comedy Guide -- Empty Nest ''. Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 24. ^ Jump up to : Rosenberg, Howard ( October 8, 1988 ). `` ' Empty Nest ' Looks Like Good Place to Nestle Down ''. LA Times. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 23. Jump up ^ Haithman, Diane ( November 24, 1990 ). `` ' Empty Nest ' : TV 's Unknown Hit ''. LA Times. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 23. Jump up ^ Brooks, Tim ; Marsh, Earle ( 2007 ). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 - Present ( Ninth Edition ). Ballantine Books. p. 1692 - 1693. ISBN 978 - 0 - 345 - 49773 - 4. Jump up ^ TBS Log -- Sitcoms Online Message Boards. Jump up ^ TV Guide -- September 14 -- 20, 1996. Jump up ^ TV Guide -- March 20 -- 26, 1999. External links Empty Nest on IMDb Empty Nest at TV.com Empty Nest at epguides.com The Golden Girls Characters Dorothy Zbornak Rose Nylund Blanche Devereaux Sophia Petrillo Episodes Season 1 5 6 7 Spin - offs Empty Nest ( 1988 -- 95 ) Nurses ( 1991 -- 94 ) The Golden Palace ( 1992 -- 93 ) International adaptations Bnot HaZahav ( Israel ) Brighton Belles ( UK ) Related Awards and nominations The Golden Girls : Their Greatest Moments `` Thank You for Being a Friend '' Hurricane Saturday Full Moon Over Miami Category Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Empty_Nest&oldid=806140738 '' Categories : 1988 American television series debuts 1995 American television series endings 1980s American television series 1990s American television series 1980s American comedy television series 1990s American comedy television series American television sitcoms English - language television programs NBC network shows Television spin - offs Television shows set in Miami Television series by ABC Studios The Golden Girls Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from November 2015 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Hrvatski Italiano Nederlands Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 19 October 2017, at 23 : 51. 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Question: who sang the theme song to empty nest
Answer: Billy Vera