# Ink (TV series)

Ink is an American television sitcom which aired on CBS from October 21, 1996, to May 19, 1997, that starred real-life husband and wife Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen as divorced newspaper journalists, allegedly inspired by the film His Girl Friday. The show was also produced by Danson and Steenburgen. The show was canceled after one season due to lower than expected ratings. The show's pilot was drastically changed and reshot from the original version. Ink was filmed at the soundstages of CBS Studio City in the Studio City area of Los Angeles. Outdoor scenes were usually shot at the small backlot streets of the same studio.

## Plot

Journalists Kate Montgomery and Mike Logan married three months after meeting on the White House lawn. Although the marriage didn't last, there are two common threads between them—their 15-year-old daughter Abby and their all-consuming adoration of the newspaper ink that rubs off on their fingers. While Mike has become one of New York's larger-than-life journalists, Kate's hard-nosed reporting from around the world has earned her an impressive reputation. When Kate accepts a job offer that's just too good to pass up, she becomes the first female managing editor of the New York Sun—and she's now Mike's boss as well.
Her staff also includes no-nonsense, seen-it-all police reporter Ernie Trainor; intense and somewhat neurotic financial reporter Alan Mesnick; "On the Town" columnist Belinda Carhardt, who has a few miles on her; and the newsroom's jaded and judgmental editorial assistant Donna French, who manages to remain ultra-hip in a sea of tweeds and khakis.

## Cast

* Ted Danson as Mike Logan
* Mary Steenburgen as Kate Montgomery
* Alana Austin as Abby Logan
* Christine Ebersole as Belinda Carhardt
* Saul Rubinek as Alan Mesnick
* Charlie Robinson as Ernie Trainor
* Jenica Bergere as Donna French
* Jonathan Katz as Leo

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Above the Fold" | Thomas Schlamme | Diane English | October 21, 1996 (1996-10-21) | 16.41 |
| 2 | "Paper Cuts" | Thomas Schlamme | Jeffrey Klarik | October 28, 1996 (1996-10-28) | 14.8 |
| 3 | "Getting Above the Hemp" | Thomas Schlamme | Jack Burditt | November 11, 1996 (1996-11-11) | 15.5 |
| 4 | "High Noon" | Thomas Schlamme | Dawn DeKeyser | November 18, 1996 (1996-11-18) | 15.3 |
| 5 | "The Sandwich" | Jay Sandrich | Jhoni Marchinko | November 25, 1996 (1996-11-25) | 15.1 |
| 6 | "Mike & Kelly & Max & Kate" | Jay Sandrich | Stephen Nathan | December 9, 1996 (1996-12-09) | 13.3 |
| 7 | "United We Fall" | Jay Sandrich | Unknown | December 16, 1996 (1996-12-16) | 12.2 |
| 8 | "The Black Book" | Jay Sandrich | Jeff Filgo & Jackie Behan | January 6, 1997 (1997-01-06) | 13.81 |
| 9 | "Devil in a Blue Dress" | Philip Charles MacKenzie | Jeff Filgo & Jackie Behan | January 13, 1997 (1997-01-13) | 14.33 |
| 10 | "Funny, You Don't Look One Hundred" | Phillip Charles MacKenzie | Dawn DeKeyser | January 20, 1997 (1997-01-20) | 14.12 |
| 11 | "The English-Speaking Patients" | Philip Charles Mackenzie | Unknown | February 3, 1997 (1997-02-03) | 13.20 |
| 12 | "The Bodyguard: Part 1" | Robert Berlinger | Unknown | February 10, 1997 (1997-02-10) | 13.54 |
| 13 | "The Bodyguard: Part 2" | Brian K. Roberts | Unknown | February 17, 1997 (1997-02-17) | 15.09 |
| 14 | "Life Without Mikey" | Jay Sandrich | Jack Burditt | February 24, 1997 (1997-02-24) | 12.63 |
| 15 | "Breaking the Rules" | Robert Berlinger | Craig Hoffman | March 3, 1997 (1997-03-03) | 15.77 |
| 16 | "Face Off" | Jay Sandrich | Scott Kaufer | March 10, 1997 (1997-03-10) | 12.96 |
| 17 | "The Fighting Irish" | Barnet Kellman | Unknown | April 7, 1997 (1997-04-07) | 13.15 |
| 18 | "Logan's Run" | David Steinberg | Jeff Filgo & Jackie Behan | April 21, 1997 (1997-04-21) | 9.12 |
| 19 | "The Debutante" | Gail Mancuso | Unknown | April 28, 1997 (1997-04-28) | 13.15 |
| 20 | "The Bodyguard Strikes Back" | Brian K. Roberts | Unknown | May 5, 1997 (1997-05-05) | 11.17 |
| 21 | "Murphy's Law" | Joe Regalbuto | Diane English | May 12, 1997 (1997-05-12) | 14.02 |
| 22 | "Going to the Dogs" | Joe Regalbuto | Unknown | May 19, 1997 (1997-05-19) | 12.19 |

## Production

The original concept from the show came from Jeffrey Lane, who came up with the idea. Lane abruptly exited, and a handful of showrunners came in, and settled on Diane English, who created Murphy Brown.