# The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd

The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on NBC from May 21, 1987, to June 29, 1988, and on Lifetime from April 17, 1989, to April 13, 1991. It was created by Jay Tarses and stars Blair Brown in the title role.

## Premise

The show depicts the life of Molly Bickford Dodd, a divorced woman in New York City with a lifestyle that could be described as both yuppie and bohemian. Molly seems to drift from job to job and relationship to relationship. Her ex-husband, a ne'er-do-well jazz musician, still cares for her. In fact, nearly every man (and the occasional woman) she meets adores her. Her warmth and emotional accessibility are the root cause of most of Molly's problems in life. The BBC's Radio Times characterised the show as "An American comedy-drama series starring Blair Brown intelligent, attractive and independent, Molly Dodd has the world at her feet—so why must it always trip her up?

## Cast

* Blair Brown as Molly Dodd
* James Greene as Davey McQuinn, elevator operator/doorman
* Allyn Ann McLerie as Florence Bickford, Molly's mother
* William Converse-Roberts as Fred Dodd, Molly's ex-husband
* Richard Lawson as Det. Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of Molly's romantic interests
* David Strathairn as Moss Goodman, one of Molly's romantic interests
Additional cast included:
* Maureen Anderman as her best friend Nina.
* Sandy Faison as Mamie Grolnick, Molly's younger sister.
* Victor Garber as Dennis Widmer
* Richard Venture as Edgar Bickford, Molly's father
* George Gaynes, John Pankow, J. Smith-Cameron, and Lewis Black.

## Episodes

NOTE: Production Codes were taken from the Library of Congress.

### Season 1 (1987)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 (#01) | 1 | "Here's Why Cosmetics Should Come in Unbreakable Bottles" | Jay Tarses | Jay Tarses | May 21, 1987 (1987-05-21) |
| Molly Dodd, a newly-divorced woman in her mid-30's, begins facing life's challenges. ||||||
| 2 (#02) | 2 | "Here's Why There Are Instances When Vegetables Aren't Necessarily Good for You" | Jay Tarses | Jay Tarses | May 28, 1987 (1987-05-28) |
| Molly's boss’s jealousy over her boyfriend drives her to resign from her job. ||||||
| 3 (#07) | 3 | "Here's Why You Should Stay Out of Coffee Shops If You Don't Drink Coffee" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush | June 4, 1987 (1987-06-04) |
| Nick the Garbage Man invites Molly on a trip to the Bahamas. ||||||
| 4 (#10) | 4 | "Here's Why You Should Never Wear High Heels to the Bank" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush | June 11, 1987 (1987-06-11) |
| During a musical project, Molly can't get her ex-husband out of her mind. ||||||
| 5 (#11) | 5 | "Here's Why It's Not Good to Stare at People in Restaurants" | Jay Tarses | Allan Burns | June 18, 1987 (1987-06-18) |
| Molly is shocked to find her father dining with a new woman. ||||||
| 6 (#05) | 6 | "Here's Why It's Tough to Sell Watermelons After Midnight" | Jay Tarses | Judith Kahan | June 25, 1987 (1987-06-25) |
| Molly sees a psychologist after a break-up. ||||||
| 7 (#06) | 7 | "Here's Why a Torch Is Too Heavy to Carry in a Purse" | Arlene Sanford | Judith Kahan | July 2, 1987 (1987-07-02) |
| Molly receives mixed reactions from her friends after seeing a psychologist. ||||||
| 8 (#09) | 8 | "Here's Why They Call the Little One a Jingle and the Big One the Blues" | Jay Tarses | Jeffrey Lane | July 9, 1987 (1987-07-09) |
| Fred calls up Molly to sing on stage with him. ||||||
| 9 (#13) | 9 | "Here's Another Bedtime Story" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush | July 16, 1987 (1987-07-16) |
| Molly receives a job offer from Birmanyi, and questions if any romance is involved. ||||||
| 10 (#03) | 10 | "Here's Why It's Good to Have a Cake Burning in the Refrigerator" | Jay Tarses | Sheree Guitar | July 23, 1987 (1987-07-23) |
| Molly celebrates her 35th birthday, Nina has a baby, and Robin is separated from her husband. Molly has a poem published in an obscure newspaper. ||||||
| 11 (#04) | 11 | "Here's Why Henry David Thoreau Chose the Pond" | Arlene Sanford | Laurie Gelman | July 30, 1987 (1987-07-30) |
| Molly's ex-boss withholds her backpay. ||||||
| 12 (#12) | 12 | "Here's Why You've Gotta Bake a Batch of Cookies Every Once in a While" | Jay Tarses | Daniel Finneran | August 6, 1987 (1987-08-06) |
| Molly's poetry teacher makes a pass at her, causing her to lose interest in the subject. ||||||
| 13 (#08) | 13 | "Here's Why Good Guys Sometimes Wear Black" | Mark Cullingham | Wendy Kout | August 13, 1987 (1987-08-13) |
| Molly gets a new piano student, who is Jewish. ||||||

### Season 2 (1988)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 14 (#14) | 1 | "Here's Why You Shouldn't Get Too Attached to Your Cat" | Jay Tarses | Jay Tarses | March 24, 1988 (1988-03-24) |
| Molly meets a handsome police detective, and consoles a friend who was robbed. ||||||
| 15 (#16) | 2 | "Here Are a Few Variations on a Sexual Theme" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush & Jay Tarses | March 31, 1988 (1988-03-31) |
| Molly is informed by her psychiatrist that she no longer wants her as a patient, and the reason for it. ||||||
| 16 (#17) | 3 | "Here Comes That Cold Wind Off the River" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush | April 7, 1988 (1988-04-07) |
| Molly is informed of some bad news after attending the theater with her family. ||||||
| 17 (#18) | 4 | "Here's a Bunch of Photos from an Old Album" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush | April 14, 1988 (1988-04-14) |
| The death of Molly's father reunites her with her brother. ||||||
| 18 (#19) | 5 | "Here's a Side Effect of Serious Moonlight" | Steven Dubin | Bob Brush | April 21, 1988 (1988-04-21) |
| A deadbeat, who claims to be a cousin of Molly, moves in with her. ||||||
| 19 (#20) | 6 | "Here's a Message from Your Local Bag Lady" | Arlene Sanford | James Stark | April 28, 1988 (1988-04-28) |
| A bag lady shouts out obscenities at Molly. ||||||
| 20 (#21) | 7 | "Here's a Little Known Ingrid Bergman Incident" | Don Scardino | Norma Safford Vela | May 25, 1988 (1988-05-25) |
| The will of Molly's father is read. ||||||
| 21 (#22) | 8 | "Here's Who Ordered the Pizza" | Steven Dubin | Eric Overmyer | June 1, 1988 (1988-06-01) |
| Molly finally meets the mystery man in apartment 12-F. ||||||
| 22 (#23) | 9 | "Here's What Happened to That Earring You Lost" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush | June 8, 1988 (1988-06-08) |
| Molly's friend finds out who robbed her apartment. ||||||
| 23 (#24) | 10 | "Here's a Reason to Keep Your Goats in the Barn" | Jay Tarses | Jay Tarses | June 15, 1988 (1988-06-15) |
| Fred catches Molly and Moss almost kissing each other, and Dennis calls up Molly from jail. ||||||
| 24 (#25) | 11 | "Here's Talkin' to Yourself" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush | June 22, 1988 (1988-06-22) |
| Fred urges Molly to come see him play at a jazz club. ||||||
| 25 (#15) | 12 | "Here's Another Cryptic Message from Upstate" | Jay Tarses | Jay Tarses | June 29, 1988 (1988-06-29) |
| Molly's new boss forgets that he was the one who hired her. ||||||
| 26 (#26) | 13 | "Here's That Old Shadow on the Wall" | Jay Tarses | Bob Brush & Jay Tarses | April 17, 1989 (1989-04-17) |
| Molly's bike is stolen, and she confronts Moss about their relationship. Note: This episode was originally scheduled to be shown on NBC on July 6, 1988, but the network had cancelled the series by then; it was later shown on Lifetime on the night of the Season 3 premiere. ||||||

### Season 3 (1989)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 27 (#27) | 1 | "Here's a Cute Way to Wrap up the Holiday Season" | Jay Tarses | Jay Tarses | April 17, 1989 (1989-04-17) |
| Molly quits her sales clerk position at Goodman's Bookstore, and goes on a blind date for New Year's Eve. ||||||
| 28 (#28) | 2 | "Here's Why You Order from the Spanish Side of the Menu" | Don Scardino | Eric Overmyer | April 29, 1989 (1989-04-29) |
| Molly looks for a job in the city and is introduced to Arthur Feldman by her mother. ||||||
| 29 (#29) | 3 | "Here's the Groovy Piano Bar Episode" | Don Scardino | Eric Overmyer | May 6, 1989 (1989-05-06) |
| Molly contemplates a job offer in the publishing business. ||||||
| 30 (#30) | 4 | "Here's a Little Night Music" | Steven Dubin | Daniel Stern | May 13, 1989 (1989-05-13) |
| Molly finds herself saddled with two uninvited houseguests. ||||||
| 31 (#31) | 5 | "Here's Why You Should Lock Your Bathroom Door" | Steven Dubin | Craig Volk | May 20, 1989 (1989-05-20) |
| Molly accepts a position at the publishing house. ||||||
| 32 (#32) | 6 | "Here's a Clever Yet Practical Gift Idea" | Steven Dubin | Elaine Arata | May 27, 1989 (1989-05-27) |
| Molly begins a relationship with detective Nathaniel Hawthorne. ||||||
| 33 (#33) | 7 | "Here's Why You Should Always Make Your Bed in the Morning" | Steven Dubin | Richard Dresser | June 3, 1989 (1989-06-03) |
| Nathaniel takes Molly home for dinner. ||||||
| 34 (#34) | 8 | "Here's a Rough Way to Learn a Foreign Language" | Jay Tarses | Albert Innaurato | June 10, 1989 (1989-06-10) |
| Molly gets a visit from Moss Goodman, her old boss from the bookstore. ||||||
| 35 (#35) | 9 | "Here's Some Ducks All in a Row" | Steven Dubin | Elaine Arata | June 17, 1989 (1989-06-17) |
| Molly and Davey try to help the police find Molly's assailant. ||||||
| 36 (#36) | 10 | "Here's a Major Organ Interlude" | Don Scardino | Jodi Rothe & Christine Vertosick | June 24, 1989 (1989-06-24) |
| Jury duty forces Molly to miss the first days at her new job. ||||||
| 37 (#37) | 11 | "Here's a Shot in the Dark" | William Converse-Roberts | Christine Pittel | July 1, 1989 (1989-07-01) |
| Molly's dead father visits her in a dream. ||||||
| 38 (#38) | 12 | "Here's an Unexpected Twist on the Old Biological Clock" | Don Scardino | Richard Dresser | July 8, 1989 (1989-07-08) |
| Molly experiences a frequent case of nausea. ||||||
| 39 (#39) | 13 | "Here's a Leisurely Stroll Through the Park" | Jay Tarses | Eric Overmyer | July 15, 1989 (1989-07-15) |
| Molly finally gives her mother and Arthur Feldman her blessing. ||||||

### Season 4 (1990)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 40 (#40) | 1 | "Here's Why Pink Isn't Necessarily a Girl's Favorite Color" | Steve Dubin | Elaine Arata | April 6, 1990 (1990-04-06) |
| Molly discovers she is pregnant. ||||||
| 41 (#41) | 2 | "Here Are Just a Few Things That Could Possibly Go Wrong" | Don Scardino | Richard Dresser | April 13, 1990 (1990-04-13) |
| Molly wonders who the identity of her baby's father could be. ||||||
| 42 (#42) | 3 | "Here's Why You Can Never Have Too Much Petty Cash" | Steve Dubin | Sarah Paley | April 20, 1990 (1990-04-20) |
| Molly can't seem to find the down payment on her condo. ||||||
| 43 (#43) | 4 | "Here's a Perilous Research Project" | Don Scardino | Albert Innaurato | April 27, 1990 (1990-04-27) |
| While researching her new book, Molly spends a day at the courthouse with Nathaniel. ||||||
| 44 (#44) | 5 | "Here's Something I Forgot to Mention" | Steven Dubin | Richard Dresser | May 4, 1990 (1990-05-04) |
| Moss displays pregnancy books at the store, and Molly tells Nathaniel about her pregnancy. ||||||
| 45 (#45) | 6 | "Here's Why Restaurants Have a Minimum" | Steven Dubin | Elaine Arata | May 18, 1990 (1990-05-18) |
| Nathaniel suggests that he and Molly live together. ||||||
| 46 (#46) | 7 | "Here's Another Lost Weekend" | Steven Dubin | Elaine Arata & Richard Dresser | May 25, 1990 (1990-05-25) |
| Molly spends the weekend with Nina and her baby at Nina's country farm. ||||||
| 47 (#47) | 8 | "Here Are a Couple of Games You've Probably Played" | Don Scardino | Elaine Arata | June 1, 1990 (1990-06-01) |
| Molly gets to know her new neighbors over a game of "Twist of Fate." ||||||
| 48 (#48) | 9 | "Here's a Rare Photo Opportunity" | Don Scardino | David Suehsdorf | June 8, 1990 (1990-06-08) |
| Molly sees her baby for the first time on a sonogram. ||||||
| 49 (#49) | 10 | "Here's an Expensive Item with No Returns, Refunds or Exchanges" | Don Scardino | Richard Dresser & Elaine Arata | June 15, 1990 (1990-06-15) |
| Molly receives a surprising gift from Fred. ||||||
| 50 (#50) | 11 | "Here Are Some Things That Go Bump in the Night" | Jeff Lieberman | Richard Dresser | June 22, 1990 (1990-06-22) |
| Molly settles on her apartment, and notices that something is bothering her boss. ||||||
| 51 (#51) | 12 | "Here's a Quick and Easy Recipe for Leftovers" | Don Scardino | Richard Dresser | June 29, 1990 (1990-06-29) |
| Molly holds a hectic Thanksgiving dinner in her apartment. ||||||
| 52 (#52) | 13 | "Here's a Good Reason to Check Your Answering Machine on a Regular Basis" | Don Scardino | Elaine Arata | July 6, 1990 (1990-07-06) |
| On the day after Thanksgiving, Molly finally learns the identity of her baby's father. ||||||

### Season 5 (1991)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 53 (#53) | 1 | "Here's a Neat Way to Tie Up the Loose Ends" | Don Scardino | Richard Dresser | January 19, 1991 (1991-01-19) |
| Molly confronts the father of her baby, and when he proposes marriage, she is caught off-guard and accepts. ||||||
| 54 (#54) | 2 | "Here's a New Way of Looking at Cappuccino" | Steven Dubin | Elaine Arata | January 26, 1991 (1991-01-26) |
| Molly and Ron, her neighbor and Lamaze coach, discuss childbearing with another couple in a cappuccino cafe. ||||||
| 55 (#55) | 3 | "Here's When the Fat Lady Sings" | Steven Dubin | Richard Dresser & Elaine Arata | February 2, 1991 (1991-02-02) |
| Molly and Florence go to the beauty salon to get ready for the opera, and Molly receives a wedding ring. ||||||
| 56 (#56) | 4 | "Here Are Some Overnight Lows" | Steven Dubin | Elaine Arata & Richard Dresser | February 9, 1991 (1991-02-09) |
| Molly goes through an unexpected tragedy, and the idea of impending motherhood. ||||||
| 57 (#57) | 5 | "Here's a Pregnant Pause" | Don Scardino | Richard Dresser & Elaine Arata | February 16, 1991 (1991-02-16) |
| Molly talks directly to the camera for the entire episode. ||||||
| 58 (#58) | 6 | "Here's a Good Excuse for Missing the Party" | Blair Brown | Richard Dresser & Elaine Arata | February 23, 1991 (1991-02-23) |
| At Molly's baby shower, she is nowhere to be found, because she has gone into labor. ||||||
| 59 (#59) | 7 | "Here's One Way to Fill Every Waking Moment" | Don Scardino | James Ryan | March 2, 1991 (1991-03-02) |
| As Molly deals with motherhood, her thoughts drift to a fantasy, including All My Children star Jean LeClerc as a mysterious Frenchman in a Parisian bistro. ||||||
| 60 (#60) | 8 | "Here's a High Dive Into a Shallow Pool" | Kenneth Frankel | Richard Dresser | March 9, 1991 (1991-03-09) |
| Molly learns she has been "promoted" to a human resources position, the first assignment of which is to fire her friend Bernie. ||||||
| 61 (#61) | 9 | "Here's How to Break the Other Leg" | Don Scardino | Richard Dresser | March 16, 1991 (1991-03-16) |
| Molly and Arthur join Fred and Florence for the opening night of the play Arthur is producing. ||||||
| 62 (#62) | 10 | "Here's How to Put an Egg in Your Shoe and Beat It" | Blair Brown | Carl Capotorto | March 23, 1991 (1991-03-23) |
| Molly is caught in the middle of her feuding neighbors, Ron and Ramona. ||||||
| 63 (#63) | 11 | "Here's Why You Shouldn't Talk to Strangers in the Park" | Don Scardino | Cindy Lou Johnson | March 30, 1991 (1991-03-30) |
| Florence and Arthur have some surprising news for Molly about their relationship. ||||||
| 64 (#64) | 12 | "Here's When Life Begins at" | Don Scardino | Cindy Lou Johnson | April 6, 1991 (1991-04-06) |
| Molly celebrates her 40th birthday with her best friend Nina. ||||||
| 65 (#65) | 13 | "Here's a Little Touch of Harry in the Night" | Jay Tarses | Jay Tarses | April 13, 1991 (1991-04-13) |
| Molly reminisces about the early days when she was singing with a guitarist named Harry in "The Fred Dodd Quintet". ||||||

## Production

The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd had story lines that often did not resolve in a single episode.
The show was filmed using a single camera.
Production took place in Hollywood for the first two seasons before moving to Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York in season 3.
Tarses wrote and directed many of its episodes (and made a number of cameo appearances).
Blair Brown was given special billing above the title in the opening credits on the Lifetime episodes.

## Reception and network change

NBC first aired the series as a summer replacement in 1987, running 13 episodes. Molly Dodd was critically acclaimed and a moderate ratings success (it was featured in the network's then-powerhouse Thursday night lineup), but was not featured in the network's fall schedule. It again was a mid-season replacement for NBC in spring 1988 with 12 episodes (a season-ending 13th episode was produced but not aired). NBC canceled Molly Dodd after the second season.
After its NBC cancelation, cable network Lifetime picked up the series, first re-airing the 26 episodes originally produced, and then commissioning three more 13-episode seasons for 1989, 1990, and 1991. When they were rerun on Lifetime, the original 26 episodes were time-sped (usually during both acts), and the opening titles trimmed. After production ceased, Lifetime continued to air Molly Dodd in reruns until 1993.

## Awards and nominations

The show earned Brown five Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, one for each year of the show's run. Brown won a CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series in 1991, during the fifth and final season's airing. Tarses was also the recipient of multiple nominations.

## Music rights

Despite some demand for the show on DVD or streaming services, the original producers did not clear music rights for subsequent broadcast. Although Brown often sang as Molly, the cost to secure the rights to the music itself would be substantial. In an interview, Brown indicated "all the songs that I sang, they never got the rights. So [the show is] in a vault somewhere and will never see the light of day."