# Uncle Buck (1990 TV series)

Uncle Buck is an American surreal humour television series starring Kevin Meaney, based on the 1989 film of the same name. The series aired on CBS from September 10, 1990 to March 9, 1991 during the 1990–91 season.

## Synopsis

Buck Russell is a slob and the brother of Bob Russell who drinks, smokes, and gambles. He is also the uncle of Bob's children Tia, Maizy, and Miles. One day, Buck is named the guardian of Tia, Maizy, and Miles after Bob and Cindy are suddenly killed in a car accident. Buck is sometimes assisted in raising his nieces and nephew by their maternal grandmother Maggie Hogoboom.

## Cast

* Kevin Meaney as Buck Russell (the paternal uncle of Tia, Miles & Maizy)
* Dah-ve Chodan as Tia Russell, Buck's paternal niece and Maggie's maternal granddaughter
* Jacob Gelman as Miles Russell, Buck's paternal nephew and Maggie's maternal grandson
* Sarah Martineck as Maizy Russell, Buck's paternal niece and Maggie's maternal granddaughter
* Audrey Meadows as Maggie Hogoboom (the maternal grandmother of Tia, Miles & Maizy)
* Lacey Chabert as Nancy

## Episodes

NOTE: The production codes were taken from the United States Copyright Office.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | John Tracy | Tim O'Donnell | September 10, 1990 (1990-09-10) | 83559 | 16.1 |
| 2 | "Nine-to-Five" | James Widdoes | John Hughes | September 17, 1990 (1990-09-17) | 66702 | 19.6 |
| 3 | "The Gray Fox" | James Widdoes | Tim O'Donnell & Richard Gurman | September 24, 1990 (1990-09-24) | 66705 | 18.1 |
| 4 | "Cub Fever" | James Widdoes | Rick Newberger | October 1, 1990 (1990-10-01) | 66703 | 16.1 |
| 5 | "Buck to School" | Art Dielhenn | Kevin Abbott | October 8, 1990 (1990-10-08) | 66704 | 15.8 |
| 6 | "Yes, But Will It Fly?" | James Widdoes | John Hughes | October 15, 1990 (1990-10-15) | 66706 | 16.6 |
| 7 | "Teacher's Pet" | Art Dielhenn | Warren Bell | October 22, 1990 (1990-10-22) | 66707 | 17.6 |
| 8 | "Fire Sale" | Unknown | Unknown | November 5, 1990 (1990-11-05) | 66708 | 17.7 |
| 9 | "Tia's Tutor" | Unknown | Unknown | November 12, 1990 (1990-11-12) | 66711 | 17.8 |
| 10 | "A Day at the Races" | Unknown | Unknown | November 16, 1990 (1990-11-16) | 66710 | 9.6 |
| 11 | "Bluebell Buck" | Unknown | Unknown | November 23, 1990 (1990-11-23) | 66701 | 8.3 |
| 12 | "In Tia We Trust" | Unknown | Unknown | January 26, 1991 (1991-01-26) | 66712 | 9.7 |
| 13 | "Pig-malion" | Unknown | Unknown | February 2, 1991 (1991-02-02) | 66715 | 10.6 |
| 14 | "Buck to the Future" | Unknown | Unknown | February 9, 1991 (1991-02-09) | 66721 | 7.9 |
| 15 | "Movin' Out" | Unknown | Unknown | March 2, 1991 (1991-03-02) | 66709 | 8.7 |
| 16 | "The People's Half Court" | Unknown | Unknown | March 9, 1991 (1991-03-09) | 66714 | 6.9 |
| 17 | "The Music Man" | N/A | N/A | Unaired | 66716 | N/A |
| 18 | "Fame" | N/A | N/A | Unaired | 66713 | N/A |
| 19 | "Sixty Candles" | N/A | N/A | Unaired | 66717 | N/A |
| 20 | "My Right Foot" | N/A | N/A | Unaired | 66718 | N/A |
| 21 | "Danny" | N/A | N/A | Unaired | 66719 | N/A |
| 22 | "The Big Picture" | N/A | N/A | Unaired | 66720 | N/A |

## Critical reception

The show was panned by critics. The pilot caused a minor controversy because of a scene where Maizy tells Uncle Buck: "You suck!"; this is believed to be the first time this phrase had been used on network television. After airing on Monday nights for two months, due to competition with MacGyver and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the latter of which premiered on the same day, it was moved to Friday, in an attempt by CBS to establish a comedy night swapping with Evening Shade. The ratings dropped from there with strong competition from ABC's Top 20 hit Full House, and it was cancelled shortly after, having aired only 16 episodes and leaving several filmed episodes unaired.