# Charlie & Co.

Charlie & Co. (also known as Charlie & Company) is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1985, to May 16, 1986. Created by Allan Katz, the series stars Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight. Charlie & Co. is regarded as CBS's answer to The Cosby Show, which was a ratings success for NBC at the time. Unlike The Cosby Show, which ran for eight seasons, Charlie & Co. lasted only one.

## Synopsis

The series follows a middle-class African American family who lived on the South Side of Chicago.
Charlie Richmond (Flip Wilson) is a black middle-class employee of the Division of Highways, who juggles his work and home life with his wife, Diana, a schoolteacher played by Gladys Knight. The couple has three children: sixteen-year-old "Junior" (Kristoff St. John), fifteen-year-old Lauren (Fran Robinson), and nine-year-old Robert (Jaleel White). Della Reese joined the cast during the latter half of the show's only season as Charlie's sister-in-law, Aunt Rachel.
CBS cancelled the series in May 1986.

## Cast

* Flip Wilson as Charles "Charlie" Richmond
* Gladys Knight as Diana Richmond
* Kristoff St. John as Charlie "Junior" Richmond Jr.
* Fran Robinson as Lauren Richmond
* Jaleel White as Robert Richmond
* Della Reese as Aunt Rachel
* Ray Girardin as Walter Simpson
* Richard Karron as Milton Bieberman
* Kip King as Ronald Sandler
* Terence McGovern as Jim Coyle
* Eddie Velez as Miguel Santana
* Heidi Levine as Emily Coyle

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 1 | "Pilot" | Alan Rafkin | Allan Katz | September 18, 1985 (1985-9-18) | 6S79 |
| Charlie is asked by Junior to speak at Career Day at his school. All is well until Charlie freezes up with a case of stage fright. Recording date: April 4, 1985 ||||||
| 2 | "Easy for You to Say" | Alan Rafkin | Michael Kagan | September 25, 1985 (1985-9-25) | 6S01 |
| Charlie faces difficult tasks on the home front: he has to cancel the family's camping trip due to work—and Lauren wants to discuss sex. Recording date: August 13, 1985 ||||||
| 3 | "Muggers or Us" | Alan Rafkin | Bill Richmond | October 2, 1985 (1985-10-2) | 6S03 |
| Charlie wants Diana to transfer to another school after there's an incident of vandalism at her school. ||||||
| 4 | "Buddy, Can You Spare My Dime?" | Alan Rafkin | Gary Gilbert | October 9, 1985 (1985-10-9) | 6S02 |
| Charlie struggles to find the nerve to ask for the money his boss owes him, while the family struggles through Diana's nutrition campaign. ||||||
| 5 | "The World According to Jim" | Alan Rafkin | Michael Kagan | October 16, 1985 (1985-10-16) | 6S05 |
| Charlie and Diana soon regret letting Charlie's co-worker move in during his marital spat. Recording date: September 17, 1985 ||||||
| 6 | "Like Father, Like Son" | Alan Rafkin | Monty Aidem and Gary Murphy | October 23, 1985 (1985-10-23) | 6S06 |
| Junior is sorely taxed by Charlie's sudden desire to be more of a pal than a father. ||||||
| 7 | "Will Be Around" | Alan Rafkin | Gary Gilbert | October 30, 1985 (1985-10-30) | 6S07 |
| The children are upset when Charlie talks of making out a will following a brush with death. Recording date: October 8, 1985 ||||||
| 8 | "Operation Richmond" | Alan Rafkin | Gary Ferrier and Aubrey Tadman | November 6, 1985 (1985-11-6) | 6S08 |
| Just after the family decides to cut back on expenses, Charlie has to go in to the hospital for an operation. ||||||
| 9 | "Happy Anniversary... Sort Of" | Alan Rafkin | Allan Katz | November 13, 1985 (1985-11-13) | 6S09 |
| Charlie's behavior at a faculty party he and Diana attend threatens the celebration of their 20th anniversary. ||||||
| 10 | "For the Love of Lauren" | Alan Rafkin | Bill Richmond | November 27, 1985 (1985-11-27) | 6S10 |
| A jilted Lauren thinks all men are jerks, until she attends a concert with a consoling Miguel, the ladies' man of Charlie's office. ||||||
| 11 | "Who's Watching the Roads?" | Alan Rafkin | Bill Richmond | December 4, 1985 (1985-12-4) | 6S04 |
| Charlie's co-workers plan to take full advantage of their boss's absence, despite the fact that he left Charlie in charge. Recording date: September 10, 1985 ||||||
| 12 | "Silent Knight" | Alan Rafkin | Gary Gilbert | December 11, 1985 (1985-12-11) | 6S12 |
| Charlie's looking forward to spending Christmas with his family, but Junior and Lauren have other ideas. ||||||
| 13 | "Beaus and Arrows" | Alan Rafkin | Story by : Allan Katz; Teleplay by : Michael Kagan | December 25, 1985 (1985-12-25) | 6S11 |
| Diana's old college boyfriend returns. Recording date: November 12, 1985 ||||||
| 14 | "Here's Rachel" | Alan Rafkin | Allan Katz | January 28, 1986 (1986-1-28) | 6S14 |
| Della Reese joins the cast as Aunt Rachel. ||||||
| 15 | "Rachel and the Stranger" | Alan Rafkin | Liz Sage | April 25, 1986 (1986-4-25) | 6S17 |
| After a burglary, Aunt Rachel is too scared to return alone to her apartment, so Diana volunteers Charlie to stay overnight with her. ||||||
| 16 | "When You Least Expect It" | Alan Rafkin | Gary Gilbert | May 2, 1986 (1986-5-2) | 6S16 |
| The family knows that Diana has something on her mind, but she won't talk until she's sure—that she's pregnant. ||||||
| 17 | "Don't Take My Son... Please" | Alan Rafkin | Bill Richmond | May 9, 1986 (1986-5-9) | 6S15 |
| Bored with school, Junior decides to join the Army. ||||||
| 18 | "Rent and Rave" | Alan Rafkin | Gary Ferrier and Aubrey Tadman | May 16, 1986 (1986-5-16) | 6S13 |
| The Richmonds face a rent increase. ||||||

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
| 1986 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Young Supporting Actor in a New Television Series | Jaleel White |
| 1986 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series | Fran Robinson |
| 1986 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series | Kristoff St. John |
| 1986 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best New Television Series - Comedy or Drama | - |

## Ratings

Note: The "Rating" is not the 18-49 demo but the total rating.
Viewership and ratings per episode of Charlie & Co. :
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot (ET) | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 18, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 16.1 (#19) | 13.80 |
| 2 | "Easy for You to Say" | September 25, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 10.5 (#57) | 9.01 |
| 3 | "Muggers or Us" | October 02, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 12.0 (#55) | 10.3 |
| 4 | "Buddy, Can You Spare My Dime" | October 09, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 14.2 (#42) | 12.2 |
| 5 | "The World According to Jim" | October 16, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 12.2 (#56) | 10.5 |
| 6 | "Like Father, Like Son" | October 23, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 11.5 (#58) | 9.9 |
| 7 | "Will Be Around" | October 30, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 11.9 (#62) | 10.2 |
| 8 | "Operation Richmond" | November 6, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 13.6 (#49) | 11.7 |
| 9 | "Happy Anniversary... Sort Of" | November 13, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 11.9 (#56) | 10.2 |
| 10 | "For the Love of Lauren" | November 27, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 11.8 (#58) | 10.1 |
| 11 | "Who's Watching the Roads" | December 04, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 10.1 (#64) | 8.7 |
| 12 | "Silent Knight" | December 11, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 11.8 (#58) | 10.1 |
| 13 | "Beaus and Arrows" | December 25, 1985 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 11.1 (#55) | 9.5 |
| 14 | "Here's Rachel" | January 28, 1986 | Tuesday 8:30 p.m. | 8.2 (#64) | 7.0 |
| 15 | "Rachel and the Stranger" | April 25, 1986 | Friday 8:00 p.m. | 10.0 (#48) | 8.5 |
| 16 | "When You Least Expect It" | May 2, 1986 | Friday 8:00 p.m. | 9.1 (#62) | 7.8 |
| 17 | "Don't Take My Son... Please" | May 9, 1986 | Friday 8:00 p.m. | 8.1 (#58) | 7.0 |
| 18 | "Rent and Rave" | May 16, 1986 | Friday 8:00 p.m. | 8.7 (#57) | 7.5 |
Source: Los Angeles Times