Hail to the Chief (TV series)
Hail to the Chief is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from April 9 to May 21, 1985. It centred around the President of the United States, portrayed by Patty Duke. The series was created by Susan Harris, and was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. It featured one of the few recurring gay characters in a 1980s television series (Randy, the Secret Service Agent portrayed by Joel Brooks). Synopsis. "Hail to the Chief" is similar in style to the TV sitcom, "Soap" (from the same producers as this series), in that it  was a comedy with open-ended storylines that parodied a soap opera. Patty Duke had the starring role as the President, Julia Mansfield. The show focused on President Mansfield's attempt at balancing her political career with raising her family. Production. Casting. Patty Duke was cast as President Julia Mansfield. Ted Bessell was cast as First Gentleman Oliver Mansfield. Quinn Cummings was cast as Lucy Mansfield. Ricky Paull Goldin was cast as Doug Mansfield. Reception. Critical response. John J. O'Connor of "The New York Times" wrote in his review: ""Hail to the Chief" features Patty Duke as the first female  President of the United States surrounded by assorted misfits in a format that is intended to be, as they like to say, zany and irreverent. This one's sour, to say the least. [...] As for "Hail to the Chief," there hasn't been anything so furiously wacky on prime-time television since "Soap" got a broad cross-section of protest groups worked up almost a decade ago - even before the show went on air. Not surprisingly, both series come out of Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. Susan Harris is the creator and writer. Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas are the  producers. It is perhaps a sign of the times that "Hail to the Chief," which goes several kinky steps beyond the outrageousness of "Soap," is making its debut without so much as a raised eyebrow, even though the advertisements for the "equal opportunity offender" promise that you'll say, "I thought they couldn't do that on TV."" Ratings. "Hail to the Chief", which featured Patty Duke as the President, got off to a very good start, attracting 32% of the available viewers and winning its time period for the April 9 premiere. But it drew only 24% the following  week, 23% for the third episode and 22% for the fourth. Cancellation. "Hail to the Chief" was canceled in May 1985 after seven episodes. ABC continued to air repeats of the series through July 20, 1985.