The Art of Being Nick
A sitcom pilot spun off from the Family Ties character Nick Moore.
The character Nick Moore, known as Mallory Keaton's boyfriend on *Family Ties*, was popular enough to warrant three separate spin-off attempts. The final version, *The Art of Being Nick*, aired as a special on NBC on August 27, 1987. Created by Bruce Helford, the pilot stars Scott Valentine as Nick, an environmental artist. The cast also includes Kristine Sutherland, Lisa Jane Persky, and John Daman. The first spin-off attempt had Nick moving in with his sister and grandfather, played by Herschel Bernardi. That pilot was not picked up after Bernardi's death in May 1986. The second version placed Nick working at a day care center for children. In the final pilot, Nick lives in an East Village apartment with his sister (Sutherland) and her son (Daman) while working at a bookstore. Despite solid ratings, NBC declined to order the series, reportedly due to poor testing or insufficient strength.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Bruce Helford
- Director
- Sam Weisman
- Starring
- Scott Valentine / Kristine Sutherland / Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Theme Music Composer
- Rick Rhodes / Dominic Messinger
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Cinematography
- George LaFountaine
- Runtime
- 24 minutes
- Company
- Ubu Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television
- Channel
- NBC
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Due to the popularity of the Nick Moore character, three versions of a spin-off were produced. The first incarnation featured Nick returning to Detroit to live with his sister and grandfather, the latter portrayed by Herschel Bernardi. After Bernardi's death in May 1986, that pilot was not picked up to series. The second version placed Nick working at a day care center for children.
Reader's Guide
The final version, which aired as The Art of Being Nick, featured Nick, his sister Marlene (Kristine Sutherland), and her son Louis (John Daman) living together in an East Village apartment, with Nick working in a bookstore. The cast also included Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Rachel and Ray Buktenica as Bob. Despite garnering solid ratings, NBC did not pick the series up, reportedly due to the network's reluctance to lose the popular Nick character from Family Ties. The pilot remains a notable example of a failed spin-off attempt from a successful series.
Did You Know?
- Three different versions of a Nick Moore spin-off were produced.
- The first version was not picked up after the death of actor Herschel Bernardi in May 1986.
- NBC reportedly did not pick up the series due to poor testing or insufficient strength.
More in American television spinoffs 1-24
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