"The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" (1987) TV series 1987-1991

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Creator:

Jay Tarses

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

21 May 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Molly Dodd was a mid-30s, divorced woman living in New York and facing the comedy and drama of a widely changing career, difficulties of apartment living, love life and its consequences, and so on.

Plot Keywords:

Interracial Relationship | Pregnancy | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 11 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Blair Brown

...

Molly Dodd (65 episodes, 1987-1991)

Runtime:

30 min (65 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Brilliant But Cancelled (2002) (TV)

The Blair Brown Show...

An endless list of reviews have called The Days & Nights of Molly Dodd an 80s version of either Mary Tyler Moore or Ally McBeal, in that the show centered on a single, quirky, professional woman living alone. A key difference however is Blair Brown.

No disrespect towards MTM or Calista Flockhart, but Blair Brown brought a very unique difference to her character. Mary always seemed to be on the edge of total embarrassment and Ally on the edge of total emotional meltdown. Molly Dodd on the other hand, while often not knowing what she really wanted, was always able to handle whatever life threw at her. She wasn't socially awkward like Mary Richards nor was she emotionally bipolar like Ally McBeal.

Consequently Molly Dodd was someone you'd not just want to go out with, but would want to be friends with. Blair Brown made Molly not only attractive, but fun, lovable and most of all, trustworthy. Not to be too sexist, but she made Molly 'one of the guys'. So never played relationship mind games, and instantly saw (and laughed) when someone did. She valued people totally on their character & personality.

If you woke up next to Mary Richards you'd see her silently & guiltily sneaking out of bed. Ally McBeal would either be planning your wedding or putting a knife in your back. But Molly Dodd would just be there.

And again, while MTM is (or was) attractive enough, she had a very standoff-ish, patrician, repressed kind of look. And Calista Flockhart is just, well, very cute. But Blair Brown, on the one hand she blends unnoticeably into a crowd, but on the other she is a gorgeous, drop-dead classic beauty.