I used to love this show as a child. I used to flog the dolphin to each of the female leads. There was a period when Mel did it for me. Why can't we see reruns?

This is a show which started very strong created upon the concept of the book & the movie Alice Doesn't Live here Any More. It originally aired on CBS starting in the middle of the 1970's. The cast & the material were both very strong.Linda Lavin was an ideal Alice, divorcée with a young son played by Philip Mekeon. She worked at Mel's (Vic Tayback's) diner out somewhere on the highway near Arizona. She worked with Vera & Flo (Polly Holiday). Vera was a classic case of a neurotic trying to make sense of why she was there without too much in the upstairs department except enough sense to stay out of trouble.Flo early on, made this show a success. She was the wise woman with no virtue who could rarely say no to any man who came on to her who she found at all appealing. She did say no to Mel often because his character & hers were in constant conflict at work & their war, though friendly was sharp as it is Mel who usually would poke fun at Flo & then flow would retort with the famous "kiss my grits, Mel."The first few seasons, the show scripts were sharp & would focus on issues between the characters. The last year or two, the scripts got terrible & when they brought in major guest stars like Art Carney, even the guests has trouble with the poor material. Alice's son disappeared the last season or so which took an edge away from the scripts too.Another thing is that "there's a new girl in town" theme really wore out it's welcome the last season. Flo's novelty had worn out by then too.This is why the series ended as the ratings lagged as the series weakened the last season.

Yes, everyone, there is a real reason why "Alice" was on the air as long as it was. Anyone in their late twenties and older can probably remember that for many years, this show was broadcast either before or after "The Jeffersons," a "legitimate" hit. Both shows ironically had their best ratings when paired together. I think most of us remember them coming on back-to-back on Sunday nights for several years. "Alice," as a lead-in or follow-up show to "The Jeffersons," rode the ratings wave and the results were phenomenal.Sure, the show was trashy, with elements of south[west]ern humor, but I actually thought it was genuinely funny with Polly Holliday onboard. To be truthful, if Holliday and Vic Tayback had done the show without Linda Lavin, I wouldn't have been upset. I have always believed Lavin was responsible for Holliday's departure. Was hasn't E! done a "True Hollywood Story" on a show that can rival "Three's Company" on cast changes? Surely if they have the budget to profile porn stars, a one hour "Alice" special can't hurt.Diane Ladd was a good replacement as Belle on the show, however, she was terrific playing Flo in the movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," which the show is loosely (and I do mean "loosely") based on. When Celia Weston first appeared as Jolene in 1981, I changed the channel. It's amazing that the show went on for more four years before being cancelled in 1985. Not even pairing with "The Jeffersons" could have helped the show by the time Jolene came aboard. Somebody must have been lying to Nielsen.

All right! All right already! I admit it! I used to watch this show because I had a crush on Linda Lavin as a kid! There, the world knows it now! Satisfied!? Now, I watch the reruns because I think the show provides humour that is light and clean and that doesn't make you think too much. Based on the movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," Alice Hyatt (Lavin) plays a broke, recently widowed mother of Tommy (Philip McKeon). Her car broke down in Phoenix en route to Hollywood, leaving her stranded in Phoenix. Working for Mel (Vic Tayback) the penurious tubby tyrannical proprietor of Mel's Diner, she befriends fellow waitresses Vera (Beth Howland), an innocent simpleton, and Flo (Polly Holliday), a high octane nymphomaniac whose homespun Texas manner provides the perfect foil for the street tough, New Jersey-bred "new girl in town." Flo is an even better foil for Mel, and never hesitates to retort him with some valuable advice..."Kiss my grits!" The show definitely had a split personality: funny until 1980 when Flo left, and then it went straight downhill for the next five years. Cameo players such as Andy (Pat Crenshaw), Travis (Tom Mahoney), and Henry (Marvin Kaplan) were valuable to the show, as were George Burns, Telly Savalas, Art Carney, and Martha Raye. Equally memorable were some of the one-liners, including "Can you read lips? [Raspberry!]," "Don't be rational when I'm hysterical," and "If we get out of this alive, I'm going to kill you!" One of my favourite episodes revolved around an ex-gangster wanted by the FBI and the mob, coupled with a whiny truckdriver whose rig full of peaches broke down outside the diner. Not the basis of a James Joyce or a Henry Roth novel, but entertaining nonetheless. At least the early episodes were.