Bless This House (American TV series)

For the British sitcom, see Bless This House (British TV series).

Bless This House is an American sitcom television series created by Bruce Helford, which starred Andrew Dice Clay and Cathy Moriarty that aired on CBS from September 11, 1995, until January 17, 1996.^[1][2][3]

Bless This House
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Bruce Helford
Starring	Andrew Dice Clay Cathy Moriarty Raegan Kotz Sam Gifaldi
Composer	Ed Alton
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	16
Production
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Mohawk Productions Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 11, 1995 (1995-09-11) – January 17, 1996 (1996-01-17)

Plot

Postal worker Burt Clayton and his wife Alice raise two children—daughter Danny and son Sean—in Trenton, New Jersey.^[4]

Cast

• Andrew Dice Clay (credited as Andrew Clay) as Burt Clayton
• Cathy Moriarty as Alice Clayton, Burt's wife
• Raegan Kotz as Danielle "Danny" Clayton
• Sam Gifaldi as Sean Clayton
• Molly Price as Phyllis
• Don Stark as Lenny

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Prod. code	Viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	Barnet Kellman	Bruce Helford	September 11, 1995 (1995-09-11)	475098	15.4[5]
2	"A Woman's Work Is Never Done"	Unknown	Unknown	September 13, 1995 (1995-09-13)	457551	10.3[5]
3	"Company Loves Misery"	Unknown	Unknown	September 20, 1995 (1995-09-20)	457552	11.2[6]
4	"A Date Which Will Live in Infamy"	Unknown	Unknown	September 27, 1995 (1995-09-27)	457553	9.0[7]
5	"I Am Not My Sister's Keeper"	Unknown	Unknown	October 11, 1995 (1995-10-11)	457554	13.6[8]
6	"Where There's Smoke, You're Fired"	Unknown	Unknown	October 18, 1995 (1995-10-18)	457555	11.5[9]
7	"The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions"	Unknown	Unknown	October 25, 1995 (1995-10-25)	457556	10.7[10]
8	"A Fight a Day Keeps the Doctor Away"	Unknown	Unknown	November 1, 1995 (1995-11-01)	457557	10.5[11]
9	"Fish and Guests Stink After Three Days"	Unknown	Unknown	November 8, 1995 (1995-11-08)	457558	9.8[12]
10	"The Postman Always Moves Twice"	Unknown	Unknown	November 15, 1995 (1995-11-15)	457559	12.5[13]
11	"Neither a Borrower Nor a Landlord Be"	Unknown	Unknown	November 22, 1995 (1995-11-22)	457560	8.4[14]
12	"If It Ain't Broke, Break It"	Unknown	Unknown	December 13, 1995 (1995-12-13)	457561	9.5[15]
13	"Misery on 34th Street"	Unknown	Unknown	December 20, 1995 (1995-12-20)	457562	11.4[16]
14	"The Bowling Method"	Unknown	Unknown	January 3, 1996 (1996-01-03)	457563	11.6[17]
15	"One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Stereo"	Unknown	Unknown	January 10, 1996 (1996-01-10)	457564	11.7[18]
16	"Natural Born Parents"	Shelley Jensen	Diane Burroughs & Joey Gutierrez	January 17, 1996 (1996-01-17)	457565	11.5[19]

Reception

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle gave the show a favorable review, saying, "it really does remind you of Jackie Gleason and The Honeymooners, without trying to copy that classic. There could be life after Dice; this kinder, gentler Andrew Clay seems like a pretty decent guy."^[20] The Los Angeles Times also gave it favorable notice, writing, "Bless This House doesn't quite blow you away, but it's a pleasant half-hour with likable characters and enough start-up humor to make you optimistic about its future."^[3]

Other reviews were mixed. Entertainment Weekly gave the show a C, writing, "Bless has smart things to say about how hardworking parents manage family life, but the show is hobbled by its endless succession of squalid sex jokes."^[21] TV Guide ranked Bless This House number 48 on their 50 Worst Shows of All Time list in 2002.^[22] People gave the show a C+, praising the performances of Clay and Moriarty, but concluding "Bless This House is the first TV show I’ve ever seen that would work better on radio."^[23] Variety wrote, "Director Barnet Kellman bounces laugh lines along at a brisk clip [...] Creator Bruce Helford’s writing is often ham-handed [...] Clay’s acting is awkward and forced, but Moriarty’s a treasure [...] Though Bless looks to be trying to carbon The Honeymooners, its closest relative would seem to be Married... with Children."^[24]