Duet was a wonderful program. It was cute without being sappy or saccharine. Who could forget their first date with a married couple in the middle of an argument? The cause of their argument was about family life. In the middle of it all, the dates try to compose themselves while the other couple are ready for combat at each other. They try to compose some normal conversation. In the end of their first date, the younger couple sit in the first seat while the older couple reunite the passion. It was all about passion and discovering one another. It was better than Mad about You then and is now. Duet was Fox's first show about relationships. I loved the casting of Alison LaPlaca and Chris Lemmon (Jack Lemmon's son) as the arguing couple. Jodi Thelen has a great role as Mary Page Keller's sister in the series. Mary Page Keller and her co-star Matthew/Mitchell Lawrence (They're identical twins and actors). Lawrence plays a struggling writer while Keller plays a caterer. They meet at a wedding of course in the first episode. They had a great opening segment. It's a shame that shows do not have the quality it once had like it did then.
9 Reviews
This was an odd sitcom
scs06 May 2005
I've never seen a sitcom that did what this show did. It was based around a set of lead characters then introduced a set of supporting characters. The supporting characters got more and more screen time, then by the end of the show the supporting characters became the leads and the leads became the supporting characters.
But the insanity doesn't end there! Most of the cast continued their roles on an entirely new series. Laura, the original lead female who became the supporting lead character, loved professional cooking and was becoming more and more successful in that field. Then suddenly she abandoned her career and made a logical jump into a similar field by becoming a real estate agent! Fortunately this was just in time for the sequel that was based in. ta-dah, a real estate office!
Sorry, but this show was good but it had strange direction.
But the insanity doesn't end there! Most of the cast continued their roles on an entirely new series. Laura, the original lead female who became the supporting lead character, loved professional cooking and was becoming more and more successful in that field. Then suddenly she abandoned her career and made a logical jump into a similar field by becoming a real estate agent! Fortunately this was just in time for the sequel that was based in. ta-dah, a real estate office!
Sorry, but this show was good but it had strange direction.
A Lost Gem
pcmthmes194 February 2002
A charming romance for the first season and a half. The writing is superb and likeable actors made this a pleasant series to watch.
Mary Page Keller in particular was magnificent to help make up for a wooden Matthew Laurance as the other lead. The supporting cast of Chris Lemmon and Alison LaPlaca are even better actors than the leads and Jody Thelen and Eileen Sorkin were effectively cartoonish contributors.
The series takes a romantic stroll from Ben (Laurance) and Laura's (Keller) first meeting through the ups and downs of courtship. And this is a very delightful courtship indeed! Unfortunately near the end of the second season, the series veered completely away from the last sense of reality. Great stories and good laughs.
I wish I could get this series on video. When will Nick or TVLand start airing this wonderful program? (Please!)
Mary Page Keller in particular was magnificent to help make up for a wooden Matthew Laurance as the other lead. The supporting cast of Chris Lemmon and Alison LaPlaca are even better actors than the leads and Jody Thelen and Eileen Sorkin were effectively cartoonish contributors.
The series takes a romantic stroll from Ben (Laurance) and Laura's (Keller) first meeting through the ups and downs of courtship. And this is a very delightful courtship indeed! Unfortunately near the end of the second season, the series veered completely away from the last sense of reality. Great stories and good laughs.
I wish I could get this series on video. When will Nick or TVLand start airing this wonderful program? (Please!)
Bring it to DVD! It's a gem!
jrosehuntington30 July 2005
I at least would love to see it on Nick at Night! I don't exactly know how to request it on the TV on DVD site, but if you've never seen it and it got added to the TV on DVD list, you'd be an instant fan also. It's a late 80's/early 90's gem lost in a sea of smut. Along came "married with children" and soon the quality of the programming went downhill, and the rest of the lineup followed suit. It was cool seeing Alison LaPlaca as Rachel's boss on Friends, and I was remembering first seeing her on "Duet" as Linda Phillips. I also remember one episode where Ben & Laura went to a motel and stayed in "room 214" when they got back together after a brief breakup to have a wildly romantic romp. I wish I could see this program again!!!
Good cast, good show, Fox debut line-up...
Heff200120 June 2005
I remember DUET as being part of the new Fox network in '87, along with Tracey Ullman, Werewolf, and...hmmm..can't remember the other. DUET was canceled well before its time! The casting was great and the chemistry between the two leads (Laurance & Keller) was excellent. I also remember the spin-off, OPEN HOUSE. LaPlaca was incredibly funny on Duet, the writing for Open House wasn't up to par and didn't do her (or Lemmon) justice. OPEN HOUSE also featured Ellen Degeneres! I dunno, there was just something warm and charming about DUET. I don't use "warm and charming" often, that's for sure! Perhaps TV Land will have a "lost shows" weekend and show it.
Good show ... for as long as it lasted
jmatrixrenegade1 August 2003
Charming show that lost it's way ... it's idea is to tell the story of a couple from the time they meet, start their relationship, and so forth. The two leads were cute, the supporting cast amusing sidekicks, and it was overall an enjoyable little show. I don't quite recall, but perhaps the writing went downhill when their relationship reached a certain point before the "Mad About You" stage, or perhaps just the ratings. Either way, it was revamped as "Open House," an inferior product and soon was gone.
It was enjoyable for as long it lasted, all the same.
It was enjoyable for as long it lasted, all the same.
Two Couples In Relationships
hillari9 July 2004
This was a decent show that ended too soon. I believe it was one of the earliest sitcoms on the FOX Network back in the late 1980's. The main couple had their share of drama. There was a storyline where Ben asked his girlfriend to move in with him, but she refused, which caused a problem in their relationship. It was also revealed during this storyline that the girlfriend had a drinking problem which she took up again due to relationship pressures. The girlfriend had a goofy, but loveable sister (shades of "Rhoda"). The secondary couple on this show were a lot of fun--a self-absorbed Hollywood studio executive and her husband who sold patio furniture until he quit to follow his passion, playing piano. Unfortunately, a sequel was made spotlighting the Hollywood exec (she had lost her job and went into real estate) that didn't go over as well.
Slight, but charming sitcom in need of re-discovery
cfisanick26 November 2003
"Duet," a unique little sitcom dealing with the ups-and-downs of love and courtship on a date-by-date basis, benefited from some sharp writing and likable leads, especially Ms. Keller, who never achieved success commensurate with her talent. I wholeheartedly agree that someone, anyone, should rerun this or put it out on a DVD. (The less said about the spin-off "Open House," the better.) It would take a hard heart indeed not to be captivated by this buried treasure.
turned into quartet towards the end
smoke011 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Duet started out inoffensively but realistically, with rather high expectations, as the lead couple were involved in a mature adult relationship, with all that that implies. The friends and the sister were there for apparently no other reason than to provide some comedic counterpoint to what the producers apparently hoped would be a serio-comic study of a couple with all their ups and downs. However, once the show got into its first major down, it sunk so low it couldn't figure out how to get back up. In short, a bad breakup was followed by the lead actress developing a drinking problem and finally waking up with a strange man. Not exactly sympathetic behaviour for a lead character in a sitcom, and therefore not easily salvaged for the average sitcom audience. The subsequent and conveniently quick "all is forgiven" makeup storyline was then dumped, along with the show's original timeline, in favor of taking the easy way out by featuring more of the wacky friends and less of the damaged duet. The only really funny thing about the show was how it failed so quickly when it had so much potential. Duet aspired to follow a couple through real relationship issues, and then didn't know where to go once it actually had one.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
