The Torkelsons

The Torkelsons is an American sitcom which aired on the NBC television network from September 21, 1991 to June 6, 1993. Produced by Walt Disney Television, the series starred Connie Ray, Olivia Burnette and William Schallert. For the second season, the series was retooled and renamed Almost Home. The series lasted a total of two seasons, consisting of 33 episodes.

Synopsis
Living in Pyramid Corners, a fictional suburb of Vinita, Oklahoma, Millicent Torkelson (Connie Ray) did what she could to survive financially, after her husband, Randy (Gregg Henry) left the family. Randy later returned and was seen in several episodes, and the two parents ended up divorcing. The pilot episode deals with Millicent being so far in debt that she even has appliances in her home repossessed. In order to support her family, Millicent gets a boarder named Wesley Hodges (William Schallert), who ends up living with them for the year in the house basement.

Millicent's children were 14-year-old Dorothy Jane (Olivia Burnette), sweet and exceptionally articulate for her age, who also served running commentary throughout the show by having talks with the "Man in the Moon" by her bedroom window; 12-year-old Steven Floyd (Aaron Michael Metchik), the athletic second oldest; 10-year-old Ruth Ann (Anna Slotky), who was musically inclined; 8-year-old Chuckie Lee (Lee Norris), the bug collector, always recognizable with his thick-rimmed glasses; and the youngest, 6-year-old Mary Sue (Rachel Duncan), who acted as if nothing was ever wrong. The pilot also involves Dorothy Jane meeting the new neighbor for the first time, 18-year-old Riley Roberts (Michael Landes), and becoming completely infatuated with him. Throughout the remainder of the first season Riley remains oblivious to the torch Dorothy Jane carries for him, mainly due to their age difference (she was a freshman in high school, and he a senior), but the two develop a strong connection nonetheless. Another neighbor of the Torkelsons was Kirby Scroggins (Paige Gosney), a pesky but well-meaning teenage boy clad in plaid who was forever chasing a disinterested Dorothy Jane. Dorothy Jane is also quite embarrassed by her family and their situation, even though she would never let someone else make fun of them.

The pilot also featured Ernie Lively as Jacob "J.W." Presley, a butcher who is smitten with Millicent. In the pilot episode, Benj Thall and Elizabeth Poyer played Steven Floyd and Ruth Ann Torkelson. All these actors were originally going to be part of the show permanently, as they were credited in the pilot's opening sequence, but thereafter, the children were subsequently recast and the character of J.W. was dropped entirely.

Almost Home
After ending its first season on June 16, 1992, the series was retooled and renamed Almost Home. Premiering on February 6, 1993, the second incarnation features the Torkelsons relocating to Seattle after Millicent accepts a job as a nanny. In this series, Steven Floyd and Ruth Ann did not appear nor were they mentioned. Millicent took the other three children to live with Brian Morgan (Perry King) and his two kids; Gregory (Jason Marsden) and Molly (Brittany Murphy). Brian ran a successful clothing catalog/magazine titled Molly Gregory, a business started by his late wife and so-named after both his children.

There was some initial resistance from Molly and Gregory to warm up to the Torkelson clan moving in, as they felt somewhat alienated by their down-home ways and devotion to cheerful, southern hospitality. Slowly but surely they adjusted, with Gregory becoming a trusted ally to all the kids, and Molly helping Dorothy Jane to fit into her world of shallow, status-conscious people, albeit feebly. Brian and Millicent often clashed over parenting methods, but would usually learn a valuable lesson from each other in the end. The novel practice of having Dorothy Jane talk to the "Man in the Moon" about her issues and dreams, from her bedroom window, remained. This incarnation of the show ended on June 6, 1993.

With the retooling of the show's format and title change, the revamped Almost Home also transitioned from being shot on film to being recorded on tape.

Main cast

 * Connie Ray as Millicent Torkelson
 * Olivia Burnette as Dorothy Jane Torkelson
 * Rachel Duncan as Mary Sue Torkelson
 * Lee Norris as Chuckie Lee Torkelson
 * Aaron Michael Metchik as Steven Floyd Torkelson (Season 1)
 * William Schallert as Wesley "Boarder" Hodges (Season 1)
 * Anna Slotky as Ruth Ann Torkelson (Season 1)
 * Perry King as Brian Morgan (Season 2)
 * Jason Marsden as Gregory Morgan (Season 2)
 * Brittany Murphy as Molly Morgan (Season 2)

Recurring cast

 * Paige Gosney as Kirby Scroggins (season 1)
 * Michael Landes as Riley Roberts (season 1)
 * Ronnie Claire Edwards as Bootsie Torkelson (season 1)
 * Alyson Kiperman as Dreama (season 1)
 * Mother Love as Kitty Drysdale (season 1)

Notable guest stars

 * Comedian Drew Carey guest starred in the Season 1 episode "Say Uncle", in what was his very first appearance in a TV sitcom.
 * In the Season 1 episode "Return to Sender", William Schallert was reunited with former co-star Patty Duke, who had played his daughter in The Patty Duke Show almost 30 years earlier, from 1963-1966. In this episode, Millicent wanted to reunite Boarder Hodges (Schallert) with his granddaughter that he had not seen in over a year. Duke played the widow of his late son and mother of his granddaughter.
 * Joey Lawrence guest starred as Dorothy Jane and Mollie's boss in the Season 2 episode "Girls and Boy".
 * Erin Gray appeared in the Season 2 episode "Sleeping with the Enemy" as Mr. Morgan's love interest.
 * Ben Affleck appeared in the Season 2 episode "Is That All There Is?" as a basketball player who falls in love with Dorothy Jane.
 * Jared Leto appeared in the Season 2 episode "The Fox and the Hound" as a football player at a party that Molly throws, whom Dorothy Jane thinks is cute.
 * Alyson Hannigan appeared in two Season 2 episodes "The Dance" and "Hot Ticket" as a tomboy with a crush on Gregory.
 * Grounded for Life star Donal Logue appeared in the Season 2 episode "Hot Ticket" as a musician named "Tommy Tom".

Production notes
Series creator Lynn Montgomery claims to have gotten the name "Torkelson" from a real-life Steven Floyd Torkelson, who had showed her his bug collection, and shared his first kiss with her thirty years earlier.

Syndication
The Disney Channel aired reruns of The Torkelsons and Almost Home on their weekday and weekend lineups from January 1994 to late 1999. All Disney Channel advertising for the shows packaged both seasons under The Torkelsons name; however, when the Almost Home episodes aired in circulation, the title was never altered in the opening credits. The Disney Channel also aired the series' episodes in production order.