After The Incredible Hulk, Bill Bixby Starred In A Forgotten '80s Sitcom

After spending five seasons transforming from a mild-mannered scientist to a raging, green-skinned behemoth on CBS' "The Incredible Hulk" (our top-ranked Hulk TV show), Bill Bixby stepped away from the weekly-series grind in favor of doing a TV movie ("Murder Is Easy") and hosting a TV special ("The Book of Lists"). By the time the fall 1983 TV season rolled around, however, Bixby was back in CBS' primetime lineup, returning to comedy, the genre that had first made him a staple of the small screen. This time, he starred in the forgotten '80s sitcom "Goodnight, Beantown."

Bixby's first major role on a sitcom was in 1963's "My Favorite Martian," in which he played Tim O'Hara, a reporter who stumbles upon a stranded Martian (Ray Walston) and agrees to let the Martian — posing as Tim's Uncle Martin — stay with him while trying to repair his spaceship and return home. After the conclusion of that series, along with a handful of films (including two Elvis Presley flicks, "Clambake" and "Speedway"), Bixby found sitcom success again, this time with "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," in which he played a widower with a young son — Eddie, played by Brandon Cruz — who decides that it's time to start dating again.

For "Goodnight, Beantown," Bixby teamed with Mariette Hartley, with the twosome playing co-anchors of a nightly newscast in Boston. The series was a reunion of sorts for the actors, with Hartley having previously guested on an episode of "The Incredible Hulk."

In the pilot episode of "Goodnight, Beantown," longtime evening news anchor Matt Cassidy (Bill Bixby) is informed by the station manager — Dick Novak, played by George Coe — that his ratings at WYN-TV have begun to slide to such a degree that they've decided to bring in a co-host: Jennifer Barnes (Marietta Hartley). It's a decision that understandably rankles Matt, but he doesn't have much choice as far as whether to get along with Jennifer, since in addition to being his co-anchor, Jennifer and her daughter, Susan (Tracey Gold), also happen to live in the same building as Matt.

Debuting on April 3, 1983, just before the end of the traditional TV season, "Goodnight, Beantown" had a very short 1st season — only five episodes — but it was long enough for Hartley to earn an Emmy nod for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, and it was renewed for a 2nd season. During its 1st season, its Nielsen rating was tied with "Knots Landing," and during the 2nd season, it was tied with "Cheers," but that wasn't enough to keep the show on the air. After 13 episodes, CBS said goodnight to "Beantown."

Speaking about Bixby, "Goodnight, Beantown" director Harry Winer told Woman's World, "I had some good times with him and Mariette Hartley ... They had a wonderful chemistry and it was a good feeling on the set. And that always starts with the person at the top, the star of the show. Bill was clearly the star of the show."