| The Baxters | |
|---|---|
 Season 1 title card | |
| Created by | Hubert Jessup |
| Developed by | Norman Lear |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Marvin Laird |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 1979 – August 1981 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
The Baxters is a sitcom that aired in broadcast syndication from September 1979 to August 1981. The original American incarnation of the series aired locally from 1977 to 1979 on the Boston station WCVB-TV; in 1979, Norman Lear took over production, and a recast version aired nationally in the 1979–80 television season. Facing cancellation, the series was then acquired by a Canadian firm who moved the production to Toronto, Ontario and recast it again; it lasted one more season as a Canadian series before ending its run in 1981. It is not to be confused with the 2018–2019 Lightworkers Media television series of that name based on the novels of Karen Kingsbury and starring Roma Downey.[1][2]
The series was the first "interactive" sitcom, depicting a middle-class St. Louis family. Each 30-minute episode was split into two parts; the first half was a vignette dramatizing the events in the lives of the Baxter family, and the second was a live studio audience "talk show" segment where audiences were given the opportunity to participate and voice their opinions about the issues raised in that week's episode.
- ^ "The Baxters (Season 2)". Film and Television Industry Alliance. 4 February 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (April 9, 2018). "Roma Downey, Ted McGinley to Star in LightWorkers Media Drama 'The Baxters'". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2020.