Love & War is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 21, 1992, to August 18, 1995. The series was created by Diane English and originally starred Susan Dey as Wally Porter, a restaurant owner in New York City, and Jay Thomas as Jack Stein, a newspaper columnist who had a relationship with Wally that started and stopped over time.
After the first season, the show was changed, and Susan Dey was removed from the series by the producers, who said she and Jay Thomas did not have enough chemistry. She was replaced by Annie Potts as Dana Palladino, who purchased Wally’s restaurant and became Jack’s love interest.
In the first season, characters sometimes spoke directly to the audience, often to talk about personal struggles. This technique was not used in later seasons.
One episode included a guest appearance by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David as themselves. They did this to thank Diane English for allowing a brief scene on Murphy Brown in an episode of Seinfeld where Kramer was cast as a character’s secretary.
The show’s supporting cast included Suzie Plakson, Joanna Gleason, Joel Murray, Charlie Robinson, and Michael Nouri. John Hancock, who previously worked with Susan Dey as a judge on L.A. Law, played bartender Ike in the first half of season one. His role was written into the series after he died of a heart attack in late 1992. He was later replaced by Charlie Robinson.
Cast
- Jay Thomas played Jack Stein
- Susan Dey played Wally Porter (1992–93)
- John Hancock played Ike Johnson (1992)
- Joel Murray played Ray Litvak
- Michael Nouri played Kip Zakaris
- Suzie Plakson played Meg Tynan
- Joanna Gleason played Nadine Berkus
- Charlie Robinson played Abe Johnson (1992–95)
- Annie Potts played Dana Palladino (1993–95) / think
Scheduling
During its first two and a half seasons, the show was shown on Monday nights after another production by Diane English, Murphy Brown. During the middle of its third season, the show was moved to Wednesday nights. This change caused ratings to drop, which led to the show's cancellation, along with half of CBS's prime-time programs.
Awards and nominations
In 1994, Potts was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series but did not win, and Candice Bergen won instead. In 1993, guest star Tracey Ullman won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. In 1994, guest star Eileen Heckart also won the same Emmy category. In 1995, Sid Caesar was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series but did not win. Additionally, the show was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 1993.