A Brand New Life

This 1989 TV series followed a millionaire father of three (Don Murray) who fell for and married a down to earth single mom of three (Barbara Eden) who works as a waitress. In a distinctly Brady Bunch meets the Beverly Hillbillys mix, they all moved into brand new dad's brand new Bel Air mansion when Disney released A Brand New Life as a TV movie. The surprising success of that outing led to an ongoing TV series and further exploration of how a liberal-minded wealthy family and a conservatively minded poor family might get along when thrust together. Rich kids Byron Thames and a pre-Becker Shawnee Smith suited up for dad’s team, while a pre-Days of Our Lives Alison Sweeney and a pre-90210 Jennie Garth represented for mom’s. Geek, heartthrob, bimbo and plain girl, just imagine the after-school special possibilities! Somebody drop me a line when the ‘step sisters form a crush on each other’ episode airs…