#FlashBackFriday: The Torkelsons/Almost Home

Well I’m feeling better from the sinus cold of 2016 so I’m back with this week’s edition so let’s get to it!

The Torkelsons

Yeah, you know you recognize the name.. it aired on NBC during 1992 and 1993 and follows the story of Dorothy Jane (Olivia Burnette), an articulate, sweet and ambitious teenager who finds herself stuck living with Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma. At least for the first season.

During it’s initial run, Dorothy Jane served as the show’s main commentary via her talks to “Man In The Moon” through out episodes, and the show was very much based in a family sitcom vibe. The Torkelsons themselves were a single parent family – father Randy left the family leaving Millicent to raise the wrangle of kids on her own- who struggled being poor in a poor town, but the show never managed to make that off putting. It was actually quite real, and I’d say quite groundbreaking in a way.

While the vast majority of episodes centered around Burnette’s Dorothy Jane, the other of kids also had their share of story lines making The Torkelsons feel very much like an ensemble comedy.

The Torkelsons ran two seasons, but the first was the only to focus on the family in Oklahoma since upon it’s return in February 1993 the show had gone under some re-tooling resulting in cast changes and a new name – Almost Home.

Almost Home, it’s more the first season that sticks in my memory. Perhaps it’s because it was the comfort food type sitcom that I do love, or perhaps they were just better episodes. Who knows.

The Torkelsons/Almost Home concluded their run in June of 1993 after 33 episodes. Since it’s cancellation both incarnations of the show have popped up in syndication over the years and you can find any number of their episodes on Youtube via this wonderful channel here.