Charles in Charge

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Other (ended 1990)
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Show Summary

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This sitcom blasted onto TV sets in 1984 on CBS, and it and ABC's "Who's the Boss?" - starring Tony Danza - both seemed similar, except for one thing: Charles in Charge left the air the next year. It starred Scott Baio ("Happy Days") and Willie Aames ("Eight is Enough").

In 1987, the show returned to airwaves, except with a replacement family, the Powells. With stars like Nicole Eggert ("Baywatch") and Ellen Travolta ("Happy Days"), John Travolta's sister, who played star Chachi's (Scott Baio) mother in "Happy Days" and now in "Charles in Charge."moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 5 :  Ep 26 Aired 7/30/90
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S 5 :  Ep 25 Aired 7/30/90
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S 5 :  Ep 24 Aired 7/30/90
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S 5 :  Ep 23 Aired 7/13/90
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S 5 :  Ep 22 Aired 7/10/90
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Fan Reviews (16)

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  • It\'s Okay but needed a new cast.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By Susie-Gibbs, Mar 15, 2011
    Charles in Charge was the story of Charles, a 19 year old college student, that went to work as a male nanny watching a working couples three children. Charles in Charge first aired in 1984 and was cancelled in 1985 and starred Scott Baio of Happy days and Joanie Loves Chachi fame. The show returned in 1987 and ran until 1990 this time with a different cast playing the Powell family.moreless

  • Charles is a college student in need of a place to live and a job. He finds both when he is hired by Stan and Jill Pembroke to help take care of their three children. An hilarious Sitcom about a typical young man doing a rather unusual job!moreless

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By Lady_Lancaster, Jul 29, 2009
    Charles (Scott Baio of "Happy Days" fame)is a typical nice young man who attends Copeland College. Like many college students, he needs a job to help pay for his education. Charles's job, however, is slightly different to that of an average college boy because he is a live-in 'child-minder' for Stan and Jill Pembroke and their three children, Lila, Douglas and Jason.

    The Pembrokes are very busy people and Charles is exactly the type of person they need to help them raise their kids. Lila is your average 14-year-old who wants to be 21 but still enjoys slumber partties with her friends and all sorts of other 'girly' stuff. Douglas has a very bright and enquisitive mind and, as he matures he wonders not only about the world of science but also the odd creatures known as girls! Jason, who looks to Charles as an older brother, is ten and suffers all the normal amount of angst which goes along with it.

    Baio is a very skilled comedic talent and plays the role of the responsible, yet loveable Charles to perfection. Willie Aames (Eight Is Enough) is superb as his best friend, Buddy Lembeck, who seems to get into enough trouble in one episode to last a lifetime! The three kids are also brilliantly cast and, in spite of their youth, manage to pull of their respective roles in a very mature and capable fashion.

    The series was axed and then, two years later resurrected. Unfortunately, none of the original actors who portrayed the Pembroke family were able to revise their roles, so the producers devised a storyline whereby the Pembrokes moved to Seattle and sublet their house AND Charles at the same time - to the Powell family who also had three children in need of a 'Charles' to raise them. Jamie (Nicole Eggert, later seen in 'Baywatch), Sarah and Adam were very different to the Pembroke kids and the slant of the show necessarily changed when the new family took over. However, Scott Baio and Willie Aames, real-life good friends, continued to be outstanding and the series continued on until 1990.

    'Charles In Charge' was a show for young and old, a laugh a minute, good clean fun and now available on DVD to enjoy again and again!moreless

  • I loved Charles In Charge when I first saw it. I saw the first season with the Pembroke family and it became my favorite show.

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By blondwildboy, Jul 12, 2009
    I thought that Charles In Charge was so funny. Charles and Buddy were hilarious. The kids were funny too. Douglas Pembroke was the strange one, Lila was the sometimes sweet, sometimes rebellious teenage one and Jason was the fun and sometimes sarcastic one. The show was amazing. Charles moved in with the Pembroke family and took care of the kids. He was like a big brother to them. But then when the show came back for season two the Pembroke family moved away and they were replaced by the Powell family. This is where I lost interest in the show. Jamie Powell was a spoiled brat, Sarah Powell was boring and Adam was just annoying. And I couldn't stand the grandfather, Walter. I really couldn't stand that guy. If the Pembrokes would have stayed on the show I would have given it a 10. But I just didn't like the Powell family and I lost interest in the show when they came on it.moreless

  • One of the most greatest and most funniest shows of the 1980s!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By brettfern, May 10, 2007
    Charles in Charge is probably my most favorite out of all my favorite sitcoms ever.

    Although Charles (Scott Baio) was the star of the show, I really have to give Willie Aames some extra credit. Buddy Lembeck is my most favorite character on this show. The ratings for the show didn't do too well in the first season, but the show really improved at the start of the second season with the Powells. Everyone thinks that they are way better than the Pembrokes and way funnier. And I personally think that whenever Mr. Powell and Buddy were in a scene together, those scenes would always be hysterically funny. He would always call Buddy by his last name, never by his first name. It was always "Lembeck".

    I am hoping that Universal Studios Home Entertainment releases the remaining four seasons someday. It is unfair that they have chosen not to release additional volumes of such great 1980s sitcoms Charles in Chargge, Kate and Allie and Gimme A Break. It is a little bit over a year that the first season of Charles in Charge hit stores and still, the second season has not been released. If they would have released it at a fast pace, we could have had three seasons out by now and two remaining. But unfortunately, that did not happen and I was not please about that.

    Let's hope TV Land considers it someday since it has become almost extinct. I do not wish for it to headed in the direction where Small Wonder, another favorite of mine has headed - EXTINCTION.moreless

  • Great until the end

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By taz765, Feb 18, 2007
    Alot of people think that Charles in Charge went down in quality over the years. I think that some of the funniest episodes were in the later years. I preferred The Powells years to the Pembroke season. I thought that stupid Buddy was better than normal Buddy, it gave him and Walter some great lines to exchange with each other. I glad the producers decide to give this great show another chance after it was canceled by CBS. It must have been good to run another four years in syndication. I hope the rest of the seasons come out on DVD soon.moreless
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bad parenting, broke college student, brought back from cancelation, celebrity cameos, child stars

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