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Fudge (TV series)

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Fudge
GenreSitcom
Based onFudge-a-Mania
by Judy Blume
Directed byBob Clark (pilot)
Anson Williams (10 eps)
Kristoffer Tabori (5 eps)
Frank Bonner (1 ep)
StarringJake Richardson
Eve Plumb
Forrest Witt
Nassira Nicola
Alex Burrall
Luke Tarsitano
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMary Gregory de Butts
Russell Marcus
ProducerKevin C. Slattery
CinematographyStephen C. Confer
EditorsNancy Forner
David Helfand
Running time19–20 minutes
Production companiesKevin Slattery Productions
Amblin Television
MCA Television Entertainment
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJanuary 14 (1995-01-14) –
December 16, 1995 (1995-12-16)

Fudge is a 1995 American children's television series based on a series of Judy Blume novels about a young boy nicknamed Fudge.[1] The series ran for two seasons, with 24 episodes following a telefilm adaptation of Blume's novel Fudge-a-Mania, which aired on January 7, 1995, in primetime,[2][3][4] as part of the ABC Family Movies.[5]

The show was canceled after the second season as part of ABC's restructuring of its Saturday morning lineup due to the network's 1996 acquisition by The Walt Disney Company.

Broadcasts

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U.S. network broadcasts

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Fudge premiered on ABC's Saturday morning program block on January 14, 1995, one week after the pilot movie aired,[4] and ran nine episodes for its first season, and aired its second season with 15 episodes from August to December 1995, with reruns continuing until September 1996. ABC's broadcasts of the show were often accompanied with a Schoolhouse Rock segment immediately after the end of each episode.

In September 1997, reruns of the show reappeared onto the CBS Saturday morning lineup, where it remained until December of that year.[6]

International broadcasts

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In Canada, the show was broadcast on YTV at the time of the show's original run. The program was also broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC as part of its CBBC lineup from April 1996 until November 1999. In addition, Australia's Network Ten also broadcast the show as part of its children's programming lineup in 1996.

Cast

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Primary cast

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Other characters

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  • Rob Monroe as Henry
  • Grant Hoover as Arnold
  • Chuck Marra as Mr. Bogner[7]
  • Rif Hutton as Mr. Green[8]
  • Nick Humphrey as Elliot
  • Brenda Song as Jennie[9][10]
  • Teddy Dale as Sam
  • Jared Moen as Daniel Manheim

Episodes

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TV movie

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TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
"Fudge-a-Mania"Bob ClarkBob ClarkJanuary 7, 1995 (1995-01-07)
The Hatchers and the Tubmans decide to go to Maine together for a few weeks in August. Peter and Sheila Tubman don't get along happily. His friend Jimmy Fargo comes to help brighten it. While in Maine, the families have many encounters including a baseball game with Red Sox center fielder Big Apfel (Alex Karras), a sailing trip, and a surprise from Peter's grandmother, Muriel (Florence Henderson), and Sheila's grandfather, Buzzy Senior (Darren McGavin).

Season 1 (January–March 1995)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"How Turtle Got His Name"Anson WilliamsTeleplay by : Mary Gregory de Butts & Russell MarcusJanuary 14, 1995 (1995-01-14)
Peter reveals the story of how he got his dog, Turtle: He won a little turtle at a birthday party; he named it Dribble. Fudge ate the turtle in inspiration of making his own turtle soup following a soup dinner with Peter's dad Warren's advertising client. When Fudge went to the hospital and then brought home, Warren and Anne got him a puppy and to keep the memory of Dribble (since he died in Fudge's stomach), he named the puppy Turtle.
22"Saving Up Is Hard to Do"Anson WilliamsTom J. AstleJanuary 21, 1995 (1995-01-21)
With their parents' wedding anniversary coming in short order, Peter hopes to find a good gift for them on a budget, and hopes that they like the gift he gives them. Meanwhile, Fudge becomes an elevator attendant to earn money for an anniversary gift, much to Peter's chagrin.
33"Fudge Meets Ratface"Lynn HamrickTeleplay by : Mary Gregory de Butts & Russell MarcusJanuary 28, 1995 (1995-01-28)
At the end of summer vacation, Peter dreads the idea of Fudge attending the same school as him. On Fudge's first day of kindergarten, he climbed up to the top of a shelf and won't come down because his teacher, unlike his friends and family, wouldn't call him Fudge. Peter gets the idea of transferring Fudge to another class so that the other teacher will call him Fudge.
44"The TV Star"UnknownUnknownFebruary 4, 1995 (1995-02-04)
When Peter and Fudge spends a day at his father's office, Fudge unwittingly ends up becoming the star of a new tricycle commercial.
55"To Catch a Fudge"Kristoffer TaboriGeorge ThompsonFebruary 11, 1995 (1995-02-11)
Sheila is in for a challenge when she volunteers to babysit Fudge while his parents have dinner with Sheila's parents at their apartment. Chaos ensues when Fudge plays a hiding game.
66"The Birthday Bash"Iris DugowTeleplay by : Tom J. AstleFebruary 18, 1995 (1995-02-18)
On Fudge's birthday, which happened to land on a Saturday, Peter is forced to stay home and celebrate at his brother's birthday party. In the end, Fudge didn't care that his friends came, all he wanted was for his big brother to be here on his birthday.
77"The Flying Train Committee"Lynn HamrickTeleplay by : Mary Gregory de Butts & Russell MarcusFebruary 25, 1995 (1995-02-25)
Peter, Jimmy and Sheila are working on a school project about transportation in the city, which results in several arguments. But right before the project was due, Fudge vandalizes the poster associated with the project, which prompts his parents to build a wall separating them.
88"Uncle Feather"Lynn HamrickTeleplay by : Mary Gregory de Butts & Russell MarcusMarch 4, 1995 (1995-03-04)
Shortly after a wall was built in the previous episode to give the two boys some space, Fudge struggles to fall asleep due to his fear of monsters in his room. To prevent the wall from being taken down in their room, Peter's solution was to let Fudge have a pet bird.
99"Ducky Soup"UnknownUnknownMarch 11, 1995 (1995-03-11)
Fudge's favorite stuffed monkey named Rumpy is thrown in the wash by accident. Peter gives him his stuffed duck in an attempt to temporarily replace it until the stuffed monkey is poorly sewn back together.

Season 2 (August–December 1995)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
101"The Grade Escape"Anson WilliamsTom J. AstleAugust 19, 1995 (1995-08-19)
Peter is to complete a take-home aptitude test, which Sheila brings two copies to him due to his illness. Peter completes the test on one copy, while the other is filled out and unwittingly aced by Fudge, which results in the latter getting the highest score by accidentally handing in the one filled out by Fudge. As a result, Peter must find a way to prove that Fudge's intelligence is false or face humiliation.
112"The Art of Friendship"Anson WilliamsJay IngramAugust 26, 1995 (1995-08-26)
Peter's friendship with Jimmy Fargo is in serious jeopardy in the wake of an announced appearance by Jimmy's father as a speaker on Career Day at school.
Special guest star: Michael Colyar as Frank Fargo.
123"No Exit"Anson WilliamsMary Gregory deButtsSeptember 2, 1995 (1995-09-02)
When relatives come to visit, Peter gets the younger-sibling experience when he and Fudge are babysat by their older cousin, while the adults are out to dinner at a steakhouse, much to Anne and Warren's disgust.
Note: Anson Williams guest stars as the waiter.
134"Play It Again, Dad"Anson WilliamsTom J. AstleSeptember 9, 1995 (1995-09-09)
After seeing a performance by a street performer, a girl winking at Peter prompts him to dream about becoming a music star. In response, Warren enrolls Peter for piano lessons.
Special guest star: Milton Berle as Leo.
145"The Candyman Shouldn't"Anson WilliamsMary Gregory de ButtsSeptember 16, 1995 (1995-09-16)
A routine dental checkup reveals Fudge had four cavities. As a result, Anne and Warren challenges the whole family to give up sugary snacks and desserts for a week, much to the dismay of Fudge and Peter.
156"My Grandmother the Card"Iris DugowTom J. AstleSeptember 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)
Peter and Fudge's grandmother comes to babysit them when Anne and Warren go away for the weekend. However, their grandmother's plans conflict with that of Peter and his friends.
167"Big Little Lie"Kristoffer TaboriGeorge ThompsonSeptember 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)
Peter and Fudge's wrestling results in one of the legs of an end table becoming broken. In order to conceal the truth to avoid punishment, Peter enlists Arnold and (unintentionally) Sheila to fix the table before their parents come home from their outing.
178"Bye Anxiety"Anson WilliamsJoseph PurdyOctober 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)
Peter's relationship with Sheila comes into question when her family makes an announcement that they may be relocating to Chicago.
189"Bad Housekeeping"Frank BonnerTom J. AstleOctober 14, 1995 (1995-10-14)
When their parents ponder the idea of hiring a housekeeper due to the family's bad household habits, Fudge and Peter fear that their belongings will be clean out of sight. Warren goes overboard when he tries to clean up the house himself.
1910"Odd Man Out"Anson WilliamsLisa StotskyOctober 21, 1995 (1995-10-21)
Peter's class takes part in a multi-day Kindergarten buddies program.
2011"A Foreign Affair"Allison LiddiKent PierceOctober 28, 1995 (1995-10-28)
Peter has a crush on a new female student from China.
2112"Slam Funk"Kristoffer TaboriAllison M. GibsonNovember 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)
A new boy interferes with the friendship of Peter and Jimmy.
2213"Reversal of Fortune"UnknownUnknownNovember 11, 1995 (1995-11-11)
2314"The Mouse Trappers"Anson WilliamsMary Gregory de Butts & Russell Marcus & Tom J. AstleNovember 18, 1995 (1995-11-18)
When they look to add another room to their apartment, Peter gets a notion that their parents are thinking of having another baby. Meanwhile, Fudge befriends a mouse.
2415"Midnight Cowboys"Kristoffer TaboriMary Gregory de ButtsDecember 16, 1995 (1995-12-16)
The Hatchers host a New Year's party, during which Peter tries his best to get Fudge into bed at the regularly scheduled time.

Reception

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TV Guide twice listed Fudge as one of the Ten Best Shows for Children.[11]

Awards and nominations

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At the Seventeenth Annual Youth in Film Awards, the cast was nominated for a Young Actors Award, Best Performance by a Young Ensemble: Television. Nassira Nicola, who played Sheila Tubman, won for Best Performance by a Young Actress: TV Comedy Series.[12]

Home video

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The made-for-TV pilot movie and select episodes were released on VHS by GoodTimes Home Video under license by MCA Universal Home Video in early 1996.

References

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  1. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 168. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "TV Listings for January 7, 1995". TV Tango. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Kloer, Phil (January 12, 1995). "'Fudge-a-Mania' is sweet kids' sitcom". Cox News Service. Moscow-Pullman Daily News. p. 3C – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Gill, Suzanne (January 1, 1995). "Children's book looks great on TV". TV Data News Service. Daytona Beach News-Journal TV Journal. p. 21 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ King, Susan (September 10, 1994). "Saturday's family night on ABC". Los Angeles Times. p. 6D. Retrieved November 29, 2023 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Reeves, Tracey A.; Jameson, Tonya (September 1, 1997). "TV Networks Ready With Required Children's Programming". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. p. A5 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Chuck Marra at IMDb
  8. ^ Rif Hutton at IMDb
  9. ^ Brenda song profile at The New York Times
  10. ^ Brenda Song at IMDb
  11. ^ "BBC - Comedy Guide - Fudge". Archived from the original on December 5, 2004.
  12. ^ 17th Annual Young Artist Awards Archived March 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
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