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| Cathy Silvers and Robert Pierce on Happy Days. |
Just like All in the Family, Happy Days was notorious for launching spinoff after spinoff—five in all, not counting the three (!) animated series. But Joanie Loves Chachi was different from the other Happy Days satellite shows. While Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley both featured guest characters who'd only appeared fleetingly on Happy Days, JLC centered around two ongoing characters, Joanie Cunningham (Erin Moran) and Chachi Arcola (Scott Baio), who were central to the original show. Happy Days had never done this before, moving two of its regulars to another night and another show.
Because Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi were so intimately related, crossovers between the two sitcoms were frequent. Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, and Henry Winkler all put in appearances on JLC, while Scott Baio and Erin Moran were practically regulars during the tenth season of Happy Days. This was done to spark interest in the flailing JLC, which was struggling against the powerhouse Magnum P.I. on Thursdays. But Happy Days' own ratings were crumbling by 1982-83, so it was in no position to help its undernourished sister series.
Nevertheless, in January 1983, Happy Days did its biggest crossover episode with JLC yet: a little concoction called "Life is More Important Than Show Business." This time, Joanie and Chachi brought their whole band with them: Mario (Derrel Maury), Annette (Winifred Freedman), and even spaced-out drummer Bingo (Robert Pierce). The latter gets to have a weird, amusing quasi-romance with hormone-crazed Jenny Piccalo (Cathy Silvers).
But what else does this episode have in store for us? And is life more important than show business? Find out by listening to the podcast below.