Life after divorce is never easy, but it's easier with friends
Original title
Dear John
Released
10/6/1988
Origin country
US
Genre
Comedy
Production companies
Paramount Television, Ed Weinberger Productions
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
4
Number of episodes
90
Dear John starred Judd Hirsch as easygoing Drake Prep high school teacher John Lacey who is dumped by his wife, Wendy, via a Dear John letter. Wendy ends up with everything in the divorce settlement, including custody of the couple's son, forcing John to move into an apartment in Ozone Park, Queens. John soon joins the One-2-One Club, a self help group for divorced, widowed or lonely people. The group is led by Louise (Jane Carr), a sex-obsessed British woman. Other members of the group include Kate McCarron (Isabella Hofmann), a sweet divorcée; Kirk Morris (Jere Burns), a cocky ladies' man; Ralph Drang (Harry Groener), a shy and neurotic tollbooth collector; Bonnie Philbert (Billie Bird), a feisty senior citizen; and Tom, Mrs. Philbert's quiet boyfriend (Tom Willett).
John reluctantly attends his first meeting of the One-Two-One Club -- only after mistakenly wandering into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting across the hall. (TV Guide)
A young man claims to be John' son.
John's beautiful new girlfriend thrills him—until he learns her age.
John can't understand why his son Matthew won't spend time with him.
Kate claims that her sister always steals her boyfriends, no matter how obnoxious, and to prove it Kate dates Kirk. (TV Guide)
On a camping trip, John and Matthew are stranded in a cabin by a snowstorm that ushers in a blizzard of chilling consequences. (TV Guide)
The group tells John that the knockout who's knocking him out is really a new member's transvestite husband. (TV Guide)
Blomlika, the bride who skipped out on Ralph at their wedding reception, bounds back into his life, eager to pick up where they left off 14 months before.
After one night with John, a flight attendant is ready to fly with him forever. (TV Guide)
Ralph peddles a book promoting the power of positivity, which John could use, but won't, to publish his poetry. (TV Guide)
Unwed mother Louise needs a hubby to present to her strait-laced father---and gets more help than she can handle. (TV Guide)
It's the second anniversary of the day John's wife left him (DJ Day), and the group is concerned because John is binging on junk food. Mrs. Philbert is preparing to attend her 60th high school anniversary, her first because she was always afraid of meeting her former fiance, Lloyd, and her best friend, Clara, who eloped together. John is deputized to escort her to New Jersey, where Lloyd and Clara show up after all -- so Mrs. Philbert introduces him as her fiance, invites them back to ""their"" place, and sets about seducing Lloyd with her patented technique: playing ""Honolulu Baby"" on the ukelele.
John's relationship with his new lady would be just great were it not for her daughter, who thinks all her mother's dates are grown-up dweebs. (TV Guide)
Attractive newcomer Mary Beth brings out the worst in Kirk, and it's much worse than even he imagined. (TV Guide)
Kirk takes John along for a free ski weekend, but he's left in the cold when John befriends a fellow Sherlock Holmes buff. (TV Guide)
An ex-con wants to join the group, and no one wants to say no to a killer whose temper is triggered by rejection. (TV Guide)
John's going to kick himself if he can't find the cash to send Matthew to Europe for a soccer tourney. (TV Guide)
John discovers his wonderful new job has a catch: the ex-student who got it for him expects a more intimate form of thanks. (Part 2 of 2)
John, Kirk and Ralph give new meaning to ""change the baby"" when Louise leaves Nigel in their care. (TV Guide)
Afraid he's becoming a support-group addict, John takes a night off to wing it on his own. (TV Guide)
The group throws a surprise birthday party for Kirk, but the surprise is on them. (TV Guide)
John basks in the adulation Mary Beth lavishes on him for helping her write an article.
Kate chooses John as her nephew's role model—but the boy prefers Kirk.
John goes on a blind double-date with Kirk, and finds himself mistaken for a professional escort.
John hopes for a reconciliation whe his ex-wife Wendy says she wants another child—but she only wants her sperm.
Feeling pressured and rushed, John breaks into the insemination clinc to retrieve his sperm.
John tries to mediate a fight over a woman between Kirk and his amazingly similar brother—a priest.
A new member proposes to both Kate and Louise.
John sort of fulfills his dream of playing clarinet at Carnegie Hall.
At her aunt's funeral, Kate confronts her ex-husband Blake, a cad nonetheless loved by the rest of her family.
John seeks a reunion with famous adventure author Jessica Stone, whom he recalls in flashbacks as the great love of his youth.
Despite interruptions by a newly svelte woman from Overeaters Anonymous (new recurring guest Olivia Brown), the groups tries to heer up Mary Beth, who's lost her job.
John wants his aging mother to move in with him.
John's job is jeopardized and the group disbands after a tabloid links him to a promiscuous movie star. (Part 1 of 2)
Ralph falls for a married fellow toll-taker.
John meets a pretty periodontist, Kate a suave South American, and Kirk his fiesty match. (Part 1 of 2)
Jackie agrees to live with Kirk, under exacting conditions; Louse gets a date with her IRS auditor. (Part 2 of 2)
Everyone gets dumped except Ralph; John's ex-wife Wendy brings news of a new baby. (Part 3 of 3)
Kirk loses John's antique watch to a pretty thief.
When John's college poetry teacher visits, he steals some of John's poems for a book. Meanwhile, the group preps for a talent show.
John huddles with the group members over whether to expose the former professor who plagaarized his poems. (Part 2 of 2)
After they learn she'd been institutionalized, the groups scoffs at Louise's claim she can save the financiall strapped center.
John tries getting his son Matthew to discuss his hurt feelings about the baby his mom and John are having.
John is stranded in remove Hawaiian airports after buying a discount ticket from Kirk; Alejandro proposes to Kate.
Kirk convinces John they're long-lost brothers, and moves in with him.
Kirk goes into hiding when the group discovers his wife left him for another woman.
Kate faces her fear of intimacy by dating the cop who takes the report when the group is held at gunpoint.
John and Kirk's windfall at an automated bank teller comes to light at a police officer's bachelor party.
Kirk claims there is good reason to terminate Kate's wedding plans; John has trouble at childbirth class.
Louise confesses to an affair with a club member.
John unwittingly hires a Santa Claus with problems for a Christmas party at the day-care center.
Scriptwriter Mary Beth sees John's problems as soap-opera fodder for her show ""The Divided Heart.""
John is suddenly willing to take risks after a near-death experience in an elevator.
Lack of funds clouds John's ski weekend with a new flame. (Part 1 of 1)
John overextends his credit to impress his new girlfriend. (Part 2 of 2)
John tries his hand at soap opera scripts.
A doctor links John's stomach pain to Kirk.
Kirk finally gets his high school diploma.
John babysits his boss's parrot.
Louise encourages the group to tackle their relationship problems through creative visualization.
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