31 years after the original series ended, Family Affair was revived by the WB Network. The show was still set in New York, but now, Bill Davis (Gary Cole, ex-Midnight Caller) was a pilot as well as a millionaire playboy.
However, Cole was the last one in the opening credits, as Tim Curry got top billing as Mr. French, Davis' major domo. With Curry's film resume (i.e. "Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Clue", "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York") being greater than Cole's ("The Brady Bunch Movie", anyone?), it's easy to understand why. The two veterans had to shepherd a trio of unknowns playing Davis' nieces & nephew.
What went wrong? How about the fact that the original Affair had been off cable for a few years, and dropped out of the collective consciousness of viewers. Oh, sure, the producers threw a bone by bringing in the surviving cast members of the original series, Johnny Whitaker & Kathy Garver, for a 1-shot guest appearance, playing new characters, of course.
The revival also marked the return of Sid & Marty Krofft to primetime television in what would be their last project, though it wasn't under the Krofft banner. WB gave up on Affair rather quickly after ratings began to tumble. At least Cole had something to fall back on, namely [adult swim]'s Harvey Birdman, Attorney-at-Law.
Following is a sample episode.
No rating. Just a public service.
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