Bickley-Warren Productions
Encyclopedia
Bickley-Warren Productions was a production company established in 1991, that was started and run by William S. Bickley, Jr. and Michael Warren. It first started to produce Family Matters and Step by Step, which were both created by Bickley and Warren. It was originally aimed at Lorimar Television until 1993 when Warner Bros. Television
took over Lorimar. By 1997, Bickley-Warren ceased to exist when Michael Warren joined Miller-Boyett Productions
, rebranding it Miller-Boyett-Warren Productions.
, before becoming co-executive producers in the show's 1989-1990 season and executive producers/showrunners from the 1990-91 season until the 1993 series finale. At this time, Bickley and Warren went on to create shows for Miller/Boyett, starting with the Perfect Strangers spinoff Family Matters in 1989, which joined its parent show on ABC's TGIF
lineup, and The Family Man in 1990, which aired for one season on CBS. Two years into the run of Family Matters, they formed a company that would be known as Bickley-Warren Productions, after they became the show's executive producers.
The company lasted for six years after which Warren joined Miller-Boyett Productions in 1998 (which was renamed Miller-Boyett-Warren Productions that year).
While Family Matters, Getting By and Step by Step were produced by the Bickley-Warren and Miller-Boyett production companies jointly, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
and Kirk
were not produced in association with Miller-Boyett Productions, and Perfect Strangers
was not produced by Bickley-Warren Productions (even though Bickley and Warren executive produced the series for the show's final three seasons, even after the formation of their production company), though all of their series under the Bickley-Warren banner were produced by Lorimar/Warner Bros. Television.
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
took over Lorimar. By 1997, Bickley-Warren ceased to exist when Michael Warren joined Miller-Boyett Productions
Miller-Boyett Productions
Miller-Boyett Productions was an American television production company that mainly developed television sitcoms from the 1970s through the 1990s...
, rebranding it Miller-Boyett-Warren Productions.
History
Before Bickley-Warren was ever established, founders/producers William Bickley and Michael Warren (who later joined Miller-Boyett) were writers and supervising producers for the Miller-Boyett produced Perfect StrangersPerfect Strangers (TV series)
Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean...
, before becoming co-executive producers in the show's 1989-1990 season and executive producers/showrunners from the 1990-91 season until the 1993 series finale. At this time, Bickley and Warren went on to create shows for Miller/Boyett, starting with the Perfect Strangers spinoff Family Matters in 1989, which joined its parent show on ABC's TGIF
TGIF (ABC)
TGIF was the name of an American family-friendly prime time television programming block on the ABC network. The name comes from the initials of the popular phrase "Thank God It's Friday"...
lineup, and The Family Man in 1990, which aired for one season on CBS. Two years into the run of Family Matters, they formed a company that would be known as Bickley-Warren Productions, after they became the show's executive producers.
The company lasted for six years after which Warren joined Miller-Boyett Productions in 1998 (which was renamed Miller-Boyett-Warren Productions that year).
While Family Matters, Getting By and Step by Step were produced by the Bickley-Warren and Miller-Boyett production companies jointly, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
and Kirk
Kirk (TV series)
Kirk is an American family sitcom which aired for two seasons on The WB from August 23, 1995 to January 12, 1997.-Synopsis:The show revolves around Kirk Hartman, played by Kirk Cameron, an aspiring illustrator and recent college graduate living in Greenwich Village. After his aunt decides to move...
were not produced in association with Miller-Boyett Productions, and Perfect Strangers
Perfect Strangers (TV series)
Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean...
was not produced by Bickley-Warren Productions (even though Bickley and Warren executive produced the series for the show's final three seasons, even after the formation of their production company), though all of their series under the Bickley-Warren banner were produced by Lorimar/Warner Bros. Television.
List of shows produced by Bickley-Warren Productions
- Family MattersFamily Matters (TV series)Family Matters is an American sitcom about a middle-class African-American family living in Chicago, Illinois, which ran on national television for nine full seasons. The series was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, but revolves around the Winslow family...
- Getting ByGetting ByGetting By is an American sitcom produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, with the format created by William Bickley and Michael Warren. The show debuted on ABC's TGIF block, running its first twelve-episode season from March 5, 1993 through May 21, 1993. Shortly after the spring season...
- Hangin' with Mr. CooperHangin' with Mr. CooperHangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
- KirkKirk (TV series)Kirk is an American family sitcom which aired for two seasons on The WB from August 23, 1995 to January 12, 1997.-Synopsis:The show revolves around Kirk Hartman, played by Kirk Cameron, an aspiring illustrator and recent college graduate living in Greenwich Village. After his aunt decides to move...
- Step by Step
Production team members
- William S. Bickley Jr. - . Bickley began his writing career on the TV series Barefoot in the Park, later working as a writer and producer on Room 222Room 222Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series aired on ABC from September 17, 1969, to January 11, 1974, for 112 episodes...
, The Partridge FamilyThe Partridge FamilyThe Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
and, then as producer on the first two seasons of Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
. After teaming with Michael Warren, he was an executive script consultant on the series. The two men produced Out of the BlueOut of the Blue (1979 TV series)Out Of The Blue is an American fantasy sitcom that aired on ABC during the fall of 1979. It is chiefly notable as having featured a Mork & Mindy crossover, and for the controversy surrounding its status as a spin-off of Happy Days....
in 1979. Warren and Bickley later wrote for Happy Days and served as supervising producers, then by its sixth season, executive producers of Perfect StrangersPerfect Strangers (TV series)Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean...
, before creating Family Matters, Getting By and Step by Step between 1989 and 1993. Starting in 1993, Bickley also directed several episodes of Step by Step and Kirk. After the dissolution of Bickley-Warren in 1998, he wrote and produced the 2002 made-for-TV movie Anna's DreamAnna's Dream-Plot:Eighteen year old Anna Morgan becomes a paraplegic after a gymnastics accident. Her whole world has changed. Her boyfriend ignores her, she loses her friends and her parents treat her like a helpless child. Anna is befriended by a stranger, whose life changed overnight...
. - Michael Warren - Warren began his career as an associate producer of Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
starting with the second season, later a n executive story consultant with William Bickley, then an executive script consultant. The two men produced Out of the BlueOut of the Blue (1979 TV series)Out Of The Blue is an American fantasy sitcom that aired on ABC during the fall of 1979. It is chiefly notable as having featured a Mork & Mindy crossover, and for the controversy surrounding its status as a spin-off of Happy Days....
in 1979. Warren and Bickley later wrote for Happy Days and Perfect StrangersPerfect Strangers (TV series)Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean...
, before creating Family Matters, Getting By and Step by Step between 1989 and 1993, at that point Bickley and Warren became squarely producers instead of producer/writers, before officially ending their partnership around the time of the cancellation of Family Matters and Step by Step and joining the Miller-Boyett team.