O: One of the Boys

 

One of the Boys

I have some recollection of watching this comedy, a midseason replacement series on NBC in 1982. TV Guide ranked it among the "50 Worst Shows of All Time" in 2002. This didn't last long, but it did bring Mickey Rooney and Scatman Crothers back to TV for a while, and introduced three soon-to-be big stars: Dana Carvey, Nathan Lane, and Meg Ryan. Carvey would join the cast of Saturday Night Live  four years after this series, staying with the popular sketch-comedy show until 1993. Carvey recalled working with Rooney on One of the Boys on David Letterman. Lane would become a big star on both film and stage, and Ryan would have several hit movies, including When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle.

Senior citizens Oliver Nugent (Rooney) and Bernard Solomon (Crothers) decide to leave their retirement home and move in with Oliver's college-age grandson  Adam Shields (Carvey) and his roommate Jonathan Burns (Lane), both students at Sheffield University. Jane (Ryan), a recurring character, was a college classmate of Adam and Jonathan. Rounding out the cast was Francine Beers as Mrs. Green, the boys' landlady.

A full episode is at Youtube as well as some clips of Carvey's and Lane's characters:

One of the Boys was also the name of another completely different short-lived NBC sitcom in 1989. I never saw this one, as far as I can recall.