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Your wife left you for your best mate. Time to join a singles club full of disasters.
TMDB
74

Dear John (1986)

cringe comedyBritish awkwardness80s dating hell

Latest Episode

48 min

Season 2 • Episode 7

Latest

Kate Returns

Dec 21, 1987

Christmas is a time of goodwill and cheer to all men—especially divorced, lonely men desperately seeking invitations to Christmas parties.

Overview

Comedy

Dear John is a British sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Two series and a special were broadcast between 1986 and 1987. The title refers to 'Dear John' letters, girls to their boyfriends breaking off a relationship. John discovers in the opening episode that his wife is leaving him for a friend, and he is forced to find lodgings. In desperation, he attends the 1-2-1 Singles Club and finds other members mostly social misfits. In 1988, an American adaptation of the same name was produced by Paramount for the NBC network, starring Judd Hirsch. It lasted for four seasons.

Flag of GBGB
Content warning
sitcomsocial misfit
rejection and reinventionloneliness in crowdsabsurd coping mechanisms

Standout Aspects

Writing

John Sullivan's signature bittersweet wit before Only Fools peaked.

Acting

Ralph Bates plays defeated dignity like nobody's business.

Best for:Solo: When your own love life feels like a sitcom disaster.·Background: Comfort viewing that doesn't demand your full brain.
J

Creator

John Sullivan

First AiredFeb 17, 1986
StatusEnded

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitylow
Tonelight
Feelmedium
Seasons2·Episodes14
BBC One

Top Cast

Ralph Bates

Ralph Bates

John Lacey

Peter Blake

Peter Blake

Kirk St Moritz

Peter Denyer

Peter Denyer

Ralph Dring

Rachel Bell

Rachel Bell

Louise

Lucinda Curtis

Lucinda Curtis

Sylvia

Ask about Dear John

Opens AI chat

Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

The 'Dear John' letter was such a cultural phenomenon that it spawned this show AND a 1989 US remake with Judd Hirsch.

Trivia

Ralph Bates died just two years after the show ended, making this a bittersweet final starring role.

Gallery

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