Season 1 • Episode 11
LatestOpen All Night is a situation comedy on ABC. It premiered on November 28, 1981, and ran until March 5, 1982. The show centered on Gordon Feester and his oddball family who lived and worked in a convenience store. It was somewhat based on the British series Open All Hours. Jay Tarses was co-creator, writer, and director of the show. Cassandra Peterson made a guest appearance on one episode. David Letterman also made a guest appearance, and made a sly reference to his daytime talk show, which was canceled a year before.
Writing
Jay Tarses' singular voice—cranky, human, ahead of its time.
Acting
Susan Tyrrell's unhinged Gretchen steals every frame.
Creator
Jay Tarses
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jay Tarses later created The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and The Larry Sanders Show's spiritual predecessor—his voice was always too smart for primetime.
The British original Open All Hours ran for 26 episodes and got a sequel decades later; this American version got 12 and oblivion. The sitcom gods are cruel.
US
