Although Charles in Charge fulfilled its mission to produce 100 episodes for daily strip syndication by the end of its fourth season on the air (one season on network, three in off-net), the series remained popular with young viewers, and thus was green-lighted for a fifth and final season of 26 half-hour installments. Most of the familiar cast remains intact: Scott Baio as college student and "male governess" Charles; Willie Aames as Charles' best friend Buddy; James Callahan and Sondra Kerns as Charles' employers the Powells; Nicole Eggert, Josie Davis and Alexander Polinsky as the three Powell children; and Ellen Travolta as Charles' freewheeling mom Lillian. Among the newer additions to the cast is Marlyn Mason as Julia, the steady lady friend of the Powell kids' crabby grandfather Walter Powell (Callahan). Also, several stars in the making appear in guest roles, including Tiffani Amber-Thiessen, Samantha Fox, and Pamela Anderson. The season -- and the series -- ends as Charles is accepted to Princeton's graduate school, and Ellen Travolta essays a dual role as Lillian and her twin sister Sally, who runs a car wash populated by attractive young actors. One might suspect that the series' final episode, depicting life in that car wash, was designed as a spin-off TV vehicle for the talented Ms. Travolta (though no such vehicle ever materialized).
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
