Best TV Shows of the 80's: Charles in Charge

I know, I know...this may not be on your top 10 list, but, Charles in Charge recently came out on DVD, and can be "watched instantly" via Netflix. How do I know this? I was home sick one day, perusing TV series, and Netflix recommended it. I was a little miffed and pompous about this, but boredom is an evil wench and so I decided one episode couldn't hurt. I used to watch it as a kid, so it couldn't be so bad. To my own chagrin, I fell in love with the show all over again and here's why:

Synopsis: A male college student moves in with a family to be the nanny to three children and housekeeper to the husband and wife in exchange for room and board. Balancing school, work, family, romantic interests and friendships creates a fun comedy of errors every episode.

Scott Baio and Willie Aames are adorable and have a chemistry (probably since they were good friends in real life at the time) that comes through in every scene. Many of their ad-libs make it into the show and they sometimes have a very hard time concealing the inside joke laughter and continuing with the scene, which becomes contagious to the audience.

Scott's character, Charles, is intelligent and fiercely protective of the three children in his care. You just can't help but immediately love him. Willie's character, Buddy, is weirdly likeable as a vapid, egocentric skirt-chaser, and he sticks to his character so well, that you are honestly surprised when he does something sincere, which endears him to you even more.

It's not all about eye candy for the girls, either. New hotties are provided every episode by the swinging door that is the love life of both Buddy and Charles. Gwen is the main object of desire, but manages to ward off advances and stay in the friend zone for a good while.

Speaking of the ladies, this show is the epitome of 80s fashion: neon colors and big hair complete with legwarmers for the gals and preppy sweaters, polos and snug jeans for the guys. Since the show spans from 1984-1990, you can bet the "best of the 80s" will be represented.

Some final mentionable items are the kids themselves, who change over the years, but scene-steal left and right never-the-less and the plethora of pre-fame guest star appearances from Meg Ryan to Ben Stein to Christina Applegate.

I think the only way to sign off an article about this show is with an excerpt from the theme: "Charles in Charge of our days and my nights. Charles in Charge of our wrongs and our rights. And I see, I want Charles in Charge of me!"