My Two Dads
My Two Dads was a situation comedy television show which aired for three seasons (1987-1990) on NBC.
The show's premise revolved around the unusual parenting arrangement between Nicole Bradford (age 12 at the beginning of the series) and two men: former friends turned rivals Michael Taylor (a successful, but somewhat neurotic, financial advisor) and Joey Harris (a struggling, but rather laid back, artist). The two men had vied for the affection of Nicole's mother (shown only one time in a dream sequence during the 10th episode of the second season) 13 years earlier while in Key West: one of the two was Nicole's biological father. After her mother's death, in accordance with the will, a family court judge awarded joint custody of Nicole to both Michael and Joey, who had not spoken since they had been with Nicole's mother. Most of the episodes in the series involved the two men (it should be noted that Michael and Joey were not portrayed as gay men in a relationship) attempting to raise a pre-teen/teenage girl by themselves with no clue how. They were assisted in large part by the judge, who later purchased the New York City apartment building where the family lived, and essentially became a surrogate mother to Nicole.
The series never revealed whether Michael or Joey was Nicole's biological father. In the pilot episode, the judge states that, based on the medical records of both men (but not a paternity test), the results were "indeterminate" as to which man was the father. Later, in the 3rd season episode "Pop, The Question" the men - after yet another argument between them - decide to find out once and for all via paternity testing. However, Nicole - who didn't want her dads to do it and is happier not knowing which is her biological father- destroys the results before either of the men find them. (The episode reveals that the judge knows the results, but she never reveals them.)
The series ended when Joey decided to relocate to San Francisco to be with another woman; Nicole decides to remain in New York City with Michael and the judge but writes Joey a letter saying that no matter where he goes, she will always consider him one of her two dads.
A notable cast member of the show for the first two seasons was Dick Butkus, the NFL Hall of Fame linebacker (who, after his playing career ended, had recurring roles on television shows); he played the owner of a cafe in the apartment building.
