Synopsis
The show was about two women, one white and one black, who inadvertently are sold the same house and decide to live there with both of their families. It starred Telma Hopkins as Dolores Dixon and Cindy Williams as Cathy Hale, two best friends and single mothers, who were also both employed as social workers for the Chicago Department of Welfare. Dolores was widowed, while Cathy's husband had run off with another woman. The unique living situation went off without too much of a hitch, especially with the kids, although there were the normal pains, squabbles and adjustments expected with the territory. Dolores had two sons, 15-year-old Marcus (Merlin Santana), who was suave and somewhat of a schemer; and 14-year-old Darren (Deon Richmond), the earnest yuppie-in-the-making. Cathy had two daughters, blossoming 16-year-old Nikki (Nicki Vannice) and cute 9-year-old Julie (Ashleigh Blair Sterling).
Many of the plots revolved around the kids learning to relate to each other and their numerous misadventures, along with Dolores and Cathy's discovery that living together was putting a new face on their friendship. Dolores was sensible, headstrong, and very much down to earth, while Cathy seemed too preoccupied with perfection, and was afraid to take new risks. Eventually, Cathy became determined to shake off her "goody two shoes" image and sought the guidance of Dolores to bring her more in touch with the real world. In the second season, the two are no longer co-workers, as Cathy is laid off from the Department of Welfare, and later in the season, she dusts off her teaching degree and becomes a substitute at the kids' high school. Dolores, meanwhile, found a dashing male suitor in Wes (guest star Rif Hutton), who appeared on a few occasions.
Early in the run, the character of Marcus became very popular with viewers, as evidenced by the increasing screams and cheers heard from the studio audience whenever he first appeared in each passing episode. Many credit the growing status of Merlin Santana in the cast as a factor for Getting By's strong ratings in its first season on ABC. When the series moved to NBC, many storylines continued to center around Marcus and his quest to find the right girl, along with his contrasting relationship with straight-laced brother Darren.
Read more about this topic: Getting By