{{about|the television series||A Brand New Life (disambiguation){{!}}A Brand New Life}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = | caption = | genre = | creator = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] | writer = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]]<br>[[Duane Clark]]<br>[[John J. Strauss]]<br>Dori Pierson | director = [[Eric Laneuville]]<br>[[Steven Robman|Steve Robman]]<br>[[Don Weis]] | developer = | starring = [[Barbara Eden]]<br>[[Don Murray (actor)|Don Murray]]<br>[[Shawnee Smith]]<br>[[Byron Thames]]<br>[[Jennie Garth]]<br>[[Alison Sweeney]]<br>[[David Tom]]<br>Eric Foster | theme_music_composer = [[Steve Tyrell]] | opentheme = "Brand New Life" performed by [[Jill Colucci]] | endtheme = | composer = | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 1 | num_episodes = 6 (including the pilot) | list_episodes = | producer = [[Eric Laneuville]]<br>George W. Perkins | executive_producer = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] | location = | camera = | runtime = 120 minutes (pilot)<br>60 minutes (per episode) | company = [[Walt Disney Television]]<br>[[Universal Television|NBC Productions]] | network = [[NBC]] | first_aired = {{start date|1989|10|1}} | last_aired = {{end date|1990|4|15}} | related = }}
'''''Brand New Life''''' is an American [[comedy-drama]] [[Television program|television series]] starring [[Barbara Eden]] and [[Don Murray (actor)|Don Murray]] and produced by [[Walt Disney Television]] and [[Universal Television|NBC Productions]] that aired on [[NBC]] as part of ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|The Magical World of Disney]]'' during the [[1989–90 United States network television schedule|1989–90 television season]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/tv/show/154007/Brand-New-Life/overview|title = Television|newspaper = The New York Times}}</ref>
The series originally premiered as a two-hour [[Television pilot|television movie pilot]] entitled ''Brand New Life: The Honeymooners'' on September 18, 1989, as part of ''[[The NBC Monday Movie|NBC Monday Night at the Movies]]'' and its ratings success led to the commissioning of a weekly series. Afterwards, the show's regular timeslot was on Sunday nights on NBC's ''The Magical World of Disney'' from October 1, 1989, to April 15, 1990. The series also marked Barbara Eden's first television series since ''[[Harper Valley PTA (TV series)|Harper Valley PTA]]'' (1981–1982) and is also her third collaboration with Don Murray, having previously starred together in the television films ''[[Return of the Rebels]]'' (1981) and ''[[The Stepford Children]]'' (1987).
The theme song "Brand New Life" was written by [[Steve Tyrell]] and performed by [[Jill Colucci]].
==Plot== Barbara McCray (Barbara Eden) is a struggling divorced mother of three teenagers working part-time as a waitress while studying to become a court reporter, who meets and marries Roger Gibbons (Don Murray), a wealthy attorney and widower with three teenagers of his own. Together, they set up housekeeping in his [[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]] home and stories follow the comedic and dramatic incidents of blending two families with contrasting social backgrounds.
==Cast== * [[Barbara Eden]] as Mrs. Barbara McCray Gibbons * [[Don Murray (actor)|Don Murray]] as Mr. Roger Gibbons, Barbara's 2nd husband * [[Shawnee Smith]] as Amanda Gibbons, Roger's daughter * [[Byron Thames]] as Laird Gibbons, Roger's son * [[Jennie Garth]] as Ericka McCray, Barbara's daughter * [[Alison Sweeney]] as Christy McCray, Barbara's daughter * [[David Tom]] as Bart McCray, Barbara's son * Eric Foster (movie) as Barlow Gibbons, Roger's son
==Episodes== ===TV movie pilot (1989)=== {{Episode table |background=#500050 |title=44 |director=18 |airdate=15 |episodes=
{{Episode list | RTitle= ''Brand New Life: The Honeymooners'' | DirectedBy= [[Eric Laneuville]] | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1989|9|18}} | ShortSummary= | LineColor=500050 }} }}
===Series 1 (1989–1990)=== {{Episode table |background=#500050 |overall=5 |title=20 |director=18 |writer=18 |airdate=15 |episodes=
{{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 1 | Title= Above and Beyond Therapy | DirectedBy= [[Eric Laneuville]] | WrittenBy = John J. Strauss | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1989|10|1}} | ShortSummary= | LineColor=500050 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 2 | Title= I Fought the Law | DirectedBy= [[Steven Robman]] | WrittenBy = Duane B. Clark & Steven Wilde | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1989|10|15}} | ShortSummary= | LineColor=500050 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 3 | Title= Private School | DirectedBy= Eric Laneuville | WrittenBy = Dori Pierson | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1989|10|22}} | ShortSummary= | LineColor=500050 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 4 | Title= Children of a Legal Mom | DirectedBy= Steve Robman | WrittenBy = [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1990|1|7}} | ShortSummary= | LineColor=500050 }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 5 | Title= Even Housekeepers Sing the Blues | DirectedBy= [[Don Weis]] | WrittenBy = Chris Carter | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1990|4|15}} | ShortSummary= | LineColor=500050 }} }}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=0531245|title=Brand New Life}} (pilot) * {{IMDb title|id=0096974|title=Brand New Life}} (series) * {{TCMDb title|456181|Brand New Life: The Honeymooners}} (pilot) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141231160746/http://epguides.com/BrandNewLife/ ''Brand New Life'' at epguides.com]
[[Category:1989 American television series debuts]] [[Category:1990 American television series endings]] [[Category:1980s American comedy-drama television series]] [[Category:1990s American comedy-drama television series]] [[Category:American television series about families]] [[Category:Television films as pilots]] [[Category:Television series by Disney]] [[Category:Television shows filmed in Los Angeles]] [[Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles]] [[Category:English-language American television shows]] [[Category:NBC comedy dramas]]