# Laverne & Shirley (1976)

> Two polar opposite best friends and roommates navigate work and romance at a Milwaukee brewery in this 1950s-set sitcom.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2885

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 178
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, family
- Created by: Garry Marshall, Mark Rothman, Lowell Ganz
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Betty Garrett, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Phil Foster, Eddie Mekka, Leslie Easterbrook
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074016/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: cozy, comforting, breezy, wholesome, nostalgic

## What critics say

Audiences received the series as a warm, mixed-quality sitcom whose early seasons were rated lower than its strongest middle stretch.

## Synopsis

Laverne & Shirley (1976-1983) is a United States network sitcom created by Garry Marshall, Mark Rothman and Lowell Ganz for ABC. Penny Marshall plays Laverne DeFazio and Cindy Williams plays Shirley Feeney, two polar opposite best friends and roommates who work together on the bottling line at the Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee. Their engine is simple and sharp: they chase dates, dreams and small victories while their working class lives keep getting in the way, and every episode is built from a neighborhood scrape, a romantic misstep or a workplace mishap at the brewery. Principal support comes from Phil Foster as Frank DeFazio, Betty Garrett as Edna Babish, and the eccentric neighbors Squiggy and Lenny, played by David L. Lander and Michael McKean. The show runs eight seasons in a traditional episodic case-of-the-week format, with a warm, breezy tone that leans on physical comedy and loyalty. Set in a nostalgic version of 1950s Milwaukee, it carries the family-friendly register of a classic multi-camera sitcom. Fans of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mork & Mindy and Three's Company will find familiar resonance in its female friendship and wholesome comedy.

## Shows like Laverne & Shirley

- [Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/700)
- [Punky Brewster (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/2426)
- [New Girl (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/1336)
- [Happy Days (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/3659)
- [Mama's Family (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/1907)
- [The Facts of Life (1979)](https://ember.film/tv/1700)
- [The Big Bang Theory (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/1334)
- [The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)](https://ember.film/tv/2816)
- [Diff'rent Strokes (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/2290)
- [Cheers (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/128)

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