Laverne & Shirley

Best friends, roommates, and polar opposites, Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney work together at the Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee and keep each other's spirits up at home.

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.

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

• Mork & Mindyshared workplace sitcom comedy with female friendship and working class roommates
• The Mary Tyler Moore Showshared period sitcom with working women and close friendship at the center
• Three's Companyshared family-friendly sitcom tone with two friends sharing home life and mishaps

Created by

Garry Marshall, Mark Rothman, Lowell Ganz

Release Date

1976-01-27

Episode runtime

25 min

Rating

7.1 / 10 (76)

What is Laverne & Shirley about?

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

What is Laverne & Shirley like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Laverne & Shirley as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Laverne & Shirley violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Laverne & Shirley.

What did critics think of Laverne & Shirley?

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

Which shows are like Laverne & Shirley?

Shows with a similar feel include Mork & Mindy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Three's Company.

How long is Laverne & Shirley?

Laverne & Shirley: 8 seasons, 178 episodes.

Is Laverne & Shirley still running?

No, Laverne & Shirley has ended.