Raising Miranda is an American sitcom that aired on CBS in 1988 as part of its fall lineup. Starring James Naughton and Royana Black, it depicted the struggles of a father and his teenage daughter to adjust to their circumstances after their wife and mother abandons their family.^[1][2]

Donald Marshak, a building contractor in Racine, Wisconsin, suddenly finds himself a single parent when his wife Bonnie attends a self-improvement class and abruptly abandons him and their smart, sensitive 15-year-old daughter Miranda, in order to go "find herself."^[1][2] The un-domestic Donald is forced to serve as both father and mother to a distressed teenage girl.^[1][2][3]

Marcine Lundquist is Miranda's lifelong best friend and confidante^[1][2] and Jack Miller is a new transfer student Miranda has befriended at school.^[1][2] Joan and Bob Hoodenpyle are the Marshaks' noodly neighbors and friends.^[1][2][3] Miranda's wacky, unemployed Uncle Russell is Donald's brother-in-law and buddy and lives in a van permanently parked in the Marshaks' driveway.^[1][2][3]

• James Naughton as Donald Marshack
• Royana Black as Miranda Marshack
• Miriam Flynn as Joan Hoodenpyle
• Steve Vinovich as Bob Hoodenpyle
• Amy Lynne as Marcine Lundquist
• Michael Manasseri as Jack Miller
• Bryan Cranston as Russell

Despite its rather grim premise — a wife and mother abandoning her family — the show was billed as a situation comedy, the humor being derived from Donald Marshak's challenges in parenting after the departure of his wife.

Portraying Donald's brother-in-law and Miranda's uncle Russell, Bryan Cranston appeared in his first regular primetime television role in Raising Miranda.^[3]

Raising Miranda received generally poor reviews from critics.^[3]

Raising Miranda aired on CBS on Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time,^[1][2] up against NBC's hit sitcom Amen. It premiered on November 5, 1988.^[1][2] After seven episodes averaged a poor 6.0 rating, CBS cancelled the series. Its last episode was broadcast on December 31, 1988,^[1][2] leaving two of its nine episodes unaired.

SOURCES ^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]}