About
The 5 Mrs. Buchanans is a U.S. television situation comedy that aired on CBS from September 24, 1994 to March 25, 1995. Set in the fictional town of Mercy, Indiana, the show centers on the small-town misadventures of four disparate women with one thing in common: their loathing for their monster of a mother-in-law.
Cast
Judith Ivey
as Alexandria 'Alex' Buchanan
Beth Broderick
as Delilah Buchanan
Harriet Sansom Harris
as Vivian Buchanan
Charlotte Ross
as Bree Buchanan
Eileen Heckart
as Mother Emma Buchanan
Seasons
Episodes
Season 1
Pilot
To Mother Buchanan's initial delight, Bree joins the Buchanan clan. Her three sisters-in-law-to-be are initially displeased with her tacky antics and naivety, which have Mother Buchanan thinking she can control her new daughter-in-law. But when Bree politely refuses to wear Mother Buchanan's wedding dress, the war is on! It's up to Alex, Vivian, and Delilah to explain to the girl the inner workings of the family. Alex explains that Mother Buchanan would qualify for sainthood if it weren't for one tiny factor: ""she's a bitch!""
The Other Woman
When newlywed Bree's lovelife becomes non-existant (since her husband, Jesse, can't get aroused in the same house with his mother), they decide to stay with Alex. This invigorates their sex life temporarily, but Jesse soon begins leaving the house early and coming home late, leading to suspician that he's with another woman. But no one ever dreamed that the other woman would be Mother Buchanan!
Clyde and Vivian and Ed and Malice
When an old beau reappears, Vivian has doubts about her marriage. So she agrees to go out to dinner with Clyde -- and is caught kissing him at the restaurant by Mother Buchanan. Meanwhile, Bree takes a job at the family store and finds herself exuberantly competing with Alex and Delilah to sell the most merchandise.
A Ring of Truth
When Bree receives a belated engagement ring from Jesse, she's ecstatic -- until she learns that it's not a real stone. One by one, each of the sisters-in-law come to realize that their rings aren't real either. The husbands are on a fishing trip together and can't be reached, but when they reveal the secret of their rings to Mother Buchanan, she makes a revelation of her own.
Nothing on Delilah
When one of the locals learns about Delilah's shady past as a stripper, it threatens her husband's job as a minister and her chances to become the president of the ladies auxiliary. So, it's up to Mother Buchanan to clear Delilah's name. Meanwhile, Vivian schemes to become vice president of the auxiliary... no matter who wins the presidency.
The Mothers-in-Law
Bree's trashy mother, Tink, comes to visit and convinces the newlyweds to move back to California with her - inciting the wrath of Mother Buchanan. Meanwhile, Vivian reluctantly begins working for Alex to raise the funds for a dress to wear to a swank dinner party that Dan Quayle is also attending.
Alex, Then and N.O.W.
Alex is embarrassed when she's reunited, on a talk-show, with two activist friends from college whose lives and careers continue to be dedicated to womens issues. Feeling inadequate, Alex stages a womens group meeting in Mercy.
Spare the Rod, Spoil the Buchanan
The rest of the Buchanan ladies weasel their way out of babysitting Vivian's destructive twins, Lyndon and P.J., while she goes to the salon, so it's up to vulnerable Bree to watch them. But Bree quickly finds herself being terrorized by the twins, so the sisters-in-law encourage Vivian to discipline them, which Vivian does... only to wind up in jail for child abuse.
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