The 1980 comedy 9 to 5 was such a hit that it didn’t take long for Hollywood to decide that Violet, Judy and Doralee belonged on television, too. On March 25, 1982, ABC premiered a sitcom adaptation that attempted to bring the movie’s workplace battles—and its battle-of-the-sexes humor—to the small screen.
The pilot episode, “New Kid on the Block,” introduced a new cast playing the familiar employees of Consolidated Companies. Rita Moreno took over Lily Tomlin’s role as the capable Violet Newstead, Valerie Curtin played Judy Bernly, the character originated by Jane Fonda, and Rachel Dennison stepped into the role of Doralee Rhodes. That last bit of casting came with a wonderful connection to the movie: Dennison was Dolly Parton’s younger sister. Jeffrey Tambor played their obnoxious boss, Franklin Hart, while Upstairs, Downstairs star Jean Marsh played office snoop Roz Keith.
The premiere centered on newly hired Doralee trying to gain acceptance from her coworkers, while establishing the same office politics, sexism and workplace frustrations that had fueled the movie. Jane Fonda, one of the original film’s stars, also served as an executive producer during the television show’s early run.
Critics weren't exactly typing love letters to the new series. The television adaptation struggled to recreate the chemistry that Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton had made look effortless on the big screen. Still, audiences were curious: the highly promoted debut reportedly finished 14th in the Nielsen ratings, although ratings dropped considerably over the following episodes.
Despite its rocky beginning, 9 to 5 proved surprisingly difficult to kill. After its original ABC run, the sitcom was eventually revived for first-run syndication in 1986 and continued until 1988, undergoing several cast and format changes along the way. What began as an attempt to turn a blockbuster movie into a weekly comedy ultimately became one of television’s more unusual adaptations—and a fascinating footnote in the history of a movie that became a cultural phenomenon.
