Morgan Fairchild and Bruce Box- leitner showed up this week as the extravagantly eccentric parents of Captain Awesome on “Chuck.”
It’s not the first time Fairchild has guest-starred as a prime-time parental unit. As you may recall, she was also Chandler’s mom on “Friends. His dad, a transvestite, was portrayed by Kathleen Turner.
That was certainly different.
Playing the wacky out-of-town parents is a time-honored TV tradition and a sweet, high-profile gig for veteran actors.
Lately, there’s been plenty of it.
In the past month, Jane Curtin and Martin Mull turned up as Allison’s parents on “Gary Unmarried” and Fred Willard and Connie Ray served the same role for Sam on “Worst Week.” Fairchild is hardly the first to double-dip.
Marion Ross, for instance, appeared as Nora’s chilly mom on “Brothers & Sisters” and as Drew’s mother on “The Drew Carey Show.” (Mimi’s mom on that sitcom was memorably played by Tammy Faye Bakker.)
Paul Dooley has been Cheryl’s father on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as well as Jamie’s on “Mad About You,” with Julie Payne as his mate.
A few seasons later they were supplanted by Carroll Burnett and Nancy Dussault.
Ryan O’Neal has been both Lynette’s philandering father-in-law on “Desperate Housewives” and Brennan’s shady dad on “Bones.”
The list of drop-in parents goes on and on.
Tom Poston and Betty White were Kitty’s folks on “That ’70s Show.” Murphy’s squabbling divorced parents on “Murphy Brown” were Colleen Dewhurst and Darren McGavin.
On “Roseanne,” that most matriarchal of shows, it was the women, fittingly, who ruled: Estelle Parsons as Roseanne’s mom and Shelley Winters as her grandma.
On TV, you can pick your friends and your family.
