The Big Picture
- The role that launched Tom Hanks' career was in Bosom Buddies – a sitcom in which he pretended to be a woman in order to live in a female-only complex.
- The show's creators wanted Bosom Buddies to be a buddy comedy but added a twist due to network demands.
- Tom Selleck's Magnum, P.I. indirectly contributed to the cancelation of Bosom Buddies in the '80s.
Tom Hanks is one of those actors that everyone knows. Whether they know him from Forrest Gump or Toy Story, he’s been in so many films and crossed so many genres that he’s become an easily recognizable figure in Hollywood. Even early in his career, he was taking on roles that were unique and showcased different sides of his acting abilities. Among these roles was an 80s sitcom called Bosom Buddies in which he co-starred with Peter Scolari. The show helped launch his career, but looking back on the plot now, it’s a rather surprising addition to Hanks’ repertoire.
Bosom Buddies
Two struggling New York creatives find themselves in a bind for cheap housing, leading them to disguise themselves as women to live in a women-only residence. Their daily lives become a series of comedic escapades as they balance their real identities with their alter egos in front of their unsuspecting neighbors.
- Release Date
- November 27, 1980
- Cast
- Tom Hanks , Peter Scolari , Donna Dixon , Holland Taylor , Telma Hopkins , Wendie Jo Sperber , Lucille Benson , Edie Adams
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 2
- Creator(s)
- Chris Thompson , Robert L. Boyett , Thomas L. Miller
Tom Hanks Pretended To Be a Woman in ‘Bosom Buddies’
Bosom Buddies premiered in November of 1980, and ran for two seasons, with a total of 37 episodes to its name. But those 37 episodes were enough to skyrocket Tom Hanks’ career and showcase quite a different side to his work than we see nowadays. The show follows Kip (Hanks) and Henry (Scolari), two friends who find their apartment building demolished, leaving them without a home. Their co-worker Amy (Wendie Jo Sperber) informs them that there is an apartment in her building that is available, and it’s extremely cheap, which is what the men need at the moment. The only issue is that the building is a female-only complex. So what do Kip and Henry do? They pull a Mrs. Doubtfire and dress as women to score the apartment. They take on the personas of Buffy and Hildegarde, and when they begin crushing on some of the women living in the building, inform them that they have brothers — who are actually just their regular selves.
‘Bosom Buddies’ Was Intended To Be a Buddy Comedy
When show creators Thomas Miller and Robert Boyett first pitched the idea for the show, they had intended for it to be the male counterpart of Laverne and Shirley, on which they had also worked. They pitched the series as a buddy comedy originally, and described it to executives as "a sophisticated Billy Wilder kind of way." When asked to explain what they meant, they mentioned the Wilder directed film Some Like It Hot. This caught the attention of ABC who bought the show under the condition that the characters would be in drag, sending Miller and Boyett into a panic as that was not their intended pitch.
They did get their wish for a regular buddy-comedy eventually though. In the premiere episode of Season 2 the men’s ruse was exposed, but they were still allowed to live in the complex despite their lies. This change shifted the show into a much more benign buddy-comedy, similar to Laverne and Shirley like Miller and Boyett had originally planned. But given that the show just barely squeaked by cancellation going into Season 2, it didn’t last much longer afterward.
Tom Selleck Accidentally Had a Hand in ‘Bosom Buddies’ Cancellation
Tom Selleck is another household name to come out of the 80s. His breakout role in Magnum, P.I. solidified him as a heartthrob and a total dreamboat — but it also contributed to the cancellation of Bosom Buddies according to Tom Hanks. In an interview with Sirius XM, Hanks spoke about the series, and explained how Selleck technically played a hand in the show tanking. “The cover of TV Guide was something all your publicists were fighting for. Get your show on the cover of TV Guide and all will be well.” Hanks Began. “We were on TV already for about four weeks and then this thing comes on CBS Thursday nights at eight o’clock about a good-looking cop with a moustache driving a Ferrari and flying a helicopter in Hawaii. Magnum, P.I. It’s not even on TV yet and Magnum, P.I., and Tom Selleck is on the cover, and Peter (Scolari) and I, we just looked at each other, we had this word communicate between our brains: toast. We are toast.”
‘Bosom Buddies’ Likely Wouldn’t Air Today
As funny as Bosom Buddies may have been at the time, the premise is a glaring red flag. Nowadays, a pitch about two men who have to pretend to be women to live in a female-only complex, wouldn’t even make it past the idea stage, let alone serve as the launching pad for an actor’s career. But the 80s was a different time and there were quite a few shows, Bosom Buddies included, that haven’t aged well. But despite its flaws, the series did help Tom Hanks become the star he is now, and for that we are grateful. In 1994, two years after Bosom Buddies ended, Hanks landed the lead role in Splash, which solidified him as a leading man. And just a mere four years later, in 1988, he starred in Big, which is now known for being his breakout role. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Bosom Buddies is available to purchase on DVD from Amazon in the U.S.