About this season
Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to March 19, 1985 on CBS. The series is based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job working at a roadside diner on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the episodes revolve around events at Mel's Diner.
Episodes (24)
1. Bet a Million, Mel
Aired 4 October 1981 • 30 min
Mel borrows $10,000 against the diner to bet on a 90-to-1 nag.
2. Guinness on Tap
Aired 11 October 1981 • 30 min
Determined to leave her mark on the world, Vera sets out to break the tap dancing endurance record.
3. Comrade Mel
Aired 18 October 1981 • 30 min
A towel boy from the Russian ballet takes refuge in Mel's storeroom.
4. Alice's Halloween Surprise
Aired 25 October 1981 • 30 min
On Halloween, Alice's latest heartthrob asks her to shepherd his four kids for the evening.
5. Alice's Big Four-Oh!
Aired 8 November 1981 • 30 min
It's Alice's 40th birthday, and for the milestone she gets a millstone, a visit from her meddling mother.
6. Mel's Cousin, Wendell
Aired 15 November 1981 • 30 min
Smooth operator Mel teaches his shy cousin, Wendell, how to score with Vera.
7. Vera's Bouncing Check
Aired 29 November 1981 • 30 min
Against Mel's orders, Vera cashes a check for an old flame, who's nowhere to be found when it bounces.
8. After Mel's Gone
Aired 6 December 1981 • 30 min
Mel becomes despondent when he realizes he has no heirs.
9. Mel's Christmas Carol
8.0Aired 20 December 1981 • 30 min
The ghost of a partner past gives Mel the dickens on Christmas Eve after Mel fired Alice, Jolene and Vera.
10. The Wild One
Aired 27 December 1981 • 30 min
Alice's spirit inspires a biker to recruit her as his ""old lady.""
11. Alice Calls the Shots
Aired 3 January 1982 • 30 min
Alice blows the whistle on Tommy's basketball playing when his grades start to slip.
12. Not with My Niece You Don't
Aired 17 January 1982 • 30 min
Mel gives Tommy advice on how to charm the ladies, which Tommy promptly applies to Mel's niece.
13. Queen of Soaps
Aired 31 January 1982 • 30 min
After getting hooked on soap operas, Vera becomes a washout at work and later quits.
14. Sharples vs. Sharples
Aired 7 February 1982 • 30 min
Mel has a beef with his mother who wants to publish his secret chili recipe in her new cookbook.
15. Valentine's Day Massacre
Aired 14 February 1982 • 30 min
Valentine's Day promises anything but hearts and flowers for the diner staff, who all quarrel with their dates.
16. The Best Little Waitress in the World
Aired 21 February 1982 • 30 min
A book on building self-confidence inspires Vera to become ""the best little waitress in the world!"" Later, Mel leaves a newly confident Vera in charge of the diner.
17. Alice and the Acorns
Aired 7 March 1982 • 30 min
Alice is visited by a high-school chum who's still suffering from her teenage inferiority complex.
18. Jolene Hunnicutt, Dynamite Trucker
Aired 14 March 1982 • 30 min
To help Jolene's exhausted good buddy, the girls drive his rig to a mining town, blissfully unaware that they're hauling dynamite.
19. Mel Wins By a Nose
Aired 21 March 1982 • 30 min
Mel considers getting a nose job while undergoing surgery for a deviated septum.
20. Give My Regrets to Broadway
Aired 4 April 1982 • 30 min
Alice's actress friend from New York persuades Tommy that he has a brilliant future on Broadway.
21. Vera's Reunion Romance
Aired 11 April 1982 • 30 min
Vera returns from her high-school reunion with stars in her eyes and a sparkler on her finger.
22. Monty Falls for Alice
Aired 18 April 1982 • 30 min
A jilted acquaintance flips for Alice on the first bounce and when she doesn't reciprocate his feelings he threatens to jump from the Mel's Diner sign.
23. Spell Mel's
Aired 2 May 1982 • 30 min
To counter a competitor whose contest is drawing customers, Mel launches one too and ups the ante to $3000.
24. My Mother the Landlord
Aired 16 May 1982 • 30 min
Mel happily envisions a rent-free future when his mother buys his apartment building but surprises him when she announces a $50 rent increase.