
The Love Boat was an American romantic comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986. The show was set on the cruise ship MS Pacific Princess and followed the adventures of the ship's captain, Merrill Stubing, and his crew. The series was very successful for its first seven years, usually ranking in the top 20, and sometimes the top 10. However, ratings began to slip during the 1984-85 season and the show was eventually cancelled in 1986. A revival of the series, titled Love Boat: The Next Wave, aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Format | Television series |
| Genre | Romantic comedy-drama |
| Creator | Wilford Lloyd Baumes |
| Original broadcaster | ABC |
| Original run | 24 September 1977 – 24 May 1986 |
| Number of seasons | 10 |
| Setting | Cruise ship MS Pacific Princess |
| Notable cast members | Gavin MacLeod, Robert Urich, Phil Morris, Heidi Mark, Pat Klous |
| Notable guest stars | Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Michael J. Fox, Tom Hanks, The Osmonds, Janet Jackson |
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The Love Boat was an American romantic comedy-drama television series
The Love Boat was known for its delightful array of guest stars, including Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Michael J. Fox, Tom Hanks, The Osmonds, Janet Jackson and many more. The show featured pairings of unlikely couples and a regular lineup of quirky characters.
A 1994 Saturday Night Live sketch featuring guest host Patrick Stewart merged The Love Boat with Star Trek: The Next Generation. Stewart played the captain while caricatures of Deanna Troi and Geordi La Forge played the cruise director and bartender. A two-part 1997 Martin episode, "Goin' Overboard", had the main characters going on a cruise and encountering Isaac, Julie, Doc, and Vicki.
A revival of the series, titled Love Boat: The Next Wave, aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999 for two seasons and twenty-five episodes. Set aboard the cruise ship Sun Princess, the series starred Robert Urich as Captain Jim Kennedy, a retired United States Navy officer, Phil Morris as chief purser Will Sanders, and Heidi Mark as cruise director Nicole Jordan.
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It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986
The Love Boat is an American romantic comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from 24 September 1977 to 24 May 1986. It was created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes and ran for 10 seasons. The show was set on the cruise ship MS Pacific Princess and revolved around the ship's captain Merrill Stubing (played by Gavin MacLeod) and a handful of his crew, with passengers played by guest actors for each episode, having romantic, dramatic and humorous adventures.
The series was part of ABC's popular Saturday-night lineup of the time, which also included Fantasy Island until 1984. The executive producer for the series was Aaron Spelling, who produced several television series for Four Star Television and ABC from the 1960s into the 1990s.
The Love Boat was very successful in the ratings for its first seven years, usually ranking among the top 20 and sometimes even the top 10. However, the show fell out of the Top 30 during the 1984-85 season and was cancelled after the 1985-86 season. Despite this, four three-hour specials aired during the 1986-87 season.
A revival of the series, titled Love Boat: The Next Wave, aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999 for two seasons and twenty-five episodes. Set aboard the cruise ship Sun Princess, the series starred Robert Urich as Captain Jim Kennedy, a retired United States Navy officer, Phil Morris as chief purser Will Sanders, and Heidi Mark as cruise director Nicole Jordan.
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The show was set on the cruise ship MS Pacific Princess
The Love Boat was an American romantic comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986. The show was set on the cruise ship MS Pacific Princess and revolved around the ship's captain, Merrill Stubing, and a handful of his crew, with passengers played by guest actors for each episode. The show was very successful for its first seven years, usually ranking in the top 20 and sometimes the top 10. However, the show fell out of the Top 30 during the 1984-85 season and was eventually cancelled after nine years.
The show was known for featuring a delightful array of guest stars, including Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Michael J. Fox, Tom Hanks, The Osmonds, and Janet Jackson, among many others. The regular lineup of quirky characters included the captain, Merrill Stubing, played by Gavin MacLeod, and a handful of his crew, including Julie, played by Tewes, who was replaced by Pat Klous as Julie's younger sister, Judy, in 1984.
A revival of the series, titled Love Boat: The Next Wave, aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999 for two seasons and twenty-five episodes. This series was set aboard the cruise ship Sun Princess and starred Robert Urich as Captain Jim Kennedy, a retired United States Navy officer, Phil Morris as chief purser Will Sanders, and Heidi Mark as cruise director Nicole Jordan.
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The show was known for its delightful array of guest stars
The Love Boat was an American romantic comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986. The show was known for its delightful array of guest stars, including Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Michael J. Fox, Tom Hanks, The Osmonds, Janet Jackson, and many more. The series was set on a cruise ship, and each episode featured guest actors playing passengers who had romantic, dramatic, and humorous adventures.
The Love Boat's guest stars were a diverse roster of celebrities, from established icons to soon-to-be-famous actors. The show was also known for its quirky regular characters, such as Captain Merrill Stubing (played by Gavin MacLeod) and his crew. For its first seven years, The Love Boat was very successful in the ratings, usually ranking among the top 20 and sometimes even the top 10.
The show's executive producer, Aaron Spelling, produced several television series for Four Star Television and ABC from the 1960s to the 1990s. The Love Boat was part of ABC's popular Saturday-night lineup of the time, which also included Fantasy Island until 1984.
In addition to its impressive guest star lineup, The Love Boat also had a lasting impact on popular culture. A 1994 Saturday Night Live sketch merged The Love Boat with Star Trek: The Next Generation, featuring guest host Patrick Stewart as the captain. A revival of the series, titled Love Boat: The Next Wave, aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999 for two seasons and twenty-five episodes.
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The show was revived in 1998 as Love Boat: The Next Wave
The Love Boat was an American romantic comedy-drama television series that aired from 1977 to 1986 on ABC. The show was revived in 1998 as *Love Boat: The Next Wave*, which aired on UPN for two seasons and twenty-five episodes. Set aboard the cruise ship Sun Princess, the series starred Robert Urich as Captain Jim Kennedy, a retired United States Navy officer, Phil Morris as chief purser Will Sanders, and Heidi Mark as cruise director Nicole Jordan.
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Frequently asked questions
The ship in *The Love Boat* was called the MS Pacific Princess.
*The Love Boat* aired from 24 September 1977 to 24 May 1986.
Yes, a revival of the series, titled *Love Boat: The Next Wave*, aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999 for two seasons.










































