Penny Marshall wanted Laverne & Shirley to be a more risqué show

Marshall wanted Laverne & Shirley to be a very different show.

CBS Television Distribution

While today we look back at shows like Laverne & Shirley as incredibly tame, it was pretty far out for the time period it was released in. With two single girls living and taking on the world together, anything can happen, both the good and the bad.

But according to an interview with The Washington Post, the original plan was to make the show much more risque.

"Laverne and Shirley are much hipper than Happy Days," said series creator Garry Marshall. "They don't hang out at the malt shop. And the pizza place (which Laverne's father owns) is full of servicemen and hardhats."

However, actor Penny Marshall, best known for playing Laverne DeFazio, said that she wanted the show to take it a step further, starting with the girls' outfits. However, the network took opposition.

"I thought we should wear black neckerchiefs, tight pants, and have our hair in rollers most of the time," said Penny Marshall. "But ABC wants two nice girls and the ability to say, 'Oh my, look at the situation they get in this week.'"

Marshall also mentioned that the network censors at ABC "don't like girls talking about sex," and that originally, the show was set to feature much more liberated and mature content before ABC once again reigned them in.

So while the show wasn't quite as "out there" as Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall had hoped, it does seem that actors and viewers alike were very pleased with the final outcome of the show.

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9 Comments

Wiseguy70005 2 months ago
The episode where Laverne thought she might be pregnant could be considered risque and got some complaints when originally shown.
Coldnorth Wiseguy70005 9 days ago
Happy Days was always about boys trying to score with a girl, but on Laverne & Shirley, the girls were supposed to stay pure. Things stay the same today. The girl who gets pregnant is a sl**. The guy who got her pregnant is a stud. Some things never change
CoreyC 3 months ago
40 years later 2 Broke Girls a dirtier Laverne & Shirley.
Blcakandwhitetvfan 3 months ago
Given the opportunity Hollywood sullies everything it touches. The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Leave it to Beaver, The Waltons, The Andy Griffith Show and Little House on the Prairie would never be made today. They were all morally grounded and Hollywood is all about the sleaze factor. Hence why MeTV is the only station I watch. "Actor Penny Marshall" When I was growing up she was referred to as an ACTRESS. Too bad even MeTV is plagued with wokeness.
Be happy they’re not calling her a birthing person or some other nonsense. That can’t be far behind.
Several years ago, I heard that CBS was gonna do a remake of The Rifleman tv series. Looks like that won't materialize. I've no idea what is on CBS during primetime these days. NBC put a few sci-fi tv series on during primetime but of course, they got cancelled. Sci-fi tv series don't stand a chance on NBC anymore. I liked Revolution that series about the power going out all over the planet. Interesting! That lasted two seasons and I'm surprised! Would've liked to have seen a third season. Tracy Spiridakos who was Hailey Upton on Chicago PD was on Revolution.
WordsmithWorks 3 months ago
This is ironic considering the Laverne and Shirley characters on the one-off Happy Days episode were not "nice" girls.
TRUE! In the episode that introduced L&S, Shirley was a slut who wanted Richie in a certain way! Cindy Williams once said the series "restored" Shirley's virtue...LOL!
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