nominated photographer Nora Wilde divorces her rich, philandering husband Leland Banks, asking for nothing in the settlement except the use of her maiden name. Broke and without prospects for employment, after Leland blackballs her from respectable mainstream work, Nora seeks work at The Comet, a sleazy celebrity tabloid owned by Sir Rudolph Halley and run by ruthless Camilla Dane. Initially, Nora is repulsed by the depths to which she has to sink for her new job – she finds herself in demeaning situations such as stealing Anna Nicole Smith's urine to run a pregnancy test, and staking out the sewer for mutant alligators – but before long, she begins to feel at home. Nora's coworkers include egotistical Nicky Columbus, a potential love interest; T.J., a humorless African-American man always clad in dark sunglasses; and Stupid Dave who is mentally handicapped. At home, Nora deals with deranged building manager Mr. Donner and Chloe Banks, her best friend and former step-daughter. In the second season, the show switched networks and was retooled. Meat-mogul Les Polanski buys The Comet, intending to make it a respectable publication. Gone were the outlandishly zany antics from the first season, and Stupid Dave was now merely referred to as Dave. Chloe disappears without explanation, as does Mr. Donner. Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal both make frequent guest appearances as Nora's parents in season two, eventually moving into the apartment across the hall. Most episodes centered on Nora's romantic life and how her job could intrude on that. Season three saw enormous changes. Camilla quits The Comet and moves on to rival tabloid The National Inquisitor, leaving most of the staff behind. By this point, she and Nora had become close, so she asks Nora to join her at the Inquisitor. Also moving to The Inquisitor was Dave, who was no longer mentally handicapped. Their new coworkers include smug reporter Jake Sullivan, photographer Suji, studious fact checker Harris, and Bradley Crosby, the self-proclaimed illegitimate son of Bing Crosby.
History
The series began on ABC and was canceled after a single season despite ranking at #25 with an 11.4 rating. For its second season, the series moved to NBC with new cast members and a general retooling of the show away from its tabloid settings. The second season ranked at #4 with a 16.8 rating. Its third and final season plummeted to #74 and was canceled at the end of the season.
