Bosom Buddies (TV series)



"Henry: Our friend Amy said there was a great apartment in her building... Kip: Dirt cheap! But it's a hotel for women. Okay, we made one adjustment. Henry: Now these other ladies know us as Buffy and Hildegarde. Kip: But they also know us as Kip and Henry, Buffy and Hildy's brothers. I am crazy about the blonde. Henry: This experience is gonna make a great book. Kip: See? It's all perfectly normal!"

- Opening Narration

A Sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari that ran from 1980 to 1982.

The series premise has struggling ad men Kip and Henry trying to move into the Susan B. Anthony hotel due to its dirt-cheap rent. But since it's a women-only hotel, they disguise themselves as "Buffy and Hildegarde," supposedly Kip and Henry's sisters.

As the show went on, this Disguised in Drag premise moved increasingly into the background. In the second season, the entire recurring cast knows Kip and Henry's secret (though they continue to live in the hotel and pose as women for the other residents.) There was also a shift to focus more on the Work Com aspects of Kip and Henry in the advertising business, and in general on Hanks and Scolari's chemistry as a (conventionally-dressed) comedic duo.

Hanks and Scolari were the only male members of the regular cast, which included Wendie Jo Sperber as friend and Secret Keeper Amy, Donna Dixon as Kip's love interest Sonny, Telma Hopkins as hotel manager Isabelle, and Holland Taylor as Ruth, Kip and Henry's overbearing boss.


 * Attractive Bent Gender: Used occasionally, but less frequently than you might think.
 * The Cast Showoff: Isabelle the most often to demonstrate Telma Hopkin's singing voice.
 * Dating Service Disaster A "video dating" service provided an example in one episode.
 * Different for Girls: A frequent source of comedy, especially in earlier episodes.
 * Disguised in Drag: Series premise.
 * Executive Meddling: The producers found that after they made the above compromise with the series premise, they were otherwise left alone to do the series as they wanted for the albeit short run, including shoving the disguise trope into the background.
 * Most Writers Are Writers: Henry is writing a book about his crossdressing experiences.
 * New Job Episode: A few examples:
 * "Kip Quits": Kip quits his advertising job and winds up selling hot dogs
 * "The Show Must Go On": Kip and Henry take jobs as busboys as part of a scheme to get Isabelle a singing gig at a night club.
 * "The Hospital": Kip and Henry, in their female identities, work at a hospital as candy stripers.
 * Put on a Bus: Lilly (the hotel manager in Season 1).
 * Real Song Theme Tune: Billy Joel's "My Life."
 * Retool: In the second season, apart from playing down the Disguised in Drag element, Kip and Henry left their jobs at the advertising agency and opened their own agency (with Ruth as their partner).
 * Secret Keeper: Amy, in the first season. Later, all of the main characters.
 * Shout-Out: In the pilot after Henry names Kip's alter ego "Buffy", Kip mumbles something about Jodie and Mr French.
 * Snowed In: In one episode, Kip and Henry find themselves trapped in a mountain cabin during a blizzard, with no food save half a container of non-dairy creamer.
 * And, later, Kip's "albino snake".
 * Wholesome Crossdresser: Kip and Henry.