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{{Distinguish|Baby, I'm Back (song)}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Baby I'm Back.jpg
| caption =
| genre = [[Sitcom]]
| creator = {{Plainlist|
* [[Lila Garrett]] * Mort Lachman }}
|
* Chet Dowling
* [[David Garber]]
* Lila Garrett
* George Geiger
* Kevin Hartigan
* [[April Kelly]]
* Sandy Krinski
* Mort Lachman
* Martin Rips
* Joseph Staretski
}}
| director = {{Plainlist|
* Dick Harwood
* Nick Havinga
* Mark Warren
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Demond Wilson]]
* [[Denise Nicholas]]
* [[Helen Martin]]
* [[Kim Fields]]
* Tony Holmes
* Ed Hall
}}
| narrated = Demond Wilson
| theme_music_composer = [[Jeff Barry]]
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| camera = [[Multi-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime = 22–24 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
* Lila Garrett Productions * Dewil Productions * Charles Fries Productions }}
| channel = [[CBS]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1978|01|30}}
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}}
==Synopsis==
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The pilot was videotaped in September 1977. CBS picked the pilot up as a [[mid-season replacement]], going into production at the [[CBS Studio Center]] lot in November 1977, for airing from January to April 1978.
In the book ''Funny You Should Ask: Oral Histories of Classic Sitcom Storytellers'' by Scott Lewellen, Lila Garrett created the show to address the social issue of the time of black males not being able to get jobs to provide for their families. Many had abandoned their families because of it and in this case, the lead character did abandon his family, but once he found work and got his act together, he came back, hence the name of the show. In the show, the mother had a great government job at the Pentagon and lived in a nice apartment. At the time of casting Wilson had just completed ''[[Sanford and Son]]'' and Nicholas was a hot commodity. Garrett saw the chemistry between the two. Nicholas said in a summer 1978 edition of ''[[Jet (magazine)|Jet Magazine]]'' that she was surprised at the cancellation of the series despite decent ratings.
Garrett stated the show was cancelled due to [[Norman Lear]] wanting ''[[Good Times]]'' to come back for another season and told CBS that he would create them another show in exchange for it.
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=0
|Title
|DirectedBy
|WrittenBy
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1977|10|22}}
|ShortSummary=In this [[Television pilot|pilot episode]] of this series, Ray briefs the viewing audience in a voiceover about how Olivia and Wallace tried to get married and had him declared legally dead. He of course foiled the attempt, but Olivia and Wallace attempt again to get married causing Ray to try to get himself declared legally alive so she will not be able to marry another person. Olivia surprises him by moving up the time of the wedding so that Ray will not have enough time to spoil the ceremony.
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|DirectedBy = [[Bill Persky]]
|WrittenBy = Lila Garrett & Mort Lachman
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=This first episode begins with Olivia and Luzelle at her lawyers officially declaring Raymond Ellis legally dead after no contact or calls have been made for the last seven years. Ray runs into an old friend in California who informs him that Olivia has declared him dead legally and is getting remarried. Ray flies back to reconcile with Olivia and the children: son Jordan is not at all thrilled when he learns his father is back while daughter Angie is ecstatic, Luzelle attacks him with sponges as Olivia walks in with disappointment once she realizes he is back. Although Ray is back, Olivia continues with her plans to marry Wallace Dickey but the wedding gets a surprise guest. Ray moves into Olivia's building to be closer to her and the kids.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Dick Harwood
|WrittenBy = Kevin Hartigan & David Garber
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=Ray is all of a sudden been tracked down by two men who claim that they are loan shark collectors for someone who lent Ray $200 seven years ago. Ray must pay back the $200 plus the interest per week over the seven years that has accumulated, bringing the amount to $7,280. He is threatened and is afraid for his life. He goes to Olivia for help but she accuses him of lying.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Nick Havinga
|WrittenBy = Richard Powell
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=It is Ray and Olivia's 15th wedding anniversary. Ray has romantic plans for the evening but Olivia would rather spend a nice quiet evening with her
|LineColor=
}}
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|DirectedBy = Dick Harwood
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Shelly Zellman & Wally Dalton |t= April Kelly & George Geiger}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=With Luzelle and the kids leaving for the weekend, Olivia plans a romantic dinner for her and Wallace, who calls to tell Olivia that he is unable to make it due to army maneuvers but it is Ray who takes the call and manages to use Wallace's absence to his advantage to spend a romantic evening with Olivia; Luzelle and the kids gets stranded on the road after the car breaks down.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = [[Asaad Kelada]]
|WrittenBy = Martin Rips & Joseph Staretski
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=After his mother refuses to give Jorden $300 for drums, Ray offers to give the Jordan the cash also hoping this will bring him closer to his son. Olivia is furious and tells Ray off then makes Jordan return the drums and give Ray's money back. Jordan then accuses his father of giving him the money to get closer to his mother.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Nick Havinga
|WrittenBy = Erwin Washington & Chet Dowling & Sandy Krinski
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=Angie puts on a church play about the story of Ruth from the Bible with a little twist. Ruth is about to marry another man (who is bald at the top of the head) until the "prodigal son" (played by Jordan) returns after 7 years and claims that Ruth is still his wife and remarries her. Ruth's mother responds by dropping dead. It was told that Ruth remarried her first husband for the sake of the children. And of course, it is revealed by Angie in front of the whole congregation that Ray helped her write this church play. (It was so obvious, right?) Olivia angrily decides to leave on a trip with Wallace despite Ray's objections.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Dick Harwood
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Bruce Kalish & Philip Wickham Taylor|t= Kevin Hartigan & David Garber}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=Olivia is all dressed up to go to a banquet at the pentagon with Wallace, but Wallace and Ray go for drinks at the local hangout and Wallace ends up getting drunk and shares moments of his past life with Ray.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Mark Warren
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Jim Belcher|t= April Kelly & George Geiger}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=Olivia is furious when she discovers that, after spending the day with Ray, Jordan made bets at the racetrack winning $200. Ray convinces Olivia to let him bet the money on a longshot horse that Jordan predicts to win for $18,000. Olivia soon changes her tunes once she realizes that the horse is winning the race on television. Luzelle gets smashed (drunk) while attempting to cook a French dinner for Angie and Jordan "after a day with that low-life father".
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Mark Warren
|WrittenBy = Marion Freeman & Mark Evanier
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=Olivia, Wallace and the kids go out of town for the weekend while Luzelle stays behind. Ray drops in to find out Olivia has left with her fiancée and the kids, then manages to find out where they are staying from Luzelle without her knowing right away. As Ray is driving his friend's motor home on [[Interstate 95]], someone comes out of hiding in a wooden chest inside of the motor home. Much to Ray's surprise, it is Luzelle. Olivia and the rest of the clan return due to bad weather, while Ray and Luzelle have to spend the evening together stuck on the highway due to a bad snowstorm.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Mark Warren
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Martin Rips & Joseph Staretski|t= Gary Jacobs}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=Due to Luzelle's insomnia, Angie is sent to room with Jordan, who protests against his mother's wishes by going upstairs to room with Ray, who tries to make him go back to his mother so Ray can have peace and watch a game on TV. Eventually everyone meets in Ray's apartment and eventually comes to an agreement as to who will sleep where, which brings an unexpected result for Ray.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Mark Warren
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Harry Cauley |t= April Kelly & George Geiger}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=Olivia runs into her friend Anita at the Pentagon who tells her about how great Guam is and how it was life changing for her. With some mistaken encouragement from her mother, Olivia does some re-examining of her life and decides not to choose between Ray and Wallace, leave her life and job behind, pick up her family and move to the dry gulch ___location of Guam.
|LineColor=
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|DirectedBy = Mark Warren
|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= April Kelly & George Geiger |t= Sandy Krinski & Chet Dowling}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1978|
|ShortSummary=In this final episode for the season, Ray gets a temporary job in Hialeah, FL and makes a bet with Olivia that Wallace could fall under temptation of another woman. Ray tells her that if Wallace fights temptation, he will take the job in Hialeah and leave for the time, and if Wallace gives in to the woman, Olivia must spend a romantic night at Ray's place. Olivia puts herself in disguise and proceeds to seduce Wallace with Ray watching at the local hangout.
|LineColor=
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==Syndication==
Reruns aired occasionally on [[Black Entertainment Television]] in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
==External links==
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[[Category:1978 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s American black sitcoms]]
[[Category:1970s American multi-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Television shows set in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Television series by MGM Television]]
[[Category:CBS sitcoms]]
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