screen captures from the Jack and Mike episode "Ready or Not," 1986
Shelley's third foray into series TV was Jack and Mike. It was about a married yuppie couple living in Chicago, trying to find time for each other in their busy schedules. Shelley played Jackie Shea, a star columnist at The Mirror, a widely-circulated Chicago paper. Her column was awaited by everyone every week. Her husband was Mike Brennan (played by Tom Mason), a successful restaurateur. The other cast members were: Nora Adler (Jacqueline Brookes), Jackie’s editor; Anthony Kubecek (Kevin Dunn), Jackie's assistant; Carol (Holly Fulger), the head waitress at Mike's restaurant, Brennan's Grill; and Rick Scotti (Vincent Baggetta), an attorney who appears occasionally. The series, created by Sara Davidson, was filmed on location in Chicago, Illinois.
more screen captures from the Jack and Mike episode "Ready or Not," 1986
The next morning, as they are getting ready to go to work, Mike is giving Jackie the cold shoulder. He barely talks to her and quickly changes out of the tie she says looks good on him. In the kitchen, as Jackie pours herself some coffee, Mike gives her a short lecture on what pregnant women should avoid drinking and eating. Jackie confronts Mike and she says she knows he's upset because she went out in the middle of the night to meet fugitive Matthew Pearson. Mike says he wants her to take care of herself for the sake of the baby. Jackie tells him she's worried that having a baby will change the way they live, the way they interact with each other, the way they will go about their daily lives - and she doesn't know if she's ready for that. She says Mike doesn't realize how demanding of their time a child would be; and she is unsure if they're ready to make that commitment given that they're both working at jobs they love.
