screen captures from the Jack and Mike pilot episode, 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 about to open his third restaurant. The pilot was released in VHS format and distributed in Europe, in the Netherlands and Belgium; but only the pilot episode. The entire episode was kept as is; but subtitles in Dutch were burned into the media for the convenience of the target audience. The episode runs for 90 minutes and was originally aired in September 16, 1986.
more screen captures from the Jack and Mike pilot episode, 1986
To continue, Jackie and Mike go over to Mike's new 1950s-themed restaurant, which is still under construction, for lunch. As they try to make the most of their time together by cuddling, Jackie gets an idea for a new article about modern couples having to find time to be together due to their busy separate schedules. At The Mirror, while giving her colleague Charlotte Branigan a hint about the article she's planning to write, her aide Anthony Kubecek approaches her about the a pressing matter - convicted rapist Chris Sykes and his wife Holly are there to see her. Intrigued, Jackie agrees to a meet with them.
