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 goes over to check up on Chris Sykes who had gone back to his old teaching job and witnesses the reality he has to face - the students are still afraid of him. Jackie assures him time will heal all wounds. With that, she leaves, wondering if what she said was even true. At home, Jackie and Mike spend the evening together for a much anticipated private dinner, prepared by Mike of course. While discussing, over pre-diner drinks, how much their careers interfere with their relationship, the phone rings. After trying to resist the urge to pick up, Mike gives in and answers the phone. It's one of his restaurants, they're having problems. He tells them they can handle such a minor mishap and hangs up. He turns the answering machine on and tells Jackie, with a smile, it'll be a while before the food is ready. They decide to go upstairs when the phone rings again. The answering machine takes the call this time.
