The Five Mrs. Buchanans:

The Episode Guide:

Last updated: July 27, 1997.

The Cast of the Five Mrs. Buchanans:

   Alex Buchanan                 -Judith Ivey
   Delilah Buchanan              -Beth Broderick
   Vivian Buchanan               -Harriet Sansom Harris
   Bree Buchanan                 -Charlotte Ross
   "Mother" Emma Buchanan        -Eileen Heckart

1.1: Pilot

Alex, Delilah and Vivian learn that their youngest brother- in-law is going to marry, and so decide to throw the bride, Bree, a bridal shower, all the while trying to warn Bree about the dangers of their mother-in-law, "Mother" Buchanan.

1.2: "The Other Woman"

New bride Bree finds that she has a rival for her husband's time: "Mother" Buchanan. So she ends up joining forces with Alex, Delilah and Vivian.

1.3: "Clyde and Vivian and Ed and Malice"

When an old flame (Peter Bergman) comes back into her life, Vivian must decide if she really married the right man, so she goes out to dinner with him. And guess who catches her there?...

1.4: "A Ring of Truth"

Bree is delighted with her belatedly received engagement ring, until she discovers that its value is strictly sentimental.

1.5: "Nothing on Delilah"

When one of the local snobs finds out about Delilah's past, it could mean trouble for the Buchanan family, and social exile for Delilah, meaning that "Mother" Buchanan has to "take care of" the situation.

1.6: "The Mothers-in-Law"

Bree's tacky Mom (Jean Kasem) visits, and almost immediately she locks horns with "Mother" Buchanan. Meanwhile, Vivian goes to work for Alex in the Buchanan shop.

1.7: "Alex, Then and NOW"

Alex is reunited on TV with two feminist college friends, but she's embarrassed to learn that, compared with their careers, her contribution is a "speedbump on the road of life".

1.8: "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Buchanans"

An unsuspecting Bree volunteers to babysit Vivian's two sins after the rest of the Buchanans make excuses so as not to have to watch Vivian's destructive duo.

1.9: "Five Buchanans and a Baby"

Although pressured by "Mother" Buchanan, Bree insists she's not ready to have kids. Meanwhile, Delilah is desparate to have a child, but she fears she may not be able to get pregnant. So she consults a therapist (Mary Gordon Murray) and shares her strong desire to have kids. "If I can't be that person I always wanted to be, then what the hell good am I? Who the hell am I?"

1.10: "Emma in Love"

The town's new baker (George Grizzard) thinks that "Mother" Buchanan takes the cake, and her daughters-in-law believe that this match could be the answer to their "Mother" Buchanan problems once and for all!

1.11: "What Child is This?"

There will be no peace in the Buchanan clan if Alex can't replace the ceramic Baby Jesus she broke, which is part of "Mother" Buchanan's "most prized possession", a Nativity set. And indeed, when she finds out, it's "Hell On Earth" between her and Alex.

1.12: "The Incredible Journey"

After having been lost four years ago on a family vacation, Alex's dog turns up on her doorstep, to the delight of everyone except "Mother" Buchanan, whom Alex suspects being behind the dog's disappearance.

1.13: "All About Bree"

Vivian directs a community production of "The Sound of Music", for which Bree and Delilah vie for the lead (a part Delilah badly wants, but for which Bree is more qualified), and in which "Mother" Buchanan is asked to play the Mother Superior (surprise! surprise!).

1.14: "The Heart of the Matter"

Alex persuades her husband (John Getz) to back out of an alumni football game, but neither is prepared to tackle "Mother" Buchanan, who insists he uphold the family tradition to keep in the game.

1.15: "Becoming a Buchanan"

When preparing for a all-family portrait, Alex, Delilah and Vivian relate to Bree their initial encounters with "Mother" Emma Buchanan.

1.16: "Never on the Road Again"

The sisters-in-law do not go gently when "Mother" Buchanan forces them to drive to Ohio for the funeral of a great aunt they've never met. But it is the sisters-in-law who end up fight among themselves, and not with "Mother" Buchanan.

1.17: "Viv'acious"

Vivian frets that the romance has gone out of her marriage with husband Ed (Richard Poe), so the sisters-in-law persuade her to join them in having a "naughty nighties" party, where she can buy merchandise tailor made for "spicing up a relationship".