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WKRP in Cincinnati Season 3 Episodes
Season 3 Episode Guide
22 Episodes 1980 - 1981
Episode 1
The Airplane Show
Sat, Nov 1, 198024 mins
Les has long been jealous that WPIG has the only traffic news helicopter in Cincinnati, such a helicopter which Andy had promised Les when he first got hired, which has yet to materialize, and which Andy now admits won't. As such, Les hires penny-pinching crop duster Buddy Barker to fly him over the skies of Cincinnati in his biplane so that Les can report the traffic live. This act, which Les didn't clear with either Mr. Carlson or Andy, has him literally grounded and figuratively chained to his desk by Mr. Carlson, in the station not being able to handle the liability if something were to happen, but arguably more important such a stunt making the station look foolish. Les is still determined to make it into the skies the next day, Veterans Day (formerly known as Armistice Day) as he anticipates the traffic will be gridlock as Cincinnati residents make their way to the parades and other Veterans Day events. As Les hires Buddy for another fly over the city on the national holiday, Buddy's own military history and his slightly off-kilter mentality lead to not only Les and Buddy, but also the station employees and the Cincinnati populace in general looking for the true meaning of the holiday.
Episode 2
Jennifer Moves
Sat, Nov 8, 198025 mins
Jennifer buys a large house in a quiet suburb and asks the WKRP staffers to help her move. While moving furniture into an upper room Les hears demonic voices, and a telephone installation man appears to be a lot more sinister than he should be. Mr. Carlson has problems trying to get Jennifer's piano into the house and Jennifer begins to have second thoughts about her purchase.
Episode 3
Real Families
Sat, Nov 15, 198025 mins
Herb has applied for the Tarleks and the application has been accepted for them to appear on the national television show "Real Families." Herb's application letter stated that the show always chooses families that are not real in being too outrageous, not like the nice, normal family that the Tarleks are. The show's producers are determined to depict the true Tarlek family life, as opposed to the family life the Tarleks may want to portray to the national viewing public, and the producers will use whatever tactic at their means to achieve their goal. Herb's obvious coaching of his fellow WKRP'ers to make Herb out as the "hard worker, loyal husband, and all around fine person" may backfire on him and play into the producers' hands.
Episode 4
The Baby
Sat, Nov 22, 198024 mins
Mr. Carlson is at the station at night waiting to meet Carmen for their next natural childbirth class when he hears from the hospital that Carmen is there and has gone into labor. As Mr. Carlson is in no state emotionally to drive himself, he is lucky that Andy is still at the station and can drive him. One by one, the station employees arrive at the hospital to provide support to the Big Guy. In the process, some get lost in the maze that is the hospital's wayfinding system and/or get sidetracked with other items upon which they stumble at the hospital. Those that actually make it to the delivery room waiting area will have to persuade Mr. Carlson to go into the delivery room, he who is no longer sure he can go through with being Carmen's delivery room birth coach. Their task may be made all the more difficult if there are any potential complications, however minor, in the delivery.
Episode 5
Hotel Oceanview
Sat, Nov 29, 198024 mins
WKRP books a meeting room at the Hotel Oceanview in Dayton, to entice the Vicki Von Vicki Jeans company to advertise with them. Andy has problems with the slide projector while Mr. Carlson worries about the Dayton poisoner and whether he will be the next victim. Herb is pleasantly surprised when Ms. Vicki's personal assistant comes on to him, but his happiness is short-lived when he finds out her secret.
Episode 6
A Mile in My Shoes
Sat, Dec 6, 198025 mins
Despite trying to get out of it, Herb gets called to and selected for jury duty, in the process he elected jury foreman. In the deliberation, what he expects to be the immediate unanimous decision and a quick return to work at WKRP isn't the case. Herb uses his sales tactics to try and get the other jurors to see things his way, they who seemingly are more concerned with others things. Back at the station, Andy, who has done almost every job at a radio station over the course of his career, has no issue in being acting sales manager, he, during Herb's absence, embarking on the specific task he asked Herb to do just before Herb was called away: collect on all the overdue accounts. Andy believes that for every delinquent client who refuses to pay, he can easily replace with another more responsible client. Andy finds that his hardball tactics aren't yielding the results he wants or was expecting as he slowly morphs into another more familiar sales persona. While Andy is acting sales manager, he appoints Venus as acting program director. In taking his temporary responsibilities seriously, Venus turns "corporate" placing him into conflict with Johnny, while, Les, who has come up with an idea for some news specials, doesn't quite realize how even more inappropriate pitching the idea to Venus is.
Episode 7
Bah, Humbug
Sat, Dec 20, 198024 mins
While most of the WKRP staff is setting up for the office Christmas party, they are venting to Andy that it doesn't look like Mr. Carlson is going to give them any Christmas bonuses this year, despite Mr. Carlson previously stating that he would if the station turned a profit (which it has). Everyone has a reason why they are relying on that extra money. Andy can and does sympathize, but says that he can do nothing about it, the bonuses solely Mr. Carlson's decision. Indeed, Mr. Carlson is planning on not handing out bonuses this year, instead reinvesting the profits back into the station solely to show Mother Carlson what an astute businessman he is. Eating one of the brownies Johnny made for the party unaware of the special ingredient, Mr. Carlson, while writing the memo to staff about the reason for no Christmas bonuses, falls asleep at his desk. In his slumber, he is visited by four ghosts who may be able to show him the error of his ways and to bring back the Christmas spirit into his professional life to share with his employees.
Episode 8
Baby, It's Cold Inside
Sat, Jan 3, 198125 mins
On an extremely cold winter day when the furnace in the office building has broken down, Mother Carlson makes what to the staff is a surprise visit to the station, she waiting for her son who is later than usual. Beyond waiting for her son, no one knows why she is there. Johnny's method for keeping warm includes a bottle of cheap brandy, which is not only a fireable offense, but an offense that could mean his livelihood in the radio business in its entirety. The bottle does make its way to Mother Carlson via Jennifer, which may help Johnny's case in keeping his job. As Mother Carlson gets increasingly inebriated, she warms up both physically and emotionally which leads to some interesting if not strange encounters between her and the WKRP staff, who may never find out why she is at the station, on what to her is a very important day.
Episode 9
The Painting
Sat, Jan 10, 198125 mins
As they do every year, many of the WKRP staff members attended Mr. Carlson's church charity auction on their Sunday off, this year in support of Jerry's Kids. Herb's sole purpose in attending any year is to buy something - anything - to get in good with the Big Guy, this year which he was going to do 50/50 with Les. But when Les ended up not showing, he instead deciding to spend his Sunday in Dayton with his mother, Herb was forced to buy the last auction item, an oil painting, he does not like or want for $100 on his own. Herb learns that Bailey, who loves the painting, wanted to buy it at the auction but could not afford it. Using his sales sense in not telling any one party the entire story, Herb tries not only to get half the $100 from Les, he threatening to throw Les under the proverbial bus with Mr. Carlson in not having attended the auction, but tries to unload the painting to anyone who is willing to buy it at the highest price possible, Bailey the most obvious candidate. Herb's juggling act takes a turn when he gets wind that that the painting may be worth much more than he paid for it.
Episode 10
Daydreams
Sat, Jan 17, 198125 mins
Since Mr. Carlson is nervous about the speech he has to give to the Ohio Broadcasters' Association dinner tonight, Andy suggests that he give the speech a trial run in front of the WKRP staff. Mr. Carlson does proceed with the trial run of the speech to the staff, each who finds it dull as dishwater. As such, each staff member slowly goes into a dazed phase, entering into what is an exaggerated version of their ultimate fantasy, which is suddenly interrupted by something unexpected, either in the dream itself or in real life, to get them out of that daze. In the end, will they be able to cover up that they had no idea what Mr. Carlson had to say?
Episode 11
Frog Story
Sat, Jan 24, 198125 mins
Those at WKRP are dealing with two maladies this day. The first malady is Johnny's, he who attributes his headache probably to a cold. Les, in his double speak, is able to convince Johnny that he may be suffering instead from something more life threatening. The second malady is Greenpeace's, he Bunny Tarlek's pet frog and the favorite among her pets. Greenpeace is no longer green, but rather pink as Herb accidentally spray painted him. Herb has brought him into the office to get the advice/opinion from his WKRP colleagues on what to do to save Greenpeace. What may be the bigger question for Herb in what seems to be the inevitable is what he will tell Bunny that will not lessen him in her eyes. Through it all, Johnny takes issue with how much attention his colleagues are giving Greenpeace and his condition compared to Johnny himself and his condition.
Episode 12
Venus and the Man
Sat, Jan 31, 198124 mins
Cora Isley, the black office night cleaning lady who has befriended Venus, is in a panic as her sixteen year old son, Arnold Isley, has told her he's dropping out of school. Cora had been saving up in the hopes that Arnold would go to college for a potentially better life than he would probably have otherwise. From Cora's pleas and her worried state, Venus agrees to have a chat with Arnold if he stops by the station the following afternoon. Arnold turns out to be a tough guy, the leader of a street gang who, from his probably less than legal activities, is the type to throw around C-notes to show what a success he already is. Venus has to find a quiet place in the office away from the influence of the other "white" staffers who would only make matters worse. Finding that quiet place may be difficult if only because Johnny, too, is trying to find that quiet place to take a nap. If Venus is able to talk to Arnold and live another day, he will have to find the right buttons to push and do it fast to overcome Arnold's short attention span.
Episode 13
Dr. Fever and Mr. Tide: Part 1
Sat, Feb 7, 198124 mins
Johnny will host a rock and roll dance show to earn extra money. He thinks he is going to be able to do the show his way but he finds he has to wear their outfits and play their songs. He creates a new personality, Rip Tide, to do the show.
Episode 14
Dr. Fever and Mr. Tide: Part 2
Sat, Feb 7, 198124 mins
Johnny is enjoying the fame and notoriety of being Rip Tide, his sequin-attired, boorish Gotta Dance disco persona. Beyond the money and the official perks given to him by the television station such as the fully stocked liquor cabinet, he enjoys the unofficial perks, most specifically the behind-closed-doors relationship he has with his producer, Avis. While some of his friends at WKRP are worried about him, believing that Johnny would never sell himself out to disco, others such as Andy and Herb believe that they can capitalize on Rip Tide's fame by getting Johnny to be his Rip Tide persona on the air at WKRP, especially if Johnny himself is already indirectly advertising Rip on his morning show albeit by tearing Rip apart. Andy does not share the concerns of people like Venus, Bailey, Jennifer, Les and even Herb as Johnny has taken on many different personae over the course of his career without issue. However, Dr. Johnny Fever and Rip Tide each talk about the other in the third person and not in flattering ways which may underlie the conundrum that Johnny Caravella currently faces without really knowing it.
Episode 15
Ask Jennifer
Sat, Feb 14, 198125 mins
Herb finally comes up with a good idea; add a call in advice show to the stations line up. Against their better judgment they let Herb find the host. He promises he can get the job done in a week. Six months later he finally finds what they think is the perfect host. Just before she is supposed to go on the air they find out she's a bitter multiple divorcée who takes what she says is an aspirin while talking with Andy. As her time to go on the air comes closer she starts to act impaired and passes out while she's being introduced. Luckily Jennifer is there and steps up and takes over. She's a hit but doesn't want to continue. The whole group at the station talk her into continuing until a replacement can be found. She continues to do well and after a couple of calls from a women who has a philandering husband she advises her to get and attorney and tell him she leaving him. The caller follows the advice and her husband beats her. Jennifer takes the news of this very hard and resigns on the air. Andy and Mr Carlson try to console her but she asks to be left alone because she doesn't want to cry in front of anyone. Mr Carlson while not always the sharpest knife in the drawer comes up with just the right action. Watch the episode to see how he handles it.
Episode 16
I Am Woman
Sat, Feb 21, 198125 mins
Mr. Carlson receives notice from the owner of the building in which WKRP has its offices - the art deco Flimm Building - that it will be demolished in three months and a new office tower rebuilt on that exact same site. Most of the tenants of the building go into mourning of sorts over the imminent loss of their "home." Bailey goes one step further by leading a campaign to save the Flimm for its historical significance, she with the blessing of Mr. Carlson and Andy, able to use the station's resources, including air time, for the campaign. With the exception of Herb, all the WKRP staff vow to do their part to save the Flimm, from Mr. Carlson writing and recording editorials to be broadcast on the station, to Jennifer, who generally refuses to type, typing whatever necessary materials for the campaign. Things change when Mr. Carlson is able to talk Mother Carlson into constructing a dedicated new building for the station, this dream which Mr. Carlson never thought would happen and which allows him to construct what he really wants. This move places Mr. Carlson and Bailey into direct conflict - saving the Flimm which would negate the need for "Carlson Plaza" - one that could threaten not only their professional relationship but friendship.
Episode 17
Secrets of Dayton Heights
Sat, Feb 28, 198125 mins
The goings-on at the station include Johnny and Venus trying to fix an electrical problem in the control booth despite neither really knowing what he's doing, Jennifer brushing up on her French for an imminent trip to Paris with one of her wealthy older suitors, and Andy somewhat giving up on directly chastising Les despite the continuation of his on-air commentaries, most railing against pinko Commies. Regardless of the latter issue, Mr. Carlson and Andy are allowing Les to go to Washington DC to cover a Presidential press conference for the station and to get him out of their hair for a week. The trip hits a snag when Andy learns that for whatever reason, Les' press pass has been denied as Secret Service has deemed Les a possible security threat. Despite Les' superior belief that Washington is scared of him as a hard hitting newsman, Andy, on moral grounds, is determined to find out what really is going on about Les being denied access. Although he is initially not interested in getting involved, Mr. Carlson feels the need to take over when he learns the personal nature of the reason, and the fact that Les didn't have any idea of this item from his past, hence he dealing directly with Les while leaving a confused and hurt Andy out in the dark. As it hits him to the core of his being and the relationship with his mother, Les has to decide what to do about the information in and of itself, both practically and emotionally.
Episode 18
Out to Lunch
Sat, Mar 14, 198125 mins
Business lunches among those at WKRP: Bailey wants someone, anyone, to take her out for lunch; Les believes fancy French lunches including escargot are overrated; Johnny and Venus, as DJs, are wined and dined, and are never the hosts; Mr. Carlson usually leaves such to his staff while he plays with his toys in his office; and Herb, with an expense account, believes it is an important aspect of making sales. Within those lunches, Herb further believes that a free flow of alcohol is key. As such, he, working on what he considers the big deal with a potential media buy as opposed to the individual retailers which are his usual sales, has more often than not come back from his extended lunches soused. Beyond believing that the drinking is affecting his work with other clients especially in missing appointments with the little guys, Andy believes that Herb has a drinking problem, especially when he discovers that Herb has been keeping a bottle in his desk. Regardless of if Herb does have a drinking problem - the extreme which would be if he is a full blown alcoholic - the question then becomes if Herb does realize that his drinking is indeed causing a problem in his life, and if he doesn't what will be the tipping point to that discovery.
Episode 19
A Simple Little Wedding
Sat, Mar 21, 198125 mins
For their imminent twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, the Carlsons have decided to renew their wedding vows in a small, intimate ceremony with only a few friends and family, including the WKRP staff, in attendance, small being the operative word. A large part of the reason for them wanting to hold this event is that they didn't have a proper marriage ceremony the first time around having eloped at the last minute solely because Mother Carlson overtook the wedding planning, she wanting a large, elaborate affair which would have been attended primarily by her wealthy and important friends who neither Arthur or Carmen knew, and thus didn't want. Beyond the bridal shower that they will allow Mother Carlson to throw with only Jennifer and Bailey the other invitees, and the crass bachelor party Herb wants to throw without Mr. Carlson's knowledge, the question becomes if anything has changed in twenty-five years in the Carlson wedding milieu otherwise.
Episode 20
Nothing to Fear But...
Sat, Mar 28, 198125 mins
When Johnny is alone at the station filling in on the overnight shift, the station is robbed. It isn't until the rest of the staff arrives in the morning that they as a collective realize what has happened. After the initial shock with each staffer having a slightly different reaction, they all settle into a slight paranoia as they know the robbers stole the personnel files with names, addresses, salaries and working hours. Mr. Carlson wants everyone to act as normally as possible in not giving the robbers the satisfaction of affecting their day to day lives, which for Mr. Carlson means that everyone is to attend a media function that Herb has arranged on Friday night. But their paranoia may get the better of them, which is affected by the fact that Herb has purchased a gun he has left loaded in his desk drawer.
Episode 21
Til Debt Do Us Part
Sun, Apr 5, 198125 mins
Johnny is elated when he learns that his first wife, Paula, is getting remarried, which means the end of alimony payments to her and thus extra money in his pockets for the things he has not been able to afford, such as a vacation which he has not had in five years, a vacation to Jamaica which he wants to take with Bailey immediately. Johnny is surprised when Paula and her fiancé Buddy Gravers, the owner of his own charter flight company, show up on the WKRP doorsteps on a previously unannounced visit. Johnny's elation is muted by the visit both in seeing Paula again and meeting Buddy, who he considers a boorish lout with an open Don Juan attitude, he who may not be worthy of Paula's love. Although Johnny has no say in what his ex-wife does in the matter, what he ends up doing or saying may be affected if he knew the ulterior motive Paula has for this trip to Cincinnati before she gets remarried.
Episode 22
Clean Up Radio Everywhere
Sun, Apr 12, 198125 mins
Mr. Carlson accepts a business meeting with Dr. Bob Hallier solely on the suggestion of Jennifer who sees him as a nice, harmless man. Dr. Hallier's sweet, smiling exterior masks a more sinister purpose hiding behind the voice the God as he, a minister, represents the media task force CURB - Clean-Up Radio Broadcasting - of the Tri-Faith Broadcasting Advisory Committee. CURB objects to WKRP's broadcasting of certain rock songs which they consider obscene because of the use of sexually suggestive and/or obscene lyrics. Mr. Carlson, a Christian, can't argue with Dr. Hallier's logic until he speaks to the DJs and Andy, the latter who has seen groups like CURB before, such groups who want to impose their version of censorship without calling it such. Andy and the DJs can see that CURB will come up with more and more songs they want banned, and not just for obscene words but anything with which they don't agree, such as certain philosophies. In testing the waters further with Dr. Hallier, Mr. Carlson finds that Andy and the DJs are correct. As such, Mr. Carlson has to decide what to do: go against CURB and face their wrath which in this case would be an economic boycott of their advertisers, or cave into CURB's demands despite recognizing that it is indeed censorship.