You Wish (1997-98, TGIF)

About

Gillian Apple, a divorced mother of two (Harley Jane Kozak) has her life turned upside-down when she obtains a purple rug with a Genie (John Ales) inside. Her children (Alex McKenna & Nathan Lawrence) are overjoyed, but Gillian believes life is better if you don't make wishes. In the fifth episode, Jerry Van Dyke joins the cast as Genie's ecentric Grampa Max. John Rhys-Davies initially starred as wise rug shop owner Mustapha, but he was quickly phased out.

History, Part 1: ABC

The story of You Wish can’t be told without some backstory that's largely been forgotten.

ABC president Ted Harbert had led the network to the top of its game, and in 1995, bumpers proudly declared, “Watched by more Americans than any other network: ABC.” And what happens when something is successful? Disney buys it.

The House of Mouse announced the acquisition that summer and formally took control in early 1996 — though they didn’t quite know what to do with their new toy. Cue crossover episodes of Roseanne, Boy Meets World, and Step by Step set at Disney World. Check.

Instructed to bring in a younger audience, Harbert greenlit sitcom adaptations of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (from Showtime) and Clueless (from the hit film). Then he was ousted, replaced by NBC’s Jamie Tarses. A messy internal power struggle followed — Harbert technically remained in charge for a while but ultimately quit in frustration the following January. Tarses, now fully in control, quickly cleared house, axing nearly all of Harbert’s shows along with aging family staples Step by Step and Family Matters (both of which found one final gasp on CBS).

One of the only new shows spared was Sabrina, which drew a young audience and thrilled Disney with its merchandising potential — books, dolls, bubblegum, and more. Under Disney, the traditional TGIF interstitials (which used to feature characters in their sets) were replaced with cast members like Melissa Joan Hart promoting Disney movies, parks, and events directly.

Tarses’ first solo season was a disaster. She became embroiled in a minor scandal for dating the producer of Over the Top (a short-lived Tim Curry sitcom canceled after three weeks). She replaced the hit Life’s Work with its direct competitor, NBC's lower-rated Something So Right — which tanked even harder on ABC. Then she tried to duplicate Sabrina’s success with two obvious knockoffs: You Wish and Teen Angel.

Part 2: The Show

Created by Boy Meets World’s Michael Jacobs, You Wish was born out of a vague network directive to “make a show about a male genie.” Jacobs wrestled with the concept before settling on a family-oriented sitcom — one that already felt a little dated in the late ’90s, especially next to its edgier TGIF companion, Teen Angel.

It's not that Jacobs didn't want to be edgy. Some critics remarked that it was creepy that Genie had eyes for Gillian (although this was seldom perceived as an issue for Jeannie and Tony Nelson, who eventually got married and spawned Tony, Junior!). "We believe in looking at we call URST -- or unresolved sexual tension," remarked Jacobs. "I think the TGIF franchise is evolving more toward adult, anyway." He also stated that an episode centering on Don Juan was created in hopes of attracting older viewers. As for why the family's surname was Apple? "I had the stock. It fell on its ass, and I'll do anything I can to get it back up," he joked at the network's fall press junket. I tend to think this show didn't affect the Apple stock in any way whatsoever.

Just like Sabrina and Teen Angel, it was shot like a traditional sitcom, but as a result of the special effects, they couldn't shoot it with an audience, so a laugh track was employed.

Archive

Internet Archive, in The VHS Vault

Licence or status

The Internet Archive states none for this item.

Credit

Touchstone Television

Language

English

Who can watch

The archive gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from its collection and subjects. How films are placed