What role does Linda Lavin play in the Alice TV series? Character role explored

What role does Linda Lavin play in the Alice TV series? Character role explored
Linda Lavin played the title role in CBS show Alice. (Image via CBS)

The Alice TV series is a beloved sitcom that originally aired on CBS from August 31, 1976, to March 19, 1985. It gained popularity for its portrayal of working-class life in Phoenix, Arizona. The series, based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, highlights the widowed Mel's Diner waitress Alice Hyatt.

Linda Lavin, who played the title character, became a TV icon thanks to the show. She died of lung cancer at 87 on December 29, 2024.

Lavin's portrayal of Alice Hyatt was crucial to CBS's late 70s and early 80s primetime hit Alice. Over nine seasons, Alice worked as a Phoenix diner waitress and raised her son Tommy. Alice was strong, independent, and kind as she rebuilt her life after her husband's death.


Character role of Linda Lavin in the Alice TV Series

In the Alice TV series, Linda Lavin plays the title character, Alice Hyatt, a widowed woman who moves to Phoenix with her young son after her husband's death. Alice wants to sing but ends up waiting tables at Mel's Diner.

Alice becomes important to the diner's staff and customers throughout the show. Her character is relatable as she navigates life as a working-class single parent.

Alice TV series looks at Alice's relationships with her coworkers, such as Mel, the grumpy but likable owner of a diner, and other waitresses, Flo and Vera. Alice also deals with relationships, growing as a person, and her hopes for a better life.

Her role as a single mother who worked in a male-dominated field gave her character a sense of power, and many women of that time looked up to her. As Alice, Linda Lavin was able to strike a balance between funny and touching moments, leaving a lasting impression on viewers.


Linda Lavin and a glimpse of her career

Linda Lavin, a Tony Award-winning actor, was versatile on Broadway and TV. She also starred in 9JKL (2017) and B Positive (2020).

Beyond sitcoms, she made appearances in telefilms and feature films. She won a Tony Award in 1987 for her performance in Neil Simon's Broadway Bound before her breakthrough role as Alice.

The iconic Alice Hyatt role that launched Lavin's television career earned her multiple nominations and awards. Alice, Barney Miller, Sean Saves the World, B Positive, and Muppets Take Manhattan were among her film and TV roles.


Alice TV series aired on CBS.

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Edited by Niharika Dabral
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