Dear John (American TV series)

the 1986 British sitcom and Taylor Swift song

Dear John is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from October 6, 1988 to July 22, 1992. It was originally based on the British sitcom of the same name. It was retitled Dear John USA when it was shown in the United Kingdom. During its four season run, it was bounced to and from various time periods on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. It moved from its post Cheers slot on Thursdays to a post Night Court slot on Wednesdays in 1990.

The sitcom is set in New York City. Judd Hirsch stars as John Lacey, a teacher at a preparatory school in Manhattan. After ten years of marriage, one day he returns home and finds a Dear John letter: His wife, Wendy, is leaving him for his best friend. When the court grants Wendy the house and custody of their son, Matthew, John moves into an apartment in the Rego Park neighborhood of Queens. Six months after the divorce, John joins the One To One Club, a support group for people who are divorced and single. The series chronicles John's life and the lives of his new friends at the One to One Club.

John Leonard of New York magazine previewed the pilot episode, in which John Lacey tries to attend a support group "for the recently singled", and stumbles instead into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. "I found this funny, and maybe even profound," Leonard wrote. NBC launched the show two days before Empty Nest, another sitcom about a middle aged man who recently lost his wife. "Some talented people run around in them agreeably," said Leonard, commenting on both shows.