The Empty Chair

what happens

Betsy and Bud Baxter are in their 15th year of hosting the popular local TV program ""Breakfast with the Baxter's"" when they learn their show is being cancelled. Still reeling from the loss, Bud and Betsy are grateful when two unexpected visitors (Monica and Andrew) show up on their doorstep, feigning car trouble. Monica and Andrew become a welcome distraction for the Baxters, who have devoted their lives to their show and in doing so, have avoided dealing honesty with each other. With a captive audience, Bud and Betsy take a certain glee in telling their guests the whole ugly story of how they were unceremoniously canned after 15 years. Monica and Andrew try to convince the Baxters of the importance of grieving. But Bud pours himself another Scotch while espousing the importance of carrying on. Meanwhile, Betsy busies herself looking through some storage boxes for her mother's meatloaf recipe when she came across a baby's jumper outfit, a painful remind of the child the ""lost.""

who made it

directed

Jeff Kanew

guest cast

Billed for this episode only — the turn people remember an episode for.

• Tess Harper as Betsy Baxter
• George Dzundza as Bud Baxter