On This Day in 1985, a Beloved Sitcom Ended, and Fans Still Talk About It Today

On this day in 1985, a beloved television show aired its last episode. Alice aired for nine seasons, from 1976 to 1985, and ended on a beautiful note.

Alice starred Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt. After the death of her husband, the aspiring singer picked up a waitressing job at a diner in Phoenix, Arizona named Mel’s Diner. Hyatt worked at Mel’s Diner to support her son, Tommy (Philip McKeon) as she awaited her big break as a singer.

Mel Sharples, played by Vic Tayback, owned the diner and was not an easy man to work for. Despite his tough exterior, Sharples ultimately was a big teddy bear with a good heart, which was embraced during the 1985 finale episode.

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Alice also starred Beth Howland as Vera Louise Gorman, and Polly Holliday as Flo Castleberry. After several seasons, Castleberry left Alice to star in a spinoff based on her character. Her series, Flo, lasted for just two seasons.

Filling Castleberry’s spot at Mel’s Diner was Celia Weston, who played Jolene Hunnicutt. The iconic Diane Ladd also had a role on Alice during Seasons 4 and 5.

For years, Alice held the honor of being the longest-running television show led by a woman. The show Roseanne overtook Alice and claimed that title in 1996.

Over the course of its run, Alice received a handful of award nominations and several wins. Lavin, Tayback, and Holliday earned Emmy nominations in acting categories, but never won.

It was the Golden Globes, however, where Alice received plenty of recognition. Lavin and Holliday both won in 1978 and 1979. In addition, Tayback won in 1979, and the series won in the Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical category, as well. Tayback won another Golden Globe in 1981, and Ladd won that year, too.

The Alice series finale was titled “Th-th-th-that’s All Folks.” The show was able to write a proper sendoff for everybody, and the last scenes were touching ones.

Mel decided to sell the diner, and both Alice and Jolene had already prepared to leave their jobs for other opportunities. The group shared one last night of telling stories and hugging one another through their tears. Vera revealed she was pregnant and told Mel she planned to name the baby after him.

The television series Alice was based on Martin Scorsese’s 1974 movie titled Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The series as a whole, and the finale specifically, continue to bring back wonderful memories for fans all these years later.

In a Facebook post about the finale shared in March 2025, one fan commented, “Linda Lavin and cast were fabulous!”

Another fan added, “Love that show back in the day!!!”

On Reddit, someone else gushed, “Love this show so much. Easily one of my top 10s.”

Sadly, now, all of the main stars from Alice have died. Holliday was the last living original Alice cast member remained at the time of her death in September 2025. Ladd died in November 2025, and Lavin died in December 2024.