About Laverne and Shirley
Laverne and Shirley is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1983. A spin-off of the hit series Happy Days, it follows two single working-class roommates, Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, who share an apartment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and work as bottle-cappers on the assembly line at the fictional Shotz Brewery. The series was created by Garry Marshall, Lowell Ganz, and Mark Rothman, and it grew out of guest appearances the two characters made on Happy Days, where they were introduced as friends of Fonzie.
The show paired the streetwise, impulsive Laverne, played by Penny Marshall, with the prim, optimistic Shirley, played by Cindy Williams, mining comedy from their contrasting temperaments and their shared dream of a better life. Their world was populated by a memorable supporting cast, most notably the goofy upstairs neighbors Lenny Kosnowski and Andrew Squigman, known as Squiggy, played by Michael McKean and David Lander. The early seasons leaned heavily on broad physical comedy and slapstick, with the duo often landing in elaborate predicaments.
Set initially in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the series later relocated its characters to Burbank, California, in its sixth season as it followed shifting storylines. Laverne and Shirley was a ratings powerhouse in its first years, at one point ranking as the most-watched program on American television. Although the show experienced behind-the-scenes tension and cast changes in its later run, it endured in syndication and remains a touchstone of 1970s and 1980s American television comedy, fondly remembered for its theme song and its opening chant.