It was more than a cruise—it was a cultural phenomenon. The Love Boat: Happily Ever After reunites cast and creators to explore how romance, humor, and heart made the series unsinkable. Discover the stories, surprises, and legacy behind one of TV’s most enduring hits.
Stream it now on REELZ+ at https://www.reelzplus.com
Available on Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Stream it now on REELZ+ at https://www.reelzplus.com
Available on Roku, Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
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TVTranscript
00:00The Love Boat finally had its Captain Meryl Steubing, but it was still missing one perfect cruise director who was proving quite difficult to find.
00:09The script that I saw had the character of Julie being a real feminist who kind of clashed with the captain sometimes.
00:20It was supposed to be a new idea to have a woman have authority.
00:24Twenty-three-year-old Lauren Tweese had recently quit her waitressing job after landing a string of TV commercials and a few guest spots on Aaron's spelling shows.
00:33I went in, turns out, to be the day before we started filming. I would read the scenes, come out, the people would talk, they'd come out, give me direction, and it was always to, okay, now soften it up.
00:50By the end of the day, Julie McCoy was Julie McCoy. She wasn't a woman with power. She was just another woman on a TV show.
00:59About nine o'clock at night, I got a call from my agent saying, oh, by the way, you got this job.
01:04So Lauren Tweese as cruise director Julie McCoy was the final piece of the casting puzzle.