What does one do when a favorite TV cast gets back together years after their last cruise? For the cast of The Love Boat, it’s not about nostalgia, but about where the journey continues together. Their recent reunion in New York City to attend Ted Lange’s off-Broadway play Lady Patriot showed that the relationships made aboard the Pacific Princess remain very much intact.
Since it debuted in 1977, the show was a pop culture phenomenon, filled with romance, comedy, and celebrity guest stars. But the actual news now is what fascinating new avenues its cast members have pursued some on Broadway, some at sea, and some in completely new arenas. From politics to ambassadorships on cruise ships, they’ve discovered new ways of staying in touch with viewers while staying true to the show’s ethos.
Here’s a preview of the highlight moments, career shifts, and touching lessons that motivate this team to continue sailing ahead.
1. Ted Lange’s Labor of Love: Lady Patriot.
Ted Lange, best known to television viewers as “The Love Boat”‘s Isaac Washington, master bartender, has turned his passion for storytelling into a successful career as a playwright. His new play, Lady Patriot, takes on a spy mission within the Civil War within the Confederate White House. Drawing on the true exploits of Union spy Mary Bowser and Confederate First Lady Varina Davis, Lange said, “I realized pretty quickly I had a story about the patriotism of three different schools of thought.”
What gives this production added luster is the reunion it generated Fred Grandy and Jill Whelan returned to the cast, bringing on-screen chemistry to the stage. Lange enjoyed the experience “I love working with my Love Boat cast members, Jill and Fred. We have artistic chemistry and it is lovely to see our love of theatre bloom on stage.”
2. Fred Grandy’s Uncharted Political Voyage
Fred Grandy, to the fans more commonly known as Burl “Gopher” Smith, made one of the most surprising career changes after the show into politics. Following his nine years aboard the Pacific Princess, he served four terms in the United States House of Representatives as a member representing Iowa’s 5th Congressional District. He didn’t rest he ended up as president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International and hosted a Washington, D.C., radio talk show.
Grandy has appeared on screen more recently, as well, with cameos on Law & Order, The Mindy Project, and Fuller House. How easily he was able to jump back and forth between such disparate worlds implies a rare degree of range for a television veteran.
3. Jill Whelan’s Cruise Ship Homecoming
Jill Whelan, who joined the show at age 11 as Vicki Stubing, has turned her childhood playground into her adult career. Since 2015, she’s been Princess Cruises’ Celebrations Ambassador, sailing on over 100 voyages. “For me, it’s like my childhood playground,” she says. “I’m a very silver linings person, always looking for what’s positive.”
Her labor is far beyond public facades she assists visitors in marking life’s milestones, from birthdays to cancer remissions. Whelan’s ease and comfort are perfect credentials for a line of work that’s all about gaining lasting memories on board.
4. Bernie Kopell’s Long Lasting Screen Presence
Bernie Kopell, the series’ lovable Dr. Adam “Doc” Bricker, had a pre-existing career when The Love Boat debuted, having appeared in Get Smart and Bewitched. Post-series, he remained visible on TV and film, even returning to his Get Smart character years later.
Still in his 90s, Kopell is still a familiar face at fan conventions and reunions, exuding the suave charm that made his character so beloved by fans.
5. Hollywood Legends Teach Lessons on Humility
Whelan frequently attributes early-on-set experience with learning professionalism and humility. Being on set with legends Ann Miller and Ethel Merman made a lasting impression “The more legendary they were, the more humble they were,” she remembers. The cast of Love Boat went out of their way to greet each guest star warmly, never making one feel like the “new kid at school.”
Her mantra “The ladder going up is the same ladder going down” has guided her through career transition and life challenges, proving that niceness and professionalism don’t ever go out of style.
6. Gavin MacLeod’s Indestructible Legacy
As Captain Merrill Stubing, Gavin MacLeod navigated the Pacific Princess with charm and gravitas. Off camera, he worked as a goodwill ambassador for Princess Cruises, hosted religious TV programs, and wrote two memoirs. When he died in 2021 at age 90, his co-stars met his death with an overwhelming feeling of loss, as Whelan eulogized him at the family’s behest a sign of their years-long camaraderie.
MacLeod’s legacy remains in the way his co-stars continue to uphold the camaraderie ethos he encouraged.
7. Lauren Tewes’ Redesigning Outside the Limelight
Cruise director Julie McCoy, played by Lauren Tewes, departed the show after seven years because of personal reasons but appeared as a guest on several occasions. She became a hit stage actress, tried her hand at voice-over work, and even trained as a chef.
Her path is one of reinvention and resilience a template that will resonate with a whole lot of fans themselves having gone through hard metamorphosis in their own lives.
Nineteen years after the final credits, the Love Boat cast demonstrates that some friendships are made to last an eternity. Stage, campaign trail, high seas, or in the hearts of the audience, they’ve kept alive the show’s sense of warmth, humor, and friendship. Their tales are not so much about where they’ve been but how they’ve decided to keep sailing towards the next horizon.
