Garth Brooks is one of the best-selling artists in all of music and especially country music, but his talents don't stop there. Brooks has also been featured as a guest star in multiple TV shows over the years. One of the shows Garth Brooks starred in was the sitcom, Empty Nest, which aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The show was a spinoff of the popular TV series The Golden Girls and followed the life of Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) and his two adult daughters, Carol (Dinah Manoff) and Barbara Weston(Kristy McNichol), who moved back in with their dad after the death of their mother.
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Country music star Garth Brooks played himself in the Empty Nest episode titled Country Weston, air date November 2, 1991. In the episode, a nurse named Laverne Todd (Park Overall), who works at Dr. Mulligan's office, decides to go to a Garth Brooks concert. She takes along Dr. Mulligan's daughter Barbara, who, thanks to her job as a police officer, gets them backstage passes. The episode then transitions to the concert, showing Brooks performing his hit song "The Dance" onstage while Laverne and Barbara watch from the side stage. After the show, the women get the chance to meet the country superstar, and Laverne, a Southern-speaking Garth Brooks superfan, faints in his arms. Meanwhile, a barrage of fans break into the backstage area and Barbara fends them off with her police skills.
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After the show, Brooks, who clearly states that he's married, drives the women back to Dr. Mulligan's home in his limo. There, he meets Dr. Mulligan and his eldest daughter Carol Weston. Brooks was impressed with Barbara's help at the concert and offers her a security officer position on his tour. After initially declining, she decides to join him. On the tour, Barbara becomes disillusioned by the road life and homesick, so she goes to Garth for advice. He encourages her to follow her heart and tells her he has no hard feelings if she quits the tour. He then plays his classic song "The River" to drive home the message. Brooks also sings "Friends In Low Places" with the cast members during the credits. While Brooks' singing was the highlight of the episode, the Oklahoma native impresses with his acting skills as well.
The Empty Nest episode features another storyline in which Dr. Mulligan's bothersome neighbor Charley Dietz (David Leisure) stays at his home while his is being fumigated. The episode also features the family dog, Dreyfuss.
