The series follows a trio of overweight sisters facing the challenges of work, relationships, popularity, and starting a family. The ladies also shared a small one-bedroom apartment in
New York City, which added to the comic friction. The Gilbert sisters include Darlene (
Susan Peretz), the eldest, who was a dog groomer and recently divorced (her husband had an affair with their weight-loss counselor); Charlene (
Wendie Jo Sperber), the middle sister, who was a makeup artist for a commercial photographer and was the most active one out of the three; and Marlene (
Lesley Boone), the youngest sister, a former toll collector (and later an actress in a pantyhose commercial and a soap opera), who was seen as a dreamer with a naive, trusting personality. Also in the cast was Charlene's boyfriend, Ronnie Underwood (
Rick Overton), a restaurant owner. He disappeared at mid-season, as a result putting all three sisters on the dating market. At that time, the girls' landlady, Florence Newman (
Nedra Volz), became a regular. All three also had physical comedy experience on their resume, and those skills were put to use in the series. Among the notable examples: Charlene getting in a helium-filled dress, Darlene breaking a hockey stick while attending a
New York Rangers game, Marlene waking the sisters up with potato chips after they didn't hear her come in, and all three sisters ganging up on a mime after he mocked them. ==Cast==