Bridget Loves Bernie is an American television comedy program created by Bernard Slade, the creator of the 1970–74 ABC sitcom The Partridge Family and the 1967-70 sitcom The Flying Nun, based loosely on the premise of the 1920s’ Broadway play and 1940s’ radio show Abie's Irish Rose. It stars Meredith Baxter and David Birney as the title characters, and ran for one season, from 1972 to 1973 on CBS. Baxter and Birney married in real life after the program went off the air..