Laverne and Shirley is a Sitcom spun off from Happy Days, centering on two acquaintances of the Fonz who, as the series began, worked at a Milwaukee brewery. Co-created by Garry Marshall, the show starred his sister Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams as her roommate Shirley Feeney. The most popular supporting characters were Wacky Guys Lenny and Squiggy, played by Michael McKean and David Lander; other supporting characters included Laverne's dad Frank (Phil Foster) and Shirley's sometime boyfriend Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa (Eddie Mekka). The series ran on ABC from 1976 to 1983.