L-R — Joanna, Laura, Charlie, Tom, and Caroline.
The Upper Hand is a Foreign Remake of Who's the Boss? which aired on ITV from 1990 to 1996. As in the original series, it focuses on a widower, this time called Charlie Burrows (Joe McGann), who moves from a deprived area in London to Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire to provide a better life for his daughter Joanna (Kellie Bright). He takes a job as housekeeper for Caroline Wheatley (Diana Weston) and quickly becomes a father figure for her son Tom (William Puttock). Also part of the cast is Caroline's man-eater of a mother, Laura West (Honor Blackman).
Much like the original, much time was focused on the romantic relationship between Charlie and Caroline, although unlike the original, this got a more concrete resolution, with both getting married and being depicted in the final series as husband and wife.
Tropes in this series:
- Adaptational Job Change: In Who's the Boss?, Anthony was a baseballer, being a former second baseman with the St. Louis Cardinals. Here, his counterpart Charlie was a footballer for a First Division club.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: In the original, Anthony and Angela's relationship eventually ended with them admitting love, but nevertheless ended on an ambiguous note with neither marrying each other. Here, their counterparts Charlie and Caroline actually do end up marrying, and we get a showcase of them as husband and wife in the final series.
- Animal Lover: Tom is a massive fan of reptiles and is first seen keeping a pet snake called Sydney.
- Camping Episode: "Dinner for Two" is this for Tom, Joanna, and Laura, focusing on a camping trip to Virginia Water.
- Christmas Episode: "Requiem" is set on Christmas and takes a sadder approach to the usual idea, featuring Charlie's struggle to move on from the death of his father.
- The City vs. the Country: Charlie moves from the city of London to the more countryside area of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire to provide a better life for his daughter. The juxtaposition is immediately obvious - whilst London is depicted as a warzone filled with drunks and skinheads, Henley-on-Thames is shown to be much more peaceful.
- Disappeared Dad: Tom's father is absent from his life, spending his time far away on expeditions. Whilst said father does eventually return, he struggles to cope with settling down, and he ends up divorcing from Caroline and largely vanishing from Tom's life.
- Marry the Nanny: Charlie is initially hired as the housekeeper for Caroline. They soon fall into a romantic relationship and by the end of Series 6, they end up marrying.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: It's Charlie who is the housekeeper of the household and Caroline who can't cook and is the breadwinner. Naturally, there is some comedy made out of the inverted gender reversal roles, with Caroline needing to be warmed up to the idea of a man doing stereotypical women's work.
- Missing Mum: Joanna's mother died around a young age, leaving her without a suitable female role model.
- Mythology Gag: One Series 5 episode is named for the show that this one is a Foreign Remake of, Who's the Boss?.
- Parental Substitute: As in the original, Charlie ends up becoming a substitute father to Tom and Caroline a substitute mother to Joanna. After their marriage at the end of Series 6, they become stepfather and stepmother respectively.
- Really Gets Around: Laura is a man-eating Silver Vixen who dates a string of men throughout the series. The series starts partially because Laura finds Charlie sexy, driving her to convince Caroline to keep him on as housekeeper.
- Remake Cameo: Katherine Helmond, who played Mona in Who's the Boss?, appears in the episode "Tunnel of Love" as Madame Alexandra.
- The Runaway: In "Caroline's First Fight", Joanna, angry at the fact that Caroline doesn't like her fighting, runs back to her old home in London with an enamored Tom in tow.
- Shower of Awkward: The major drama of "Briefless Encounter", occurs when Charlie ends up stumbling across Caroline naked whilst she's using the bath.
- Sleeping with the Boss: Caroline appears to be in a romantic relationship with her boss Simon in the first episode, with both sharing passionate kisses. It's soon revealed that Caroline thinks her chance of becoming a creative director hinges on spending a weekend away with Simon, with Charlie managing to convince her that she can get the job on her own merit.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Joanna starts out as a rather tomboyish girl, but gradually shows a more girlish nature, nurtured by her Parental Substitute (and eventual stepmother) Caroline.
- Variations on a Theme Song: "Wheels" sees the normal Instrumental Theme Tune replaced with "You to Me Are Everything" by The Real Thing.
- Wedding Episode: "The Wedding" is focused on the wedding between Charlie and Caroline, which naturally turns chaotic.