Although the show got good ratings, the U.S. State Department, under pressure from the Soviet Government, gave instructions that it should not be renewed.
The Petrovskys had a pet, never seen but often heard - a Russian wolfhound named "Rasputin" whose savage barks and growls emanated from behind an always-closed (though frequently-kicked) door. On at least one occasion, Rasputin was described to a visitor (in an historical in-joke) as "the mad dog of Russia".