T H E   T V   U S A   G U I D E 

> home | TV USA | Previous | Next

USA / NBC-Lorimar / x60m-e / 1981-82 (6 January81 - 13 July 82)

Primetime soap from the company who brought us Dallas. Flamingo Road was set in Truro, Florida and the lead character was Sheriff Titus Semple who ruled the roost over the town. The other main characters were the Weldon family (the wealthiest family in town) led by the ageing Claude Weldon, his son Skipper was now running the family business (a paper mill). Bitch of the show was Claude's daughter Constance. The show only managed to last for a couple of years and was based on the Robert Wilder novel which had been previously filmed in 1949.

With:- HOWARD DUFF as Sheriff Titus Semple / JOHN BECK as Sam Curtis / KEVIN McCARTHY as Claude Weldon / MORGAN FAIRCHILD as Constance Weldon Carlyle / BARBRA RUSH as Eudora Weldon / WOODY BROWN as Skipper / MARK HARMON as Fielding Carlyle / GLENN ROBARDS as Jasper (the butler) / PETER DONAT as Elmo Tyson / CRISTINA RAINES as Lane Ballou / STELLA STEVENS as Lute-Mae Sanders / DAVID SELBY as Michael Tyrone / CYNTHIA SIKES as Sande Swanson / FERNANDO ALLENDE as Julio Sanchez / GINA GALLEGO as Alicia Sanchez / DENISE GALIK as Christie Kovacs / MARCIS RODD as Alice Kovacs / SANDRA KEARNS as Beth MacDonald / JOHN SHEARIN as Deputy Tyler 

THE FLASH

Fox / 1x120m-e 21x60m-e / 1990

Creators: Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert / Devisor/Executive Producers: Danny Bilsen, Paul De Meo 

Scifi Action adventure series. Police scientist Barry Allen is secretly a super hero called The Flash.

With:- JOHN WESLEY SHIPP as Barry Allen/The Flash / AMANDA PAYS as Tina McGee / ALEX DESERT as Julio / VITO D'AMBROSIO as Officer Bellows / BILL MANARD as Officer Murphy / RICHARD BELZER as Joe Klein / MIKE GENOVESE as Lt Warren Garfield / DICK MILLER as Fosnight / KENNETH TIGAR as Dr Jason Rossick

NBC/McCadden / 39x30m-e /  1958  black and white

Dramatised documentaries about various aspects of flight.

NBC/Clerow/Bob Henry Prod. / 52x60m-e / 1970-74

Producer: Bob Henry / Director: Tim Kiley 

Comedy. Sketch show designed as a vehicle for very popular black comic Clerow 'Flip' Wilson.

Fox/Sweetum/ Paramount / 22x30m-e  / 1992-93

Creator: Richard Rosenstock / Executive Producers: Richard Rosenstock, Jay Kleckner 

Sitcom. Staid and somewhat boring marketing assistant Neil Barash has his world turned around when he falls for free living Alicia.

Neil Barash...................................... COREY PARKER

Alicia.............................................. TEA LEONI

Jeremy Barash................................ MICHAEL TUCCI

Jordan............................................ ROBERT BAUER

Megan Traynor................................ CLEA LEWIS

Ted Sharperson.............................. MARCUS GIAMATTI

Ellen Barash.................................. CHRISTINE ROSE

ABC/Screen Gems / 82x30m-e / 1967-70

Creator: Tere Rios / Producers: Harry Ackerman, William Sackheim 

Fantasy sitcom. Nun Sister Bertville of the Convent San Tanco in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has an headdress that enables her to fly, a 'skill' she uses to help the poor kids of the region.

Sister Bertville(Elsie Ethrington)........ SALLY FIELD

Sister Jacqueline............................. MARGE REDMOND

Mother Superior............................... MADELINE SHERWOOD

Sister Sixto..................................... SHELLY MORRISON

Carlos Ramirez .............................. ALEJANDRO REY

Marcello......................................... MANUEL PADILLA JR

Sister Ano...................................... LINDA DANGCIL 

FM  

NBC / x 30 minute episodes / 17 August 1989 – 28 June 1990  

Sitcom. Ted Costas is the stressed out program director of small Washington Radio Station WGEO-FM; Most of the episodes revolved around his sparring with his ex wife Lee Ann who hosted a talk show on the station, other characters included Lee Ann’s co-host Harrison, office assistant Gretchen and young producer Jay.  

With:- ROBERT HAYS as Ted Costas / PATRICIA RICHARDSON as Lee-Ann Plunkett / DeLANE MATTHEWS as Gretchen Schreck / LEO GETER as Jay Edgar / LYNNE THIGPEN as Naomi Sayers / JOHN KASSIR as Don Tupsouni / JAMES AVERY as Quentin Lamoreaux / FRED APPLEGATE as Harrison Green / NICOLE HUNTINGTON as Maude Costas (age15) / RAINBOW HARVEST as Daryl Tarses (1990).

1950's Anthology series hosted by the (this time ageing) action/adventure love machine himself.

CBS / 14x30m-e  / 1985-86

Writers: Diane English, Bernie Orenstein, Saul Turteltaub / Producers: Bernie Orenstein, Saul Turteltaub 

Sitcom. Assistant DA Alex Harrigan works for the Manhattan District Attorney in offices in Foley Square. 

Alex Harrihan................................... MARGARET COLIN

Jesse Steinberg............................... HECTOR ELIZONDO

Peter Newman................................. MICHAEL LEMBECK

Molly Dobbs.................................... CATHY SILVERS

Carter De Vries............................... SANFORD JENSEN

Denise Williams.............................. VERNEE WATSON-JOHNSON

Angel Gomez.................................. ISRAEL JUARBE

Mole.............................................. JON LOVITZ

ABC/TCF / 30x60m-e /  1961 black and white

Comedy drama series. Stories of a trio of Honolulu based writers.

With:- BARRY COE / BRETT HALSEY / GARY LOCKWOOD / GIGI PERREAU

Soap opera created by Radio stalwart Elaine Carrington and based on her long running radio show When a Girl Marries which ran for 19 years from 1939 to 1958 but this was a much different show really. Main character was well off Julie Fielding who lived with her family in Philadelphia's Ardmore area, Julie was engaged to Harry Phillips at the start of the show but after meeting research assistant Harry Phillips at her engagement party she breaks things off with Harry. The rest of the plotline then concerned Julie and Peter edging towards a relationship but he being somewhat hesitant because of Julie's upper-class background. Other regulars were Julie's family, her father Sam (who actually didn't live with the family but rather lived in a hotel), her mother and her sister Jocelyn. NBC cancelled the series after only six months on the air.

SALLIE BROPHY as Julie Fielding / GRANT RICHARDS as Peter Davis / JOHN SEYMOUR as Samuel Tilden Fielding / LAURA WEBER as Jocelyn Fielding / HOWARD ERSKINE as Harry Phillips

FORD 50th ANNIVERSARY SHOW

CBS and NBC / 1x120m-e / 15 June 1953 black and white

Producer: Leland Hayward

Expensive and expansive variety celebration of the Ford Motor company headlined by a duetting Mary Martin and Ethel Martin but also featuring Amos 'n' Andy, Marion Anderson, Howard Lindsay and Dorothy Stickney. Broadcast on both CBS and NBC.

NBC/Sheldon Reynolds / 154x30m-e /  1951-54 black and white

Drama series. Stories of a group of Europe based foreign correspondents.

With:- JEROME THOR / JAMES DALY / GERALD MOHR

CBS/Paragon/ Tristar / 69x60m-e / 1992-96

Executive Producers: Jon Slan, James D. Parriott 

Crime drama series. Vampire Nick Knight works as a detective on homicide cases. Grew out of a 1989 TV Movie called Nick Night.

Det Nick Knight................................ GERAINT WYN DAVIES

Det Don Schanke............................. JOHN KAPELOS

Dr Natalie Lambert............................ CATHERINE DISHER

La Croix........................................... NIGEL BENNETT

Janette............................................ DEBORAH DUCHENE

Tracey Vetter................................... LISA RYDER

TCF/Jonathan Goodson Prod. / x60m-e / 1998

Executive Producers: Stuart Krasnow, Harris Kattleman, Jonathan Goodson 

Talk show.Host Mother Love, in a talk show style format, helps people with their relationship problems.  

FOR OUR TIMES

USA / CBS / x30m-e / April 29, 1979-December 25, 1988

Religion. In early 1979 CBS combined its long-running religious
series Look Up and Live and Lamp Unto My Feet, both produced by Pamela Ilott, into this informational nondenominational effort, which followed Sunday Morning. It was done in cooperation with the New York Board of Rabbis, the U.S. Catholic Conference, and the National Council of Churches, and Ilott stayed on as producer until
her retirement in 1986. The show carried no advertising, and only 44 of 210 CBS affiliates were carrying it by 1988. Veteran CBS reporter Douglas Edwards was host, and the show went off shortly after he retired from the network on April 1, 1988. Hosted by Douglas Edwards.

FOR RICHER FOR POORER

USA / NBC / x30m-e / January 3, 1977-September 29, 1978

NBC took two shots at doing this soap opera created by Harding Lemay, who was doing well at the time as head writer for that  networks top-rated soap Another World. 
The first version, titled Lovers and Friends, emphasized the conflicts between the struggling Saxtons and well-to-do Cushings, connected by a romance between Rhett (renamed Bill in the second incarnation) and Megan. Megan's family consisted of her brother Austin, her mother Edith, and her father Richard, while Rhett's family included his younger brothers Jason and Bentley, sisters Eleanor and Tessa, and parents Lester and Josie. Others living in the Chicago suburb of Point Clair, Illinois, were Amy Gifford, Austins girlfriend; George Kimball, Eleanors husband; and Connie Ferguson, Rhett's ex-girlfriend.
The show emphasized character portraits over plot development, and its slow pace did nothing to grab any viewers away from the competition, Ryans Hope on ABC and Search for Tomorrow on CBS. NBC shut the show down after just four months, then overhauled it for a second try in late 1977. The Cushings no longer
had a father, Amy married Austin, and Lester and Josie Saxton found that their youngest children Bentley and Tessa were now college students. Finally, the Saxtons made room in their social world for another well-off family, Viola Brewster and her daughter Laura. Conflicts included Megan's revelation on her wedding day that her husband-to-be Bill had impregnated his ex-girlfriend
Connie, plus the usual alcoholism- and addiction-related story lines. Although Harding Lemay still was listed as the show's
creator and head writer, as he was in Lovers and Friends, he claimed in his book Eight Years in Another World that for the 1977-78 show he served only as consultant to head writer Tom King in an uneasy working relationship where he reviewed Kings plans. "He seldom called me and I hesitated to offer criticisms of his outlines and scripts, assuming, from my own experience, that he was already barraged with criticisms from the producers and sponsors," Lemay wrote. Lemay claimed that he was virtually shut
out from the show even though he owned 60 percent of it, blaming the situation on the battle of wills in which he and producer Paul Rauch were engaged at the time, both on this show and Another World. Audiences were even less impressed than Lemay by the melodramatic tales of white slavery, kidnapping, and street gang violence which cropped up during the run. 
These activities may have been prompted by early reviews suggesting that the show was stodgy. Adding to the soap's difficulties was the time slot: NBC programmed it for a time where the network had rarely broadcast any series to its affiliates before 1977, making its success problematic from the start, as some chose not to take it and others aired it at another period. All these factors combined to cancel For Richer, For Poorer before it had celebrated its first birthday.
Cast
Rhett Saxton (1977).... Bob Purvey
Rhett Saxton (1977).... David Ramsey
Bill Saxton (1977-78)... Tom Hopper
Megan Gushing (1977).... Patricia Estrin
Megan Gushing Saxton (1977—78).... Darlene Parks
Lester Saxton (1977).... John Heffernan
Lester Saxton (1977-78).... Albert Stratton
Josie Saxton.... Patricia Englund
Jason Saxton.... Richard Backus
Bentley Saxton.... David Abbott
Tessa Saxton (1977).... Vicky Dawson
Tessa Saxton (1977—78).... Breon Gorman
Austin Gushing.... Rod Arrants
Richard Gushing (1977).... Ron Randell
Edith Gushing (1977)..... Nancy Marchand
Edith Gushing (1977-78).... Laurinda Barrett
Connie Ferguson (1977).... Susan Foster
Connie Ferguson (1977—78).... Cynthia Bostick
Amy Gifford Gushing.... Christine Jones
Eleanor Saxton Kimball.... Flora Plumb
George Kimball.... Stephen Joyce
Sophie Slocum (1977).... Margaret Barker
Viola Brewster (1977-78).... Patricia Barry
Laura Brewster (1977—78).... Julia MacKenzie
Lee Ferguson (1977-78).... Robert Burton
Ira Ferguson (1977-78).... Roy Poole
Desmond Hamilton (1977-78).... David Knapp
Sgt. Frank Damico (1977-78).... Stephen Burleigh
Colleen Griffin (1977-78).... Nancy Snyder

FOR YOUR LOVE

NBC (then Warner Bros) / x30m-e / 1998-

Creator/Executive Producer: Yvette Lee Bowser / Producer: Barnet Keltman / Music: Bill Maxwell / Theme Music performed by Chaka Khan and Michael McDonald.

Sitcom. Romantic episodes in the lives of three couples living in Oak Park, Illinois.

With:- HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE as Malena Ellis / JAMES LESURE as Mel Ellis / TAMALA JONES as Bobbi Seawright / EDAFE BLACKMON as Reggie Ellis / DEEDEE PFEIFFER as Sheri Winston / D.W. MOFFETT as Dean Winston.   

An umbrella title for a series of four rotating dramas, these were McCloud, Night Gallery, The Psychiatrist and San Francisco International, with each show appearing every fourth week. See separate entries for each.

CBS/Alda-Bregman/ Universal / 11x30m-e 1x60m-e / 1984  29 January - 5 August

Creator: Alan Alda / Executive Producers: Alan Alda, Martin Bregman 

Sitcom. Four couples spend four holidays together over the course of the four seasons. Based on the Alda film of the same name.

Danny Zimmer................................. JACK WESTON

Claudia Zimmer............................... MARCIA RODD

Boris Elliott..................................... ALAN ARBUS

Lorraine Elliott................................. BARBARA BABCOCK

Ted Bolen....................................... TONY ROBERTS

Pat Devon....................................... JOANNA KERNS

Beth Burroughs............................... ELIZABETH ALDA

Lisa Bolen...................................... BEATRICE ALDA

Jack Burroughs............................... ALAN ALDA

A1950's anthology series from the Four Star production company run by Rosalind Russell, Joel McCrea, Dick Powell and Charles Boyer. David Niven and Ida Lupino were also heavily involved in the series.

NBC 'Matinee Theater' / 1x60m-e / 1957 

Horror drama. Only loosely based on Mary Shelley's novel with Frankenstein being blinded by the monster he has created.

With:- PRIMO CARNERA as Monster / Hosted by Richard Conte.

FRANKENSTEIN

2x90m / 1973

Screenplay: Sam Hall, Richard Landaur (from novel by Mary Shelley) / Director: Glenn Jordan

An undistinguished over-padded adaptation of the classic novel telling the story of Frankenstein's creation of a monster.

With:- ROBERT FOXWORTH as Dr Frankenstein / SUSAN STRASBERG as Elisabeth / BO SVENSON as The Creature

CBS/Viacom / 22x30m-e / 1987-88

Creator: Hugh Wilson / Executive Producers: Hugh Wilson, Tim Reid 

Sitcom. History Professor Frank Parrish inherits a creole restaurant, Chez Louisiana, in New Orleans.

Frank Parrish.................................... TIM REID

Hannah Griffin................................... DAPHNE MAXWELL REID

Sy 'Bubba' Welsburger....................... ROBERT HARPER

Anna May......................................... FRANCESCA P. ROBERTS

Miss Marie Walker............................. FRANCES E. WILLIAMS

Big Arthur......................................... TONY BURTON

Tiger Sheppin.................................... CHARLES LAMPKIN

Cool Charles..................................... WILLIAM THOMAS JR

Shorty La Roux................................. DON YESSO

Mrs Bertha Griffin-Lamour .................. VIRGINIA CAPERS

NBC/Paramount/ Grub Street Prod. / 100+x30m-e / 1993-2004 (Final Episode 13 May)

Creators: David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee / Executive Producers: David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee, Christopher Lloyd, 

Sitcom. Spin off from Cheers  that saw Psychiatrist Frasier Crane relocate from Boston back to his home town of Seattle. Once back he takes a job as psychiatrist on a radio phone in show as well as taking in his widowed father Martin and his English carer Daphne whom Frasier's bumptious brother Niles lusts after. Once in a while a Cheers regular would make a guest appearance and many famous uncredited stars sought Frasier's advice on his radio phone in. Frasier won a record-setting 31 Emmys, including five consecutive awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. It spent eight seasons in Nielsen's top 20 -- five of which were in the top 10. And it enabled star Kelsey Grammer, whose Dr. Frasier Crane was introduced on Cheers in 1984, to tie James Arness (Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) for the longest-running portrayal of a TV character. The show ended on 13 May 2004 with an hour long special in which therewere two happy endings, a big mystery and 25.4 million viewers. First, the happy endings: Niles and Daphne became first-time parents and Crane patriarch Martin married ex-model Nina van Horn. Now, for the mystery: After accepting a new job in San Francisco, lovelorn Frasier jetted to Chicago to win back would-be soul mate Charlotte. Was he successful? Dunno! The show finished before we could find out.

With:- KELSEY GRAMMER as Dr Frasier Crane / DAVID HYDE PIERCE as Dr Niles Crane / JOHN MAHONEY as Martin 'Marty' Crane / JANE LEEVES as Daphne Moon / PERI GILPIN as Roz Doyle / DAN BUTLER as Bob 'Bulldog' Briscoe / EDWARD HIBBERT as Gil Chesterton / LUKE TARSITANO as Frederick / MOOSE THE DOG as Eddie the Dog

NBC / 18x60m-e / 1999-2000

Creator/Producer: Paul Feig / Executive Producer: Judd Apatow 

Period teen comedy drama series. Stories of a group of angst ridden teenagers at a High School in Michigan in 1980. Pulled after 12 episodes.

With:- SAMM LEVINE as Neal Schweiber / MARTIN STARR as Bill Havercheck / JOHN FRANCIS DALEY as Sam Weir / SETH ROGAN as Ken Miller / LINDA CARDINELLI as Lindsay Weir / JASON SEGEL as Nick Andropolis / BUSY PHILLIPS as Kim Kelly / JAMES FRANCO as Daniel / BECKY ANN BAKER as Jean Weir / JOE FLAHERTY as Harold Weir / DAVE 'GRUBER' ALLEN as Jeff Rosso / CHAUNCEY LEOPARDI as Alan White / SARAH HAGAN as Millie Kentner

FREAKYLINKS

USA / Fox / x60m-e / 2000-2001

Cult drama series about Derek Barnes who takes over the running of his dead brother's paranormal based website, he later discovers that his brother may still be alive whilst also getting involved in all manner of evil doings involving shape shifting creatures and the like.

With:- Ethan Embry as Derek Barnes / Lizette Carrion as Lan Williams / Dennis Christopher as Vince J. Elsing / Karim Prince as Jason Tatum / Lisa Sheridan as Chloe Tanner

FREE COUNTRY

ABC / x30m-e / 1978 (First Episode: Saturday 24 June / 8.00pm)

Sitcom. Elderly Lithuanian Joseph Bresner looks back on the early days of his new life in New York City during the early part of the 20th century.

With:- ROB REINER as Joseph Bresner / JUDY KAHAN as Anna Bresner / FRED McCARREN as Sidney Gewertzman / RENEE LIPPIN as Ida Gerwertzman / LARRY GELMAN as Leo Gold / JOE PANTOLIANO as Louis Peschi

FREEDOM

USA / UPN / x60m-e / 2000 (October - December)

Executive Producer: Joel Silver, Dan Cracchiolo, Hans Tobeason

Action adventure series. When the US government is overthrown in a military coup, a group of former special forces soldiers, all specialists in the martial arts, form themselves into a resistance group.

With:- Scarlett Chorvat as Lieutenant Rebecca Shaw / Bodhi Elfman as Sergeant First Class Londo Pearl / Holt McCallany as Captain Owen Decker / Darius McCrary as Sergeant James Barrett

NBC/Stuffed Dog/ Quincy Jones Prod. / 142x30m-e  3x60m-e / 1990-96

Creators: Andy Borowitz, Susan Borowitz / Executive Producers: Quincy Jones, Kevin Wendle, Susan Borowitz, Winifred Hervey Stallworth, Gary H. Miller 

Sitcom. A tough black rapper from a rough part of Philiadelphia is forced to go and live with his rich relations in Bel Air, California.

Will....................................................... WILL SMITH

Philip Banks.......................................... JAMES AVERY

Vivian Banks(90-93)................................ JANET HUBERT-WHITTEN

Vivian(93-96).......................................... DAPHNE MAXWELL-REID

Hilary Banks.......................................... KARYN PARSONS

Carlton Banks........................................ ALFONSO RIBEIRO

Ashley Banks........................................ TATYANA M. ALI

Nicholas 'Nicky' Banks(94-96)................. ROSS BAGLEY

Geoffrey................................................ JOSEPH MARCELL

Jackie Ames(93-94)............................... TYRA BANKS

Lisa(94-96)........................................... NIA LONG

Jazz(90-94).......................................... JEFF TOWNES

Previous / Next

HOME | MEMORABLE TV | MEMORABLE MUSIC | BUY DVD'S | SEARCH | DVD REVIEWS | BOOK REVIEWS | FEATURES | LINKS | FAQ | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | COPYRIGHT | PRIVACY | CONTACT 

(C) 2002-2007 Memorable TV/Little Acorns Publishing