Welcome to the Hanspostcard TV Draft. I hope you will enjoy it! Today’s post was written by Vic at https://cosmic-observation.com/blog-posts/
I didn’t catch the first season of this show during its original run but, started watching during season two (it was a while before I got to see season one). I was immediately hooked by the quirky interaction between the sisters and their day to day lives in Winnetka, IL and, I was already a Patricia Kalember fan due to the short-lived Kay O’Brien TV show. ~Vic
Created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, the series begins one year after the death of the family’s father, Dr. Thomas Reed, a workaholic, played in flashbacks by three different actors but, mostly by Peter White. The matriarch of the family is Beatrice (Elizabeth Hoffman), a long-suffering, neglected wife, who turns to alcohol to deal with the doctor’s multiple affairs. She has four daughters:
☆ Alexandra…”Alex” (Swoosie Kurtz), the eldest. She married a plastic surgeon that had affairs on her and she divorced him, retaining some wealth. After battling breast cancer, she became a talk show host. She frequently butts heads her daughter, Reed Halsey (played by three different actresses, most notably Ashley Judd). She eventually remarries.
Image Credit: TMDb
☆ Theodora…”Teddy” (Sela Ward), the second daughter. At the beginning of the series, she is returning from California and is shocked to discover that her ex-husband, Mitch, is engaged to her youngest sister, Frankie. She, drunk, temporarily, stops the wedding with a shotgun (she inherited Beatrice’s drinking habits). An artist in school, she becomes a fashion designer, helming three different companies. She goes on to marry twice more…to Det. James Falconer (George Clooney), the cop that investigated her daughter Cat’s rape (he was killed in an explosion) and Dr. Gabriel Sorenson (Stephen Collins), the doctor that saved her life when she was shot in the head.
☆ Georgiana…”Georgie” (Patricia Kalember), the third daughter. She is the stay-at-home mom with the most level head of all the sisters. A part-time real estate agent, she is the one the other sisters come to for guidance. She and her husband, John, have two sons, the youngest surviving leukemia. She carries and gives birth to Thomas George, Frankie & Mitch’s son. After trouble with her first son, she has an affair with her therapist, separates from John, has a second affair with a much younger classmate in college and, eventually returns to John.
☆ Francesca…”Frankie” (Julianne Phillips…Springsteen’s first wife), the fourth daughter. She is a highly paid executive, a workaholic like her father and discovered that she was infertile. Georgie becomes her surrogate for her baby. Her work habits break apart her marriage to Mitch. Afterwards, she quits her job and buys a local diner. She eventually moves to Japan for another job.
☆ Charlotte…”Charley” (a doctor, originally played by Jo Anderson, then Sheila Kelley) as the unknown, fifth, illegitimate daughter that shows up in the fourth season, looking for a bone marrow donation (a shift in the story-line as Julianne Phillips prepared to leave the show). The nicknames are a product of their father wanting boys and never getting one. The four older sisters tagged Charlotte with her own nickname.
Supporting Characters:
★ John Witsig (Garrett M. Brown), Georgie’s husband.
★ Mitch Margolis (Ed Marinaro), Teddy’s high school sweetheart, ex-husband & Frankie’s ex-husband.
★ Catherine “Cat” Margolis (Heather McAdam), Teddy & Mitch’s daughter that goes on to be a cop.
Much of the show is full of flashbacks, particularly the interactions of the sisters growing up.
Trivia Bits:
♦ Patricia Kalember’s husband in real life, Daniel Gerroll, had a recurring role in season five. He played psychiatrist Dr. David Caspian, who was counseling her character Georgie.
♦ Julianne Phillips and Patricia Kalember also co-starred in Fletch Lives.
♦ Elizabeth Hoffman was a minor, recurring character on Stargate SG-1 and played Eleanor Roosevelt in two mini-series: The Winds of War (1983) and War & Remembrance (1988-1989).
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Vic… the one thing I remember about this show was Julianne Phillips…everyone got to know her because of what happened with her and Bruce.
Some memories are coming back…wasn’t the show kinda off the beaten path… right? It wasn’t just a straight-ahead show.
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It was a quirky drama. The funniest one of the sisters was Alex (Swoosie Kurtz). She was a natural-born comedienne. Ashley Judd had some comedic timing, too. Comedian Robert Klein was Alex’s second husband (only so much room for details & he was considered a recurring character, not supporting). Sela, Patricia & Julianne were mostly straight characters, playing off of Swoosie’s goofiness. Julianne, in particular, always struck me as being constipated. Jo Anderson, the first Charley, had a mystical quality (and red hair) and she was on for 15 episodes. Sheila Kelley suddenly showed up in the part, shocking the audience. She was as constipated as Julianne.
Can you clarify “off the beaten path?” I don’t think anyone was abducted by aliens or anything…😆
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No I was thinking quirky… Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure were off the beaten path…I do remember Judd…she was drop dead gorgeous.
I’m going to watch some on youtube…it’s coming back to me.
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Well, it was compared to Northern Exposure but, it wasn’t as “out there” weird like Twin Peaks…and, I loved Twin Peaks. My ex…Steve…always called it “Twenty Freaks.” 🤣
I thought Kathy Wagner & Noelle Parker were prettier & better suited to play Reed. I wasn’t fond of Judd, even back then. I definitely can’t stand her, now. Every time I hear her name, I am reminded of her hissing in a microphone on stage…”I am a NASTY WOMAN…” She is an insane Trump hater. I get not liking Trump…not a fan but, DAMN. Even her sister Wynonna cut her a wide path. And, speaking of, Naomi passed a few days ago, just before induction into the Hall of Fame.
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I read about Naomi just yesterday….it was a shock.
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Well, she did have hepatitis. That is why she retired, early, even though The Judds were at the top of the charts. Wynonna went solo.
The prettiest Christmas song I have ever heard is by The Judds.
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They did have great voices…I always liked the mom
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Sounds interesting enough, it certainly never was on my radar though it had some reasonably big name actresses in it. I see it ran from ’91 to ’96. I might try to give a few episodes a go… is it one where you more or less have to see it from the start or is it a show where you can sort of dig in midway through and follow along well enough?
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A lot of really well written shows from the 90s have faded into the background. Usually, IMDb (Amazon) will have suggestions on where to watch certain TV shows. For this show, all you get is a search function for the DVD set. I guess no one thought to migrate it to Netflix or Amazon Prime or Tubi or even Peacock…and it aired on NBC.
The show runs a theme, much like a soap, in a way. There are self contained stories in some episodes but, it mostly follows an established thread.
The first season is less hindered by the theme as it was getting its footing. It was only seven episodes…a test run.
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Can’t have an opinion- not on my hemisphere, much less on my radar.
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It’s not for everyone.
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I think I watched this one for as long as it was one. I enjoyed the show but don’t remember a lot about it.
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one = on
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