Phenom (TV series)

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Phenom
Format Comedy (sitcom)
Created by Marc Flanagan
Starring Angela Goethals
Ashley Johnson
Jennifer Lien
Judith Light
Todd Louiso
Sara Rue
William Devane
Beverley Mitchell
Country of origin USA
No. of episodes 22
Production
Running time 22 minutes (approximate)
Broadcast
External links
IMDb profile

Phenom is a 1993 family sitcom about a tennis wunderkind that aired on ABC. The show ran for a single season and was canceled in May 1994.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Angela Doolan has the potential to be a sports superstar but worries about losing her normality and severing her family ties. Angela's father has deserted the family, to rediscover his youth and dally with younger women, leaving her mother Dianne to raise her children, (including older son Brian, and youngest daughter Mary Margaret) and trying to keep a lid on her bitterness. Added to the fray is Angela's obsessive tennis coach Lou, who is determined to bring out the champion in Angela regardless of the cost to her growth as a person.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Criticism

There were attempts to portray the family as dysfunctional, with older brother Brian depicted as inarticulate and introverted, and younger sister Mary Margaret as undisciplined and prone to mischief.[citation needed]Even the coach Lou didn't come across as the one-track minded monster that he was likely intended to be; instead he was played as a smart-talking, boastful uncle who had made good.[citation needed] Although he did lust after Angela's mother, he was quite upfront about it and didn't attempt to hide his desires behind innuendo.

[edit] Notes

  • One of the most memorable aspects of the program was its theme song, "The Promise and the Prize" by Carly Simon. It was accompanied in the opening sequence by filmed scenes of the Doolan family as they set out on their daily routines around school, home, and particularly on the tennis court with Angela.
  • William Devane was seen quite a bit in the opening, at first coaching Angela on the tennis court and later with Dianne (Judith Light) and the rest of the family, holding a trophy and congratulating Angela. However, despite this obvious co-starring role, his name was only shown in the end credits.
  • Phenom was placed in the ideal time slot of Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c, between Full House and Roseanne. Disappointingly, its neighbor shows did not help the show's shot for success nor its chances for being renewed for a second season, although it premiered doing fairly well in the time period.

[edit] Episodes

  • Episode 1: Pilot (Original Air Date: 14 September 1993)
  • Episode 2: Angela's First Kiss (Original Air Date: 14 September 1993)
  • Episode 3: Secrets (Original Air Date: 28 September 1993)
    • This episode is about with how athletes deal with the media prying into their personal lives and what happens when an athlete naively trusts a reporter with intimate family details. At different points this serial uses stylistic techniques similar to the Family Ties episode My Name Is Alex.
  • Episode 4: Angela Gets Crushed (Original Air Date: 5 October 1993)
  • Episode 5: First Crush (Original Air Date: 1993)
  • Episode 6: Game Face (Original Air Date: 19 October 1993)
  • Episode 7: Angela's Wild Ride (Original Air Date: 26 October 1993)
  • Episode 8: Answered Prayers (Original Air Date: 2 November 1993)
  • Episode 9: Crazy for You (Original Air Date: 9 November 1993)
  • Episode 10: There's No Place Like Home (Original Air Date: 16 November 1993)
  • Episode 11: A Lou-Daughter Picnic (Original Air Date: 30 November 1993)
  • Episode 12: A Very Doolen Christmas (Original Air Date: 14 December 1993)
  • Episode 13: Brian and the Tennis Star (Original Air Date: 4 January 1994)
  • Episode 14: My Little Tony (Original Air Date: 11 January 1994)
  • Episode 15: Men Are Dogs (Original Air Date: 1 February 1994)
  • Episode 16: Spring Breakout (Original Air Date: 8 February 1994)
  • Episode 17: What's in a Vow? (Original Air Date: 15 February 1994)
  • Episode 18: Dianne's Young Buck (Original Air Date: 22 February 1994)
  • Episode 19: Angela's Fifteen Minutes (Original Air Date: 15 March 1994)
  • Episode 20: It's a Wonderful Mid-Life Crisis (Original Air Date: 5 April 1994)
  • Episode 21: Just a Family of Doolans Sittin' Around Talkin' (Original Air Date: 3 May 1994)
  • Episode 22: Strictly Lunchroom (Original Air Date: 10 May 1994)