Blossom (TV series)
Blossom is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC from January 3, 1991 to May 22, 1995. The series stars Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers.[4][5][6] It was created by Don Reo.
Synopsis
The series began with Blossom's mother having left the family to pursue her own life and career; the show concentrated on the family's attempts to adjust. Blossom's father, Nick, a session musician who was frequently between gigs and tours, was played by Ted Wass. Her oldest brother Anthony (Michael Stoyanov) is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who eventually became a paramedic. Joey (Joey Lawrence), the other brother, is a fairly stereotypical "dumb jock," known for the drawn-out delivery of his catchphrase, "Whoa!" Her mother, Maddy Russo, was played by Melissa Manchester.
Blossom's best friend Six LeMeure (Jenna von Oÿ) also plays a significant part in her life. Six, an especially fast talker, was best known for her tendency to ramble. Blossom also frequently received advice from celebrities in fantasy scenes, such as Mr. T, Hugh Hefner, Phylicia Rashad, David Schwimmer, ALF, and Will Smith.
Characters
- Blossom Ruby Russo (Mayim Bialik) – Youngest child and only daughter of Nick and Maddy Russo. Best friend to Six. Longtime on-again off-again girlfriend of Vinnie. Learns many hard lessons from the lives of herself, her family and Six, including abuse, alcohol, drugs, divorce, and many more. Does not always get along with her stepmother Carol, but their relationship does improve over time.
- Nicholas "Nick" Russo (Ted Wass) – Blossom, Joey and Tony's father. The main care giver for his three children after his wife, Maddy, leaves him. He works as a piano player, playing with various gigs with a wide range of bands. He later marries Carol, and becomes stepfather to Kennedy, and grandfather to Nash. Treats Six like his own daughter.
- Anthony "Tony" Russo (Michael Stoyanov) – A recovering drug addict and alcoholic, he has difficulty remembering four years of his life. He dates Playboy bunny Rhonda. Later he marries another woman, Shelly, in Las Vegas after falling off the wagon and getting drunk. He worked at a doughnut shop for a while before becoming a paramedic. He and Shelly welcome a son, Nash Metropolitan Russo, into the world in November 1994.
- Joseph "Joey" Russo (Joey Lawrence) – A not-so-smart baseball player and ladies man. The middle child. Can be sweet and smart when he wants to be. Gets accepted to Arizona State University, but decides to play professional baseball after graduating from high school. Makes everybody's day by saying, "Whoa!" Realizes after years that he and Six are friends.
- Six Dorothy LeMeure (Jenna von Oÿ) – Best friend of Blossom. Has a crush on Joey. Parents are divorced. Goes through many hard times including becoming an alcoholic, dating a married older man, and a pregnancy scare. Thought of the Russo family as her own family. Talks really fast when she is happy, angry, or nervous. Melissa Joan Hart was originally offered the role of Six, but passed on the role to take the lead role on Clarissa Explains It All instead.[7] Von Oÿ was credited in the pilot's opening sequence, but for the first season was moved to the closing credits as a "guest star". Between the shooting of the Blossom pilot and its pickup as a regular series, von Oÿ had earned a part on the CBS sitcom Lenny (also from Witt/Thomas/Harris and Don Reo). With the cancellation of Lenny by March 1991, von Oÿ had reclaimed her originally intended status as a regular Blossom cast member, and in season two moved back to the opening credits.
- Carol (Finola Hughes) – English lady with a daughter named Kennedy. Marries Nick, and becomes stepmother of Blossom, Joey and Tony. Still gets along with 2nd ex-husband.
- Maddy Russo (Melissa Manchester) – Ex-wife of Nick, and mother of Tony, Joey and Blossom. Leaves them to have her own life, and moves to Paris. Returns a few years later to re-connect.
- Buzz Richman (Barnard Hughes) – Father of Maddy. Grandfather of Tony, Joey and Blossom. A war veteran, and has been married multiple times, but Ruby was his first and Maddy's mother. Loves women, cigars, jokes, and alcohol. Moves in with Nick for a while.
- Vinnie Bonitardi (David Lascher) – On-again Off-again boyfriend of Blossom. Nick did not always like him, but their relationship improves over time. Gets along with her family for the most part. Thought of as a tough guy, but can be quite sweet at times.
- Sharon LeMeure (Gail Edwards) – Mother of Six. Divorced. Dated Nick at one time. Tries to be a good mother, although Six gets in some trouble at times. Is almost identical to her daughter in several ways, including her knack of talking very fast when nervous, upset, or happy. She and her daughter have been known to mirror each other on several occasions.
- Shelly Lewis Russo (Samaria Graham) – Wife of Tony, and mother of Nash. She is an illustrator. She planned to get married to her boyfriend Roscoe in Vegas when she got drunk, married Tony, and fell in love. Gave birth to son Nash in the backseat of a vintage Nash Metropolitan.
- Kennedy (Courtney Chase) – A young, precocious English girl about 8 years old. Daughter of Carol and her Scottish ex-husband Graham. Has puppy love for Joey for a little while. Takes a little while but finally gets along with Tony and Blossom. Is best friend of Frank.
Production
Five seasons of Blossom were produced, with a total of 114 episodes.
Bill Bixby became a frequent director on the series in its third season, a role he continued for several episodes into the fourth, despite his ongoing battle with prostate cancer. On November 15, 1993, shortly after learning that his illness was terminal, Bixby collapsed on the Blossom set and was hospitalized. He died six days later.
Opening sequences
The theme music was "My Opinionation" by Mike Post and Steve Geyer and performed by recording artist Dr. John.[1] The opening sequence featured Blossom filming herself in her bedroom on home video dancing, performing aerobics, making silly faces, pretending to talk on the phone, etc.
Season two switched exclusively to a sequence of dance moves by the title character, this time on film and in front of a pastel blue/pink background. Blossom's outfit changed in each dancing scene, and a variety of dance moves were performed, from belly dancing to voguing. The second season added Barnard Hughes to the show and opening credits, under the "With" heading, preceding Ted Wass.
In the third season, the dancing concept was expanded upon in the opening sequence. Core cast members Lawrence, Stoyanov, von Oÿ and Wass joined Bialik as she danced. They each appeared one at a time as their credit was shown around Blossom's dancing. With Barnard Hughes relegated to occasional status, his name no longer appeared in the opening credits, but Portia Dawson and David Lascher were added. This version of the intro lasted through the end of season four. Also beginning in season three, most segments of the show opened and closed with the first frame of a scene being frozen in a multi-colored watercolor effect. The watercolor stills lasted through the end of the series.
The fifth and final season dropped a full-fledged intro, instead displaying the Blossom logo over the watercolor effect that opened and closed segments, while a short piano remix of the first few notes of "My Opinionation" played to open the show. The opening credits ran over the prologue of the episode. During the 1994-95 season, NBC began running their credits in the squeeze-screen format.
Episodes
Nielsen ratings
- Season 1: #44-11,283,720
- Season 2: #34-12,074,310
- Season 3: #27-12,568,500
- Season 4: #32-12,520,000
- Season 5: #55-9,921,600
DVD release
On January 27, 2009, Shout! Factory (under license from rights-holders ABC and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) released Seasons 1 & 2 of Blossom on DVD in Region 1. The 6-disc boxset includes all-new interviews with cast members, the original pilot episode (unaired), featurettes and audio commentaries.[8]
| DVD name |
Ep # |
Release date |
| Blossom: Seasons 1 & 2 |
38 |
January 27, 2009 |
See also
References
- ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 155. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.
- ^ "Tv-watching Teens Turn To `Blossom` For Fashion Inspiration". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-09-25/entertainment/9103130032_1_blossom-russo-outfits-wardrobe. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Young 'Blossom' Fans Soon Can Purchase Her Fashions". Orlando Sentinel. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1993-07-09/lifestyle/9307080779_1_blossom-russo-mayim-bialik-first-blossom. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ Johnson, Ted (May 22, 1995). "'Blossom' Goes Off to College as Series Concludes Tonight". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1995-05-22/entertainment/ca-4746_1_floppy-hat. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ Weinstein, Steve (February 15, 1993). "Against All the Odds, 'Blossom' Is Blooming". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-02-15/entertainment/ca-119_1. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ Bernstein, Sharon (April 1, 1991). "'Blossom': Teen's Slant on Problem of Addiction". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1991-04-01/entertainment/ca-1288_1_drug-addict. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Melissa Joan Hart 'Explains It All' to EW, including how 'Melissa & Joey' is racier than you think. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ^ David Lambert (December 12, 2008). "Shout! Factory Sends Over a Very Special Press Release for Blossom — Seasons 1&2". TV Shows on DVD. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Blossom-Seasons-1-and-2/11023. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
External links