| Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman | |
|---|---|
| Format | Western / Family drama |
| Created by | Beth Sullivan |
| Starring | Jane Seymour Joe Lando Chad Allen Erika Flores (1993-95) Jessica Bowman (1995-98) Shawn Toovey |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 150 Plus 2 TV movies (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 47 mins. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | January 1, 1993 – May 16, 1998 |
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.
The show ran on CBS for six seasons, from January 1, 1993, to May 16, 1998. In total, 150 episodes were produced, plus two television movies which were made after the series' cancellation. It aired in over 100 countries. Since 1997, reruns have been shown in syndication and on ABC Family, ION Television, the Hallmark Channel, gmc, and INSP.
The series begins in the year 1867 and centers on a proper and wealthy female physician from Boston, Massachusetts ; Michaela Quinn (Jane Seymour) ; familiarly known as 'Dr. Mike'. After the death of her father, Dr. Mike sets out west to the small wild west town of Colorado Springs, to set up her own practice. She makes the difficult adjustment to life in Colorado with the aid of rugged outdoorsman and friend to the Cheyenne, Byron Sully (Joe Lando) and a midwife named Charlotte Cooper (played by Diane Ladd). After Charlotte is bitten by a rattlesnake, she asks Michaela on her deathbed to look after her three children, Matthew (Chad Allen), Colleen (played by Erika Flores and later, Jessica Bowman) and Brian (Shawn Toovey). Dr. Mike settles in Colorado Springs and adapts to her new life as a mother, with the children, while finding true love with Sully. Furthermore, she acts as a one-woman mission to convince the townspeople that a female doctor can successfully practice medicine.
During its entire original run on CBS, the show aired from 8–9 pm Eastern time on Saturday nights. It was the last successful TV Western drama to date until the premiere of the AMC Western series Hell on Wheels on November 6, 2011, and also one of the last original series to find long term success in a Saturday timeslot.
Dr. Quinn was best known for its large, supporting cast, and its high-concept storytelling. The series often used its semi-historical setting as a vehicle to address issues of gender and race within the community. Countless issues were addressed that would determine very relevant to modern times, some of which were quite controversial. One such episode took on homophobia when the famous poet, Walt Whitman, came to town. Religion played a somewhat minor role in the series, but was also used to address certain issues and new ideas.
Veteran actress and labeled mini-series 'queen', Jane Seymour, was a last-minute casting choice for Michaela Quinn, after reading the script only a day before production was set to begin on the Pilot. She was instructed beforehand, to review the script, and then make a decision of whether or not she felt the role was right for her, and, if so, that she truly wanted to commit to the strict contract Sullivan had demanded for the title character. Seymour is quoted as saying she was moved to tears by the script; that she was literally born to portray Michaela Quinn; the second most perfect character role she'd ever portray, in her career. The very next day began the wardrobe fittings for Michaela Quinn.
The pilot episode was shot in early 1992, and finally aired in a 2-hour television special, on New Year's Day, 1993. CBS aired a second, hour-long episode, the very next night in order to grab, and maintain the audience's attention. Expectations for the show were low, however, due to its airtime alongside the Orange Bowl that year. Initially, critics panned the series and predicted that it would be quickly cancelled. Therefore, the Pilot served more as a made-for-television movie - or mini-series suggestion, which could either be developed later into a full, actual series, or just remain a stand alone as the single, 2-hour movie.
To the networks' surprise however, the ratings for the Pilot, and its first episode, were remarkably high. CBS ordered the show picked up immediately for the entire full television season. As this result, also came some unfolding. The show would not be without some imperative casting changes, however. Several Pilot leads and a few of the supporting cast were inevitably replaced. Henry Sanders was properly recast as "Robert E."; Orson Bean replaced Guy Boyd as a more fatherly, cynically-comical 'Loren Bray'; and Colm Meany was replaced by Jim Knobeloch; a much younger, attractive 'Jake Slicker'.
The show's central, inevitably-blossoming romance between Michaela and Sully, grew widely popular with audiences. The popularity was related to Jane Seymour and Joe Lando's obvious on-screen chemistry. In the season 3-finale, properly entitled, "For Better or Worse", they were married during a special two-hour episode; which gained huge notoriety alongside its ratings, and very highly dramatized publicity in popular magazines, and on television commercial break specials. During season 4, Jane Seymour's pregnancy with husband, actor/producer/director James Keach, was written into the show. Soon, another very highly-rated episode centered on the long-awaited birth of Michaela and Sully's daughter, Katie.
The very large, supporting cast were each given the opportunity, over time, to fully develop their own characters. The producers soon began leaving the doors open for the supporting cast to make suggestions and contribute ideas to the writers.
"Dr. Quinn" was one of the few dramatic shows that allowed fans full access to their filming sets at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California. Fans were permitted; often invited even, to watch certain episodes being shot, each week. Cast members were known to even speak with their fans, and sign autographs, during shooting breaks. During the shows final season run, an official web site was established. It remains active today. Two fans went on to create the Dr. Quinn Times, a newsletter in which interviews with the cast, producers, directors, and technical specialists were conducted and distributed to fans, twice each year.
Jane Seymour and Barbara Babcock were the only cast members to receive Emmy nominations for their role portrayals, in the series. Seymour was nominated several times during the series' run, while Babcock received a single nomination in 1995 for the episode entitled "Ladies' Night." Her character, Dorothy Jennings, underwent a mastectomy.
The show did win many technical awards, as well as hair and make-up honors. Jane Seymour also won a Golden Globe in 1996 for her portrayal of Michaela Quinn.
There were various cast changes of minor characters during the series. However, the most profiled change took place during the show's third season when the character of Colleen Cooper was recast halfway through the year. Unlike the other actors, who signed 5-year contracts with the show, Erika Flores was hesitant. She held out for an increase in her salary and refused to sign a contract unless offered a contract of less than 5 years, or an increase in salary. Rumors circulated that Flores' father gave her an ultimatum to end the contract unless they offered her more money, or he would cut her off financially. Flores has denied such rumors claiming that she left the series for personal reasons as well as to pursue other opportunities. Whatever the reasons, the actress was abruptly dismissed with little warning by CBS after the show declined to meet her requests.
Beth Sullivan decided that she wanted the character to continue instead of being killed off or sent away. As a result, Jessica Bowman was cast as the new Colleen in Flores' place. Some of Erika Flores' fans were vocal in their anger over the change and wrote CBS demanding to know why the actress had been replaced. CBS issued the following statement to the press:
Official "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Web Site" – February 7, 1996
"Dear Viewers: Over the past several months we have received numerous letters regarding the re-casting of "Colleen" on our show. When this change occurred, we released a statement to the effect of, "Unwilling to commit to 5 years, Erika Flores is leaving the series to pursue other interests." Well, it's now over one year and, the fact remains that Erika Flores left the show to pursue other interests. Now, what are those other interests? I can tell you its primarily school. She's auditioned for movies, but her primary focus, to our knowledge, is school. After all, she's only 16 years old. The events leading up to her decision to leave the show did include CBS's request that she sign a 5-year contract. Erika did not want to commit to that extended period of time, and CBS would not allow it (all the series regulars, including Jane Seymour, are required to sign a 5-year contract.) We, as producers of the show, were able to convince CBS to double Erika's salary in an attempt to keep her on the show, but she still was unwilling to commit to 5 years. This being the case, we had no other choice but to replace her. I hope that this will help clarify your questions about Erika Flores. She remains a very close friend of the show, often visiting the set for lunch and we wish her all the best in her future pursuits. Tim Johnson
Producer, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"
(c) 1996 CBS"
The producers of the show felt that Jessica Bowman had the ability to successfully recreate the character on her own.
Numerous cast changes occurred throughout the series, although none was as significant. Most notable was the replacement of Jane Wyman as Michaela's mother, Elizabeth Quinn. Wyman signed on to play the role for the third episode of Dr. Quinn in season one. Sources claim that Seymour and Wyman did not get along during the shooting of the episode. Later Wyman refused to return for another guest appearance in season 2. Georgann Johnson was hired to replace Wyman in the role and continued throughout the remainder of the series, making one guest appearance each season and appearing in the final Dr. Quinn television movie.
Michelle Bonilla originated the role of Theresa Morales in season five and was replaced by Alex Meneses in season six. She was abruptly let go for reasons that were never publically stated. Meneses' portrayal was well received and she was featured throughout the sixth season, when her character fell in love with Jake Slicker.
The role of Anthony (Grace and Robert E.'s adopted son) was played by Brenden Jefferson for four episodes in season four. He was replaced by Brandon Hammond who continued in the role throughout season five and six.
Jennifer Youngs did not begin playing Ingrid until the character's second appearance; the first time the character appeared, she was played by Ashley Jones.
The cast was reported to get along well despite some tensions, which led to minor recastings and some disagreements between the show's writers and cast.
The most documented tension came during run of the show's fifth season, as Joe Lando was unhappy with both the show's and his character's direction. He seriously considered leaving. Lando, who felt the show needed a real shake up, openly stated, after a heated argument with Sullivan, that Dr. Quinn could continue just fine with Sully being killed off. Since it was not known if Lando would return, the fifth season finale showed Sully being thrown over a cliff into a river. Viewers were left to wonder, along with Michaela Quinn, if Sully was truly dead or did survive.
As winter turned into spring, during the early months of 1997, it appeared Joe Lando was not returning. John Schneider was asked to return to the show playing Sully's best friend Daniel Simon. Schneider was intended to take Lando's place as the show's leading man, and Michaela Quinn's new love interest. But, upon learning this, Dr. Quinn fans created a campaign, known as "Save Our Sully." By the time shooting had started for season 6, and its premiere; spring of 1997, Lando, now free from his involvement with other projects, had agreed to return. He was allotted part-time status, meaning certain episodes he would have full involvement, others, only occasional screen appearances.
Though his Sully episodes were spread out during the final season, they were shot over a period of several weeks. Lando then returned only in the final episode to appropriately finalize the series.
| Season | U.S. ratings | Network | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993 | N/A | CBS | #19 |
| 2 | 1993-94 | 13.46 million | CBS | #25 |
| 3 | 1994-95 | 10.7 million | CBS | #49 |
| 4 | 1995-96 | 9.6 million | CBS | #55 |
| 5 | 1996-97 | 8.5 million | CBS | #58 |
| 6 | 1997-98 | 11.7 million | CBS | #51 |
The show was a major hit in the United States for CBS and drew large ratings even though it aired on Saturday nights, when networks rarely air new episodes owing to low viewership. Despite the high ratings, CBS claimed that the demographics changed during the show's run. During its final season, the majority of Dr. Quinn's viewers were women 40 years of age and older, and not the male and female 18-to-40 demographic that networks try to reach. In response, CBS ordered the writers to give the show a slightly darker feel than in previous seasons. As a result, season six was darker than any other season before it, with the death of several characters as well as some highly sensitive subject matter: the painful miscarriage of Michaela's second child, as well as an episode entitled Point Blank where Michaela was shot by a man and then later developed post-traumatic stress disorder. Many fans did not like the changes while others felt that the tensions and high drama benefited the show after the overall pleasant past seasons. Despite these opposing opinions, the ratings still proved to be steady and consistent. The series was suddenly canceled in 1998 after its sixth season.[1]
The cancellation of Dr. Quinn caused a massive fan uproar; the likes of which had not been seen since the campaign to save Star Trek in the mid-1960s. CBS decided that instead of producing another season; as the cost involved was deemed too high, that it would instead, produce a TV movie. In May 1999, one year after its cancellation, CBS aired Dr. Quinn: Revolutions, a television movie special, set in 1877. However, the actual date should have taken place in 1875; two years following the final episode, which would have been 1873. In this TV movie, Katie Sully- now age 4, is kidnapped, and Dr. Mike and Sully, along with help from some townsfolk, embark on a desperate search for their missing daughter, in Mexico. Fans were delighted that a special movie was being produced, but they were not altogether impressed with its overall concept. The movie was very different in tone to the rest of the series; incorporating more guns and violence allegedly in effort to please the twenty-something male audience demographics. Furthermore, both Jessica Bowman and Chad Allen declined appearances in that episode, due its content. Additionally, William Olvis' entire score was scrapped in favor of very cost-effective music that was completely irrelevant with the original series.
Fans were shocked to find a Dr. Quinn episode that did not include the main title sequence or theme. Moreover, the script, acting, and interpretations of the original characters came across as unfamiliar and very unlike their portrayals, in actual series. Beth Sullivan was so furious with CBS's control over the whole project that she declined any involvement.
It was critically panned and eventually failed in the ratings, due to a lack of promotion.
Sadly, Dr. Quinn would not return again unless CBS decided to give it another go. This deemed highly unlikely, as Joe Lando was not returning as Sully, and Chad Allen, Jim Knobeloch, and Orson Bean were sourced as having moved on to other projects. Also, in spite surfacing rumors that new contracts were being negotiated with the remaining lead and supporting cast, CBS abruptly pulled the plug, blaming the show's inevitable demise on hugely declining ratings due to Joe Lando's brief departure, in season 5.
A second movie entitled Dr Quinn: The Heart Within, aired in May 2001. The movie was set a year after Revolutions, making it 9 years since the first episode of Dr. Quinn in the year 1867. This time around, CBS gave Beth Sullivan total creative control; however, there were some strong ground rules. To save money, the movie had to be filmed in Canada, and only the principal cast could be involved. Jane Seymour also served as an executive producer. The plot revolved around Michaela and the Sully family returning to Boston to attend Colleen's graduation from Harvard Medical School. Having transferred from The Women's Medical College to the male dominated university since the series finale, Colleen has met harsh criticism from the board, and her own father-in-law resents the fact that she continues to pursue medicine, despite his misgivings. Unfortunately, Michaela's mother, Elizabeth, has fallen ill due to a heart condition, and eventually passes, leaving her entire estate to Michaela to establish a hospital back in Colorado Springs. Colleen soon finds herself in a similar situation as her mother, Michaela -just nine years earlier; in the same Bostonian sector- in that she is not respected; nor taken seriously, as a woman doctor.
The movie is a proper finale to the series; depicting the now, adult Cooper children's Farewell to Colorado Springs, and finding their new futures in Boston, while Michaela and Sully inevitably return to Colorado Springs to begin a new chapter in their own, now older, adult lives.
While this movie was far greater received by fans, they did complain that more of the townspeople and original supporting cast were not involved, due to CBS's demands, as well as the last-minute absence of Chad Allen's Matthew (Allen had declined after learning that none of his original supporting costars were offered any appearances.) Despite these criticisms, the movie beat out all its competition in the ratings, marking first place, and was much more in nature of the actual series.
The show has enjoyed strong ratings in reruns. Dr. Quinn was one of the rare instances of a show entering rerun syndication in the middle of a TV season. It debuted reruns in most American markets on Monday, December 30, 1996, just two days shy of the show's 4th anniversary. With 4 seasons being the minimum requirement for syndication pickup, Dr. Quinn reruns could have started at the more traditional launch date of September 1996, but the show's distributor, like many, had an additional minimum episode limit in order for the show to be eligible for syndication. This episode count was not reached until several episodes into Dr Quinn's fifth season (1996–1997), and since stations had already purchased the show at the beginning of that season, the distributor decided not to hold off until the next fall and let the stations start airing reruns right away.
When PAX TV launched in August 1998, it acquired reruns of current family-friendly series from CBS, including Dr. Quinn. Seeing that diehard Dr. Quinn fans were up in arms over the show's cancellation by CBS that year, these national reruns via PAX did help to relieve the blow; especially in markets where local stations might have not been airing reruns in syndication.
Until late 2005, the Hallmark Channel aired it daily, but in late 2005 Hallmark removed Dr. Quinn from its lineup, citing a drop in viewership. It is also believed that the high cost in Dr. Quinn distribution rights also played a role in its removal. Dr. Quinn continues to be seen throughout the world and has been translated to several languages.
Starting in June 2009 the Gospel Music Channel began airing Dr. Quinn weekdays at 5:00 and 6:00. More recently Vision TV Canada began airing Dr Quinn week nights at 6PM AT. It also airs on CHNU10 in the Lower Mainland of BC, Canada at 3 PM PST Weekdays. It has also been showed continuously in Denmark since 2001 with plans on to keep it at its daily broadcast time of 1:00, Monday to Friday, on Danish TV station, tv2.
Since the last movie in 2001, many of the show's cast members have expressed interest in reprising their roles and would like to do another reunion movie, or even a new season. Jane Seymour, Joe Lando, Chad Allen, and other cast members have stated they would all like to work together again and would reprise their Dr. Quinn roles if the opportunity arises. The show's creator, Beth Sullivan, has also stated her interest in writing another Dr. Quinn movie.
In 2003, A&E Network managed to buy the distribution rights for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman from CBS. All six seasons plus the two made-for-TV movies have been released on DVD. The series appears on the GMC Network. GMC aired all the series episodes, including the season six episodes not shown in a decade, during the summer of 2010. Joe Lando did several teasers and promotions for the weekend marathons, and says he finds GMC's ad campaign "funny," saying: "Truthfully, I haven't had that many opportunities to make fun of Sully. No one's really found me that funny. But it's fun to do it now. GMC came up with a great ad campaign. My kids were entertained by it and my wife got a kick out of it."[2]
Joe Lando came in third, missing only a few episodes in the sixth and final season.
alphabetical order
A&E Home Video has released all six seasons of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman on DVD in Region 1. They have also released the two television movies that were made after the series ended.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Season One | 17 | May 27, 2003 |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Season Two | 24 | September 30, 2003 |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Season Three | 25 | March 30, 2004 |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Season Four | 27 | October 26, 2004 |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Season Five | 26 | January 25, 2005 |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Season Six | 22 | July 26, 2005 |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Movies | 2 | June 27, 2006 |
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series | 151 | October 20, 2009 |
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was released on DVD in the UK through Revelation Films who have recently released the first of the two movies with the second to follow in July 2010.