| Free Spirit | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy sitcom |
| Created by | Leslie Ray Steven Vail |
| Written by | Kevin Abbott Phil Doran Mark Fink Howard Meyers Susan Meyers Bob Rosenfarb |
| Directed by | Art Dielhenn |
| Starring | Corinne Bohrer Franc Luz Paul Scherrer Alyson Hannigan Edan Gross |
| Theme music composer | Steve Dorff John Bettis |
| Composer(s) | David Michael Frank |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Phil Doran Richard Gurman |
| Producer(s) | Mark Fink |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera setup |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | ELP Communications (Sony Pictures Television) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 22, 1989 – January 14, 1990 |
Free Spirit is an American fantasy sitcom series that ran on ABC during the 1989-1990 television season. The series was originally produced by ELP Communications. It ran from September 22, 1989 to January 14, 1990.
Contents |
Free Spirit followed the misadventures of a mischievous blonde named Winnie Goodwinn, who was hired by lawyer Thomas J. Harper as a live-in housekeeper to keep an eye on his three children after the family moved from New York to a suburban Connecticut town. What Thomas doesn't know is that Winnie is actually a witch. The three children, oldest son Robb, daughter Jessie and youngest son Gene, already knew her secret, since it was Gene who was responsible for summoning her.
Although Winnie is a good witch and doesn't mean any harm, her powers do get her in hot water with the kids in more ways than one and Winnie has to scramble to get out of various situations while keeping Thomas from knowing the truth about her, and at times succeeding.
Free Spirit premiered as a preview broadcast on September 22, 1989, at 9:30/8:30c, on the very first night in which ABC's Friday lineup used the now-popular TGIF format. On September 24, the series moved into its regular time slot of Sunday at 8/7c, airing between two freshman series, Life Goes On and Homeroom.
The series was canceled in January 1990, after 13 of the 14 episodes produced were aired. The show ranked #78 in the Nielsen ratings that season.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Corinne Bohrer | Winnie Goodwinn |
| Paul Scherrer | Robb Harper |
| Alyson Hannigan | Jessie Harper |
| Edan Gross | Gene Harper |
| Franc Luz | Thomas J. Harper |
In the unaired pilot, clips of which were seen in the 1989 ABC Fall Preview Show, Christopher Rich played Thomas Harper and Shonda Whipple had the role of Jessie Harper. Since the show was originally conceived as a vehicle for Edan Gross and Corinne Bohrer, the producers felt that Rich and Whipple were more replaceable. Only the second version of the pilot aired before the rest of the series, with Franc Luz and Alyson Hannigan in their respective roles.
| Ep # | Title | Airdate | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | September 22, 1989 | A lawyer hires a inept witch to be a housekeeper for his three children, only to have the kids find out the truth about her. |
| 2 | "The Bosses Are Coming" | September 24, 1989 | Using the guise of Thomas' clients, Winnie's boss wants to take her back to the Witches Realm, prompting Winnie to make a deal to remain in the mortal world. |
| 3 | "Wedding Bell Blues" | October 1, 1989 | After Thomas' date backs out of a wedding invitation, he asks Winnie to go with him to the event, but she might want to check her attire before going. |
| 4 | "Too Much of a Good Thing" | October 8, 1989 | After Winnie casts a love spell on a girl that Robb has the hots for, Robb learns that he is the only one who can break the spell. |
| 5 | "Guess Who's Staying for Dinner?" | October 22, 1989 | A sexy client, whose 80-year-old husband has died, wants to be Thomas' next hubby, prompting a jealous Winnie to find out the real reason behind this sudden proposal. |
| 6 | "Hallowinnie" | October 29, 1989 | Jessie is hoping that she will join a clique on Halloween, a event Winnie despises. But when Thomas suggest that Jessie throw a party for the group, Winnie reluctantly gives in by performing a magic trick on Jessie, which comes in handy at the party as she finds out the group's true intentions. |
| 7 | "Two for the Road" | November 5, 1989 | After Thomas buys a convertible for Robb and Winnie to share, its an excited Winnie who really gets behind the wheel and a furious Robb ready to take the keys away from her. |
| 8 | "Not with My Sister You Don't" | November 19, 1989 | Winnie becomes concerned about Jessie's date in more ways than one. |
| 9 | "Love That Winnie" | December 3, 1989 | Winnie imagines herself in a episode of The Donna Reed Show as a way to be the perfect homemaker, but she's about to discover in real life being one is not like a TV show. |
| 10 | "The New Secretary" | December 10, 1989 | Winnie is hired as Thomas' secretary and gets involved with a divorced couple (Florence Henderson and Robert Reed), who still have feelings for each other. |
| 11 | "Radio Nights" | December 17, 1989 | Thomas is left stranded at a radio station after a thunderstorm causes a tree to block off a bridge. The Storm also strip Winnie of her powers while Gene fears that he will not see his father again. |
| 12 | "We Gotta Be Me" | January 7, 1990 | In a effort to stop his annoying, Jessie and Gene asks Winnie to split Robb into two guys... and they still get more annoyed by the results. |
| 13 | "Blast from the Past" | January 14, 1990 | After a courtship that spans 150 years, Winnie's warlock fiancee finally asks her to marry him. |
| 14 | "Love and Death" | Never aired | When Winnie's kid sister Cassandra visits, she sweeps Robb off his feet, prompting Winnie to dust off this spirited romance. |
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best New Television Series |
|
| Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | Alyson Hannigan | |||
| Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Television Series | Paul Scherrer |