| Promised Land | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Martha Williamson |
| Starring | Gerald McRaney Wendy Phillips Austin O'Brien Sarah Schaub Eddie Karr Celeste Holm |
| Theme music composer | Marc Lichtman |
| Composer(s) | John Batdorf Ray Colcord |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 69 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Steven Phillip Smith Martha Williamson |
| Producer(s) | Jon Andersen Danna Doyle David Ehrman Arnold Margolin William Schmidt William A. Schwartz Debbie Smith Robert J. Visciglia, Jr. E.F. Wallengren |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | CBS Productions |
| Distributor | Americana Entertainment |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | September 17, 1996 – May 20, 1999 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Touched by an Angel |
Promised Land is an American drama series which aired on CBS from 1996 to 1999. It was a spin-off from another series, Touched by an Angel.
Contents |
Promised Land stars Gerald McRaney (Russell Greene) and Wendy Phillips (Claire Greene) as a husband and wife who, with their son Josh (Austin O'Brien), daughter Dinah (Sarah Schaub), and nephew Nathaniel (Eddie Karr), traveled America pulling their Airstream trailer. Claire homeschooled the three children. Film veteran Celeste Holm also starred as Hattie, McRaney's character's mother.
Much of the third season was spent in Denver, Colorado, but — much like Touched by an Angel — it was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Cast members of Touched by an Angel routinely made cameo appearances)
The pilot episode was filmed in the Spring of 1996 by the crew of Touched by an Angel at the conclusion of production of the latters second season. The pilot episode took place primarily in the fictional town of Chickory Creek, Kentucky but the actual location was Springville, Utah.
Because Touched by an Angel continued production for a third season, a new crew was hired for production of the Promised Land series. In the meantime, parts of the pilot episode were re-written and two characters from the original pilot episode were recast. Originally, the part of Hattie Greene was played by Peg Phillips. Celeste Holm replaced her in the cast. The part of Nathaniel Greene was also recast with Eddie Karr playing the role in the new version of the pilot and throughout the series. The newly-hired crew of Promised Land spent six days reshooting portions of the pilot episode in July 1996.
The storyline of the series called for the Greene family to travel throughout the United States, so northern Utah served as a stand-in for many states. As was the case with Touched by an Angel, the crew's filming locations were usually within a two-hour drive from downtown Salt Lake City. However, during each of the first two seasons, three episodes were filmed in and around Saint George, Utah. During the third season, three episodes were filmed in and around Natchez, Mississippi (in August and September 1998).
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Young Artist Award | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Comedy/Drama - Supporting Young Actor Age Ten or Under | Eddie Karr |
| Best Performance in a Drama Series - Young Actress | Sarah Schaub | |||
| Best Performance in a Drama Series - Young Actor | Austin O'Brien | |||
| Best Family TV Drama Series |
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| Won | Best Performance in a Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor | Benjamin Salisbury | ||
| 1998 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Leading Young Actor | Eddie Karr | |
| Won | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Leading Young Actress | Sarah Schaub (Tied with Beverley Mitchell for 7th Heaven) | ||
| Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Leading Young Actor | Austin O'Brien (Tied with Michael Yarmush for My Life as a Dog) | |||
| Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor | Trever O'Brien | |||
| Best Family TV Drama Series |
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| 1999 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor | Zach Hopkins | |
| Won | Best Performance in a TV Series - Young Ensemble | Eddie Karr, Austin O'Brien, and Sarah Schaub | ||
| Best Family TV Drama Series |
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| 2000 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Leading Young Actress | Sarah Schaub | |
| Won | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Leading Young Actor | Austin O'Brien | ||
| 1997 | PGA Awards | Most Promising Producer in Television | Martha Williamson | |
| 1998 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Cloris Leachman (For episode "Mooster's Revenge") | |
| 1998 | YoungStar Award | Nominated | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama TV Series | Austin O'Brien |
| 1999 | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama TV Series | Austin O'Brien | ||
| 1999 | NAACP Image Awards | Won | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Ruby Dee (For a guest star or recurring role) |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Ossie Davis |