The Charmings
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| The Charmings | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy sitcom |
| Written by |
Prudence Fraser Mark Fink Ellen Guylas Carrie Honigblum Danny Kallis Robert Sternin |
| Directed by |
Gerren Keith Howard Murray Jack Shea |
| Starring |
Christopher Rich Caitlin O'Heaney (1987) Carol Huston (1988) Judy Parfitt Cork Hubbert Brandon Call Garette Ratliff Henson Paul Eiding Dori Brenner Paul Winfield |
| Composer(s) |
Ray Colcord Jonathan Wolff |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Prudence Fraser Robert Sternin |
| Producer(s) | Danny Kallis |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Sternin & Fraser Ink Embassy Communications (1987-1988) ELP Communications (1988) Columbia Pictures Television (1988) |
| Distributor |
Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001) Sony Pictures Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | March 20, 1987 – February 11, 1988 |
The Charmings is an American fantasy sitcom that aired from March 1987 to February 1988 on ABC. Based on the fairy tale Snow White, it chronicles Snow White and Prince Charming after they are transported in time from the Enchanted Forest to the 20th Century Los Angeles suburbs.
Synopsis
The opening voice-over set-up the premise:
| “ | Once upon a time there was a vain queen who was so jealous of her beautiful stepdaughter, Snow White, that she poisoned her with an apple. But a handsome prince came along and broke the spell. Snow White and Prince Charming threw the wicked stepmother down a bottomless pit and lived happily ever after. But, it turns out the pit wasn't bottomless - just very deep. And now, the queen was very mad. With a spell so powerful even she couldn't control it, she put the Charmings asleep for a thousand years. She also got herself and one dwarf. Eventually they woke up. | ” |
The premise of the series' plot was that fairy tale characters Snow White and Prince Charming were magically transported to a 20th-century suburb in Burbank, California. Each episode shows the Charmings trying to adapt to their new life while Lillian, the wicked stepmother, and her wise cracking Magic Mirror watch from upstairs. After the first season, Caitlin O'Heaney (who portrayed Snow White), was replaced by Carol Huston.
After mild success as part of ABC's Friday night lineup, the series was moved to Thursday nights for its second season, in a head to head battle with NBC's The Cosby Show. Due to low ratings, the series was canceled after twenty episodes. One episode remains unaired in the US, though it was shown during the show's run in the UK.
Characters
- Snow White Charming
- Played by Caitlin O'Heaney (1987) and Carol Huston (1987-1988). Her "fairy tale" motif caught the attention of a department store executive, who then sponsored a line of interior decorating products and gave her a job overseeing the designs.
- Prince Eric Charming
- Played by Christopher Rich.
- Thomas and Cory Charming
- The two Charming children. Played by Brandon Call and Garette Ratliff Henson. Due to their spending the least time in the fairy tale world, they had been the most assimiated into 20th Century society, and they faced difficulties accepting they were from fairy tales.
- Queen Lillian White
- The wicked stepmother, whose sorcery often backfired on her, but would occasionally prove useful in helping her family. Played by Judy Parfitt.
- Luther
- One of the Seven Dwarfs. Played by Cork Hubbert.
- The Magic Mirror
- Played by Paul Winfield. The Mirror frequently reminded Lillian that her daughter and son-in-law would come out on top and make it in this new land because unlike her, they were good hearted people who respected others. A running gag was that he would make remarks about how Snow White is the fairest and telling Lillian "it ain't you!" whenever she asks who is the fairest. However, it is implied he may have been joking, because at one point when Lillian has lost her powers and he must depart, he confides in her that she has always been the fairest.
- Don "King of Carpets" Miller and Sally Miller
- The Charmings' neighbors who found their new neighbors' penchant for medieval fairy tale style odd but never figured out they were the real Prince Charming and Snow White. Even when Eric was under a truth spell and confided in Don that they were Prince Charming and Snow White, Don considered it a joke. Played by Paul Eiding and Dori Brenner.
Episode list
Season 1 (1987)
| Nº | Episode title | US air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Charmings" | 1987.03.20 |
| 2 | "The Mirror Cracked" | 1987.03.27 |
| 3 | "Modern Romance" | 1987.04.03 |
| 4 | "The Charmings Buy a Car" | 1987.04.10 |
| 5 | "The Incredible Shrinking Prince" | 1987.04.17 |
| 6 | "An '80s Kind of Prince" | 1987.04.17 |
Season 2 (1987-1988)
| Nº | Episode title | US air date |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | "Lillian Loses the Kids" | 1987.09.17 |
| 8 | "The Charmings Go Plastic" | 1987.09.24 |
| 9 | "The Witch Is of Van Oaks" | 1987.10.01 |
| 10 | "The Fish Story" | 1987.10.08 |
| 11 | "Cindy's Back in Town" | 1987.10.15 |
| 12 | "A Charming Halloween" | 1987.10.29 |
| 13 | "Trading Places" | 1987.11.12 |
| 14 | "Lillian Loses Her Powers" | 1987.11.19 |
| 15 | "The Charmings and the Beanstalk" | 1987.11.26 |
| 16 | "Yes, Lillian, There Really Is a Santa Claus" | 1987.12.17 |
| 17 | "The Charmings Get Robbed" | 1988.01.07 |
| 18 | "Birth of a Salesman" | 1988.01.14 |
| 19 | "The Man Who Came to Dinner" | 1988.01.21 |
| 20 | "The Woman of His Dreams" | 1988.02.11 |
| 21 | "Lillian's Protege" | N/A |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Emmy Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/Video Control for a Series | Warren Cress, Ross Harmon, Charles T. Henry, Bud Holland, Stephen A. Jones, Art LaCombe, Bill Scott, and Dave Smith (For episode "The Incredible Shrinking Prince") |
| Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Series | Betsey Potter (For episode "Modern Romance") | |||
| 1988 | Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/Video Control for a Series | Warren Cress, Ross Harmon, Charles T. Henry, Joe Talosi, Harriet Uhl, Dave Smith, and Dale Walsh (For episode "Trading Places") | ||
| Won | Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series | Mark Buxbaum (For episode "The Witch Is of Van Oaks") | ||
| 1988 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor in a Television Comedy Series | Brandon Call |
External links
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