Parenthood (1990 TV series)
| Parenthood | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Directed by |
Alan Myerson Betty Thomas Allan Arkush Matia Karrell |
| Starring |
David Arquette Jayne Atkinson Ed Begley, Jr. Thora Birch Maryedith Burrell Leonardo DiCaprio Mary Jackson Zachary La Voy Sheila MacRae Bess Meyer Susan Norman Ken Ober Ivyann Schwan Max Elliott Slade William Windom |
| Opening theme | "I Love to See You Smile" performed by Randy Newman |
| Composer(s) | Mason Daring |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Ron Howard David Tyron King |
| Producer(s) | Sascha Schneider |
| Editor(s) |
Joanne D'Antonio Briana London |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Imagine Television |
| Distributor | NBC Universal Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | August 20, 1990 – August 11, 1991 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Parenthood (1989 film) |
| Followed by | Parenthood (2010) |
Parenthood is an American comedy-drama series based on the 1989 film of the same name. Executive produced by Ron Howard (who also directed the film), the series aired for one season on NBC.[1]
Parenthood was one of many failed movie-to-TV adaptations in the fall of 1990 which included Working Girl, Baby Talk (a follow up to Look Who's Talking), Ferris Bueller and Uncle Buck.[2]
Synopsis
The series delivered seriocomic vignettes on rearing children, revolving around four generations of a middle-class California (the movie however, took place in St. Louis, Missouri) family, the Buckmans. The Huffners of the film were renamed the Merricks on the TV series.
The pilot episode was considered by USA Today and New York Post as the best movie-to-TV spinoff since M*A*S*H.[3][4] However, ratings for the series were low and Parenthood was canceled after 12 episodes.
The series is notable for featuring a number of people who at the time were unheard of but later became famous. One of the writers on the show was Joss Whedon. The cast featured Leonardo DiCaprio, David Arquette, and Thora Birch (billed simply as "Thora" here).
Cast and characters
- David Arquette portrays Tod Hawks (portrayed by Keanu Reeves in the film)
- Jayne Atkinson portrays Karen Buckman (portrayed by Mary Steenburgen in the film)
- Ed Begley, Jr. portrays Gil Buckman (portrayed by Steve Martin in the film)
- Thora Birch portrays Taylor Buckman (portrayed by Alisan Porter in the film)
- Maryedith Burrell portrays Helen Buckman (portrayed by Dianne Wiest in the film)
- Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Garry Buckman (portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the film)
- Mary Jackson portrays Great Grandma Greenwell (portrayed by Helen Shaw in the film)
- Zachary La Voy portrays Justin Buckman (reprising his role in the film)
- Sheila MacRae portrays Marilyn Buckman (portrayed by Eileen Ryan in the film)
- Bess Meyer portrays Julie Buckman Hawks (portrayed by Martha Plimpton in the film)
- Susan Norman portrays Susan Buckman Merrick (portrayed by Harley Jane Kozak in the film)
- Ken Ober portrays Nathan Merrick (portrayed by Rick Moranis in the film)
- Ivyann Schwan portrays Patty Merrick (reprising her role in the film)
- Max Elliott Slade portrays Kevin Buckman (portrayed by Jasen Fisher in the film)
- William Windom portrays Frank Buckman (portrayed by Jason Robards in the film)
*Max Elliott Slade, who portrayed Kevin Buckman on the TV series also portrayed a younger version of Steve Martin's character in the film.
Episodes
Season 1 (1990−1991)
| Order | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original airdate | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-101 | "Pilot" | Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel | Allan Arkush | August 20, 1990 | |
| 2-102 | "My Dad Can Beat Up Your BMW" | David Tyron King | Allan Arkush | September 22, 1990 | |
| 3-103 | "The Plague" | Joss Whedon | Alan Myerson | September 29, 1990 | |
| 4-104 | "I Never Invested for My Father" | David Tyron King | Betty Thomas | October 6, 1990 | |
| 5-105 | "Love Stinks" | Russ Woody | Allan Arkush | October 13, 1990 | |
| 6-106 | "Cars & Cards" | Glen Merzer | Alan Myerson | October 20, 1990 | |
| 7-107 | "Hollow Halloween" | Jerry Lacy | Allan Arkush | October 27, 1990 | |
| 8-108 | "Small Surprises" | Joss Whedon | Matia Karrell | November 3, 1990 | |
| 9-109 | "Take My Parents, Please" | Allan Arkush | November 10, 1990 | ||
| 10-110 | "Thanksgiving with a T that Rhymes with B that Stands for Basketball" | David Tyron King | Betty Thomas | November 17, 1990 | |
| 11-111 | "Gil vs. the Deck" | Matia Karrell | December 16, 1990 | ||
| 12-112 | "Fun For Kids" | David Tyron King, Joss Whedon | Allan Arkush | August 11, 1991 |
Syndication
The show was featured on the now-defunct cable network Trio in 2005 as part of their "Brilliant But Cancelled" series of shows that were cancelled before their time.
New series
A new television adaptation of the movie[5] premiered on NBC in March 2010. Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia play the parental roles, they are joined by Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard and Monica Potter.[6]
References
- ↑ "Parenthood Takes To Air". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ↑ Carter, Bill. Carter, Bill (1990-12-17). "Heard About a Film That Became a Television Series?". newyorktimes.com.
- ↑ Bianculli, David. "One Big Happy Family," New York Post, August 20, 1990.
- ↑ Collins, Monica. ""Parenthood," Fun for Kids of All Ages," USA Today, August 20, 1990.
- ↑ "NBC Order Pilot Of Parenthood @ Unreality Primetime". Primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk. 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
- ↑ "Monica Potter Joins NBC's Parenthood". Movieweb.com. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-05-02.