T. C. Russell

T.C. Russell

Rodney Van Johnson as T.C. Russell
Passions character
Portrayed by Rodney Van Johnson
Duration 1999–2007
First appearance July 5, 1999
Last appearance June 19, 2007
Created by James E. Reilly
Book appearances Hidden Passions
Classification Former; contract
Profile
Occupation High school gym teacher (former)
Tennis coach (former)
Residence New Orleans, Louisiana

Thornton Chandler "T.C." Russell s a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in 2007–08. Passions followed romantic and supernatural adventures in the fictional New England coastal town of Harmony. Created by the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly, the role was portrayed by Rodney Van Johnson from July 5, 1999 to June 19, 2007. Johnson was dropped to recurring status in December 2006 before his last appearance in June 2007. On March 19, 2001, Jenny Gaona played the character in flashbacks.[1]

T.C. is the patriarch of the Russell family; he is the ex-husband of Eve Russell (Tracey Ross) and father of Whitney Russell (Brook Kerr) and Simone Russell. Introduced as the perfect husband and father, he eventually becomes characterized by his violent temper and hatred for the Crane family, particularly Julian Crane (Ben Masters), before suffering from a strokeand departing to help his daughters settle in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is originally portrayed as a close friend to Sam Bennett (James Hyde) before his storyline focused more on the disintegration of his marriage and family.

T.C.'s exit in June 2007 was described as "abrupt" and "disappointing" by Johnson. Johnson initially praised the show for its racially diverse cast, but later explained that his character and the other African-American roles were not used to their full potential.

Development

Creation

T.C. Russell is one of the original twenty-five contract cast members invented by the show's co-creator, James E. Reilly. Sheraton Kalouria, senior vice president of NBC’s daytime programming,[2] explained the show’s racially diverse ensemble as represented by "the African American Russells and the Hispanic Lopez-Fitzgeralds" reflects "it’s truly color-blind storytelling." He described the creation of T.C. and the Russell family as the result of an effort to build characters "as diverse as the U.S." and set the show apart from other soap operas An article in Jet later commented that each member of the Russell family was designed to be "an integral part of the show" in attempt to avoid token characters.[3] Charles Divins, one of the actors to play Chad Harris-Crane, viewed the show's treatment of the Russells as "a strong African American family" as "refreshing."[4]

Johnson frequently praised the show's representation of African-American characters in interviews and identified it as one of the primary reasons behind his attraction to the role:

"We are the only daytime drama with a full African-American family. The Russells have a key role in the community. There aren't just a flash in the pan. The storylines are heavy. The show has received a huge response from the African-American community for that reason."[3]

Johnson said the chance to work with Tracey Ross, who he called the it girl for the African-American community following her appearance on Star Search, as influencing his decision to accept the role.[5]

Characterization

Despite his original positive response to the show, Johnson later expressed disappointment at his role shortly before his exit. He identified the decision to start "taking out the people of color[,]" like Amelia Marshall, Brook Kerr, and himself, as an obvious sign that "this thing is going down." He said his character was not properly used and that he was frequently defaulted to "the angry black man." He negatively compared T.C. to his previous role as Trey Stark on The Young and the Restless, saying that "I was used well" as Trey. Johnson also said the character gave him a negative stigma that limited his future opportunities for auditions.[6]

The relationship between Eve and Julian received positive reception from fans who referred to the couple as "Evian."[7] T.C.'s relationship with Eve and Johnson's chemistry with Ross received more negative feedback by comparison. Other Passions cast members and representatives commented on the preference for Julian over T.C.; Masters said his character Julian should "just kick T.C. out of his house" and beat him with a 4x4[8] and the show's spokesperson said Julian and Eve's romance would be at the forefront as the next supercouple instead of a possible reconciliation storyline with T.C.[9]

Storylines

Thornton Chandler "T.C." Russell is the only son of Reggie Russell. T.C.'s family has lived in Harmony for several generations; his many-times removed grandfather once owned a farm that was taken over the Cranes and demolished for the construction of the Crane Mansion. As a young adult, T.C. intensively trained to be a professional tennis player until he was injured in a hit and run accident that left him too injured to compete further. For several decades, T.C. incorrectly believes Julian was responsible for the accident and he harbors a desire for revenge against the Crane family for destroying his future plans; he later discovers Eve was the one to hit him while she was driving under the influence. Sometime in the 1970s, T.C. married doctor Eve Johnson and had two children with her. He pushed his oldest daughter Whitney to start training to be a professional tennis champion from an early age so he could live vicariously through her life; he is not shown to pay too much attention to his youngest daughter Simone. T.C. is unaware of Eve's past drug and alcohol abuse and her past relationship and child with Julian.

T.C.'s relationship with Eve (above) serves as his primary storyline on Passions

T.C.'s early appearances concentrate on the mysterious contents of his secret shed, but it is later retconned that "there was nothing in the shed that was substantial."[6] From 2002 to 2004, Eve's adoptive sister attempts to expose Eve's past to T.C. and coerce him into having sex with her. Her actions escalate to the point where she slips T.C. a mickey for Eve to catch him in the act of adultery. The storyline culminates in July 2004 when Liz brings Eve's aunt Irma Johnson (Marla Gibbs) to tell T.C. the truth about Eve's past relationship with Julian and their child and her involvement in the car accident ending T.C.'s tennis career.

T.C. responds to the new by almost killing Julian in a violent rage and later divorcing Eve; he briefly has a romantic relationship and engagement with Liz. Everyone in Harmony incorrectly assumes that Eve's child with Julian is Chad; Whitney's relationship with Chad is believed to be incestuous as they would be half-siblings. The possibility of incest further fractures the family. T.C. grows increasingly jealous and angry when Eve renews her relationship with Julian. T.C. falls into a deep depression coupled with alcoholism and physically assaults Simone after she comes out as a lesbian.

Rodney Van Johnson points to the earthquake and tsunami in the show's 2005 summertime extravaganza as "the turning point" in which "T.C. realizes that he wants to be back with his wife."[10] Following the natural disasters, T.C. breaks off his engagement with Liz after reconciling with his ex-wife's past and rebukes all of her efforts to seduce her way back into his life. Before he can fully make amends with his ex-wife and family, he gets injured in an automobile accident while driving under the influence and suffers from a stroke.

During his recovery, T.C. grows closer to his ex-wife and apologizes to Simone for his homophobic and abusive behavior. He was last shown babysitting Whitney and Chad's son and his grandson Miles Davis Crane-Harris; following the show's transition from NBC to DirecTV, he is said to have moved to New Orleans to help and reconnect with his daughters. He does not physically appear during the show's run on DirecTV or the series finale.

In popular culture and other media

Tracey Ross and Rodney Van Johnson made cameo appearances as Eve Russell and T.C. Russell in the series finale of the NBC primetime drama Providence, marking one of the first daytime/primetime crossovers.[11]

The character of T.C. received further media attention for Johnson's participation alongside the other cast members of the Russell family in recording public service announcements to celebrate the achievements of African Americans like Sidney Poitier, Marian Anderson, Alex Haley, Thurgood Marshall, Condoleezza Rice, and Bill Cosby in commemoration of Black History Month. The PSAs ran on NBC stations throughout February. Sheraton Kalouria identified the PSA campaign as "another example of Passions ' commitment to diversity and inclusion" alongside its featuring of a racially diverse cast.[12]

Following DirecTV's decision to not renew the show, Passions partnered with Premiere Props to hold a public two-day estate sale of props and costumes from the show. Stacey Ward, a director of NBCUniversal, pitched the auction as "an opportunity to own a piece of their favorite show."[13] Several items related to T.C. were put up for sale, including an award as Harmony Open men's singles champion[14] and a framed letter to Eve from T.C.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Who's Who In Harmony". Soapcentral. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  2. ↑ "NBCS days ABC’s Kalouria". Variety. 2000-05-09. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  3. 1 2 "Soap Opera ‘Passions’ Keeps Igniting Fervor Among Daytime Viewers". Jet. 2003-01-13. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  4. ↑ "INTERVIEW: 'Passions' Superstars Chad and Eve". The GW Hatchet. 2002-10-24. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  5. ↑ "interview104.html". www.eviandreams.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  6. 1 2 "Moving On". Soap Opera Digest. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  7. ↑ "Something’s in the "Evian"". Soap Opera Weekly. 2004. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  8. ↑ " "Say It Ain't So". Soap Opera Digest. 2004-04-04. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  9. ↑ "Julian and Eve: The Next Supercouple?". Soap Opera Weekly. 2003. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  10. ↑ "PASSIONS Disaster = Success!". Soap Opera Digest. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  11. ↑ "Providence Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  12. ↑ "NBC's "Passions" Actors Celebrate Black History Month". Hoosier State Chronicles. 2003-02-20. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  13. ↑ "Passions Props Sale". Soaps.com. 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  14. ↑ "Passions T.C. (Rodney Van Johnson) Movie Props". iCollector.com Online Auctions. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  15. ↑ "Passions Eve (Tracey Ross) LETTER TV Movie Props". iCollector.com Online Auctions. Retrieved 2016-02-13.

External links

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