Birdland (TV series)

Birdland
Created by	Walter F. Parkes Scott Frank
Written by	Walter F. Parkes [1] Scott Frank
Starring	Brian Dennehy CCH Pounder Hudson Leick Lindsay Frost Julio Oscar Mechoso John Rothman David Packer Jeff Williams Kevin J. O'Connor Leslie Mann
Composer	Dennis McCarthy
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	7
Production
Producers	Scott Frank [2] Walter F. Parkes
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Aerial Pictures Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	January 5 (1994-01-05) – April 21, 1994 (1994-04-21)

Birdland is an American medical drama series created by Walter F. Parkes and Scott Frank that aired on ABC from January 5 ^[3] to April 21, 1994. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement In Graphic Design And Title Sequences ^[4] and an Artios Award for Best Dramatic Episodic Casting. ^[5]

Premise

Dr. Brian McKenzie, the chief of psychiatry at Riverview Hospital in Oakland, deals with patients while trying to juggle his own problems. ^{[6] [3]}

Cast

• Brian Dennehy as Dr. Brian McKenzie ^[7]
• CCH Pounder as Nurse Lucy
• Lindsay Frost as Dr. Jessie Lane
• Julio Oscar Mechoso as Hector
• John Rothman as Dr. Alan Bergman
• David Packer as Dr. Zuchetti
• Jeff Williams as Dr. Lewis Niles
• Kevin J. O'Connor as Mr. Horner
• Leslie Mann as Nurse Mary

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Pilot"	Peter Horton	Walter F. Parkes & Scott Frank [8]	January 5, 1994 (1994-01-05)
McKenzie looks into the case of a teenage accident victim. [9]
2	"Crazy for You"	Peter Horton	Nicole Yorkin & Dawn Prestwich	January 12, 1994 (1994-01-12)
McKenzie's new patient is his son's new girlfriend. A patient thinks he has x-ray vision.
3	"Plan B"	John David Coles	Walter F. Parkes & Scott Frank	January 19, 1994 (1994-01-19)
The staff is taken hostage by a man who wants compensation for his wife's death.
4	"O.C.P.D. Blues"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Toni Graphia	January 26, 1994 (1994-01-26)
A cop keeps having visions about shooting his partner. Horner's brother comes to take him home.
5	"Grand Delusions"	Claudia Weill	Eric Overmyer	February 9, 1994 (1994-02-09)
A patient admits to killing a man. Niles tries to connect with Mary. Jessie has a malpractice suit on her hands.
6	"Sons and Mudders"	Larry Shaw	Dawn Prestwich & Nicole Yorkin	April 14, 1994 (1994-04-14)
Niles suspects a politician's son of having a troubled homelife. McKenzie liquidates his assets for a bet at the race track. After an accident, a Polish bus driver has suddenly developed a French accent.
7	"Lower Than the Angels"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Walter F. Parkes & Eric Overmyer and Ann Powell & Rose Schacht	April 21, 1994 (1994-04-21)
McKenzie thinks his nephew has a genetic illness. A patient turns out to be a talented painter.

References

1. "Birdland". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
2. "Birdland". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
3. Elber, Lynn (January 3, 1994). "Brian Dennehy stars in new medical drama 'Birdland'". The Dispatch. pp. 5B. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
4. "Outstanding Individual Achievement In Graphic Design And Title Sequences 1994 - Nominees & Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
5. "1994 Artios Awards". Casting Society. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
6. Knutzen, Eirik (February 12, 1994). "Dennehy rules roost in TV's 'Birdland'". Oxnard Press-Courier. p. 16. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
7. "Birdland". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
8. Birdland pilot, 1/5/1994 , retrieved 2025-02-16
9. "Birdland". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2025-02-16.

External links

• Birdland at IMDb