Synopsis
Dangerous Women was loosely based on the 1979 Australian series Prisoner which had enjoyed success in syndication on many networks around the US from late 1979 to around mid 1982. With both series created by Reg Watson, Dangerous Women initially shared many similarities with its Australian counterpart, although this became far less apparent as the series continued.
The characters in Dangerous Women were based on the original characters of Prisoner: The characters of Karen Travers and Lynne Warner from the latter became Maria Trent and Holly Warner in Dangerous Women and both of their opening storylines were based on those originally shown in Prisoner. Similarly, Rita Jones's personality was based on Bea Smith, Crystal Fox shared the characteristics of nymphomaniac Marilyn Mason, and Cissie Johnson was based on the character 'Mum' Brooks - Cissie's daughter rejected her just as Mum's daughter disowned her when she was released in Prisoner.
Although many characters and storylines were clearly borrowed from Prisoner, the main character who tied the show together was Faith Cronin (Valerie Wildman), a mobster's wife. This character and storyline was unique and created especially for the new version of the series. Faith had been seriously disfigured by her mobster husband, and on leaving prison, she framed her ex-husband for murder after she staged her own death. Faith then had plastic surgery and created a new identity, becoming the confident and glamorous Patricia Meadows. She bought a lakefront inn, The Cedar Lake Inn, a destination she'd loved as a child and somewhere she'd always dreamed of living once she was released from prison - only to find her past catching up with her when one by one, her fellow former convicts converge on the Cedar Lake area as they are released from prison.
As the series progressed, the prison angle was gradually phased out as all of the characters had been released. They eventually took refuge at the Inn and attempted to rebuild their lives together.
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