Parenthood (1990 TV series)

Last updated
Parenthood
Genre Sitcom
Directed by Alan Myerson
Betty Thomas
Allan Arkush
Matia Karrell
Starring Ed Begley Jr.
Jayne Atkinson
Max Elliott Slade
Thora Birch
Zachary La Voy
Maryedith Burrell
Bess Meyer
David Arquette
Leonardo DiCaprio
Ken Ober
Susan Gayle Norman
Ivyann Schwan
Mary Jackson
Sheila MacRae
William Windom
Opening theme"I Love to See You Smile" performed by Randy Newman
Composer Mason Daring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers Ron Howard
David Tyron King
Producer Sascha Schneider
EditorsJoanne D'Antonio
Briana London
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies Imagine Television
Universal Television
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseAugust 20, 1990 (1990-08-20) 
August 11, 1991 (1991-08-11)
Related

Parenthood is an American sitcom television series based on the 1989 film of the same name. Executive produced by Ron Howard (who also co-wrote and directed the film), the series aired for one season on NBC from August 20, 1990, to August 11, 1991. [1]

Contents

Parenthood was one of many failed movie-to-TV adaptations in the 1990–91 season, also including Baby Talk on ABC's TGIF (a follow-up to Look Who's Talking ), Ferris Bueller on NBC and Uncle Buck on CBS. [2]

Synopsis

The series delivered seriocomic vignettes on rearing children, revolving around four generations of a middle-class California family, the Buckmans (the movie took place in St. Louis, Missouri). The Huffners of the film were renamed the Merricks on the TV series.

The pilot episode was considered by USA Today and the New York Post as the best movie-to-TV spin-off 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

*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

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Pilot" Allan Arkush Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel August 20, 1990 (1990-08-20)101
2"My Dad Can Beat Up Your BMW"Allan ArkushDavid Tyron KingSeptember 22, 1990 (1990-09-22)102
3"The Plague" Alan Myerson Joss Whedon September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29)103
4"I Never Invested for My Father" Betty Thomas David Tyron KingOctober 6, 1990 (1990-10-06)104
5"Love Stinks"Allan Arkush Russ Woody October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13)105
6"Cars & Cards"Alan MyersonGlen MerzerOctober 20, 1990 (1990-10-20)106
7"Hollow Halloween"Allan Arkush Jerry Lacy October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27)107
8"Small Surprises" Matia Karrell Joss WhedonNovember 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)108
9"Take My Parents, Please"Allan ArkushRuss WoodyNovember 10, 1990 (1990-11-10)109
10"Thanksgiving with a T that Rhymes with B that Stands for Basketball"Betty ThomasDavid Tyron KingNovember 17, 1990 (1990-11-17)110
11"Gil vs. the Deck"Matia KarrellAllison M. GibsonDecember 16, 1990 (1990-12-16)111
12"Fun For Kids"Allan ArkushDavid Tyron King, Joss WhedonAugust 11, 1991 (1991-08-11)112

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 and ran until January 2015. Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia played the parental roles, joined by Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard and Monica Potter. [6]

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References

  1. "Parenthood Takes To Air". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  2. Carter, Bill. Carter, Bill (1990-12-17). "Heard About a Film That Became a Television Series?". newyorktimes.com.
  3. Bianculli, David. "One Big Happy Family", New York Post, August 20, 1990.
  4. Collins, Monica. ""Parenthood", Fun for Kids of All Ages", USA Today, August 20, 1990.
  5. "NBC Order Pilot Of Parenthood @ Unreality Primetime". Primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk. 2009-01-29. Archived from the original on 2014-10-17. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  6. "Monica Potter Joins NBC's Parenthood". Movieweb.com. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-05-02.