1st & Ten (HBO TV series)

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1st & Ten
Format Comedy/Sport
Starring Delta Burke
O. J. Simpson
Shannon Tweed
John Matuszak
Jason Beghe
Geoffrey Scott
Keith Amos
Paul Tuerpe
Prince Hughes
Shanna Reed
Reid Shelton
Country of origin  United States
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 80
Production
Executive producer(s) Donald Kushner
Peter Locke
Running time 30 min.
Broadcast
Original channel HBO
Original run December 2, 1984 – January 23, 1991

1st & Ten is a situation comedy television program that aired between 1984 and 1991 on the American cable television network Home Box Office. Featuring series regulars Delta Burke and veteran Reid Shelton, it was one of cable's first attempts to lure the lucrative sit-com audience away from the "Big Three", by taking advantage of their freedom to include occasional (and often gratuitous) cursing and nudity.

Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

The series followed the on-and off-field antics of the California Bulls, a team that played in the fictional North American Football League[1][2], (NAFL for short). The team changes owners throughout the series history, with the premise that a woman is in charge.

During the first season Diane Barrow, played by Delta Burke, becomes the owner of her husband's football team as part of a divorce settlement after he has gay sex with a player on the team (reference needed). She quickly learns the ups and downs of pro football. In one episode, she is forced to coach the team herself after the head coach, Eddie Denardo, is placed in the hospital. She also has constant battles with her General Manager/husband's nephew, who has dealings with the local mob, and fights off advances made by her quarterback played by Geoffrey Scott.

The second season dealt with two themes: training camp and the playoffs. Barrow was dealing with her players taking recreational drugs during training camp. Joining the cast, O.J. Simpson. His character, T.D. Parker, is a veteran running back who is forced to make the transition from player, to coach. Two real life football stars made cameo appearances. Marcus Allen portrayed a rookie who was taking over T.D.'s spot on the team. And Vince Ferragamo played "Mainstreet" Manneti, a veteran quarterback. Jason Beghe joing the cast to play Tom Yinessa, a walk-on quarterback who deals with his overnight celebrity.

Delta Burke leaves mid-way through the third season. Her character loses control of the Bulls to Teddy Schraeder, her former lover. He starts to manipulate everyone to do his bidding. Some of his antics: having T.D. fire Ernie as coach, Yinessa practicing without a contract, and ignoring the steroids that John Matuszak's character is using. Legal issues have him leaving the country and turning control over to his daughter, played by Leah Ayres.

Season Four was briefly renamed 1st and Ten: The Bulls Mean Business. Shanna Reed joins the cast as the teams new female president, representing the Dodds Corporation who purchased the team. So of her ideas included bringing a female soccer player to kick, and signing an Olympic sprinter as a wideout. Joe Namath has a cameo appearance. Shannon Tweed would replace her in Season 5, and remain with the show to the end. The show was renamed 1st and Ten: Do it Again for the fifth season. The final season was 1st and Ten: In Your Face.

[edit] Game Footage

Footage was used from USFL's Los Angeles Express.During simulated game shots, the Bulls football helmet has a decal of horns on the side. When the show uses actual game footage, you can clearly see the letters "L" and "A" on the helmets side, representing the L.A. Express. The Bulls quarterbacks wore #14 to match the actual game footage of L.A. Express real life quarterback Tom Ramsey. Many generic shots of USFL stadiums were used to depict where the Bulls were playing. As the series went on, aerial shots were used of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to represent the Bulls home stadium. Game footage from the USFL stopped mid-way through the third season, as scripted football plays were being used instead.


[edit] Simpson Trial

At the height of the O. J. Simpson trial, the show made its way to syndicated reruns. The complete series was released on DVD on January 24, 2006.

[edit] Trivia

At one point, Denardo suggests trading for a running back. He mentions the Bulls from "that other league." He was talking about the Jacksonville Bulls from the United States Football League.

The original opening credits showed former professional football player Fran Tarkenton introducing the players and the plot points at the beginning of each episode. Completely different closing credits were originally used, too. They showed credits rolling over scenes from the episode. In syndication, these were replaced with later opening credits, featuring Miracle Miles Coolidge, (even though he did not join the cast until the last season), and a generic "Copyright 1991" disclaimer on a blue background respectively.

The original HBO versions ran for 30 minutes, while the edited-for-syndication versions ran for 22 minutes, and had some dialog and scenes edited for content, as well as the addition of a laugh-track. The majority of episodes on the "Complete Collection" DVD are the syndicated versions.

[edit] Cast

Only Donald Gibb, Cliff Frazier, Prince Hughes, and Reid Shelton appeared in all six season. John Kassir and O.J. Simpson joined the cast the second season, and stayed till the show's end.

[edit] References

  1. ^ TELEVISION & FILM HELMETS
  2. ^ Movie/TV helmets

[edit] External links

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