The Charmings
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| The Charmings | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy sitcom |
| Written by | Prudence Fraser Mark Fink Ellen Guylas Carrie Honigblum Danny Kallis Robert Sternin |
| Directed by | Gerren Keith Howard Murray Jack Shea |
| Starring | Christopher Rich Caitlin O'Heaney (1987) Carol Huston (1988) Judy Parfitt Cork Hubbert Brandon Call Garette Ratliff Henson Paul Eiding Dori Brenner Paul Winfield |
| Composer(s) | Ray Colcord Jonathan Wolff |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Prudence Fraser Robert Sternin |
| Producer(s) | Danny Kallis |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Embassy Communications Sternin & Fraser Ink |
| Distributor | Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001) Sony Pictures Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | March 20, 1987 – February 11, 1988 |
The Charmings is an American fantasy sitcom that aired from March 1987 to February 1988 on ABC.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The opening voice-over set-up the premise:
| “ | Once upon a time there was a vain queen who was so jealous of her beautiful stepdaughter, Snow White, that she poisoned her with an apple. But a handsome prince came along and broke the spell. Snow White and Prince Charming threw the wicked stepmother down a bottomless pit and lived happily ever after. But, it turns out the pit wasn't bottomless - just very deep. And now, the queen was very mad. With a spell so powerful even she couldn't control it, she put the Charmings asleep for a thousand years. She also got herself and one dwarf. Eventually they woke up. | ” |
The premise of the series' plot was that fairy tale characters Snow White and Prince Charming were magically transported to a 20th century suburb in California. Each episode shows the Charmings trying to adapt to their new life while Lillian, the wicked stepmother, and her wise cracking Magic Mirror watch from upstairs. After the first season, Caitlin O'Heaney (who portrayed Snow White), was replaced by Carol Huston.
After mild success as part of ABC's Friday night lineup, the series was moved to Thursday nights for its second season, in a head to head battle with NBC's The Cosby Show. Due to low ratings, the series was canceled after twenty episodes. One episode remains unaired in the US, though it was shown during the show's run in the UK.
[edit] Characters
- Snow White
- Played by Caitlin O'Heaney (1987) and Carol Huston (1987-1988).
- Prince Eric Charming
- Played by Christopher Rich.
- Thomas and Cory Charming
- The two Charming children. Played by Brandon Call and Garette Ratliff Henson.
- Queen Lillian White
- The wicked stepmother. Played by Judy Parfitt.
- Luther
- Lillian's dwarf. Played by Cork Hubbert.
- The Magic Mirror
- Played by Paul Winfield.
- Don "King of Carpets" Miller and Sally Miller
- The Charmings' neighbors who found their new neighbors' penchant for medieval fairy tale style odd but never figured out they were the real Prince Charming and Snow White. Played by Paul Eiding and Dori Brenner.
[edit] Episode list
[edit] Season 1 (1987)
| № | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Charmings" (Pilot) | 1987 March 20 |
| 2 | "The Mirror Cracked" | 1987 March 27 |
| 3 | "Modern Romance" | 1987 April 3 |
| 4 | "The Charmings Buy a Car" | 1987 April 10 |
| 5 | "The Incredible Shrinking Prince" | 1987 April 17 |
| 6 | "An 80's Kind of Prince" | 1987 April 17 |
[edit] Season 2 (1987-1988)
| № | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | "Lillian Loses the Kids" | 1987 September 17 |
| 8 | "The Charmings Go Plastic" | 1987 September 24 |
| 9 | "The Witch Is of Van Oaks" | 1987 October 1 |
| 10 | "The Fish Story" | 1987 October 8 |
| 11 | "Cindy's Back in Town" | 1987 October 15 |
| 12 | "A Charming Halloween" | 1987 October 29 |
| 13 | "Trading Places" | 1987 November 12 |
| 14 | "Lillian Loses Her Powers" | 1987 November 19 |
| 15 | "The Charmings and the Beanstalk" | 1987 November 26 |
| 16 | "Yes, Lillian, There Really Is a Santa Claus" | 1987 December 17 |
| 17 | "The Charmings Get Robbed" | 1988 January 7 |
| 18 | "Birth of a Salesman" | 1988 January 14 |
| 19 | "The Man Who Came to Dinner" | 1988 January 21 |
| 20 | "The Woman of His Dreams" | 1988 February 11 |
| 21 | "Lillian's Protege" | (Unaired) |
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Emmy Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/Video Control for a Series | Warren Cress, Ross Harmon, Charles T. Henry, Bud Holland, Stephen A. Jones, Art LaCombe, Bill Scott, and Dave Smith (For episode "The Incredible Shrinking Prince") |
| Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Series | Betsey Potter (For episode "Modern Romance") | |||
| 1988 | Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/Video Control for a Series | Warren Cress, Ross Harmon, Charles T. Henry, Joe Talosi, Harriet Uhl, Dave Smith, and Dale Walsh (For episode "Trading Places") | ||
| Won | Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series | Mark Buxbaum (For episode "The Witch Is of Van Oaks") | ||
| 1988 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor in a Television Comedy Series | Brandon Call |
[edit] External links
Categories:
- 1987 television series debuts
- 1988 television series endings
- 1980s American television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- American television sitcoms
- English-language television series
- Fantasy television series
- Snow White adaptations
- Television shows set in California
- Television series by Sony Pictures Television
