ONE SEASON WONDERS: Phenom

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a show that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at Phenom!

PHENOM

September 14, 1993 - May 10, 1994
22 episodes
ABC

Starring: Judith Light, Angela Goethals, Ashley Johnson, Todd Louiso, Jennifer Lien, William Devane

Created by: Dick Blasucci & Marc Flanagan & Sam Simon

Plot: Angela Doolan (Goethals) is a 15 year old tennis prodigy trying to manage being a teen with being an athletic superstar with help from her mother, Dianne (Light) and new coach Lou Della Rosa (Devane). Rounding out the main cast are Angela's siblings, Brian and Mary Margaret (Louiso & Johnson).

Brief Pilot Review:

Phenom had an interesting premise. I'm pretty sure it's the only show in TV history that focused on a tennis prodigy and it naturally lent itself to a different background for a teen/family sitcom. As a tennis fan, I wanted to like the pilot but there's a big problem. The aforementioned prodigy may be playing a tennis star, but she's not a good actress. Angela Goethals had so many moments that rang false. Not once did I believe she was really passionate about tennis or staying with her family, the conflict at the center of the pilot. And she also had a pretty horrific scene where she nervously talked to a boy at a party. Even her reactions at the ends of scenes were not done well.

It's too bad because the rest of the cast was pretty solid. Judith Light was a steadying presence though it was a little weird seeing her call her daughter Angela after she's best known for being a character named Angela in Who's the Boss? The real scene-stealer was William Devane. His part could have been a caricature and played very obnoxiously but Devane grounded it with a believable and charismatic performance. Ashley Johnson and Todd Louiso got a couple good lines off too though the studio audience was obnoxious in their reaction to Johnson. The writing was alright but this was such a premise heavy pilot, I feel like I don't know that much how future episodes would look after watching this pilot. It was all a setup of things to come.

What Went Wrong:

Phenom is an interesting case because there aren't many obvious reasons why it was cancelled after just one season. It was an expensive show to produce. It was reported to cost $850,000 an episode, second only among sitcoms behind top-rated and lead-out Roseanne at $900,000. A large reason for that was the salaries of top talent Judith Light and William Devane. The show also had some drama behind the scenes before it premiered. Devane wanted to have top billing or share top billing with Light but producers disagreed, believing giving Light top billing alone would appeal to their intended audience more. As a result, Devane refused to be billed at all and though he appears in the credits himself, his name does not.

Phenom was given one of the best slots on TV, between Full House and Roseanne on Tuesday nights. Reviews were mixed with critics generally praising Devane's performance while criticizing the banality of the rest of the show. It aired a full season in its prized timeslot but was cancelled at the end of the season. Usually when that happens, it's because it is losing too much of its lead-in but that wasn't the case here. It was holding onto 95% of the Full House audience. The creators were surprised by the cancellation, telling the LA Times it was "a complete mystery." There were reports that ABC wasn't happy with the show creatively but even then, it's surprising they didn't try it in another slot. ABC replaced it with a sitcom they owned, Me and the Boys, which was also a one and done show.

Tomorrow: A look at Season Seven (Part 1) of Perfect Strangers!

Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at The Trouble With Larry!