ONE SEASON WONDERS: First Time Out

On Wednesday, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at First Time Out!

FIRST TIME OUT

September 10, 1995 - December 17, 1995
12 episodes
WB

Starring: Jackie Guerra, Mia Cottet, with Leah Remini and Craig Anton, Tracy Vilar, Roxanne Beckford
Created by: Shawn Schepps & Diane Wilk

Plot: Jackie (Guerra) is an owner of a trendy salon in Los Angeles who attends law school classes at night and longs to find both a more fulfilling career as well as a man. She lives with roommates Susan (Cottet) and Dominique (Remini) and also deals with childhood friend Nathan (Anton).

Brief Pilot Review:
This was an early show for the WB as it had only been a network for less than a year when First Time Out premiered. They were trying to get the pulse of their audience and this was billed as the first network sitcom to star a Latina with an actress they thought was an up and comer, Jackie Geurra. Although progressive in a sense with its star, the opening scene does make fun of a character with something similar to Tourettes so there's that. It's interesting that this was only a few years before The King of Queens and yet Leah Remini seems so much younger here. 

Jackie Guerra is a decent personality so I can see what the WB saw in her although she was never able to really find success (her Wikipedia entry says she is best known for this show). It was also nice that in a 90s show, the pilot episode didn't make joke after joke about Guerra's weight. They dealt with the topic, specifically with her ex, but otherwise they let her character be so much more than that and that was certainly not a guarantee for a 1995 sitcom. There was a nice camaraderie between Guerra, Cottet and Remini although Craig Anton was pretty annoying. It was a serviceable sitcom.

What Went Wrong:

The WB was only a few months old in the Fall of 1995. The 1995-96 season was its first full season and they only had two nights a week of programming. There was a lineup of mostly returning shows on Wednesdays and a lineup of mostly new shows on Sundays. First Time Out was at the end of the stretch of new Sunday shows that also included titles like Kirk Cameron's Kirk, Simon and Cleghorne! The WB tried to garner some publicity with its Latina lead, but they just didn't have the resources or affiliates for any of their new shows to break through. Fellow newbie network UPN at least had Star Trek: Voyager. 

Reviews were mixed for First Time Out with general goodwill for Jackie Guerra. Variety called it "promising" and a "cross between Ellen and Living Single." Things were instantly bad for the WB lineup and they shuffled their lineup just a month into the season. The biggest problem was the critically panned sitcom Simon so that was pushed to the end of the night at 9:30pm while First Time Out slid up half an hour to 9pm. By the end of December, the WB had cancelled Cleghorne! and First Time Out while Simon limped around for another couple months. The WB finally found their first buzzy show that midseason with the drama Savannah, which paved the way for their very buzzy dramas later in the decade. While Leah Remini of course found much more success, Jackie Guerra was never able to break through though she has continued to hit the comedy circuit.

Tomorrow: A look at Season 9 (Part 1) of Happy Days!

Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at Dangerous Minds!