ONE SEASON WONDERS: Princesses

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. Here is a look at Princesses!

PRINCESSES

September 27, 1991 - October 25, 1991
5 episodes
CBS

Starring: Julie Hagerty, Fran Drescher and Twiggy Larson

Created by: Barry Kemp & Mark Ganzel & Robin Schiff

Plot: Three single roommates in New York City from three very different backgrounds go through life's ups and downs. Tracy (Hagerty) has just dumped her fiance. Melissa (Drescher) is a brash cosmetics saleswoman and the newly arrived Georgy (Larson) is a recently widowed English princess.

Brief Pilot Review:

My first thoughts watching this pilot was its Fran Drescher without her iconic voice! It's a little bit jarring but this was a couple years before The Nanny and I think Drescher has exaggerated her voice ever since. This pilot was a pretty premise-heavy pilot and the first episode had a lot of plot to get through before it could become the show it was planning to be. I'm torn on if it was a good idea or not. On the one hand, I have been critical of shows that don't resemble the series at all in the pilot because it's completely misleading. But I also think they could have fumbled and rushed through the premise quickly and it wouldn't have made as much sense. I think one thing the pilot does effectively is it still gives the three women chances to interact with each other even as they get through the break up story for Tracy.

It's easy to see why Fran Drescher was a standout from this and eventually landed The Nanny. She is ready-made for sitcomland and got off some good deliveries and quips throughout the pilot. Julie Hagerty has some good moments as well. Twiggy, in her first American TV role, is not as strong as she doesn't do a lot with a character that could have some really strong moments. The wedding scene leaves some comedy on the table but mostly plays like a wedding ceremony gone awry that we've seen in tons of TV sitcoms. The final minutes of the pilot gave a glimpse of the show that was to come and the camaraderie between the women was pretty good. This pilot wasn't anything special but I think it showed flashes of being a good comedy.

What Went Wrong:

Princesses aired on Friday nights at 8pm and was paired with a very different new comedy series - the gentle, critically acclaimed Brooklyn Bridge. By comparison, Princesses had a brassier style and mixed reviews. Trying to air sitcoms on Friday nights through much of the 80s and 90s was a fool's errand unless your name was ABC and the lineup tanked from the start. Princesses ranked as CBS's lowest rated show and Brooklyn Bridge not far off from that. The network knew they wanted to protect Brooklyn with its universal acclaim so they first tried to flip the two shows but Princesses only lasted two more weeks before it was cancelled. Brooklyn Bridge meanwhile got sent to Wednesdays which was suddenly in need of a show after Redd Foxx's death derailed another newbie, The Royal Family. 

Although some critics saw promise, the show had some turmoil behind the scenes. Julie Hagerty walked off the set after four episodes and when there were some rumors that CBS was going to either cancel or re-tool the show, Fran Drescher went to CBS President Jeff Sagansky and tried to strike a deal with him to only replace Hagerty and keep the show alive. But a show with ratings that low wasn't worth saving and it was off the air after five episodes. However, Princesses is probably most notable for helping bring The Nanny to TV a couple years later. The idea was developed when Drescher visited Twiggy in England and her performance on the show and relationship with CBS led to the development of the much more successful sitcom.

Tomorrow:  A look at the first season of Perfect Strangers!

Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at Capitol Critters!