ONE SEASON WONDERS: Rachel Gunn, R.N.

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. Here is a look at Rachel Gunn, R.N.!

RACHEL GUNN, R.N.

June 28, 1992 - September 4, 1992
10 episodes
FOX

Starring: Christine Ebersole, Kevin Conroy, Megan Mullally, Bryan Brightcloud, Lois Foraker, Dan Tullis Jr., Kathleen Mitchell

Created by: Katherine Green

Plot: Rachel Gunn (Ebersole) is a nurse working at a Nebraska hospital with surgeon, Dr. Dunkle (Conroy) and others. Her co-workers are also her friends, including Becky Jo (Mullally), Jeanette (Foraker) and a nun, Sister Joan (Mitchell).

Brief Pilot Review:

Before we even see Christine Ebersole (greeted with applause by the audience), we get an icky joke about Bryan Brightcloud's married character wanted to ask out a hot nurse. There were then two more sex jokes before the show hit the two minute mark and then more talk about the hot nurse so that tells you how this show started. More sexist jokes followed too with Kevin Conroy's character coming across as particularly unlikable. I guess you could say it was an equal opportunity offender though because there were also some Native American jokes too at the expense of Brightcloud's character and then jokes about the hot guy (guest star Tim Wrightman) and his hot friends who wanted to move into a duplex Rachel was renting.

The show seemed to want to present itself as a farce of sorts. The performances were big and broad, the pacing was lightning speed at times and the set-up/punchline/set-up/punchline was fast and furious. Christine Ebersole is a pro and was trying her best with the bad material. She was at least quite engaging and had a ton of energy in the title role. Megan Mullally made very little impression in a role that didn't do her any favors while Kathleen Mitchell had some good comic timing but was also hampered by the material. I can understand why the creative team thought this style and approach to the show might work since Ebersole has an extensive stage background but you can have a show that's broad and well done, this was not that.

What Went Wrong:

First things first, this was not a show that FOX had high hopes for so it's hard to knock it too much for not doing well. It was airing in the summer on a network that was still struggling to get a foothold. And airing in the summer back in the 90s was almost exclusively for burn-offs. Aside from the occasional early start for shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, there was very little original programming in the summer. Rachel Gunn, R.N. was originally developed by CBS with country star K.T. Oslin slated for the title role. Oslin left the series, feeling the character was too mean and the brassier style of the show led CBS to give it up and FOX to pick it up. 

Reviews were not kind to Rachel Gunn though some critics praised Ebersole's performance. Variety said the series had "blatant lines and tired situations" while Entertainment Weekly said "the level of humor is low, low, low." It was compared unfavorably to NBC's Nurses, a show that was not a big success with critics to begin with. Rachel aired on Sunday nights at 8:30pm after reruns of In Living Color. It was a slot where Roc had done decently during the season but airing in the summer meant very low ratings on a network that had lots of shows with low ratings. It aired seven episodes on Sundays and then three more on Fridays before going off the air for good. Ebersole did not do another series until The WB's Related in 2005.

Tomorrow: A look at Season 2 (Part 2) of Perfect Strangers!

Weds, Jan 5: A One Season Wonder look at Julie!