ONE SEASON WONDERS: Camp Wilder

For my One Season Wonder this week, I'm taking a look at Camp Wilder!

CAMP WILDER

September 18, 1992 - February 26, 1993
19 episodes
ABC

Starring: Mary Page Keller, Jerry O'Connell, Jay Mohr, Meghann Haldeman, Hilary Swank, Margaret Langrick, Tina Majorino

Created by: Matthew Carlson

Plot: Ricky Wilder (Keller) is a nurse and single mother to six year old Sophie (Majorino). She returns home to take care of her younger siblings, Brody and Melissa (O'Connell & Haldeman) after the death of their parents. Rounding out the main cast are Brody's best friend, Dorfman (Mohr), and Melissa's friends Beth and Danielle (Langrick & Swank).

Brief Pilot Review:

In case you didn't have a synopsis handy, the show tells you right away about everyone's relationships in the show through the credits with titles like "sister" or "other best friend." This episode does not delve too much into the setup to the series, that would have been more sad and more suited to a drama (which was basically done a couple years later on Party of Five). It picks up a little bit later and instead spends an inordinate amount of time talking about the movie Thelma and Louise, which was perhaps even a bit dated back in 1992 considering the movie was over a year old at that point. All that being said, I think the show did a nice job of establishing the plot and relationships of the characters with a story that felt appropriate to establish the premise without being too premise-oriented.

This show was full of future stars as Jerry O'Connell, Jay Mohr, Hilary Swank and Tina Majorino have all gone on to have pretty successful careers (as did the recurring Jared Leto, who was not in the pilot). With that many future stars, this really should have been a better show. Instead, it all plays as very formulaic. This was a show that was intended to be a slightly more mature show for TGIF with older kids but it all played everything awfully safe and predictable and none of the ensemble kids really stood out. At the time, Mary Page Keller was a bigger name than the kids and she was serviceable but was basically playing a standard "sitcom mom" role even as the older sister. There were no clever moments or funny sight gags, it was just plain and ordinary to a fault.

What Went Wrong:

By the Fall of 1992, ABC had firmly established its TGIF brand. The block wasn't a smash hit lineup in the ratings like they heyday of NBC's Must See TV lineups. But it was a very consistent performing night that performed exceptionally well with the younger demographics. Family Matters was firmly established as the lead-off show and ABC found another new hit the previous season in Step by Step, which followed at 8:30pm. The 9pm anchor had been Perfect Strangers for a long time but that show was nearing the end of its run and Dinosaurs took over the 9pm slot in the Spring of 1992. And then joining that hour in the fall was Camp Wilder. Part of the problem was Dinosaurs was an odd show to put in the mix. It was not much like the other three shows that surrounded it and it provided Camp Wilder with a weak lead-in. 

Camp Wilder underwent some behind the scenes casting changes as well as a title change (it was originally called Camp Bicknell) and critics did not get to see the series before it premiered, which is never a good sign. Once they did get to see the show, they were not too kind with Entertainment Weekly calling it the season's "most uselessly complicated premise." Camp Wilder lasted into February but was then cancelled. Dinosaurs was pulled from the night too in favor of new shows Getting By and Where I Live. They didn't work either but ABC did find another piece to the TGIF puzzle in Fall 1993 with Boy Meets World. And of course, many members of the cast of Wilder have gone on to have successful careers on TV and in film.

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

Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at Covington Cross!