ONE SEASON WONDERS: Winnetka Road

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

WINNETKA ROAD

March 12, 1994 - April 16, 1994
5 episodes
NBC

Starring: Ed Begley, Jr., Josh Brolin, Kristen Cloke, Kurt Deutsch, Catherine Hicks, Meg Tilly, Paige Turco, Richard M. Tyson, Megan Ward

Created by: John Byrum

Plot: Actress Terry Mears (Turco) and her young son flee Los Angeles because her ex-boyfriend wants their son back. She returns to her hometown of Oak Bluff, Illinois and specifically (you guessed it) Winnetka Road and encounters old and new friends, including former high school flame, Jack (Brolin) and his new girlfriend, Nicole (Ward). Others in the main cast include an estranged couple, Glenn and Jeannie (Begley Jr. & Hicks).

Brief Pilot Review:

Things sure moved slowly in little old Oak Bluff, Illinois. As easy as it is to watch comedies from decades ago, it is interesting just how dated almost every drama from before 2000 (or technically, 1999 with The Sopranos and The West Wing) seems. This was even slightly before ER, which set the pace for fast-moving dramas. Dramas in the 80s and early 90s, even classics like Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere moved at a pace that feels positively glacial at times today. The good ones can overcome it with a strong ensemble and sharp writing. The dramas that don't have that on top of an early 90s-era pacing can feel like a chore to sit through and that's what gets us to Winnetka Road. There's nothing terrible in here. It's a solid cast with some likable performances especially from Ed Begley Jr. and Catherine Hicks though there's a bizarre turn from Richard M. Tyson in a Fabio-like looking role and some really bad acting. But hey, the show seemed more interested in him being shirtless than a good actor.

The pilot puts a lot of plots in motion and does a serviceable job introducing the characters. I think this same show today would focus a whole lot more on the escape from the ex-husband and it's a little refreshing that this pilot doesn't. But there could be a happy medium between the character development this pilot has and the story-driven higher stakes feel to pilots today, even ones with family drama ambitions. Aside from my general ramblings on the evolution of TV dramas, there are also places where this show tries to be a little too quirky for its own good (such as the movie-quoting video store clerk and the blind priest). It veers a little more down the soapy road too by the end of the episode. Most of the time it feels pretty grounded though. It wasn't a favorite of mine but I don't think I'm rejecting it for the same reasons people in 1994 did.

What Went Wrong:

Winnetka Road was not a high priority for NBC when it premiered in March 1994 even though it came from Spelling Television and Aaron Spelling was a mega-producer. Back then, a show that premiered late in midseason were usually the afterthoughts from networks as there was no real season-round strategy. The shows with the highest hopes came on in the fall and the midseason replacements were exactly that, replacements. It was also dumped on Saturdays, a night where NBC used to have some clout but was struggling in 1994. It replaced Sisters, a show that had critical acclaim but not a mass audience. Interestingly, Sisters is set in a town called Winnetka but there was no discernable connection between the two shows other than that.

Winnetka Road received mixed reviews when it debuted. Variety called it "familiar" and said "this bunch seems pretty thin-blooded' when it comes to all the problems that they would inevitably face in a primetime soap. However, TV Guide praised the performances and Entertainment Weekly called it "promising" but said it needed an "obvious villain" which Spelling's Melrose Place had learned by adding Heather Locklear to the cast. Winnetka Road aired five of its six episodes on Saturdays before it was pulled and Sisters came back to the lineup. The drama was quickly forgotten though stars such as Josh Brolin have obviously gone on to more success. And Catherine Hicks and Ed Begley, Jr. were reunited in 7th Heaven with Hicks as a regular and Begley Jr. as a recurring character.

Tomorrow: A look at Season 1 of Happy Days!

Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at South Central!