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Steve Arino
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Hello Everyone,
To continue my General Discussion of every TV show ever made and distributed by The Walt Disney Company, I'd like to start a General Discussion on a critically acclaimed, yet short-lived early '90s sitcom that originally aired on the then-infant FOX Television Network: "True Colors," one of many 20th Century Fox film and TV properties now owned by Disney as of 2019 for All Eternity.
Created by Michael Weithorn (futurely the creator of "The King of Queens"), "True Colors" originally aired on FOX from September 2, 1990 - April 12, 1992.
Spanning 2 seasons of 45 half-hour episodes, "True Colors" starred Cleavon Little (fresh from the success of the '70s Mel Brooks/Warner Bros. Pictures film "Blazing Saddles") as Dr. Ron Freeman, a Baltimore widower who, at the start of the series, met and fell in love with one of his Dental patients: Ellen Bower Davis (Stephanie Faracy), a Caucasian divorcee who worked as a Kindergarten teacher.
Ellen and Ron married sometime before the series premiere episode, combining their family unit in an interracial marriage (in an era when this was uncommon) that combined 3 teenagers: the African-American Ron was a widower parent of 2 teenage boys: 17-year-old Terry (Claude Brooks), a rising Conservative Yuppie who eventually attended college in Season 2 at fictional Marshall State University; and 13-year-old Lester (Adam Jeffries), the house's Resident Schemer. The Caucasian Ellen, meanwhile, was a divorcee parent of 15-year-old Katie (Brigid Brannagh, futurely of the Lifetime Network series "Army Wives").
Rounding out the cast was TV veteran Nancy Walker (formerly of the hit '70s MTM Enterprises series "Rhoda," spun off from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") as Ellen's presumably widowed mother, Sara Bower, who subsequently became step-Grandma to Terry and Lester in addition to being Katie's Natural Grandma.
Though never a big ratings hit like fellow FOX Network sitcom "Married With Children," "True Colors" was cancelled after 2 seasons not due to poor ratings, but because of Cancer: specifically, Nancy Walker had been diagnosed with Lung Cancer shortly after the series began, and died at age 69 in March 1992, weeks after taping the Season 2 finale, with the episode airing Posthumously after Nancy passed away; likewise, shortly afterwards, Cleavon Little, age 53, was diagnosed with Colon Cancer and eventually died himself in October 1992.
Personally, as a new fan of the show, I thought "True Colors" was Hysterically Funny, and it's sad that Cancer not only killed Cleavon and Nancy, but also the series; the show ended rather than have Nancy and Cleavon either killed off or replaced with different actors in their parts (though technically, Cleavon had earlier replaced Frankie Faison, who left midway through the 2nd season).
Nevertheless, I frankly thought "True Colors" deserved more than 2 seasons on FOX, but hey, thanks to YouTube, I now have all 45 half-hour episodes to enjoy.
"True Colors" was produced by Hanley Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and Distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
To continue my General Discussion of every TV show ever made and distributed by The Walt Disney Company, I'd like to start a General Discussion on a critically acclaimed, yet short-lived early '90s sitcom that originally aired on the then-infant FOX Television Network: "True Colors," one of many 20th Century Fox film and TV properties now owned by Disney as of 2019 for All Eternity.
Created by Michael Weithorn (futurely the creator of "The King of Queens"), "True Colors" originally aired on FOX from September 2, 1990 - April 12, 1992.
Spanning 2 seasons of 45 half-hour episodes, "True Colors" starred Cleavon Little (fresh from the success of the '70s Mel Brooks/Warner Bros. Pictures film "Blazing Saddles") as Dr. Ron Freeman, a Baltimore widower who, at the start of the series, met and fell in love with one of his Dental patients: Ellen Bower Davis (Stephanie Faracy), a Caucasian divorcee who worked as a Kindergarten teacher.
Ellen and Ron married sometime before the series premiere episode, combining their family unit in an interracial marriage (in an era when this was uncommon) that combined 3 teenagers: the African-American Ron was a widower parent of 2 teenage boys: 17-year-old Terry (Claude Brooks), a rising Conservative Yuppie who eventually attended college in Season 2 at fictional Marshall State University; and 13-year-old Lester (Adam Jeffries), the house's Resident Schemer. The Caucasian Ellen, meanwhile, was a divorcee parent of 15-year-old Katie (Brigid Brannagh, futurely of the Lifetime Network series "Army Wives").
Rounding out the cast was TV veteran Nancy Walker (formerly of the hit '70s MTM Enterprises series "Rhoda," spun off from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") as Ellen's presumably widowed mother, Sara Bower, who subsequently became step-Grandma to Terry and Lester in addition to being Katie's Natural Grandma.
Though never a big ratings hit like fellow FOX Network sitcom "Married With Children," "True Colors" was cancelled after 2 seasons not due to poor ratings, but because of Cancer: specifically, Nancy Walker had been diagnosed with Lung Cancer shortly after the series began, and died at age 69 in March 1992, weeks after taping the Season 2 finale, with the episode airing Posthumously after Nancy passed away; likewise, shortly afterwards, Cleavon Little, age 53, was diagnosed with Colon Cancer and eventually died himself in October 1992.
Personally, as a new fan of the show, I thought "True Colors" was Hysterically Funny, and it's sad that Cancer not only killed Cleavon and Nancy, but also the series; the show ended rather than have Nancy and Cleavon either killed off or replaced with different actors in their parts (though technically, Cleavon had earlier replaced Frankie Faison, who left midway through the 2nd season).
Nevertheless, I frankly thought "True Colors" deserved more than 2 seasons on FOX, but hey, thanks to YouTube, I now have all 45 half-hour episodes to enjoy.
"True Colors" was produced by Hanley Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and Distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television.