HeartBeat (1988 TV series)
HeartBeat | |
---|---|
Genre | Medical drama |
Created by | Sara Davidson |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Bill Conti |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 18 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | George Eckstein |
Running time | 48 mins. |
Production company | Aaron Spelling Productions |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | March 23, 1988 March 30, 1989 | –
HeartBeat is an American medical drama television series that premiered on ABC on March 23, 1988, and ran for two seasons.[1]
Plot
HeartBeat follows the staff of Women's Medical Arts, a medical center founded by three women who are frustrated with how women's health concerns are addressed in the male-dominated medical field.
Cast and characters
Main
- Kate Mulgrew as Dr. Joanne Springsteen/Halloran, co-founder of the clinic (the character's name was changed from Springsteen to Halloran in season 2)
- Laura Johnson as Dr. Eve Autrey/Calvert, co-founder of the clinic (the character's name was changed from Autrey to Calvert in season 2)
- Gail Strickland as Nurse Marilyn McGrath, a nurse practitioner and co-founder of the clinic
- Lynn Whitfield as Dr. Cory Banks
- Ben Masters as Dr. Leo Rosetti
- Darrell Larson as Dr. Paul Jared
- Julie Ronnie as Nurse Alice Swanson[2]
Recurring
- Gina Hecht as Patty, long-term partner of Marilyn McGrath
Development and production
The fictional Women's Medical Arts clinic was based on the Santa Monica Women's Clinic in Santa Monica, California. Dr. Karen Blanchard (
Groundbreaking lesbian content
HeartBeat was the first prime time television series in the United States to feature a recurring lesbian couple on prime-time, and a lesbian as a main character, Marilyn McGrath; she had a partner Patty, in a long-term lesbian relationship.[4][5][6] The show won GLAAD’s first Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1990, which it shared with L.A. Law.[6] However, in his autobiography, Aaron Spelling stated that ABC demanded a scene in which Marilyn dances with Patty be cut.[7]
Release
Broadcast
HeartBeat debuted on Wednesday, March 23, 1988, at 9 p.m. (
Episodes
Series overview
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 7 | March 23, 1988 | April 21, 1988 | |
2 | 12 | January 3, 1989 | March 30, 1989 |
Season 1 (1988)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Rating/share (households) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Harry Winer | Sara Davidson | March 23, 1988 | 14.7/25[8] |
2 | 2 | |||||
3 | 3 | "Where's Solomon When You Need Him?" | Gene Reynolds | William A. Schwartz | March 30, 1988 | 14.0/23[9] |
4 | 4 | "Two Out of Six" | Gene Reynolds | William A. Schwartz | April 6, 1988 | 12.3/22[10] |
5 | 5 | "Cory's Loss" | Gene Reynolds | Sara Davidson & William A. Schwartz | April 13, 1988 | 12.3/21[11] |
6 | 6 | "To Heal a Doctor" | Dale White | William A. Schwartz & Sara Davidson | April 20, 1988 | 12.4/22[12] |
7 | 7 | "The Wedding" | Gene Reynolds | Dan Wakefield | April 21, 1988 | 8.8/15[12] |
Season 2 (1989)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | Rating/share (households) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 1 | "Paradise Lost" | Bill Duke | Sara Davidson & Frederick Rappaport | January 3, 1989 | 17.3[13] | 12.7/21[13] |
8 | 2 | "Bivouac Babies" | Michael Fresco | Sara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, William A. Schwartz, Doug Steinberg, Joe Viola | January 5, 1989 | 8.3[13] | 6.7/11[13] |
9 | 3 | "Critical Overload" | Reza Badiyi | Sara Davidson & Carol Mendelsohn | January 12, 1989 | 9.4[14] | 7.0/11[14] |
10 | 4 | "Stress" | Nancy Malone | Sara Davidson & Robert Harders | January 19, 1989 | 10.1[15] | 7.1/11[15] |
11 | 5 | "Baby, Maybe" | Robert Becker | Sara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug Steinberg | January 26, 1989 | 9.4[16] | 7.2/12[16] |
12 | 6 | "Prison" | Al Waxman | Sara Davidson & Robert Harders | February 2, 1989 | 9.9[17] | 7.5/12[17] |
13 | 7 | "South and a Little to the Right of Eden" | Kim Friedman | Sara Davidson, William A. Schwartz, Doug Steinberg | February 16, 1989 | 6.9[18] | 5.6/9[18] |
14 | 8 | "Last Tango" | Helaine Head | Sara Davidson & Doris Silverton | February 23, 1989 | 6.7[19] | 5.4/9[19] |
15 | 9 | "From Russia With Love" | Al Waxman | Sara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug Steinberg | March 9, 1989 | 7.9[20] | 6.3/11[20] |
16 | 10 | "Gestalt and Battery" | Gwen Arner | Sara Davidson & Julie Sayres | March 16, 1989 | 8.2[21] | 6.3/11[21] |
17 | 11 | "Confidentially Yours" | Greg Rose | Sara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug Steinberg | March 23, 1989 | 10.8[22] | 8.1/14[22] |
18 | 12 | "What the Inspector Saw" | Robert Becker | Sara Davidson, Jennie Blackton, Joanne Greenberg, Robert Harders | March 30, 1989 | 7.3[23] | 5.2/9[23] |
Reception
HeartBeat is praised by LGBT television historians for its inclusion of Marilyn and Patty as a couple, and for their sexual orientation being treated as a non-issue. However, ABC received criticism because unlike the heterosexual characters, Marilyn and Patty were not permitted to be sexual or physically affectionate with each other.[24] The feminist content and context of HeartBeat have been studied by feminist cultural critics.
Awards and nominations
HeartBeat was nominated for the 1989
It received the first-ever GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1990 (shared with L.A. Law).[25]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ISBN 0-8147-7440-7.
- ^ Toepfer, Susan; Hutchings, David (April 25, 1988). "Is Prime Time Ready for Its First Lesbian? Gail Strickland Hopes So—and She's About to Find Out". People. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ISBN 0-345-41243-5.
- ^ a b Maya Salam (29 November 2019). "The Very (Very) Slow Rise of Lesbianism on TV - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ Aaron Spelling : A Prime Time Life : An Autobiography (1996)
- ProQuest 305993024.
- ProQuest 306060935.
- ProQuest 306023207.
- ProQuest 306035713.
- ^ ProQuest 306042628.
- ^ ProQuest 306165080.
- ^ ProQuest 306171627.
- ^ ProQuest 306147740.
- ^ ProQuest 306144802.
- ^ ProQuest 306179902.
- ^ ProQuest 306175741.
- ^ ProQuest 306152931.
- ^ ProQuest 306172200.
- ^ ProQuest 306198820.
- ^ ProQuest 306173300.
- ^ ProQuest 306171172.
- ISBN 1-55783-557-8.
- ^ "GLAAD Media Awards: 1990 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
Further reading
- Abelove, Henry; Barale, Michéle Aina; Halperin, David M., eds. (1993). "11. Television/Feminism: HeartBeat and Prime Time Lesbianism, by Sasha Torres". The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader (1st ed.). ISBN 978-0415905190.
- Carter, Cynthia; Steiner, Linda, eds. (2004). "Old Strategies for New Texts: How American Television is Creating and Treating Lesbian Characters, by Marguerite J. Moritz". Critical Readings: Media And Gender (1st ed.). ISBN 978-0335210985.
- Jamie Z. (February 25, 2014). "Your Guide to Ladies Loving Ladies on Television". House of Geekery.
- Tyer, Christopher (December 26, 2018). "Giving a 'Heartbeat' to Lesbians". About Magazine.
- HeartBeat at TotallyKate.com.
External links
- HeartBeat at the BFI Film & TV Database
- HeartBeat at IMDb
- HeartBeat at epguides.com
- HeartBeat at TV Guide