Lifestories: Difference between revisions

*Lifestories*
Lifestories
Genre	Medical drama
Created by	Jeffrey Lewis
Narrated by	Robert Prosky
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
Production
Executive producer	Jeffrey Lewis
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	Jeffrey Lewis Productions; Ohlmeyer Communications Company; Orion Television Entertainment
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	August 20, 1990 –; July 14, 1991

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Revision as of 17:36, 3 December 2023

Lifestories (originally Signs of Life)^[1] is an American medical drama television series that premiered August 20, 1990, on NBC.^[2] Done in a documentary style with off-screen narration by Robert Prosky, Lifestories was an attempt to make an extremely realistic medical drama answering questions like, "What is it like to be told that you have advanced colon cancer?", and "Exactly what goes on during the first 45 minutes of a heart attack?", such as in the show's first and third episodes, starring Richard Masur as the character Don Chapin, and Michael Murphy as the character Frank Roberts, respectively.

Episodes

#	Title	Original airdate
1	"Don Chapin"	August 20, 1990 (1990-08-20)
Don Chapin (Richard Masur), an executive in the construction industry, is diagnosed with colon cancer. Lisa Banes, George Wyner, Angela Paton, Kelly Connell, Abdul Salaam El Razzac and William Frankfather guest-star.
2	"Rebecca McManus and Steve Arnold"	September 30, 1990 (1990-09-30)
Childless couple Rebecca McManus (Lindsay Crouse) and Steve Arnold (Dwight Schultz) in their 40s pursue a variety of fertility options. Jane Daly and Gerald Berns also guest-star.
3	"Frank Brody"	October 7, 1990 (1990-10-07)
Following a heart attack, efforts to save businessman and retired Naval officer Frank Brody's (Michael Murphy) life are counted, on-screen, and in real time. Susan Blakely also guest-stars.
4	"Beverly Whitestone, Dan Drabowski, Sadie Maxwell, Lois Barnes"	October 14, 1990 (1990-10-14)
Chronicling four patients--Beverly Whitestone (Nataljia Nogulich), Dan Drabowski (Larry Pine), Sadie Maxwell (Debra Stipe) and Lois Barnes (Micole Mercurio)--at a plastic surgery clinic all on the same day. Harrison Page, Cynthia Bain and Serena Viharo also guest-star.
5	"Wes, Laurie, Georgia"	October 28, 1990 (1990-10-28)
Previously extinct behavior resurfaces unexpectedly in what is described as a spontaneous recovery.
6	"Jerry Forchette"	November 4, 1990 (1990-11-04)
Exterminator Louis Giambalvo has an inoperable brain tumor hastens to clean up the wreckage of his unsavory past. Jennifer Salt, Giancarlo Esposito, Mark L. Taylor, Carol Arthur and Lisa Kudrow also guest-star.
7	"Art Conforti"	November 11, 1990 (1990-11-11)
A husband Stanley Tucci stages an intervention to save his wife Finn Carter from alcoholism. Stephen Tobolowsky and Vicki Wauchope also guest-star. Note: Wauchope's performance in this series episode garnered her a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Series nomination.
8	"The Hawkins Family"	December 2, 1990 (1990-12-02)
Parents (Chris Cooper and Wendy Phillips search for a child they gave up for adoption 15 years earlier in hopes of obtaining bone marrow for their son. Nicholas Pryor, Joanna Miles, Nicky Katt, Matthew Lawrence and Joe Howard also guest-star.
9	"Steve Burdick"	December 18, 1990 (1990-12-18)
Gay TV anchorman Steve Burdick (D.W. Moffett) loses his lover to AIDS and is HIV-positive himself. He tells their story on the air. Joyce Hyser, Wayne Tippit, Mitchell Laurance and Juanita Jennings also guest-star. Note: this episode of the series won the 1991 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Episode.
10	"Krystal Baker"	December 21, 1990 (1990-12-21)
A teenage girl discovers that she is pregnant.
11	"Darryl Tevis"	July 14, 1991 (1991-07-14)
A high school basketball player (Don Barnes) suffers a stroke. CCH Pounder, Tim Russ, J. Kenneth Campbell, Nigel Gibbs, Abdul Salaam El Razzac, Montrose Hagins and Joe Howard also guest-star.

"Steve Burdick" controversy

"Steve Burdick" was originally scheduled to air on December 2, 1990.^[3] Had it aired on that date it would have been one of several programs relating to AIDS airing in early December, which has been designated as World AIDS Month (December 1 being World AIDS Day).^[4] Gay and AIDS activists accused NBC of pulling the episode out of fear of advertiser backlash, a charge that NBC denied.^[5] A network spokesperson also denied that network schedulers were aware of World AIDS Month and, in a perhaps unfortunate choice of phrase, characterized the decision to pull the episode as a "straight programming decision".^[6] Series producer Jeffrey Lewis also believed there was an economic motive, saying "I suspect a show about AIDS would not be popular with advertisers — particularly (when it focused on) a gay person with AIDS."^[6] NBC changed Lifestories from a weekly series to a monthly one in December and on December 5 confirmed that "Steve Burdick" would be the first of the monthly episodes aired.^[5]

Notes

^ "NBC Revamps Schedule for Next Season : Television: The No. 1 network admits that it is vulnerable after all of the series it introduced last fall failed". Los Angeles Times. 1990-05-22. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
^ Rosenberg, Howard (August 20, 1990). "An Early Fall - Television: NBC will introduce five new series this week. 'Hull High' and 'Lifestories' offer a bizarre pairing tonight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
^ Weinstein, Steve (November 20, 1990). "NBC Pulls AIDS-Themed 'Lifestories'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
^ Brenner, Elisa (1992-12-06). "Changing Face of AIDS in the County". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
^ ^a ^b Knight-Ridder Service (1990-12-10). "Hunter's Partner Killed". Aiken (SC) Standard. p. 4A.
^ ^a ^b The Hartford Courant (1990-12-18). "NBC series takes close look at AIDS case". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. B-8.

References

Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh (2003). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (8th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 687. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.

External links

Lifestories at IMDb

This article relating to a drama television series in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "NBC Revamps Schedule for Next Season : Television: The No. 1 network admits that it is vulnerable after all of the series it introduced last fall failed". Los Angeles Times. 1990-05-22. Retrieved 2021-09-04.

[2] Rosenberg, Howard (August 20, 1990). "An Early Fall - Television: NBC will introduce five new series this week. 'Hull High' and 'Lifestories' offer a bizarre pairing tonight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-11-06.

[3] Weinstein, Steve (November 20, 1990). "NBC Pulls AIDS-Themed 'Lifestories'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-11-06.

[4] Brenner, Elisa (1992-12-06). "Changing Face of AIDS in the County". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-12.

[aiken-5] Knight-Ridder Service (1990-12-10). "Hunter's Partner Killed". Aiken (SC) Standard. p. 4A.

[courant-6] The Hartford Courant (1990-12-18). "NBC series takes close look at AIDS case". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. B-8.

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@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
  |Title=Rebecca McManus and Steve Arnold
  |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1990|9|30}}
- |ShortSummary=Childless couple Rebecca McManus ([[Lindsay Crouse]]) and Steve Arnold ([[Dwight Schultz]]) in their 40s pursue a variety of fertility options. [Jane Daly]] and Gerald Berns also guest-star.
+ |ShortSummary=Childless couple Rebecca McManus ([[Lindsay Crouse]]) and Steve Arnold ([[Dwight Schultz]]) in their 40s pursue a variety of fertility options. [[Jane Daly]] and Gerald Berns also guest-star.
 }}
 {{Episode list