Jump to content

Army Wives

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.21.80.120 (talk) at 02:09, 23 November 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the 1944 film, see Army Wives (1944 film).
Army Wives
File:Army Wives main cast.jpg
Catherine Bell, Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh and Wendy Davis as the Army Wives cast
Created byKatherine Fugate
Starring
Theme music composerMarc Fantini
Steffan Fantini
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes104 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMark Gordon
Marshall Persinger
Jeff Melvoin
Katherine Fugate
Dee Johnson
Harry V. Bring
Nick Thiel
Deborah Spera
ProducersCynthia Cohen
Karen Maser
John E. Pogue
Production locationCharleston, South Carolina
EditorBriana London
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesABC Studios
The Mark Gordon Company
Original release
NetworkLifetime
ReleaseJune 3, 2007 (2007-06-03) –
present

Army Wives is an American drama series that follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an Army husband whose wife is in the Army. The series, shot at ABC Studios, premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007. The show had the largest series premiere in Lifetime's 23-year history, and the largest viewership in the 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm time slot since December for Lifetime.[1] It received favorable reviews and several award nominations, winning five ASCAP Awards and one Gracie Allen Award.

Army Wives aired its sixth season, consisting of 23 episodes, which premiered March 4, 2012. At first Lifetime ordered 13 episodes and then ordered an additional 10 episodes in November 2011. The remaining 10 episodes began airing June 24, 2012, after a five-week hiatus. The sixth season finale was September 9, 2012.

On September 21, 2012, the show was picked up for a thirteen episode seventh season to air in 2013. [2] At this time, it is uncertain which cast members will return. Only Catherine Bell and Kelli Williams have contracts beyond Season 6. According to Deadline.com, Kim Delaney, who did not appear in the final few episodes of Season 6, is unlikely to return.[3]

Overview

Main article: List of Army Wives episodes

Based on the non-fiction book originally titled Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives, by Tanya Biank, the series is set at fictional Fort Marshall, at the old Charleston Naval Base, in North Charleston, South Carolina, home to the also fictional 23rd Airborne Division. The show itself is filmed in various locations such as the Charleston Air Force Base and the sound stage off Dorchester Road in the City of North Charleston. Some scenes have been shot in and around the City of Charleston. Fort Marshall is presumably based on the actual 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg.

In the pilot episode of Army Wives, "A Tribe is Born", Roxy (Sally Pressman) impetuously decides to marry Private First Class Trevor LeBlanc (Drew Fuller) and moves with her two children to his Army post. Floundering in her new life as an Army wife, she takes a job as a bartender at a local joint known for being a Jody bar (where civilian men go to hit on enlisted men's wives). While on the post, Roxy meets Claudia Joy Holden (Kim Delaney), who believes that her husband Col. Michael Holden's (Brian McNamara) recently missed out on a promotion because of base politics. Another Army wife, Pamela Moran (Brigid Brannagh), is pregnant with twins; she is secretly acting as a surrogate to get her family out of debt. Pamela's husband Chase (Jeremy Davidson ) is a non-commissioned officer assigned to the highly secretive and often deployed special operations unit Delta Force. Meanwhile, psychiatrist Roland Burton (Sterling K. Brown) is trying to reconnect with his wife, Lieutenant Colonel Joan Burton (Wendy Davis), who has just returned from Afghanistan. Denise Sherwood (Catherine Bell) is dealing with her son Jeremy's anger issues and her strict husband, Major Frank Sherwood (Terry Serpico), is about to be deployed. The unlikely group bonds when Pamela unexpectedly goes into labor at Claudia Joy's wives' tea party and subsequently gives birth on the pool table in the bar where Roxy works. Not wanting everyone to know her family's dire financial situation, Pamela relies on these new friends (and Claudia Joy, who was already a good friend) to keep her surrogacy from being exposed.

As the first season progresses, the four women and Roland all become close friends. They face issues such as deployments, abuse, hostage situations, adultery, post-traumatic stress disorder, death, and prescription drug addiction.

Though the show is based on the book of the same name, and some of the characters echo their book counterparts, significant differences exist. For example, in the book, Claudia Joy loses her husband in a helicopter crash during a mission to find the remains of soldiers in Vietnam.[4]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

The characters listed have appeared in multiple seasons, or for story arcs lasting at least three episodes:

Production

Conception

Army Wives was created by Katherine Fugate, based on the book Under the Saber: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives by Tanya Biank. Fugate told she received the book from The Mark Gordon Company and first thought it was to be adapted in a movie, since she had mostly written movies during her career. She met with Deborah Spera, the president of The Mark Gordon Company, and pitched a film adaptation of the book, which would begin and end with a murder. They presented the series to ABC and then to Lifetime.[5] Fugate commented on the book: "I read that book, and it was very traumatic and very difficult, but it also opened the gates of a military post. We drive by them all the time, but we don't know what goes on inside".[6]

Fugate expressed her desire that the show remains accurate: "It's extremely important that I portray them accurately. I have great admiration for the wives. It's the last untold story, about how they maintain relationships and how they are single mothers much of the time. That story is why I created the series."[7] The cast and crew have visited the army installations at Fort Bragg and Fort Belvoir and talked to army wives.[8] The Department of Defense lent Black hawk helicopters and humvees used in production.[9]

Principal photography takes place in Charleston on an old Navy base, on stages, and in the city itself.[10]

Production team

Army Wives is produced by The Mark Gordon Company in association with ABC Studios. In December 2006, Samantha Corbin-Miller was named executive producer/showrunner of the show, which was at the time in development.[11] However, by March 2007, it was announced that she had left the then upcoming series, being replaced by Jeff Melvoin. In August 2007, Dee Johnson took over the Army Wives for Melvoin, becoming the third showrunner.[12] She departed in March 2008, while Nick Thiel came aboard.[13] In August 2008, series' creator Katherine Fugate also left, stating: "With the show [being] such an established hit, now seems like a logical time for me to step away and focus on developing new projects."[14] Melvoin returned in 2009 and has been the showrunner since then.[15]

Each script is supervised by two advisers from the Army.[7] Tanya Biank, whose book inspired the series, serves as a military consultant on every episode. Lt. Colonel Todd Breassealle has also been enlisted to provide insight on the military life.[8] Cast member Brian McNamara (Michael Holden) has directed several webisodes and two full episodes, the tenth episode of the fifth season and the eleventh episode of the sixth season.[16][17]

Spin-off pilot

In September 2009, a survey to see which character should get its own spin-off was posted on Lifetime's Army Wives blog with Pamela Moran being one of the most chosen characters.[18] On June 13, 2010, Deadline.com reported that Lifetime was pursuing a spin-off procedural drama television series for Army Wives featuring Brigid Brannagh's character, police officer Pamela Moran.[18] It was reported that an episode of the fourth season would serve as a backdoor pilot for the proposed spin-off.[18] The seventeenth episode of the season entitled "Murder in Charleston" served as the backdoor pilot, airing on August 15, 2010. Written by Bruce Zimmerman and T.D. Mitchell, the episode sees Moran teaming up with detective Gina Holt (Gabrielle Union) on a murder that is related to a case she has been working on for the past three years in Atlanta. At the end of the episode, Holt tells Moran that she should take a detective's exam and to look for her if she is in Atlanta.[19] In September 2010, however, Lifetime did not pick up the project to series.[20]

Reception

Critical response

Army Wives holds a score of 65 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on fifteen reviews for the first season.[21] Writing for Cinema Blend, Kelly West found the series positively portrays real army wives through its main characters who are "all strong women with a good sense of the importance of friendship, love and appreciating the time they have with their husbands, who are often being deployed overseas for months or longer." She described the series as "engaging", adding: "As a drama about the bonds of friendship and the importance of family, Army Wives works. Is it a total chick show? Yeah, I’d say so. It gets a bit soapy but overall, it’s well written, the premise is original and the acting is good."[22] New York Post's columnist Linda Stasi gave Army Wives three-and-a-half out of four stars, referring to it as a "sexy, smart, compelling series", and also lauded the acting and the writing.[23] The Chicago Tribune praised Lifetime for tackling the topic of war through Army Wives as the effects it has on the families "are dealt with in a surprisingly straightforward manner."[24] Reviewing the premiere, Michelle Hewitson of the New Zealand Herald wrote "Anything with 'wives' in the title must mean cat fights. Anything with 'Army' in the title must mean some musing on the cost of war."[25] Brian Lowry of Variety was less enthusiastic upon the first episodes, describing Army Wives as "a stereotypical sudser that wants to be From Here to Eternity but feels like All My Children: Military Edition."[26] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Rob Owen was negative about the show's storylines as they "leave talented actors in their wake" and described them "uninspired" and "unimaginative". He also wrote that the show's format reminds the home-front portion of The Unit.[27]

After the first season aired, French newspaper Le Monde wrote: "Army Wives is a TV series that smells resignation. At no time do those wives rebel, at no time do they think of stopping carrying their cross, at no time do they consider abandoning the tradition that rules their lives. Ultimately, Army Wives betrays a wound that is deeper than we think: America has lost the war, but doesn't dare to admit it to herself. The good ratings are a proof of this collective distress." Le Monde, noting the presence of clichés in several scenes, thought there was a potential in the screenplay and narration through showing the everyday life of women and bringing together five people, but could only observe that the characters were too caricatural despite the good acting of the actors."[28]

The Chicago Tribune called Catherine Bell who "uses her typical subtlety and grace to give an intriguing interior life to Denise Sherwood," and Kim Delaney who portrays Claudia Joy Holden "the best two things about the show" while the newspaper deemed Roxy (Sally Pressman) "the most problematic character" because she does "preposterous and downright stupid things" in the first episodes.[24] On the contrary, Rob Owen found Denise Sherwood and Claudia Joy Holden "the most passive, least interesting characters" and considered Roxy and Trevor (Drew Fuller) "the liveliest couple", adding the show "sparks to life anytime these two are on screen."[27] Michelle Hewitson of the New Zealand Herald described Roxy as "a slapper with a heart of gold".[25] Linda Stasi called Frank Sherwood, portrayed by Terry Serpico, a "rivetingly wonderful character."[23]

Ratings

The series opened its third season with 3.5 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among women 18-49, and a 1.0 rating among men 18-49. That made Wives the top-rated drama premiere in Lifetime's key demographic for 2009, though the show declined 22% among total viewers later in the year.[29]

The series opened its fifth season with a total of 4.2 million viewers up 27% from the fourth season premiere and it scored a 1.4 rating among women 18-49. The episode is Lifetime’s second most watched original season premiere among the key demos, including Women 18+ (3.0 rating) and Adults 18+ (4.0 rating), behind only the season two debut of Army Wives.[30]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipients Result Ref.
2008 ASCAP Awards Top Television Series Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon Won [31]
2008 Gracie Allen Awards Outsanding Drama Won [32]
2008 NAACP Image Awards Outsanding Actress in a Drama Series Wendy Davis Nominated [33]
2008 PRISM Awards Mental Health Depiction Award Nominated
2008 PRISM Awards Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline Wendy Davis Nominated
2009 ASCAP Awards Top Television Series Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon Won [34]
2009 NAACP Image Awards Outsanding Actress in a Drama Series Wendy Davis Nominated [35]
2010 ASCAP Awards Top Television Series Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon Won [36]
2011 ASCAP Awards Top Television Series Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon Won [37]
2011 NAACP Image Awards Outsanding Actress in a Drama Series Wendy Davis Nominated [38]
2012 ASCAP Awards Top Television Series Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon Won [39]
2012 NAMIC Vision Awards Best Drama Nominated [40]

Soundtrack

Main article: List of songs heard on Army Wives

DVD releases

Buena Vista Home Entertainment has released the first five seasons on DVD. The DVD set for the first part of the sixth season whose running time is of 559 minutes will be released on September 18, 2012.[41]

Army Wives - The Complete First Season
Set details[42] Special features[42]
  • "Have at It" With the Army Wives - A Q&A session with the cast
  • Wives On the Homefront
  • Deleted Story Line (with producer commentary)
  • Bloopers
  • Audio commentaries
  • Deleted scenes
Release dates
United States USA Canada Canada United Kingdom UK Australia Australia
June 10, 2008 N/A November 11, 2008[43]
Army Wives - The Complete Second Season
Set details[44] Special features[44]
  • Active Duty: The Cast Of Army Wives At Fort Bragg
  • Operational intelligence: Getting the Army's support
  • The tribe
  • Army Wives Gives Back
  • Deleted scenes
  • Bloopers
Release dates
United States USA Canada Canada United Kingdom UK Australia Australia
June 2, 2009 N/A N/A
Army Wives - The Complete Third Season
Set details[45] Special features[45]
  • Webisodes - Featuring Joan and Roland Burton and Jeremy Sherwood
  • Stationed in the South - Behind the scenes visit with the cast and crew
  • Army Wives Gives Back
  • Deleted scenes
  • Bloopers
Release dates
United States USA Canada Canada United Kingdom UK Australia Australia
February 9, 2010 N/A N/A
Army Wives - The Complete Fourth Season
Set details[46] Special features[46]
  • Safety first
  • Army wives get cooking
  • Military jargon
  • Deleted scenes (18)
  • Bloopers
Release dates
United States USA Canada Canada United Kingdom UK Australia Australia
December 14, 2010 N/A N/A
Army Wives - The Complete Fifth Season
Set details[47] Special features[47]
  • Hangin' At The Hump With the Cast
  • A heartfelt conversation reflecting back on the past five seasons
  • Deleted scenes (18)
  • Fun On Set: Bloopers, Babies, Ballroom And Brian McNamara
Release dates
United States USA Canada Canada United Kingdom UK Australia Australia
September 27, 2011 N/A N/A

International airings

The series began airing in Ireland on Monday, October 15, 2007, on TG4 (in English) and in New Zealand on Thursday, June 19, 2008, on TV2. The series began airing in Australia on December 1, 2008, on Channel Ten and currently on pay TV provider FOXTEL. South African network M-Net also airs the series; the second season ended on M-Net on Monday, January 5, 2009.[48] Sky Living in the United Kingdom broadcast the first three seasons. However, in February 2012, it was announced that the channel had not purchased the rights for the fourth season.[49]

The series also airs in Israel in the winter of 2008 on Yes stars Drama. In the French-speaking parts of Canada, Historia started airing the first season on January 4, 2010.[50] The series was then brought to an associated channel, Series+, and which started airing from season 1 again on November 4, 2010, on a daily basis.[51] The series began airing in the Netherlands in 2008 on NET 5, while the second season aired starting April 26, 2010.[52] In the French-speaking part of Belgium, Wallonia, the first season began airing on RTL-TVI on August 3, 2008[53] whereas the second season was shown on cable television network BeTV starting from December 26, 2008.[54] The first season and the first 13 episodes of the second were aired in the Arab world on MBC 4 while the third season began on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 on Fox Series. The series airing in Russia on FOX life and in Sweden the series is aired on TV4 Plus. In France, the show retitled American Wives was first broadcast on Monégasque channel TMC on November 27, 2008.[55] His sister channel TF1 started airing the first season on August 13, 2012.[56]

References

  1. ^ ""Wives" bow scores ratings of a Lifetime". reuters.com. 2007-06-06. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  2. ^ http://tvline.com/2012/09/21/army-wives-renewed-season-7/
  3. ^ Season 7 cast status at Deadline.com [1]
  4. ^ Google Books, Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage, page 99 Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  5. ^ Silverstein, Melissa (June 6, 2008). "Army Wives Creator Katherine Fugate Answers Questions in Advance of Sunday's Season Premiere". Women & Hollywood. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  6. ^ Kinon, Cristina (June 3, 2008). "'Army Wives' drills deep for drama". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Felicia R. Lee (June 28, 2007). "Watching Army Wives Watching 'Army Wives'". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Army-Wives-is-Back". Baseguide. baseguide.com. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  9. ^ "'Army Wives' brings home a female perspective to war". USA Today. Gannett Company. June 4, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  10. ^ "INTERVIEW: Sally Pressman (Roxy LeBlanc) from Army Wives". The TV Chick. August 28, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  11. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (December 27, 2006). "Corbin-Miller in command of Lifetime 'Army'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  12. ^ Claustro, Lisa (August 13, 2007). "Dee Johnson named the new showrunner of Lifetime's 'Army Wives'". BuddyTV. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  13. ^ Schneider, Michael (March 31, 2006). "Dee Johnson takes 'Army' leave". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  14. ^ Ausiello, Michael (August 13, 2008). "Exclusive: 'Army Wives' Creator Relieved of Duty". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  15. ^ "Military TV: Showrunner Jeff Melvoin". Deadline.com. PMC. April 17, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  16. ^ Bergmann, Caitlin (January 26, 2010). ""Army Wives" Q&A: Brian McNamara". Army Wives Blog. Lifetime. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  17. ^ "Brian McNamara on Directing Episode 10". Army Wives Blog. Lifetime. May 16, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  18. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (September 1, 2010). "'Army Wives' Spinoff Gets Green Light For Embedded Pilot & Taps Gabrielle Union". Retrieved August 6, 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "publisherDeadline.com" ignored (help)
  19. ^ Writers: Zimmerman, Bruce; Mitchell, T.D. Director: Liddi-Brown, Alison (August 15, 2010). "Murder in Charleston". Army Wives. Season 4. Episode 17. Lifetime.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 1, 2010). "CABLE NOTES: 'Memphis Beat' Looks Good For Renewal, 'Army Wives' Spinoff A No-Go, 'Facing Kate' Order Trimmed". Deadline.com. PMC. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  21. ^ "Army Wives: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  22. ^ West, Kelly (2008-06-09). "TV Review: Army Wives - Season 2". Cinema Blend. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  23. ^ a b Stasi, Linda (June 2, 2007). "SOB STORY - SOAPY 'ARMY WIVES': THREE-HANKY WEEPER". New York Post. News Corporation. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  24. ^ a b "'Army Wives' inducts viewers into a potentially interesting world". Chicago Tribune. May 31, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  25. ^ a b Hewitson, Michele (June 20, 2008). "TV review: Army Wives". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  26. ^ Lowry, Brian (May 32, 2007). "Army Wives - TV Reviews". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved August 4, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ a b Owen, Rob (May 31, 2007). "Tuned In: 'Army Wives' is soap du jour". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  28. ^ Sérisier, Pierre (July 3, 2008). "Army Wives – Une guerre de résignation". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  29. ^ "'Kendra' sets E! ratings record; 'Army Wives' drops". thrfeed.com. 2009-06-08. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  30. ^ Seidman, Robert (March 7, 2011). "'Army Wives' Season Five Premiere Averages 4.2 Million Viewers; 'Coming Home' Averages 2.7 Million". tvbythenumbers.com. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  31. ^ "ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards 2008 - Top Television Series". ASCAP. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  32. ^ "2008 Gracie Allen Winners" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  33. ^ "Winners of the 39th NAACP Image Awards" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  34. ^ "ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards 2009 - Top Television Series". ASCAP. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  35. ^ "The 40th NAACP Image Awards - Winners". naacpimageawards.net. February 12, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  36. ^ "ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards 2010 - Top Television Series". ASCAP. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  37. ^ "ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards 2011 - Top Television Series". ASCAP. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  38. ^ "The 42nd NAACP Image Awards - Television". naacpimageawards.net. March 4, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  39. ^ "ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards 2012 - Top Television Series". ASCAP. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  40. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 18th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards". PRWeb. April 3, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  41. ^ "Army Wives: Season Six, Part 1 - CompleteSeasonDVDs.com". Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  42. ^ a b "Army Wives: The Complete First Season". DVDEmpire.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  43. ^ "Army Wives - Season 1 (Complete)". EzyDVD. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  44. ^ a b "Army Wives: The Complete Second Season". DVDEmpire.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  45. ^ a b "Army Wives: The Complete Third Season". DVDEmpire.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  46. ^ a b "Army Wives: The Complete Fourth Season". DVDEmpire.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  47. ^ a b "Army Wives: The Complete Fifth Season". DVDEmpire.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  48. ^ Army Wives at mnet.co.za
  49. ^ Munn, Patrick (February 10, 2012). "Sky Living Drops Army Wives, Chuck, Private Practice and White Collar". TVWise. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  50. ^ Cloutier, Anne-Marie (January 4, 2010). "Télévision en 2010: une rentrée faste" (in French). Lapresse.ca. Retrieved August 17, 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  51. ^ En exclusivité cet automne | SÉRIES
  52. ^ Roggeveen, Herman (April 26, 2010). "Net 5 pakt de draad op met Army Wives" (in Dutch). Zappen.blog.nl. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  53. ^ Jadoulle, François (July 17, 2008). "Army Wives débarque sur RTL TVI". Serieslive (in French). Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  54. ^ Jadoulle, François (December 7, 2008). "Les (Army) Wives sont de retour sur Be TV". Serieslive (in French). Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  55. ^ Jadoulle, François (November 4, 2008). "Army Wives arrive en France sur TMC". Serieslive (in French). Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  56. ^ Cotte, Tony (July 29, 2012). "American wives remplace Grey's anatomy sur TF1". MSN Divertissements (in French). Msn.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Army Wives.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Army Wives.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Army_Wives&oldid=524440658"