HeartBeat (1988 TV series)

HeartBeat is an American medical drama television series that premiered on ABC on March 23, 1988, and ran for two seasons.[1]

This article is about the 1988 ABC series. For the 1992 ITV series, see Heartbeat (UK TV series). For the 2016 NBC series, see Heartbeat (2016 TV series).
HeartBeat
HeartBeat title card
GenreMedical drama
Created bySara Davidson
Starring
Theme music composerKen Harrison
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producers
ProducerGeorge Eckstein
Running time48 mins.
Production companyAaron Spelling Productions
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseMarch 23, 1988 (1988-03-23) –
April 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)

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

Recurring

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 (OBGYN), the clinic's founder, served as a model for the character played by Kate Mulgrew.[2]

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.[3][4][5] The show won GLAAD’s first Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1990, which it shared with L.A. Law.[5] However, in his autobiography, Aaron Spelling stated that ABC demanded a scene in which Marilyn had a scene where she dances with Patty to be cut.[6]

Release

Broadcast

HeartBeat debuted on Wednesday, March 23, 1988, at 9 p.m. (Eastern) as a special two-hour pilot; moving to its regular broadcast time of 10 p.m. the following week. For the second season, the schedule was changed to Thursday at 10:00 p.m. This programming made it compete with L.A. Law, one of the most popular series at the time. HeartBeat did not perform well in the ratings and was canceled at the end of its second season. The series finale aired on April 6, 1989.[1]

Episodes

Season 1 (1988)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Pilot"Harry WinerSara DavidsonMarch 23, 1988 (1988-03-23)
22"Where's Solomon When You Need Him?"Gene ReynoldsWilliam A. SchwartzMarch 30, 1988 (1988-03-30)
33"Two Out of Six"Gene ReynoldsWilliam A. SchwartzApril 6, 1988 (1988-04-06)
44"Cory's Loss"Gene ReynoldsSara Davidson & William A. SchwartzApril 13, 1988 (1988-04-13)
55"To Heal a Doctor"Dale WhiteWilliam A. Schwartz & Sara DavidsonApril 20, 1988 (1988-04-20)
66"The Wedding"Gene ReynoldsDan WakefieldApril 21, 1988 (1988-04-21)

Season 2 (1989)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
71"Paradise Lost"Bill DukeSara Davidson & Frederick RappaportJanuary 5, 1989 (1989-01-05)N/A
82"Bivouac Babies"Michael FrescoSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, William A. Schwartz, Doug Steinberg, Joe ViolaJanuary 12, 1989 (1989-01-12)N/A
93"Critical Overload"Reza BadiyiSara Davidson & Carol MendelsohnJanuary 19, 1989 (1989-01-19)N/A
104"Stress"Nancy MaloneSara Davidson & Robert HardersJanuary 26, 1989 (1989-01-26)N/A
115"Baby, Maybe"Robert BeckerSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug SteinbergFebruary 2, 1989 (1989-02-02)N/A
126"Prison"Al WaxmanSara Davidson & Robert HardersFebruary 9, 1989 (1989-02-09)N/A
137"South and a Little to the Right of Eden"Kim FriedmanSara Davidson, William A. Schwartz, Doug SteinbergFebruary 16, 1989 (1989-02-16)N/A
148"Last Tango"Helaine HeadSara Davidson & Doris SilvertonFebruary 23, 1989 (1989-02-23)N/A
159"From Russia With Love"Al WaxmanSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug SteinbergMarch 2, 1989 (1989-03-02)N/A
1610"Gestalt and Battery"Gwen ArnerSara Davidson & Julie SayresMarch 9, 1989 (1989-03-09)N/A
1711"Confidentially Yours"Greg RoseSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug SteinbergMarch 16, 1989 (1989-03-16)N/A
1812"What the Inspector Saw"Robert BeckerSara Davidson, Jennie Blackton, Joanne Greenberg, Robert HardersApril 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)N/A

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.[7] The feminist content and context of HeartBeat have been studied by feminist cultural critics.

Awards and nominations

HeartBeat was nominated for the 1989 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama.[8]

It received the first-ever GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1990 (shared with L.A. Law).[9]

References
  1. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (Ninth Edition). Ballantine Books. p. 596. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  2. Ringer, Ronald Jeffrey, ed. (1994). "6. Whose Desire? Lesbian (Non)Sexuality and Television's Perpetuation of Hetero/Sexism, by Darlene M. Hantzis and Valerie Lehr". Queer Words, Queer Images: Communication and the Construction of Homosexuality (1st ed.). New York University Press. p. 107. ISBN 0-8147-7440-7.
  3. 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.
  4. Capsuto, Steven (2000). Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, 1930s to the Present (1st ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 240-242. ISBN 0-345-41243-5.
  5. Maya Salam. "The Very (Very) Slow Rise of Lesbianism on TV - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  6. Aaron Spelling : A Prime Time Life : An Autobiography (1996)
  7. Tropiano, Stephen (2002). The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV (1st ed.). Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 44-46. ISBN 1-55783-557-8.
  8. "1989 People's Choice Awards". Awards & Winners. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  9. "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.). Routledge. pp. 176–185. 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.). Open University Press. p. 108. 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.