Hearts Afire
Hearts Afire is an American sitcom television series created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, starring John Ritter and Markie Post that aired on CBS from September 14, 1992, to February 1, 1995. The series' title is taken from a line in the Earth, Wind & Fire song "That's the Way of the World" (which originally served as the series' theme song).
| Hearts Afire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Bruce Miller |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 54 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Production companies | Bloodworth-Thomason Mozark Productions Adam Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 14, 1992 – February 1, 1995 |
Series premise
Described by CBS as a "politically topical series" and created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason, the show starred John Ritter and Markie Post playing John Hartman and Georgie Anne Lahti, respectively. Supporting actors included Billy Bob Thornton and Ed Asner. The show was set in Washington, D.C., and centered on a conservative senator's aide (Ritter) and a liberal political reporter (Post) whose professional disagreements masked a growing attraction for one another. Other costars on the show included George Gaynes, Beth Broderick, and Wendie Jo Sperber. The series was itself a satire on current affairs in Washington, D.C.
John and Georgie Anne married near the end of the first season. In the second season, the show abruptly changed its setting to the Southern town where John grew up; he returned to take over the town's failing newspaper, accompanied by Georgie Anne and his two children from a previous marriage. Some of the supporting characters made the move as well, while others were discarded and replaced with new ones.
Cast
- John Hartman (portrayed by John Ritter)
- Georgie Anne Lahti (portrayed by Markie Post)
- Billy Bob Davis (portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton)
Cameos
- Hugh E. Rodham, father of the incoming First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton, made a cameo appearance in December 1992. The producers of the series were friends of the Clintons.[1]
- Political pundit Rush Limbaugh guest-starred as himself on an April 1994 episode. That episode had the series' highest rating, finishing as the 8th-highest ranked show of the week during its original airing.
- Harry Anderson, Post's co-star on Night Court, made a cameo appearance in a March 1994 episode, portraying columnist Dave Barry as part of a crossover with Anderson's contemporary series, Dave's World.
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 23 | September 14, 1992 | March 22, 1993 | ||
| 2 | 17 | October 27, 1993 | April 25, 1994 | ||
| 3 | 14 | September 24, 1994 | February 1, 1995 | ||
Season 1 (1992–93)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 2 | 1 2 | "Bees Can Sting You, Watch Out: Parts 1 & 2" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | September 14, 1992 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Big Date" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | September 21, 1992 |
| 4 | 4 | "Three Men and a Bed" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | September 28, 1992 |
| 5 | 5 | "John's Stallion" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | October 5, 1992 |
| 6 | 6 | "First Time" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | October 12, 1992 |
| 7 | 7 | "Significant Others" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | October 26, 1992 |
| 8 | 8 | "Everybody Loves My Baby" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | November 9, 1992 |
| 9 | 9 | "Conversations with My Shrink" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | November 16, 1992 |
| 10 | 10 | "The Fundamental Things Apply" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | November 23, 1992 |
| 11 | 11 | "Smithersgate" | Harry Thomason | Ty King | November 30, 1992 |
| 12 | 12 | "Everyday's a Holiday" | Harry Thomason | Allen Crowe | December 14, 1992 |
| 13 | 13 | "While the Thomasons Slept" | Harry Thomason | Don Rhymer & David Nichols | December 21, 1992 |
| 14 | 14 | "Trivial Pursuit" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | January 4, 1993 |
| 15 | 15 | "Never Play Touch Football with the Kennedys" | Harry Thomason | Martin Rips & Joseph Staretski | January 11, 1993 |
| 16 | 16 | "Miss Starr Dates Georgie Anne's Pop" | James Hampton | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | January 18, 1993 |
| 17 | 17 | "While the Thomasons Slept in the Lincoln Bedroom" | Harry Thomason | Lisa Loomer & Ty King | February 1, 1993 |
| 18 | 18 | "Her Year with Fidel" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | February 8, 1993 |
| 19 20 | 19 20 | "Cold Feet: Parts 1 & 2" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason & Ty King & Lisa Loomer | February 22, 1993 |
| 21 | 21 | "Take My Senate Seat, Please" | Charles Frank | Ty King & Lisa Loomer | March 1, 1993 |
| 22 | 22 | "Flamingo Summer" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | March 15, 1993 |
| 23 | 23 | "Class Reunion" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | March 22, 1993 |
Season 2 (1993–94)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 25 | 1 2 | "Lovely Always: Parts 1 & 2" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | October 27, 1993 |
| 26 | 3 | "Moonlighting" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | November 3, 1993 |
| 27 | 4 | "The Great Depression" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | November 10, 1993 |
| 28 | 5 | "First Edition" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | November 17, 1993 |
| 29 | 6 | "String of Pearls" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | November 24, 1993 |
| 30 | 7 | "The Stud Club" | Harry Thomason | Story by : Don Rhymer Teleplay by : David Nicholas & Rebecca Parr Cioffi | December 8, 1993 |
| 31 | 8 | "Blue Christmas" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | December 15, 1993 |
| 32 | 9 | "True Confessions" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason & David Nichols | December 29, 1993 |
| 33 | 10 | "Accelerated Dating" | Harry Thomason | Don Rhymer & Lisa Loomer | January 12, 1994 |
| 34 | 11 | "Sweet Revenge" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | January 19, 1994 |
| 35 | 12 | "The Sons of Sissy-Whatsis" | Steve Gerbson | David Nichols | February 2, 1994 |
| 36 | 13 | "Fatal Traction" | Harry Thomason | Story by : Lisa Loomer Teleplay by : Don Rhymer & Rebecca Parr Cioffi | February 9, 1994 |
| 37 | 14 | "Sleepless in a Small Town" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | March 28, 1994 |
| 38 | 15 | "Do the Limbaugh" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | April 11, 1994 |
| 39 | 16 | "Love in the Afternoon" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | April 18, 1994 |
| 40 | 17 | "The Big Yes" | Harry Thomason | David Nichols | April 25, 1994 |
Season 3 (1994–95)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Don't Say Nothin' Bad About My Baby" | Harry Thomason | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | September 24, 1994 |
| 42 | 2 | "The Virgin Lonnie" | Harry Thomason | Leslie Ray & David Steven Simon | October 1, 1994 |
| 43 | 3 | "It's My Party" | Harry Thomason | Story by : Leslie Ray & David Steven Simon Teleplay by : Howard Nemetz & Bryan Winter | October 8, 1994 |
| 44 | 4 | "The Sock-Her Boys" | James Hampton | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | October 15, 1994 |
| 45 | 5 | "Birth of a Donation" | Harry Thomason | Rebecca Parr Cioffi | October 22, 1994 |
| 46 | 6 | "Fat Like Me" | James Hampton | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | October 29, 1994 |
| 47 | 7 | "Born to Dance" | James Hampton | Paul Clay | November 26, 1994 |
| 48 | 8 | "Pros and Condoms" | Dennis Redfield | Dara Monahan & Harry Thomason | December 3, 1994 |
| 49 | 9 | "The Perfect Christmas" | Dennis Redfield | Michael A. Ross & Thom Bray | December 10, 1994 |
| 50 | 10 | "Help Wanted" | James Hampton | Craig Hoffman | January 11, 1995 |
| 51 | 11 | "Mrs. Hartman, Mrs. Hartman" | James Hampton | Pamela Norris & Paul Clay | January 18, 1995 |
| 52 | 12 | "Group Therapy" | Steve Gerbson | Dara Monahan | January 25, 1995 |
| 53 | 13 | "John and Georgie's Not So Excellent Adventure" | Harry Thomason | Rebecca Parr Cioffi | February 1, 1995 |
| 54 | 14 | "The Outsider" | Harry Thomason | Leslie Ray & David Steven Simon | Unaired |
Home media
Image Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 in 2005 and 2006.
On November 7, 2012, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series and released Hearts Afire - The Complete Series on DVD on January 8, 2013.[2] The 7-disc set features all 54 episodes of the series, as well as bonus features.
| DVD set | Episodes | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 23 | August 2, 2005 | |
| The Complete Second Season | 17 | November 1, 2005 | |
| The Complete Third Season | 14 | February 7, 2006 | |
| The Complete Series | 54 | January 8, 2013 | |
References
- Pace, Eric (April 8, 1993). "Hugh Rodham Dies After Stroke; Father of Hillary Clinton Was 82". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- Hearts Afire DVD news: Announcement for Hearts Afire - The Complete Series | TVShowsOnDVD.com Archived 2012-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Hearts Afire at IMDb
- Hearts Afire at epguides.com
- Hearts Afire webpage at TVHeaven.com