Going Places (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Going Places


caption =
genre = Sitcom
starring = Alan Ruck
Jerry Levine
Heather Locklear
Hallie Todd
Holland Taylor (1990-Jan. 1991)
Staci Keanan
J.D. Daniels (1991)
Steve Vinovich (1991)
Philip Charles McKenzie (1991)
Christopher Castile (1991)
opentheme = "Going Places" written by Bennett Salvay & sung by Jesse Frederick
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 22
list_episodes =
exec_producer =
co_exec =
producer =
runtime = 30 mins.
channel = ABC
first_aired = September 21, 1990
last_aired = July 6, 1991"

"Going Places" is a situation comedy aired by the ABC television network as part of its 1990-91 prime time schedule. The show was created by Howard Adler and Robert Griffard. "Going Places" was developed by Robert L. Boyett and Thomas L. Miller.

Original premise

"Going Places" has been described as American television's ultimate expression of navel-gazing, as it was a program written by young television comedy writers about the lives of young television comedy writers. The show's original premise was that four young writers, Chicago ad man Charlie Davis (Alan Ruck), his brother Jack (Jerry Levine), California native Alex Burton (Heather Locklear), and New Yorker Kate Griffin (Hallie Todd) were the writing staff of "Here's Looking at You", a "Candid Camera"-type program featuring real people caught in their unawares. Their professional lives were essentially indistinguishable from their personal ones as all lived together in a Los Angeles beach house. Dawn St. Claire (Holland Taylor) was their boss at the studio, who was at turns tyrannical and neurotic. The foursome's neighbor, vivacious teenager Lindsay Bowen (Staci Keanan), also shared in the many misadventures they found themselves in, both in and out of work.

econd premise

The original concept failed to garner much of an audience, but rather than cancelling the show, the fictional "Here's Looking at You" was cancelled instead and the four went to work as the production team for a manic talk show host, Dick Roberts (Steve Vinovich). Kate's eight-year old nephew Nick Griffin (J.D. Daniels) moved into the beach house, adding an even more youthful appeal to the show. Dick Roberts' assistant and producer was frazzled Arnie (Philip Charles McKenzie), and in the last few episodes, the talk show host's son Sam Roberts (Christopher Castile) showed up and became best friends with Nick.

DVD Release

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment currently has no plans to release the show on DVD at this time.

Notes

*In the opening sequence, which for the most part showed the cast exploring a trendy Hollywood-area courtyard and shopping district, the four principal characters were seen posing on sidewalk hand and knee imprints left by past Tinseltown legends that each inspired them. In order, Charlie fit his hands into the prints of Jack Benny, Alex place her hands inside those of Betty Grable, Kate fit hers into the prints of Bette Davis, and Jack, who received last billing after the supporting characters, kneeled down into the knee prints of Al Jolson.
*In the pilot, Charlie and Jack's last name was Baker, but afterwards it was changed to Davis. Miller-Boyett kept the idea of two related people named Baker, and the following season on "Step by Step", Carol Foster's (Suzanne Somers) mother and sister, played by Peggy Rea and Patrika Darbo respectively, were both named Ivy and Penny Baker.
*Alan Ruck would eventually work with two "Going Places" co-stars again in the future. In 1995, Ruck and Jerry Levine were reunited when they both were regulars on The WB's Susan Harris soap-spoof sitcom "Muscle". Two seasons later, Ruck started his run as Stuart Bondek on ABC's "Spin City", which eventually made him a co-star to Heather Locklear once again when she joined that series as Caitlin Moore in 1999.
*Starting mid-season, "Going Places" was a reunion of sorts between existing star Hallie Todd and her new castmate Philip Charles McKenzie. Both had previously worked together for five years on the landmark Showtime sitcom "Brothers".

References

Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows"

External links

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