The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
August 25, 1992, Tuesday - METRO Edition
BYLINE: TOM DORSEY
Sneak fall preview
It's back to the 14th century for a sneak preview tonight of a new
ABC series that stars yet another group of teen-agers, who seem to
have taken over TV this season.
"Covington Cross" at 10 on ABC-11 is an advance look at the series
that will show up in its regular 8 p.m. spot Sept. 26.
It's a twist on the all-network dash to see who can air the most
programs about the lives and loves of young people between the ages
of 13 and 30. After 30 you've had it as a significant demographic
factor in most networks' programming plans.
While other shows, such as "Beverly Hills, 90210,"
and "Melrose Place," are lollygagging around the beaches, "Covington
Cross" is romping across the English countryside in a Robin Hoodlike
era. It's a clean show -- no sex jokes -- and it might make it as
family entertainment.
The premiere is a splashy production. The series doesn't feature any
great performances, but it's fairly entertaining if you like days-of-
yore tales with lots of sword fights.
There is also a damsel in distress, although the women in this series
don't seem to be waiting for history to liberate them.
Everything's up to date in merry old England -- at least when it
comes to the modern-day concerns of young people coping with
problems. The show is entertainment, not history, says one of the
producers.
The show centers on the family of Sir Thomas Gray (Nigel Terry), a
father trying to raise four teen-agers after their mother's death.
Think of it as "Bonanza" in the Middle Ages.
The kids, not Sir Thomas, are the centerpiece of this comedy-drama.
Richard and William want to be knights so they spend their days
slashing at each other with swords.
"Not in the house!' I've told you a million times," says the
exasperated dad.
Sir Thomas has ordered a third son, Cedric, to be a friar. But Cedric
whiles away his days trying to attract young wenches.
Eleanor, the only daughter, could be found marching for women's
rights if she lived in 1992. She isn't going along with her dad's
plans for an arranged marriage.
Whether viewers will buy a show about young people in armor instead
of blue jeans remains to be seen.
Tom Dorsey's column appears Monday through Thursday in the Features
section.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO ABC's new "Covington Cross" stars, from left, Ben
Porter, Nigel Terry, lone Skye, Jonathan Firth and Glenn Quinn.