THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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August 25, 1992 Tuesday MORNING EDITION
SECTION: SHOW; Pg. F10
LENGTH: 575 words
HEADLINE: PREVIEW;
Series set in the past just might have a future
BYLINE: Steven Cole Smith, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
BODY:
One of the biggest gambles of the fall season gets an early
premiere tonight with ABC's "Covington Cross," an ambitious,
expensive project that is, in essence, a typical contemporary
family melodrama, minus 500 years or so.
"Covington Cross," filmed in England and set in the 14th
century (or the 10th century, or the 13th century, depending on
whom you ask), is the medieval tale of two families, led by Sir
Thomas Gray (good guy) and John Mullens (bad guy).
In this first episode, Gray (Nigel Terry) has a beautiful
daughter, Eleanor (Ione Skye). When evil John Mullens, who lives
one castle over, announces he is willing to bury the broadsword and
become friends with Gray, he takes things a bit too far by offering
his equally evil son as a bridegroom for Eleanor.
Eleanor is aghast; even though she realizes that arranged
marriages are standard, she has already secretly fallen in love
with a commoner. Though her father isn't excited about his daughter
marrying into the Mullens family, he is naive enough to believe it
might work.
Ah, but will it? John Mullens wants, as a dowry, the deed to a
small piece of land that Gray owns. It appears worthless, but
Mullens thinks it will be of great value soon. The Gray family
begins to figure all this out, and the battle is on.
Besides Eleanor, Gray has three handsome young sons; you almost
get the feeling you're watching "Melrose Place," though everyone is
dressed in robes. This show is a project of Gil Grant, executive
producer, who brought us another noble failure a few seasons ago,
"Hull High," the all-dancing, all-singing high school series.
Grant knows "Covington Cross" also is a chance-taking program,
hence some oddly unhistorical storylines, such as Eleanor's refusal
to go along with tradition. "We're not doing history here," Grant
said recently. "We're doing entertainment. And we wanted to do
themes and stories that related to people in the '90s. "
As for shooting it in England: "I'm told that this is the first
series in 30 years that's being produced in England specifically
for an American audience. " This kind of show, in England, "is their
Western. They've done it before _ they have the castles, the
costumes. It would have been preposterous to try and shoot it in
Los Angeles. "
Central in Grant's mind, though, is that "Covington Cross" will
be comfortably familiar despite the setting.
"I did 'Eight is Enough,' " Grant says. "A family show is a
family show. It can work in the 14th century, and it can work in
the '90s. "
It just might. If viewers will give it a chance, they will find
"Covington Cross" to be accessible, easy to follow, pretty to look
at and surprisingly well-acted, particularly by theater veteran
Nigel Terry. But can Grant sustain the quality evident in this
first show?
"I hope so," he says. "My kid's private-school education
depends on it. "
'Covington Cross'
When: 10 tonight
Channel: KABC/7, KGTV/10