| Homefront Is Given New Chance To Flourish by John J. O'Connor from The New York Times Tuesday, March 9 1993 Languishing on the dreaded "hiatus" list since the middle of December, ABC's "Homefront" returns, tonight at 10, for a run of seven consecutive Tuesdays. That ratings will determine whether the series lives or dies beyond that point. "Homefront" would seem to have two strikes against it in today's television market. It has an hourlong format, now considered risky except for the occasional crime drama. And like the similarly threatened "I'll Fly Away" on NBC, it is a period piece. The past is not especially welcome in today's prime time. On the positive side, "Homefront" is attractively produced, its portrait of a Midwestern city, circa 1946-47, enhanced by everything from authentic period artifacts to the song- "Accentuate The Positive"- that opens the show. And the cast, appealing from the outset, is coalescing into a solid repertory company. In it's heart, "Homefront" may be a soap opera. But it has a certain flair. As the World War II veterans settle into civilian life with their wives, sweethearts and families, the series weaves their stories into historical developments, not the least being the advent of television itself. As someone notes, a few hundred sets were sold in Ohio alone. Ginger (Tammy Lauren) worries that her new job doing radio commercials is threatened by this "radio with pictures" phenomenon. Menawhile, Abe and Gloria Davis (Dick Anthony Williams and Hattie Winston), the black couple who work for the ever-richer Sloans, are struggling to make their new restaurant a success. Stricken by polio, Anne Metcalf Kahn (Wendy Phillips) is turning her determination not to be a burden into her family's biggest burden. And good old Charlie Hailey (Harry O'Reilly), now happily in love with the Italian war widow Gina Sloan (Giuliana Santini), has become a Fuller Brush salesman to make some extra money. Plots keep perking. One of the more intriguing developments of late involves a romantic fling between the wealthy Mike Sloan (Ken Jenkins) and young Judy Owen (Kelly Rutherford), the barmaid at a local roadhouse. Mike's wife, Ruth (Mimi Kennedy), no sooner leaves town for a day or two than he is arranging a date with Judy. Of course, a "dear friend" won't fail to tell Ruth that Mike has been seen in public with some blond woman half his age. Ruth starts her own discreet but determined investigation, giving the always accomplished Ms. Kennedy a neat opportunity to make icy Ruth surprisingly vulnerable. Stories unfold, lives intersect, lessons are absorbed. There are no car chases, few one-line zingers, and hardly any adorable tots. "Homefront" ambles along gently even as a baby boom, blacklists and suburbia loom. Nothing will be more crucial to this deserving series, however, than the numbers for the next seven weeks. |
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