HeartBeat (1988 TV series)

HeartBeat
HeartBeat title card
Genre Medical drama
Created by Sara Davidson
Starring
Theme music composer Ken Harrison
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 18
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) George Eckstein
Running time 48 mins.
Production company(s) Aaron Spelling Productions
Release
Original network ABC
Original release March 23, 1988 (1988-03-23) – April 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)

HeartBeat is an American medical drama television series that premiered on ABC on March 23, 1988, and ran for two seasons.[1]

Plot

HeartBeat follows the staff of Women's Medical Arts, a medical center founded by three women who are frustrated with how women's health concerns are addressed in the male-dominated medical field.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Kate Mulgrew as Dr. Joanne Springsteen/Halloran, co-founder of the clinic (the character's name was changed from Springsteen to Halloran in season 2)
  • Laura Johnson as Dr. Eve Autrey/Calvert, co-founder of the clinic (the character's name was changed from Autrey to Calvert in season 2)
  • Gail Strickland as Nurse Marilyn McGrath, a nurse practitioner and co-founder of the clinic
  • Lynn Whitfield as Dr. Cory Banks
  • Ben Masters as Dr. Leo Rosetti
  • Darrell Larson as Dr. Paul Jared

Recurring

Development and production

The fictional Women's Medical Arts clinic was based on the Santa Monica Women's Clinic in Santa Monica, California. Dr. Karen Blanchard (OBGYN), the clinic's founder, served as a model for the character played by Kate Mulgrew.[2]

HeartBeat is the first prime time television series in the United States to feature a lesbian as a main character, Marilyn McGrath; and with her partner Patty, a long-term lesbian relationship.[3][4]

Release

Broadcast

HeartBeat debuted on Wednesday, March 23, 1988, at 9 p.m. (Eastern) as a special two-hour pilot; moving to its regular broadcast time of 10 p.m. the following week. For the second season, the schedule was changed to Thursday at 10:00 p.m. This programming made it compete with L.A. Law, one of the most popular series at the time. HeartBeat did not perform well in the ratings and was canceled at the end of its second season. The series finale aired on April 6, 1989.[1]

Episodes

Season 1 (1988)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Harry WinerSara DavidsonMarch 23, 1988 (1988-03-23)N/A
22"Where's Solomon When You Need Him?"Gene ReynoldsSara Davidson & William A. SchwartzMarch 30, 1988 (1988-03-30)N/A
33"Two Out Of Six"Gene ReynoldsSara Davidson & William A. SchwartzApril 6, 1988 (1988-04-06)N/A
44"Cory's Loss"Gene ReynoldsSara Davidson & William A. SchwartzApril 13, 1988 (1988-04-13)N/A
55"To Heal a Doctor"Dale WhiteSara DavidsonApril 20, 1988 (1988-04-20)N/A
66"The Wedding"Gene ReynoldsSara Davidson & Dan WakefieldApril 27, 1988 (1988-04-27)N/A

Season 2 (1989)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
71"Paradise Lost"Bill DukeSara Davidson & Frederick RappaportJanuary 5, 1989 (1989-01-05)N/A
82"Bivouac Babies"Michael FrescoSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, William A. Schwartz, Doug Steinberg, Joe ViolaJanuary 12, 1989 (1989-01-12)N/A
93"Critical Overload"Reza BadiyiSara Davidson & Carol MendelsohnJanuary 19, 1989 (1989-01-19)N/A
104"Stress"Nancy MaloneSara Davidson & Robert HardersJanuary 26, 1989 (1989-01-26)N/A
115"Baby, Maybe"Robert BeckerSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug SteinbergFebruary 2, 1989 (1989-02-02)N/A
126"Prison"Al WaxmanSara Davidson & Robert HardersFebruary 9, 1989 (1989-02-09)N/A
137"South and a Little to the Right of Eden"Kim FriedmanSara Davidson, William A. Schwartz, Doug SteinbergFebruary 16, 1989 (1989-02-16)N/A
148"Last Tango"Helaine HeadSara Davidson & Doris SilvertonFebruary 23, 1989 (1989-02-23)N/A
159"From Russia With Love"Al WaxmanSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug SteinbergMarch 2, 1989 (1989-03-02)N/A
1610"Gestalt and Battery"Gwen ArnerSara Davidson & Julie SayresMarch 9, 1989 (1989-03-09)N/A
1711"Confidentially Yours"Greg RoseSara Davidson, Frederick Rappaport, Doug SteinbergMarch 16, 1989 (1989-03-16)N/A
1812"What the Inspector Saw"Robert BeckerSara Davidson, Jennie Blackton, Joanne Greenberg, Robert HardersApril 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)N/A

Reception

HeartBeat is praised by LGBT television historians for its inclusion of Marilyn and Patty as a couple, and for their sexual orientation treated as a non-issue. However, ABC received criticism because unlike the heterosexual characters, Marilyn and Patty were not permitted to be sexual or physically affectionate with each other.[5] The feminist content and context of HeartBeat have been studied by feminist cultural critics.

Awards and nominations

HeartBeat was nominated for the 1989 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama.[6]

It received the 1990 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series (tie with L.A. Law).[7]

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (Ninth Edition). Ballantine Books. p. 596. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
    2. ↑ Ringer, Ronald Jeffrey, ed. (1994). "6. Whose Desire? Lesbian (Non)Sexuality and Television's Perpetuation of Hetero/Sexism, by Darlene M. Hantzis and Valerie Lehr". Queer Words, Queer Images: Communication and the Construction of Homosexuality (1st ed.). New York University Press. p. 107. ISBN 0-8147-7440-7.
    3. ↑ Toepfer, Susan; Hutchings, David (April 25, 1988). "Is Prime Time Ready for Its First Lesbian? Gail Strickland Hopes So—and She's About to Find Out". People. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
    4. ↑ Capsuto, Steven (2000). Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, 1930s to the Present (1st ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 240–242. ISBN 0-345-41243-5.
    5. ↑ Tropiano, Stephen (2002). The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV (1st ed.). Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 44–46. ISBN 1-55783-557-8.
    6. ↑ "1989 People's Choice Awards". Awards & Winners. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
    7. ↑ "GLAAD Media Awards: 1990 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 1 July 2018.

    Further reading

    • Abelove, Henry; Barale, Michéle Aina; Halperin, David M., eds. (1993). "11. Television/Feminism: HeartBeat and Prime Time Lesbianism, by Sasha Torres". The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader (1st ed.). Routledge. pp. 176–185. ISBN 978-0415905190.
    • Carter, Cynthia; Steiner, Linda, eds. (2004). "Old Strategies for New Texts: How American Television is Creating and Treating Lesbian Characters, by Marguerite J. Moritz". Critical Readings: Media And Gender (1st ed.). Open University Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0335210985.
    • Jamie Z. (February 25, 2014). "Your Guide to Ladies Loving Ladies on Television". House of Geekery.
    • HeartBeat at TotallyKate.com.


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