Orleans is an American drama television series created by Toni Graphia and John Sacret Young, that aired on CBS from January 7 through April 10, 1997. It ran for 8 episodes. The series was said to be inspired by the experiences of creator/producer Toni Graphia, who was the daughter of a Louisiana judge.[1]

Orleans
GenreDrama
Created by
Written by
Directed by
Starring
ComposerDavid Langley Hamilton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producerJohn Sacret Young
ProducerColleen McCormick
Running time60 minutes
(with commercials)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJanuary 7 (1997-01-07) –
April 11, 1997 (1997-04-11)

Synopsis

edit

The show was centered on the character of Judge Luther Charbonnet, portrayed by Larry Hagman. He was a judge seated in New Orleans and had a family that consisted of some wildly different characters. One of the sons was an assistant district attorney, another son was a police officer, and a daughter who ran a casino. An overall backstory to the series was that Judge Luther had another daughter who was missing or had been dead for years, and he had a search going on for information on her. Several "taboo" subjects were touched on this series, including interracial relationships (Judge Luther had a black girlfriend) and incest (the daughter had a relationship with her cousin).

The show was promoted heavily before it had aired in early 1997 However, the ratings were not great, and it was quickly moved to Friday nights in the same slot Hagman's previous series Dallas dominated for CBS. This would not be the case with Orleans and the series was cancelled at the end of its 1st season.

Cast

edit

Episodes

edit
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Pilot: Part 1"UnknownUnknownJanuary 8, 1997 (1997-01-08)
2"Pilot: Part 2"UnknownUnknownJanuary 8, 1997 (1997-01-08)
3"Why Did the Crawfish Cross the Road?"UnknownUnknownJanuary 15, 1997 (1997-01-15)
4"Baby-Sitting"UnknownUnknownJanuary 22, 1997 (1997-01-22)
5"Hijack"UnknownUnknownJanuary 29, 1997 (1997-01-29)
6"Luther's Temptation"John Sacret YoungStory by : John Sacret Young & Toni Graphia
Teleplay by : Toni Graphia
March 28, 1997 (1997-03-28)
7"When the Saints Go Marching In"UnknownUnknownApril 4, 1997 (1997-04-04)
8"Missing"UnknownUnknownApril 11, 1997 (1997-04-11)

Awards and nominations

edit
Year Award Result Category Recipient
1997 Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) David Langley Hamilton (For pilot episode)
1998 NAACP Image Awards Nominated Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Vanessa Bell Calloway

References

edit
  1. ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 892. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
edit