Sisters (TV series)

Sisters was a television drama which aired on NBC from 1991 to 1996. The show revolved around the Reed sisters who all lived in Winnetka, Illinois, and were the daughters of a workaholic medical doctor who was now deceased. In the show's memorable opening, all of the sisters were shown taking a steam bath together clad only in towels, apparently a weekly family ritual.

Related Topics:
Television - Drama - NBC - 1991 - 1996 - Winnetka, Illinois - Medical doctor

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The oldest sister was Alex, who was played by Swoosie Kurtz. She was very protective of her younger siblings and intervened when there was a crisis. Her own life was problematic, as she faced the problems of a rebellious teenage daughter (initially played by Ashley Judd), and a transvestive husband (David Dukes), also a doctor. She filled the mother role for the group, which added to the safety of the family dynamic as their mother, Bea (played by Elizabeth Hoffman) was seen frequently. Alex and Bea watched over Teddy, Georgie, and Frankie, who were played by Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember, and Julianne Phillips, respectively. Teddy was the glamourous, devastatingly beautiful sister who was also an at-times-uncontrolled alcoholic. Georgie was the most responsible sister, with a seemingly-happy marriage to John (Garrett M. Brown), but they had a son fighting leukemia, which also had an emotionally-devastating effect on his brother, who as a consequence received a far smaller measure of parental attention. Frankie was married to Teddy's ex-husband, Mitch (Ed Marinaro), upon whom she had first developed a crush when he began to date Teddy and Frankie was still a little girl. Teddy's first appearance on the show was to attempt to break up their wedding in a drunken fit of jealousy by using a shotgun.

Related Topics:
Swoosie Kurtz - Teenage - Ashley Judd - Transvestive - David Dukes - Elizabeth Hoffman - Sela Ward - Patricia Kalember - Julianne Phillips - Beautiful - Alcoholic - Garrett M. Brown - Leukemia - Ed Marinaro - Shotgun

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Later, the sisters became aware of a fifth "sister", a half-sister who was the love child of an affair the Reed father had with another woman. This fifth sister, Charley (played by Jo Anderson and then by Sheila Kelley) factored into storylines starting in 1994, and was yet another medical doctor character.

Related Topics:
Love child - Jo Anderson - Sheila Kelley - 1994

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The writing, which was always somewhat exaggerated (the creators called it "heightened reality"), tended to become even more over the top as the seasons progressed, perhaps culminating with Alex's post-divorce affair with a plumber and subsequent marriage to Al (Robert Klein), an outlandish appliance retailer who frequently appeared in his own television commercials as "The Appliance King", complete with robe and crown.

Related Topics:
Robert Klein - Appliance - Retail

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The show was created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who went on to adapt Queer as Folk for the American market.

Related Topics:
Ron Cowen - Daniel Lipman - Queer as Folk

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The series received 8 Emmy Award nominations over the course of its run, winning once, in 1994 for Sela Ward as Best Actress.

Related Topics:
Emmy Award - Sela Ward

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