I have just binge-watched 34 ½ hours of television. That’s 47 episodes and two seasons’ worth. That’s a lot more episodes than most TV shows today. The binge was season three and season four of an acclaimed series from 1991 to 1996. It received eight Emmy nominations, and it is considered the first demographic hit because of its strong female viewership. It revels in all the glories of wonderful Winnetka, Illinois. The deceased father of the Reed sisters named them Alex, Teddy, Georgie, and Frankie. The father was obviously expecting boys and was severely disappointed. If you haven’t guessed yet, the show was Sisters.
Of course, no man should watch this show, because you might get an estrogen overdose. It is a maximum dose of over-the- top melodrama, humor full of corn and cheese, and lots of warm family love. Everything that can happen to four sisters is likely to happen to these sisters over six seasons. I am writing about season three this time. But check back in the very near future about more excitement from season four.
Let’s briefly review. Season one had alcoholism issues with the mother of the sisters, Beatrice (Elizabeth Hoffman) getting arrested for DUI. “Teddy” (Sela Ward) Theodora Reed Margolis Falconer Sorenson (some of her married names) goes a little crazy and drunk herself the whole season. It probably had a little to do with Frankie (Julianne Phillips, Bruce Springsteen’s ex-wife), the workaholic younger sister. Frankie is busy business executive who wants to get married to Mitch Margolis (Ed Marinaro, Hill Street Blues and ex-NFL football player) who is Teddy’s ex. Alex (Swoosie Kurtz) thinks her husband is cheating, but the woman’s clothes she finds in the closet are his. In the second season, there are HIV, cancer, infidelity, and miscarriage storylines.
Season three starts with Georgie (Patricia Kalember) being a surrogate mother for her sister Frankie. There are two major cliffhanger accidents in the season. Then there is a major divorce battle. Also the rich sister Alex kills a homeless man accidently and is haunted by his ghost. Alex also has a problem with her daughter growing up, falling in love, and getting married. Reed (Ashley Judd) and Kirby (Paul Rudd) are the young couple. The big story line of the season is the burgeoning and blossoming success of Teddy’s fashion business. She has a chance meeting with brooding and handsome billionaire, Simon Bolt (Mark Frankel) who pursues her in a brooding and handsome manner. Tragically, Frankel was killed a couple of years later due to his fascination with motorcycles. There were more hot-button issues with shows on anti-Semitism and the HIV crisis, then fun episodes like trying to find a lost lottery ticket. Many of the shows featured interaction with younger versions of the characters interacting with the grown-up versions, most notably the younger version of daughter Cat, played by a very young Kirsten Dunst.
The main appeal of the show is that it is a landmark show from the 1990s. It opened up network TV to shows that were centered on woman’s issues and feelings. So guys, you can’t go wrong by buying this for your chick.
