Hearts Afire
| Hearts Afire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason |
| Starring |
John Ritter Markie Post Billy Bob Thornton Beth Broderick Wendie Jo Sperber Clark Duke Leslie Jordan Conchata Ferrell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 54 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Production company(s) |
Bloodworth-Thomason Mozark Productions Adam Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 14, 1992 – February 1, 1995 |
Hearts Afire is an American sitcom that aired from September 14, 1992 to February 1, 1995 on CBS. It starred John Ritter and Markie Post, with Post portraying a journalist and Ritter playing a senator's aide.
The series' title is taken from a line in the Earth, Wind & Fire song "That's the Way of the World" (which originally served as the series' theme song).
Series premise
Described by CBS as a 'Politically topical series' and created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason, the show starred John Ritter and Markie Post playing John Hartman and Georgie Anne Lahti Hartman, respectively. Supporting actors included Billy Bob Thornton and Ed Asner. The show was set in Washington, D.C. and centered on a senator's aide (Ritter) and a political reporter (Post) whose professional disagreements masked a growing attraction for one another. Other costars on the show included George Gaynes, Beth Broderick, and Wendie Jo Sperber. The series was itself a satire on current affairs in Washington, D.C.
In the second season, the show abruptly changed its setting to the Southern town where John Hartman grew up; he returns to take over the town's failing newspaper, and his wife and several of the other cast members joined him there.
Episode list
Season 1: 1992–1993
| Nº | Ep | Title | Original air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Bees Can Sting You, Watch Out: Part 1" | September 14, 1992 | ||
| 2 | 2 | "Bees Can Sting You, Watch Out: Part 2" | September 14, 1992 | ||
| 3 | 3 | "The Big Date" | September 21, 1992 | ||
| 4 | 4 | "Three Men and a Bed" | September 28, 1992 | ||
| 5 | 5 | "John's Stallion" | October 5, 1992 | ||
| 6 | 6 | "First Time" | October 12, 1992 | ||
| 7 | 7 | "Significant Others" | October 26, 1992 | ||
| 8 | 8 | "Everybody Loves My Baby" | November 9, 1992 | ||
| 9 | 9 | "Conversations with My Shrink" | November 16, 1992 | ||
| 10 | 10 | "The Fundamental Things Apply" | November 23, 1992 | ||
| 11 | 11 | "Smithersgate" | November 30, 1992 | ||
| 12 | 12 | "Everyday's a Holiday" | December 14, 1992 | ||
| 13 | 13 | "While the Thomasons Slept" | December 21, 1992 | ||
| 14 | 14 | "Trivial Pursuit" | January 4, 1993 | ||
| 15 | 15 | "Never Play Touch Football with the Kennedys" | January 11, 1993 | ||
| 16 | 16 | "Miss Starr Dates Georgie Anne's Pop" | January 18, 1993 | ||
| 17 | 17 | "While the Thomasons Slept in the Lincoln Bedroom" | February 1, 1993 | ||
| 18 | 18 | "Her Year with Fidel" | February 8, 1993 | ||
| 19 | 19 | "Cold Feet: Part 1" | February 22, 1993 | ||
| 20 | 20 | "Cold Feet: Part 2" | February 22, 1993 | ||
| 21 | 21 | "Take My Senate Seat, Please" | March 1, 1993 | ||
| 22 | 22 | "Flamingo Summer" | March 15, 1993 | ||
| 23 | 23 | "Class Reunion" | March 22, 1993 |
Season 2: 1993–1994
| Nº | Ep | Title | Original air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | "Lovely Always: Part 1" | October 27, 1993 | ||
| 25 | 2 | "Lovely Always: Part 2" | October 27, 1993 | ||
| 26 | 3 | "Moonlighting" | November 3, 1993 | ||
| 27 | 4 | "The Great Depression" | November 10, 1993 | ||
| 28 | 5 | "First Edition" | November 17, 1993 | ||
| 29 | 6 | "String of Pearls" | November 24, 1993 | ||
| 30 | 7 | "The Stud Club" | December 8, 1993 | ||
| 31 | 8 | "Blue Christmas" | December 15, 1993 | ||
| 32 | 9 | "True Confessions" | December 29, 1993 | ||
| 33 | 10 | "Accelerated Dating" | January 12, 1994 | ||
| 34 | 11 | "Sweet Revenge" | January 19, 1994 | ||
| 35 | 12 | "The Sons of Sissy-Whatsis" | February 2, 1994 | ||
| 36 | 13 | "Fatal Traction" | February 9, 1994 | ||
| 37 | 14 | "Sleepless in a Small Town" | March 28, 1994 | ||
| 38 | 15 | "Do the Limbaugh" | April 11, 1994 | ||
| 39 | 16 | "Love in the Afternoon" | April 18, 1994 | ||
| 40 | 17 | "The Big Yes" | April 25, 1994 |
Season 3: 1994–1995
| Nº | Ep | Title | Original air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Don't Say Nothin' Bad About My Baby" | September 24, 1994 | ||
| 42 | 2 | "The Virgin Lonnie" | October 1, 1994 | ||
| 43 | 3 | "It's My Party" | October 8, 1994 | ||
| 44 | 4 | "The Sock-Her Boys" | October 15, 1994 | ||
| 45 | 5 | "Birth of a Donation" | October 22, 1994 | ||
| 46 | 6 | "Fat Like Me" | October 29, 1994 | ||
| 47 | 7 | "Born to Dance" | November 26, 1994 | ||
| 48 | 8 | "Pros and Condoms" | December 3, 1994 | ||
| 49 | 9 | "The Perfect Christmas" | December 10, 1994 | ||
| 50 | 10 | "Help Wanted" | January 11, 1995 | ||
| 51 | 11 | "Mrs. Hartman, Mrs. Hartman" | January 18, 1995 | ||
| 52 | 12 | "Group Therapy" | January 25, 1995 | ||
| 53 | 13 | "John and Georgie's Not So Excellent Adventure" | February 1, 1995 | ||
| 54 | 14 | "The Outsider" | N/A |
DVD releases
Image Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time in 2005. These releases have since been discontinued and are out of print.
On November 7, 2012, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series and released Hearts Afire - The Complete Series on DVD on January 8, 2013.[1] The 7-disc set features all 54 episodes of the series, as well as bonus features.
| DVD set | Episodes | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 23 | August 2, 2005 | |
| The Complete Second Season | 17 | November 1, 2005 | |
| The Complete Third Season | 14 | February 7, 2006 | |
| The Complete Series | 54 | January 8, 2013 | |
Cameos
- Hugh E. Rodham, father of former First Lady of the United States and former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, made a cameo appearance in 1992. The producers of the series were friends of the Clintons.[2]
- Political pundit Rush Limbaugh guest-starred as himself on a 1994 episode. That episode had the series' highest weekly rating, finishing at #8 for its original airing.
See also
References
- ↑ Hearts Afire DVD news: Announcement for Hearts Afire - The Complete Series | TVShowsOnDVD.com
- ↑ Pace, Eric (April 8, 1993). "Hugh Rodham Dies After Stroke; Father of Hillary Clinton Was 82". The New York Times (New York). Retrieved 2010-08-01.
External links
- Hearts Afire at the Internet Movie Database
- Hearts Afire at epguides.com
- Hearts Afire webpage at TVHeaven.com