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Back
to the Cul-De-Sac: `Knots Landing' returns as miniseries on
CBS
By Deborah Wilker
Sun-Sentinel, South Florida
When it's from the heart, when it makes
sense, when it looks good, TV reunions can be immensely satisfying.
And why should we expect anything less of ``Knots Landing,''
last seen in prime time in 1993 after an epic 14-season run?
Packaged as a four-hour miniseries, airing
tonight and Friday, ``Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-De-Sac''
isn't just a sweeps reunion, it's an affordable way to get this
costly sudser back on CBS. ``Knots Landing,'' welcome home -
if only for a little while. True to its roots, ``Back to the
Cul-De-Sac'' is one sweeps event that will not feature gratuitous
celebrity cameos, gay outings, hot lava, or any of the other
gimmicks Hollywood has come to rely on in the absence of genuine
material. What we're left with - what we've always been left
with on ``Knots'' - are the absorbing struggles of the lively
middle class. Marriages hit the skids, fortunes sag, grown children
return, human frailties abound.
It's now four years later and the denizens
of Seaview Circle are meeting mid-life head-on. Karen - ever
the moral center - strains to understand Mack's latest crisis.
Val's renewed bliss with Gary unravels. Abby yearns for a fresh
start in Malibu. Sumner anguishes over his daughter. The actors
who created these characters - Michele Lee, Kevin Dobson, Joan
Van Ark, Ted Shackelford, Donna Mills and William Devane - rejoin
each other and their roles seamlessly. Though all have moved
on to other series, stage work and TV movies, none may ever
find characters that fit as well. Born in a vastly different
TV era, ``Knots Landing'' moved with the times, but never lost
its suburban-'70s soul - still the essence of its charm. It's
central characters, Karen and Val, are still the closest of
girlfriends - the kind of loving next-door-neighbors most of
us don't have anymore. Their husbands Mack and Gary, both of
whom could have been making millions in law and construction,
have instead spent the years helping poor people - a vestige
of their '60s idealism.
This latest script is a bit timeworn
(Sumner bests Abby; trusting Val is duped by a rogue), but properly
sentimental - packed with witty asides and retro-references.
Abby, that old spark plug, can still do just as much damage
under the hood of a guy's car (a clever nod to her days in Sid's
garage) as she can in his bed. That this miniseries resolves
its crises too simplistically is the price paid for shoe-horning
a season's worth of chaos into just four hours. There's barely
enough time to weave in Michelle Phillips as Anne; ditto Brian
Austin green, returning as Brian (Abby's son), a role he played
pre-``90210.'' Kate (Stacy Galina) is now his love interest.
Val's twins (Emily Ann Lloyd and Joseph
Cousins, who still look surprisingly alike) are middle-schoolers,
and Karen's son Michael (Pat Peterson) has taken a wife. Original
cast members Tonya Crowe (Olivia), Claudia Lonow (Diana) and
Kim Lankford (Ginger) also appear. Even Nicollette Sheridan,
who is steadfast about a film career, could not stay completely
away; she returns as Paige, opening the show with a tiny unbilled
cameo. (The opening titles are also a scream, so be prompt!)
The willingness of this cast and crew to return is hardly surprising.
The set was always one of the more familial
in Hollywood. That the nation's TV critics and Emmy voters summarily
ignored them only strengthened their bond. Despite little network
marketing, and no free ride from a cushy (or even remotely compatible)
lead-in, ``Knots Landing'' prevailed - against some of the longest
odds in TV history. Even killer time-slots opposite NBC's acclaimed
landmarks, ``Hill Street Blues,'' ``Cheers'' and ``L.A. Law,''
couldn't stop it. Ultimately ``Knots'' outlasted those shows,
and every other prime-time entertainment series, except one.
Only ``Gunsmoke'' ran more seasons. But its endurance also ultimately
did it in. Standard '80s production costs were suddenly too
high in the '90s. And most of the cast had been on so long,
their annual raises alone broke the bank. Corners were cut,
and though the quality dipped only slightly, the show's creator,
David Jacobs, couldn't bear it. In 1992 talks began with CBS
about ending it by mutual agreement. The next year some cast
members took concessions to keep ``Knots'' alive one last season
- unheard of in Hollywood, but that's how much these people
liked their work. Luckily for fans, they still do.
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