Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 9, 1993 TAG: 9303090084
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEVEN COLE SMITH FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FANS NEED TO GET BEHIND "HOMEFRONT"
Well, "Homefront" fans, ABC says it's now or never.Trying to watch the series last fall was like trying to find the pea in a shell game. By mid-December, only eight fresh episodes had aired in the new season. And when the show did air, it was usually up against NBC's "Cheers" and "Wings," which guarantees low ratings.
In November, ABC foresaw its first chance to win a fall ratings-intensive "sweeps" period in years, and jerked "Homefront" off the schedule, replacing it with sexier fare. ABC and the show's producer, Lorimar Television, promised a steady run from mid-December on, to give the series a chance to win back its audience. That steady run was promptly canceled.
"Homefront" last aired on Dec. 17.
"Showus interruptus." This series can't get a break.
Tonight, it's back, for an I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it seven consecutive Tuesdays. ABC still insists that if the ratings are high enough, odds are good that the show won't be canceled.
Interviewed at the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles this year, Ted Harbert, president of ABC Entertainment, said that it is put-up-or-shut-up time for the fans who sent "tens of thousands of letters, faxes and phone calls regarding `Homefront,' saying you must bring it back.
"And I almost have to say to the viewers, and we might say this when `Homefront' comes back in the spring, that if you're really that dedicated, if you love it that much, you've really got to show up."
So, "Homefront" fans, consider yourself warned. Of course, it doesn't hurt your cause that the ratings for ABC's "Homefront" replacement, "Jack's Place," have been pretty much in the toilet.
It would help, too, if tonight's show were a better episode. As you will recall, polio has hit River Run, specifically Anne (Wendy Phillips), who takes out her bitterness on her family.
And in perhaps the most interesting development last season, wealthy Mike, who had just turned 49, began to show a tender side as he sought the affection of waitress/fellow baseball fan Judy (Kelly Rutherford). This relationship continues when Mike's shrill wife Ruth (Mimi Kennedy) leaves town for a couple of days.
Though tonight's episode is a bit flat, the next week "Homefront" gets back up to speed with one of the best shows of the series. Television comes to River Run, threatening the jobs of everyone at the radio station, including Ginger (Tammy Lauren), who is the Lemo tomato juice girl. Abe and Gloria (Dick Anthony Williams and Hattie Winston) sample competing restaurants on their day off, with amusing results.
Judy also tries her hand at writing a sports column for the local newspaper, with surprising success. And her relationship with Mike, innocent as it may be, turns sour for everyone involved.
"Homefront" producers are wise in raising the profile of Kelly Rutherford, whom a few viewers may remember from the defunct NBC soap opera "Generations." She looks right for the role, she sounds right, and if the rest of this season's run showcases her like these two episodes, "Homefront" could very easily become her show.
Though the cast has been pared down since the series was introduced, there are still a lot of characters here to service. Shows like this with a continuing story line are difficult for new viewers to penetrate, which is one reason they are on the decline.
"Homefront" has developed into a pretty good show, one that deserves to survive. If you're a fan, watch it, and it wouldn't hurt to drop a note to Ted Harbert at ABC (77 W. 66th Street, New York, N.Y. 10023) and call his bluff.