Nurses (American TV series)

Nurses
GenreSitcom
Created bySusan Harris
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Here I Am"
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes68 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 14, 1991 (1991-09-14) –
May 7, 1994 (1994-05-07)
Related

Nurses is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 14, 1991, to May 7, 1994, created and produced by Susan Harris as a spin-off of Empty Nest, which itself was a spin-off of The Golden Girls.[1]

Synopsis

The series revolved around a group of nurses working at the same Miami hospital as Empty Nest's Dr. Harry Weston. The main characters were strong-willed nurse Annie Roland (Arnetia Walker), sarcastic nurse Sandy Miller (Stephanie Hodge), dim-witted nurse Julie Milbury (Mary Jo Keenen) and Latina nurse Gina Cuevas (Ada Maris) who frequently reminisced about her homeland, the fictional San Pequeño. Also in the cast were arrogant Dr. Hank Kaplan (Kip Gilman), wise-cracking orderly Paco Ortiz (Carlos Lacamara) and flaky nurse Greg Vincent (Jeff Altman). Florence Stanley had a recurring role during the first season as Dr. Riskin.[2]

Changes were made after the first season in an effort to boost ratings. David Rasche joined the cast as Jack Trenton, a slimy white-collar criminal forced to perform community service at the hospital, and in the final season Loni Anderson joined the cast as new hospital administrator Casey McAfee. Other changes included the addition of Markus Flanagan as hunky orderly Luke Fitzgerald for the second season only, the changing of the show's theme song in seasons two and three, having nurse Gina and Dr. Hank Kaplan get married (Gina being pregnant by Dr. Hank). Nurse Greg Vincent was also written off after season one.

In the series' final season, nurse Sandy was gone, and the series' focus moved increasingly from the nurses to Casey McAfee's adjustments in running the hospital under a new HMO, and the antics of Jack Trenton and his sidekick Paco the orderly.[3]

Cast

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
122September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14)May 2, 1992 (1992-05-02)
224September 19, 1992 (1992-09-19)May 1, 1993 (1993-05-01)
322September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)May 7, 1994 (1994-05-07)

Crossovers

The following is a list of Nurses episodes featuring characters from The Golden Girls and Empty Nest.

Season One
  • Episode 2: "A Lesson in Life" – Laverne Todd from Empty Nest
  • Episode 6: "Mother, Jugs, and Zach" – Harry Weston from Empty Nest
  • Episode 9: "Begone with the Wind" – Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls and Laverne Todd from Empty Nest
  • Episode 20: "Moon Over Miami" – Blanche Devereaux from The Golden Girls and Charley Dietz from Empty Nest
Season Two
  • Episode 2: "In My New Country" – Laverne Todd from Empty Nest
  • Episode 7: "Playing Doctor" – Carol Weston from Empty Nest
Season Three
  • Episode 1: "The Eagle Has Landed" – Harry Weston from Empty Nest
  • Episode 4: "Jack's Indecent Proposal" – Charley Dietz from Empty Nest
  • Episode 7: "The Bridges of Dade Country" – Harry Weston from Empty Nest
  • Episode 9: "Temporary Setbacks" – Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls and Empty Nest, and Carol Weston from Empty Nest
  • Episode 10: "The Birth of a Marriage" – Harry Weston from Empty Nest

References

  1. ^ "BBC – Comedy Guide – Nurses". Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  2. ^ Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 410–415. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.
  3. ^ "Reruns on Lifetime"