La familia Newton

A low key Sitcom/drama that never found the right audience the show deserved. Its one of the good shows I used to watched on CBS that I wished was still on. Good performances were given by acting veterans like Burt Reynolds and Marilu Henner. "Evening Shade"(1990) had some interesting episodes that dealt with fascinating themes. Ossie Davis brought class to a television show which deserved better than what it got.

....which is such a shame because it really was very well acted and the writing was excellent, very witty and sharp and it will be difficult to repeat that kind of standard these days. I notice that there was a recent show out called 'A minute with Stan Hooper' which tried to emulate 'Evening Shade', and it did the job very well...but still didn't match up in my opinion.

Burt Reynolds was surrounded by a wonderful cast but he barely had to speak, because they did the work for him! Still,it wouldn't have been the same without him - he was perfect in the role and Marilu Henner was perfect as his wife.

The much missed Michael Jeter was the highlight of the show for me. He was so funny...a classic character actor with so much talent. But he wasn't alone, this show was full of fantastic actors; Ossie Davis, Charles Durning, Marilu Henner & Hal Holbrook are the actors that I remember...but I was just looking at the IMDb list of actors I see that Hilary Swank and Leah Rimini were in the show too - its fabulous to see that such quality stars started offin this great little, much respected show.

I really wish they'd repeat it on one of the comedy channels, it would be such a waste if it wasn't shown again.

They just don't make shows like this anymore. It had such a laid back feeling and one of the few truly flawless casts in the history of sitcoms. I can't imagine we will ever have a series that could attract actors like Elizabeth Ashley and Hal Hollbrook. I never though I could like Burt Reynolds half as much as I did and Marilu Henner is still a favorite of mine. Of course Alice Ghostley Always stole every scene she was in. I was just a kid when it was on and I wish one of the many rerun over-ridden cable channels would pick it up. Reruns could perhaps provide a fitting tribute to the many actors that are no longer with us. Along with shows like Newhart and Designing Women, this show is what sitcoms should really be about.

One look at the cast of this show and it's clear that the level of professionalism is second to none. Forget the fact that the show had excellent writing and a wealth of talent to draw from; just to watch the likes of Hal Holbrook, Ossie Davis, Elizabeth Ashley, Charles Durning, Ann Wedgeworth, Michael Jeter, Burt Reynolds and Marilu Henner breath life into these wonderful characters was a joy to watch. These are actors at the top of their game. And let's give credit where it's due. This is a cast and crew who are friends and colleagues of Burt Reynolds. This series places at the top of my list of shows I miss the most. Here we are, some ten years later, and TV time is dominated by trashy daytime talk/theme shows and reality-based garbage on prime time. It's discouraging, to say the least.

This show wasn't on long enough to make a huge impression, and that's bizarre, because it had more than its share of ingredients for success.

It was a comedy that tended to go between "situational" and "outright humor". It was just a bit short of the boisterousness of "Coach", for example, and perhaps a bit more eccentric than "All In the Family".

It's hard to say what the show was about, because it was basically about the "good feeling" of the people. The show was an exercise in "positive reinforcement", but it wasn't dull.

Indeed, the comedy found it's way into the story with one major clown figure and one liner wit from several others.

The one liner wit of Holbrook and Reynolds just reached the right level. One step up would have been annoying. The actors and writers knew just how far to go. With two huge superstars, and a cast of other stars, along with the cleverness, one would have expected the show to continue. It probably was a case of not being able to decide where to go from there in time for the next season. The last episodes gave an ambiguous feeling, like they were searching for a new direction.