Key West

I like many of you loved the series Key West, but the Hurricane episode really touched me. BUT does anyone know who the guy was singing in that episode? He was Jamaican? maybe but sang a beautiful haunting song as the storm came.

I watched that show religiously when it first aired. So far I cannot find the series on DVD or even find many people (except here) that remember that show. Jennifer Tilly was awesome. I have been to Key West and drank in the wonderful bars that Hemmingway drank in. I almost moved there once too.

Thanks for any help with this song.

My little sister and I didn't know what was different about Key West, but we watched it faithfully, and were mightily disgruntled when it disappeared without apology. The characters, the colors, the dialogue, and some other unnameable thing made this show unforgettable. I'd say 'haunting,' but it wouldn't convey the quiet smile I find when I remember the way Jennifer Tilly said, "Seamus, Baby," when he had that awful fever, or the upbeat-but-not-sappy way the (kooky, but r e a l ) characters interacted. If someone knows where this is available on DVD, I know two nostalgic 20-somethings who'll buy it up in a minute flat.

It's been 8 years now, so much has been forgotten, but when this show was on, it was unlike anything else on, or ever seen. Some of the ideas presented made you think, but it was also a fun and entertaining show, like a very upbeat version of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. Better yet,unlike sitcoms the actors had better things to do than argue with or take cheap shots at one another. What happened, was it too positive and upbeat for TV? A year after this show was terminated, X-Files caught on and was a success; a show that was similar to, but no better than Key West. This show would likely have been successful if it had been given an even chance (remember Star Trek, which first was shown in 1966 but didn't really catch on until 1968). Does anyone out there really know why this show was terminated so prematurely? In addition, is there anyone out there selling copies of this first class series on video cassettes or DVD? I've never been a big fan of TV shows, but when this one came on, I was hooked. It seemed all the more real as I just came back from a visit to Key West in February 1993. Since this show was terminated, my hours of TV viewing declined and haven't watched much since, except for news and the odd nature show. With less hours devoted to TV watching, I've found time for many other fun and exciting pursuits, including skydiving! One must consider that when good shows like Key West are canned and garbage shows like sitcoms or Survivor continue, network TV stations probably want to get us off the couch and outside. Maybe FOX TV is a major shareholder in Performance Design parachute manufacturers or Mountain Equipment Co-op (outdoor equipment sales)!

When the Fox network was just starting out, they weren't afraid to take chances with unusual material and this is the best example. From the first episode, it was natural to see a resemblance to the contemporaneous "Northern Exposure" (1990), with Seamus as the fish-out-of water corresponding to Dr. Joel Fleischman. But then you hit Episode 3, "The Great Unknown", and you know things aren't going to be the same. This is the unlikeliest thing in the world: Magical Realism successfully translated to an American television program. It will probably never be accomplished again. This series richly deserves to be made available on tape or DVD.

This was one show which never got a fair break. It didn't stand a chance against "Rosanne" which at the time was one of the top rated shows on TV. TV Guide's reviewer hated it, and I wrote them a letter saying that he needed to get a pitcher full of margaritas and sit on a Key West pier and do some stargazing. Whether or not he did, who knows?

Although the real Key West is not as simple a place as is was depicted in this series, they did a good job of capturing its magic. I taped all of the episodes and have about worn them out since 1993. (HEY FOX: HOW ABOUT PUTTING THE SHOW ON VIDEO!!!)

Even after all this time I still wonder what Seamus,Cody,Gumbo, and all the rest are doing now. It is a true shame that the show never had a chance to continue. I particularly enjoyed the episode where Cole's father dropped out of the Bermuda Triangle after being missing for forty years. I always felt that this was the last one made (though not the last one shown) because Hunter Farmer vanished into the Triangle himself. I even wrote a story which explains what happened to him.

Seamus O'Neill was someone I could identify with. Like him, I have dreamed from time to time of being a writer and moving to Key West. And like him, I work in a factory and hope for better things. This show was a wonderful escape from the hum-drum of the so-called "real" world -- something we all need from time to time.

I wish Fox would at least rerun all of the episodes; if they gave it a good time slot, they may be surprised.