Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310033
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Or the jealous sibling who scrawls ``slut'' on your Porsche. The sister requiring rescue from a therapist's lewd clutches. Or the other sister who decides unilaterally to put your ailing dad to sleep for good.
Wait a minute - we're definitely talking marketable dysfunction here, the kind that gets Jenny Jones and her talk-show cohorts salivating.
Well, tough for them: All that angst belongs to ``Sisters,'' which on Sept. 23 begins its sixth season of taking family drama to operatic heights.
The durable NBC series returns in the 10 p.m. Saturday slot that has become home to the Reed sisters - Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), Georgie (Patricia Kalember), Teddy (Sela Ward) and Charley (series newcomer Sheila Kelley).
The siblings are equally durable. In addition to the above-mentioned turmoil, they've been beset by cancer, alcoholism, various neuroses, rebellious children and a parade of only occasionally worthy men.
No scarlet letters or locusts yet, but be patient.
Daniel Lipman, the series' executive and co-creator with Ron Cowen, is graciously willing to concede the plots' baroque nature.
``The show itself is not real,'' Lipman says. ``It's very theatrical, it's very hyped, a lot of comedy stuff, fantasy stuff. My partner and I were playwrights in the theater and we tried to incorporate'' theatricality in the series.
``But in saying that, the important thing we've always told the writers, directors and actors is the relationships are absolutely real, those emotions are true, no matter what craziness is going around,'' he said.
``Sisters'' also borrows stylistically from the theater: pushing walls away, allowing characters to step outside and observe themselves, Lipman said. ``And the audience comes along with us,'' he adds.
This season's traumas seem a bit more mundane, at least at the outset. Georgie, seeking a new direction in life after her divorce, finds love in the arms of a younger man (Joe Flanigan).
Alex, as a result of chemotherapy, undergoes an early menopause. Teddy's life becomes intertwined on a personal and medical basis with an arrogant surgeon (Stephen Collins).
Adept actors are needed for this high-octane blend, and ``Sisters'' has them.
Kurtz, who shines as a socialite-turned-stalwart, owns a collector's set of stage awards, including two Tonys. Kalember, endearing as the former model homemaker who made a bad choice in therapists, has her own share of theater credits and honors; Sela Ward won an Emmy for her role as the beautiful-but-troubled artist last season.
Kelley, who made her mark on ``L.A. Law'' as Arnie Becker's secretary Gwen, replaces Jo Anderson as half-sister Charley, a character that filled the gap left by Julianne Phillips' departure.
Other new faces include Noel Parker, taking over for Ashley Judd as Alex's daughter Reed Halsey, and Eric Close, a love interest for Teddy's offspring Cat Margolis (Heather McAdam).
On a recent day marking filming of the 100th episode, a genuine milestone for any TV drama, Kurtz described ``Sisters'' as ``a phenomenon, kind of a culture.''
Waving a hand bearing an enormous diamond - from TV husband Big Al (Robert Klein), who makes up in heart and money what he lacks in class - Kurtz denies that the stories are, well, as ersatz as her ring.
``These things happen all the time. Look at the newspapers.'' Pause. ``They just don't all happen to one family.''
Fans are quick to let her know what they think of Reed doings.
``They very much approve of Big Al. They applauded when I threw my daughter out, which I'm about to do again for different reasons; the old tough-love thing. They were empathetic when [Alex] went through breast cancer.''
Kurtz is reveling in a steady growth of attention for the show that mirrors her own deepening affection for Alex, who has gone from frivolous society dame to a woman of strength.
``I enjoy playing Alex a hundred times more now than I did at the beginning. ... She's more earthbound, much more in touch. They had Alex doing the comic relief. Now, I get this trenchant drama.''
That includes delving into topics important to women. ``It's such a bonus,'' says Kurtz, who has repeatedly been thanked by viewers for the show's handling of the cancer issue and others.
Unsurprisingly, ``Sisters'' viewers are primarily female.
``And by the way, a very desirable audience for any broadcaster,'' notes NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield. ``The women 18-49 numbers are great.''
And why not? Sisterhood, even a TV version, is powerful.
by CNB