Greetings,
I don't know if you guys have noticed this, but when one thing gets popular, 'copycats' tend to start popping up. It gets even worse when said popular thing goes away, and a ton of things come around hoping to take its place. This kind of happened in the early-to-mid-nineties, after the super popular Saved By The Bell went off the air on Saturday morning. By 1993, when that happened, we were already a year into the amazing show that was California Dreams. Some people called it a Saved By The Bell knockoff; I called it that show's cooler cousin. Then, NBC started this whole thing for Saturday mornings called TNBC. "T", I assume, standing for teen. Because all the actors playing teens on these series' were actual teenagers. Of course. Anyway, one of the shows that was part of this new idea was Running the Halls.
Running the Halls began airing in 1993 and stopped airing in 1993. Yep, September to December, thirteen whole episodes. There you go. It was all about a bunch of students at a boarding school called Middlefield Academy and all their shenanigans. I mean, what else would it be about? I will say this, though. This show was a tad different from the others being aired at this time. Whilst most of them all looked like they were made from the same company or whatever, which they pretty much were, Running the Halls, quite literally, did have a different look to it. It was not filmed in front of an audience, but probably on location, and they used the kind of camera that is more like the ones used today for everything. You know, the ones that make it look 'not live', if you guys know what I'm talking about. So, it did manage to stand out, in a way. Now let's talk about those characters. And keep in mind, I haven't seen this show in a LONG time, so I'm working off mostly what I can remember. Fingers crossed.
We got your typical mix of a few girls and a few guys, who don't exactly have much in common, but still all end up as "best friends". First the guys. We had Andy McBain, or just McBain, as he was called, played by Richard Hayes/Hillman(I've seen him credited with both names, so...). He was, for lack of a better comparison, the Zack Morris of the show. He was constantly scheming, was popular with the girls and was overwhelmingly arrogant, yet still had a few moments of selflessness. Oh, and he was good at sports, too, so I guess he had some Slater in him as well. Next came David Reese, or just Reese, as he was called, played by Trevor Lissauer. I could never figure out if he was supposed to be a little nerdy or a quirky, cool guy. Maybe the show couldn't figure it out either. I guess he was just well-rounded. Then, there's Miles Taylor, or just Taylor, as he was - okay, you guys know what the deal is by now! He seemed to be the brainiest of the guys, though not really a full-on nerd. Also, he tended to get kind of spazzy about his grades. Hey, it happens.
And now for the ladies. First up is Holiday Friedman played by Laurie Fortier. She was the edgy girl from New York City, where all edgy girls come from, it seems. As time went on, she softened a bit, mostly thanks to the friendships she acquires. I have to say, she was my favorite. Probably because I, too, am an edgy girl from New York. No, wait. I want to be one. Moving on. Next, Molloy Simpson. I would call her the brainiest of the girls, but she was a tad calmer about things. Well, give or take a few situations, but you know, females be freakin' out a lot and whatnot. Finally, we have Nikki Watson played by Senta Moses. I don't know if this is true, but she seemed to be the character that they had the most fun with. By 'they', I mean the writers. She was funny and sweet, and she just tried so hard with everything, sometimes to her own detriment. But, with everything she did, she was so entertaining.
Okay, so we can't have just kids here. We need a couple of adults. Enter Headmistress Karen Gilman played by Pamela Bowen. Where she was concerned, the words 'tough but fair' come to mind. The students might not have been buddy-buddy with her, but they liked her and, amazingly enough, they respected her. And then, we have Mark 'The Shark' Stark played by Richard Speight, Jr. Yeah, to this day, I don't exactly know or remember what he was on campus. He wasn't a teacher, but he also wasn't a student. I think he was something of an RA, like they have in dorms at colleges. Maybe. Anyway, he often bore the brunt of a lot of the hijinks of the students, which he did not exactly appreciate. While Miss Gilman was held in high regard, I don't think that Shark was afforded such a luxury. Still, he was funny.
So those are the characters, and during the run, they went through most of the experiences one would expect from such a show. Struggles with school, relationships, family, etc. Still, they had some unique twists on story lines, which I appreciated. It should have been enough to give this series some longevity. And yet, as I've mentioned, a mere thirteen episodes was all this show got. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it was timing or luck of the draw or behind the scenes stuff. Who knows?
Now did it deserve a second season? Yes, definitely. I know that they did adopt a lot of the tropes used in teen television, but they also put forth an effort to make things a bit different. I certainly enjoyed it for the time it was on. It was legitimately funny, witty even, and everyone was pretty darn good with the acting. I take comfort in knowing that about everyone went on to have some success, in varying degrees (seriously, IMDB them to get some good credits), and it was all well-deserved. Sadly, though, I heard that Richard Hayes/Hilman passed away about five years ago. That is unfortunate. He had talent.
Now, unfortunately, I don't believe this show had some big cult following, like your My So-Called Life or your Freaks and Geeks. Why, I don't know. I wish it did. Then, maybe I would have the chance of getting it on DVD. For now, though, I must live with my memories. And they were good memories, if only of what could have been. But, hey, if they ever do release this, I say give it a watch. It was good. And there was a guy on the show named SHARK, for crying out loud! What have you got to lose?
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
