Civil Wars (TV series)
| Genre | Legal drama |
| Creator | William M. Finkelstein |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Num Seasons | 2 |
| Num Episodes | 36 |
| Network | ABC |
| First Aired | 1991-11-20 |
| Last Aired | 1993-3-2 |
| Related | L.A. Law |
Civil Wars is an American legal drama that aired on ABC from November 20, 1991, to March 2, 1993. The series was created and executive produced by William M. Finkelstein and produced by Steven Bochco.
Synopsis
The series focused on the lives and cases of New York City divorce attorneys. In the series, two of New York City's top divorce lawyers, Charlie Howell (Peter Onorati) and Sydney Guilford (Mariel Hemingway), form a partnership despite barely knowing each other, following the mental breakdown of Guilford's stressed-out partner, Eli Levinson (Alan Rosenberg). The show had a famously misanthropic opening credits sequence; in it, romantic photo albums were shown as the voice track played couples ripping into each other in court, as each of the show's principal attorneys interrogated them, one by one, on the stand.
Cast
- Mariel Hemingway as Sydney Guilford
- Peter Onorati as Charlie Howell
- Debi Mazar as Denise Iannello
- Alan Rosenberg as Eli Levinson
- David Marciano as Jeffrey Lassick
Alan Rosenberg and Debi Mazar continued in their roles as Eli Levinson and Denise Iannello after ABC cancelled Civil Wars in 1993. The two characters were moved over to Bochco’s L.A. Law on NBC for its eighth and final season, with Levinson becoming a member of the series’ major law firm and Iannello serving as his secretary.
Episodes
Season 1 (1991–92)
Season 2 (1992–93)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | American Society of Cinematographers Award | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots | Brian J. Reynolds | |
| Casting Society of America's Artios Award | Best Casting for TV, Pilot | Junie Lowry-Johnson | ||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Series | Dave Weathers, Richard Taylor, Barbara Issak, Frank A. Fuller Jr., Pat McCormick, Gary Lewis, Albert Edmund Lord III, James Hebenstreit (For episode "Oceans White With Phone") | ||
| Television Critics Association Award | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | |||
| 1993 | American Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress, Dramatic Series | Debi Mazar | |
| Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Drama | Mariel Hemingway | ||
| Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Alan Rosenberg | ||
| Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series | Gregor Hesse |
References
- TV REVIEW : 'Civil Wars' Loses Battle to Absurdities, Rosenberg, Howard, Los Angeles Times, 20 November 1991, 2018-04-02
- CBS leads noms for Emmy rival, Lowry, Brian, 1993-04-16, variety.com, October 27, 2013
External links
Category:1991 American television series debuts
Category:1993 American television series endings
Category:1990s American legal drama television series
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Television shows set in New York City
Category:Television series by 20th Television
Category:American Broadcasting Company legal dramas