Covington Cross#ep7
{{Short description|1992 television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Covington Cross Title Screen.jpg
| caption = Title screenshot
| alt_name = Charring Cross
| genre = Adventure
| creator = Gil Grant
| developer =
| writer = Beverly Bridges
Chris Ruppenthal
| director = William Dear
Alister Hallum
| creative_director =
| presenter =
| starring = Nigel Terry
Cherie Lunghi
James Faulkner
Jonathan Firth
Glenn Quinn
Ione Skye
| judges =
| voices =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer = Carl Davis
| country = {{Plainlist|
- United States
- United Kingdom
}}
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 13 (6 unaired in U.S.)
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer = Gil Grant
| producer =
| editor =
| location = Allington Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 60 minutes
| company = Reeves Entertainment
| channel = ABC
| first_aired = {{Start date|1992|08|25}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1992|10|31}}
}}
Covington Cross is a television series that was broadcast on ABC in the United States from August 25 to October 31, 1992. The series was created by Gil Grant, who was also executive producer. The pilot episode also aired in the United Kingdom, six days after its American broadcast. The series was filmed and produced in the UK, by a British production company, but it was ultimately accountable to an American television network.
Premise
Set in 14th-century England, the series follows the daily intrigues of Sir Thomas Grey, a widower, and his sons and daughter. Covington Cross is the name of Sir Thomas' castle. His children are oldest son, Armus; the serious Richard; free spirited Cedric; and strong-willed daughter, Eleanor. Another son, William, appeared in the pilot episode, but was then directed by the program's writers to fight in the Crusades. Also featuring in Sir Thomas's life is his love interest, Lady Elizabeth.
Characters
- Sir Thomas Grey – Nigel Terry
- Lady Elizabeth – Cherie Lunghi
- William Grey – Ben Porter (pilot episode)
- Armus Grey – Tim Killick (except not in pilot)
- Richard Grey – Jonathan Firth
- Cedric Grey – Glenn Quinn
- Eleanor Grey – Ione Skye
- Baron John Mullens – James Faulkner
- Friar – Paul Brooke
- Alexandra Mullens (semi-regular) – Laura Howard
- King Edward (semi-regular) – Miles Anderson
Production and broadcast
Thirteen episodes were produced, but only seven aired in the United States after ABC pulled the series from the air in November 1992.{{cite web |author=Beth Kleid |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-09-ca-75-story.html |title=Morning Report – Television |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 9, 1992 |access-date=2017-07-06 |quote=Crossed Off: ABC has pulled "Covington Cross" and "Crossroads" from its Saturday-night schedule.}} The series was an expensive show to produce, thanks to overseas production costs. Most of the cast and crew were British. Once, the show was preempted when its timeslot was bought by businessman Ross Perot for infomercials in an attempt to raise his poll numbers during his independent run for president.{{cite web |author=Beth Kleid |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-12-ca-49-story.html |title=Morning Report – Television |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 12, 1992 |access-date=2017-07-06 |quote=An hour-long infomercial with Ross Perot boosting his independent presidential campaign will preempt ABC's "Covington Cross" between 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday.}}
According to a Los Angeles Times article, it was "one of the few American prime-time shows ever to be shot entirely on location in England",{{cite web |author=Jeff Kaye |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-21-ca-5608-story.html |title=A Medieval 'Bonanza' : 'Covington Cross': Feudal Fun When Knights Were Bold |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 21, 1992 |access-date=2017-07-06}} with much of the filming was done in and around castles in the English countryside. Allington Castle was used for the exterior scenes, while Penshurst Place in Kent were used for the interior scenes.{{cite web|url=http://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/1992/11/covington-cross-1992/|title=Covington Cross (1992)|date=9 November 1992 |publisher=Kent Film Office|accessdate=2017-07-06}} The village set was filmed at Shepperton Studios, and it was later reused in the sixth season of British television series Red Dwarf as the Gelf village in the episode "Emohawk: Polymorph II".{{cite book |author1=Chris Howarth |author2=Steve Lyons |year=1997 |title=Red Dwarf: programme guide - Part 4 |page=126}}
The pilot episode also aired in the United Kingdom, six days after its American broadcast,{{cite news |title=BBC1 |work=The Times |date=August 31, 1992}} but the remainder of the series was not shown there, although it was originally intended that the full series would air in Britain in 1993. The program was also broadcast in Ireland in 1994,{{cite news |title=Weekender |work=The Irish Independent |date=October 1, 1994}} and in France in 1993 on M6.{{cite web|title=Samedi, 25 Septembre, 1993 M6 15.40 Covington Cross (série)|url=https://www.humanite.fr/node/64083|website=humanite.fr|date=September 25, 1993}}
Episodes
{{Episode table
|caption =
|background = #FFA500
|overall = 10
|title = 40
|director = 25
|airdate = 25
|country = US
|episodes =
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = Pilot
|DirectedBy = William Dear
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|08|25}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = Armus Returns
|DirectedBy = James Keach
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|09|19}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = Outlaws
|DirectedBy = James Keach
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|09|26}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 4
|Title = Cedric Hits the Road
|DirectedBy = Les Landon
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|10|03}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 5
|Title = The Hero
|DirectedBy = Les Landon
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|10|10}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 6
|Title = Blinded Passions
|DirectedBy = Joe Napolitano
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|10|24}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 7
|Title = The Persecution
|DirectedBy = Francis Megahy
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|10|31}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 8
|Title = Eviction
|DirectedBy = Joe Napolitano
|OriginalAirDate = Unaired
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 9
|Title = The Trial
|DirectedBy = Herbert Wise
|OriginalAirDate = Unaired
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 10
|Title = The Plague
|DirectedBy = Peter Sasdy
|OriginalAirDate = Unaired
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 11
|Title = Revenge
|DirectedBy = Alister Hallum
|OriginalAirDate = Unaired
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 12
|Title = Celebration
|DirectedBy = Herbert Wise
|OriginalAirDate = Unaired
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 13
|Title = Brothers
|DirectedBy = Ian Toynton
|OriginalAirDate = Unaired
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = FFA500
}}
}}
Reception
The show received mixed critical notice. Howard Rosenberg of Los Angeles Times was muted in his review of the show, describing it as a "pleasing, though occasionally plodding costume drama" that "brings a droll, self-mocking sense of humor to its Middle Ages saga."{{cite web |author=Howard Rosenberg |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-25-ca-6055-story.html |title=TV Reviews : 'Covington Cross': Pleasing, Though Plodding |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 25, 1992 |access-date=2017-07-06}} Todd Everett of Variety praised the show for having "lots of color, production values and a script that doesn't take itself too seriously", further noting that "all tech credits are first rate, with a special nod to costume designer Barbara Lane."{{cite web |author=Todd Everett |url=https://variety.com/1992/tv/reviews/covington-cross-1200430486/ |title=Review: 'Covington Cross' |work=Variety |date=August 25, 1992 |access-date=2017-07-06}} However Entertainment Weekly found the show "ludicrous".{{cite magazine |author= |url=http://ew.com/article/1992/09/11/fall-1992-tv-preview-saturday/ |title=The fall 1992 TV preview: Saturday |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=September 11, 1992 |access-date=2017-07-06}} Tom Shales gave Covington Cross a negative review, declaring that "the show plays like a Mel Brooks spoof minus the spoofing". Shales added "Most of the young characters behave like spoiled tots plucked from the '90s and teleported back through the centuries... In other words, the series is historical drama in name only. It's really "Covington Cross, 90210"."{{cite news |author=Tom Shales |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/08/25/covington-cross-tis-torture-forsooth/f1093429-2d6d-4217-a843-5df7e30a6c21/|title=TV Reviews : Covington Cross: 'Tis Torture Forsooth |newspaper=Washington Post |date=August 25, 1992 |access-date=2021-10-21}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|tt0103391|Covington Cross}}
- {{Epguides|CovingtonCross|Covington Cross}}
Category:American Broadcasting Company television dramas
Category:1992 American television series debuts
Category:1992 American television series endings
Category:Television series by Fremantle (company)
Category:Television shows set in England
Category:Television shows filmed in England
Category:Television series set in the 14th century