Red Shoe Diaries#Episode list

Jake Winters (David Duchovny) places an ad in the newspaper under "Red Shoes", seeking women to mail in their personal diaries with stories of love, passion, and/or betrayal. He is then shown walking on desolate train tracks with his dog, Stella. He begins reading a letter from his post office box out loud that begins with "Dear Red Shoes..." In the pilot film, Jake lost his fiancée to suicide and discovered she kept a diary detailing an affair she had with a construction worker and shoe salesman who sold her a pair of red high heels. He placed the ad in the newspaper in an effort to make sense of his fiancée's secret life through the stories of women in similar situations. Each episode is devoted to a woman's story Jake receives, and begins and ends with Jake's comments to Stella.

Zalman King conceived of an erotic television series that would air on premium cable, which was then a burgeoning market as it was not beholden to MPAA ratings.{{cite news |last1=Weinstein |first1=Steve |title=Moviemaker Takes His Flair for Erotic Fare to Showtime |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-05-18-ca-198-story.html |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 18, 1992}} With his wife and collaborator Patricia Louisianna Knop, King wrote the script for the television film Red Shoe Diaries, intending it to be the pilot for the anthology series. The film, in conjunction with four episodes, was pitched to Showtime in 1991.{{cite magazine|last=Griffin |first=Nancy |title=King |url=http://archive.org/details/sim_premiere_1991-09_5_1/page/n101/mode/1up |magazine=Premiere |date=September 1991 |volume=5 |number=1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/sim_premiere_1991-09_5_1/page/n108/mode/1up 101] |access-date=June 4, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Kenneth R. |title=Premium Cable Channels Find a Niche in Nudity |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-10-01-9103140977-story.html |access-date=6 June 2023 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=October 1, 1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925141224/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-10-01-9103140977-story.html |archive-date=2018-09-25}}

Said King: "I wanted to do an anthology series from a very intimate, woman's point of view."{{cite magazine |last1=Marin |first1=Rick |title=Red Shoe Diaries: Female-driven success |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/04/30/red-shoe-diaries-female-driven-success/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=April 30, 1993}} He dismissed the term softcore to categorize his work because of its pornographic connotations, saying, "Eroticism has a real place in my vocabulary because [it] usually needs to move out of a relationship or some sort of tension and that's what I'm very interested in. I usually think of my work as romance."{{cite web |last1=Lehman |first1=Peter |title=Interview with Zalman King "In defense of myself, it's not soft core" |url=https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc54.2012/lehmanZalman/1.html |website=Jump Cut |access-date=4 June 2023 |date=2006}}{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Adam |title=Zalman King: The forgotten auteur who revolutionised sex, kink and female desire on screen |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/zalman-king-red-shoe-diaries-patricia-louisianna-knop-stanley-kubrick-sex-scenes-erotica-a9486141.html |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=The Independent |date=27 April 2020}} Producer David Saunders said, "We weren't interested in making porn. We wanted to make erotic movies with good stories that looked great, were well-acted, and that concerned women as well as men. Showtime's interests and our interests coincided." Of the show's content, writer Chloe King said, "It's not wham-bam thank you ma’am. There's more intellectual than physical foreplay." Lizzie Borden, Anne Goursaud, Mary Lambert, Nelly Alard, and Elise D'Haene were among the female writers and directors on the show.

David Duchovny was cast in The X-Files shortly after signing on to do the pilot film. Though his character's story is continued in the episode entitled "Jake's Story", he mostly appears as the series' narrator, bookending each episode.{{cite news |last1=O'Connell |first1=Chris |title=An Oral History of Showtime's 'Red Shoe Diaries' |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/an-oral-history-of-showtimes-red-shoe-diaries |access-date=3 June 2023 |work=MEL Magazine |date=July 25, 2019}}

Episodes were mostly filmed in Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley. Later locations included Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,{{cite news |last1=Loynd |first1=Ray |title=Zalman King's Red Shoe Diaries Night of Abandon |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/zalman-king-s-red-shoe-diaries-night-of-abandon-1200436590/ |access-date=6 June 2023 |work=Variety |date=April 22, 1994}} and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

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|EpisodeNumber = 1

|EpisodeNumber2 = 1

|Title = Safe Sex

|DirectedBy = Zalman King

|WrittenBy = Melanie Finn, Henry Cobbold

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|06|27|df=}}

|ShortSummary = A man and a woman decide to have a no-strings-attached affair after sharing a cab together. {{Episode cast}} Steven Bauer, Joan Severance, John Toles-Bey

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|EpisodeNumber2 = 2

|Title = Double Dare

|DirectedBy = Tibor Takács

|WrittenBy = Rod McCall, Merle Worth

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|07|18|df=}}

|ShortSummary = An advertising executive begins a flirtation with a man who works in the office building across from her. {{Episode cast}} Laura Johnson, Arnold Vosloo, Scott Lawrence, Michael Woods

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = You Have the Right to Remain Silent

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Rafael Eisenman, Henry Cobbold

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|08|08|df=}}

| ShortSummary = A female police officer gets a stranger's attention by arresting him. {{Episode cast}} Denise Crosby, Robert Knepper, Pat Banta

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Talk to Me Baby

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1992|08|22|df=}}

| ShortSummary = After his girlfriend Elaine catches him cheating on her, Bud looks for excitement in reckless driving. {{Episode cast}} Richard Tyson, Lydie Denier, Kim Burnette, Peter Spellos

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Just Like That

| DirectedBy = Ted Kotcheff

| WrittenBy = Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|04|17|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Trudie, an aspiring lawyer, finds herself drawn between two men who are complete opposites. {{Episode cast}} Nina Siemaszko, Matt LeBlanc, Carl Gilliard, Tchéky Karyo, Victoria Mahoney, Renata Scott

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Another Woman's Lipstick

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Ed Silverstein

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|05|13|df=}}

| ShortSummary = After discovering her husband is having an affair, Zoe dresses up as a man to catch her husband and uncover the identity of his mistress. {{Episode cast}} Maryam d'Abo, Christina Fulton, Annabelle Gurwitch, Kevin Haley, Miranda Garrison

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

| Title = Auto Erotica

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Ned Bowman

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|05|29|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Claudia is challenged to a high speed chase through the empty streets by a handsome pedestrian. {{Episode cast}} Nick Chinlund, Caitlin Dulany

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

| Title = Jake's Story

| DirectedBy = Michael Karbelnikoff

| WrittenBy = Ed Silverstein

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|07|10|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Several months after the events of the film, Jake is approached by a mysterious woman at the diner who takes him along to one of her photo shoots and shows him a possible way out of his grief. {{Episode cast}} Sheryl Lee, David Duchovny, William Paul Burns, Angela Cornell, Audie England, Frederick Washburn

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| EpisodeNumber2 = 9

| Title = Accidents Happen" a.k.a. "The Fling

| DirectedBy = Alan Smithee{{efn|Mary Lambert directed the episode but due to creative differences with Zalman King, had her name removed and is credited under the pseudonym Alan Smithee.}}

| WrittenBy = Laurie Frank, Patricia Louisianna Knop

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|05|15|df=}}

| ShortSummary = An Italian maid finds the private home videos of her employers. {{Episode cast}} Ally Sheedy, Marina Giulia Cavalli, Scott Plank

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| EpisodeNumber2 = 10

| Title = Bounty Hunter

| DirectedBy = Peter Care

| WrittenBy = David Codikow, Melanie Finn (story)

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|05|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Evan, a bounty hunter, meets her match in the handsome con artist she's tracking. {{Episode cast}} Ron Marquette, Claire Stansfield, Sue Kiel, Nicholas Love, Dee McCafferty

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| EpisodeNumber2 = 11

| Title = Weekend Pass

| DirectedBy = Ted Kotcheff

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Melanie Finn (story)

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|06|12|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Chandler crosses paths with Eddie, a handsome drifter at the local bar on Christmas Eve. {{episode cast}} Anthony Addabbo, Ely Pouget, Shashawnee Hall, Renée Estevez

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| EpisodeNumber2 = 12

| Title = Double or Nothing

| DirectedBy = Dominique Othenin-Girard

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Melanie Finn (teleplay)

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|06|19|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Alicia finds love with a fellow pool shark. {{Episode cast}} Paula Barbieri, Francesco Quinn, Carl Ciarfalio

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| EpisodeNumber2 = 13

| Title = How I Met My Husband

| DirectedBy = Bernard Auroux

| WrittenBy = Elizabeth Schwarz, Melanie Finn (teleplay)

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|06|26|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Alice takes classes to become a dominatrix. {{episode cast}} Luigi Amodeo, Neith Hunter, Sue Kiel, Jennifer Burton, Alex Ardenti, Andrea Riave

|LineColor = 101113

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}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 14

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Midnight Bells

| DirectedBy = Anne Goursaud

| WrittenBy = Joëlle Bentolila

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1993|12|18|df=}}

| ShortSummary = A woman reminisces about a man she spent three New Year's Eves with. {{episode cast}} Charlotte Lewis, Carsten Norgaard, Luc Leestemaker

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 15

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Naked in the Moonlight

| DirectedBy = Philippe Angers

| WrittenBy = Melanie Greene, Melanie Finn, Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1994|04|30|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Camille inherits a fortune and a prized '57 Cadillac, which she takes to a mechanic. {{episode cast}} Raven Snow, John Enos III, Rudy de Rooy, California Ralph

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 16

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = Runway

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn, Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1994|05|21|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Alia is an in-demand fashion model but has become disenchanted with the supermodel life. After striking up a conversation with cab driver Miguel, she decides to turn the tables and camera on him. {{episode cast}} Amber Smith, Udo Kier, Daniel Anibal Blasco, Jennifer Burton, James DeAngelo, Darienne Arnold, Lorna Firman, Deborah Lin, Andrea Riave, Frederick Washburn

|LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 17

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Kidnap

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn, Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1994|06|11|df=}}

| ShortSummary = On her way to closing the biggest deal of her career, Sara is kidnapped by a bank robber. {{episode cast}} Ron Marquette, Jennifer Ciesar, Matt LeBlanc, Robert Mailhouse, Dee McCafferty, Robert Peters

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 18

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Burning Up

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Patricia Louisianna Knop

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1994|07|14|df=}}

| ShortSummary = A woman has a fling with a fireman. {{episode cast}} Alexandra Tydings, Mark Zuelke, Anthony Guidera, Rhonda Aldrich, Ivan Allen, Avalon Anders, Jennifer Burton

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 19

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Night of Abandon

| DirectedBy = René Manzor

| WrittenBy = Henry Cobbold

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A shy woman visits her grandmother in Rio de Janeiro and discovers lust with a Brazilian man during Carnival. {{episode cast}} Ann Cockburn, Daniel Leza, Catalina Bonakie

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 20

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

| Title = Liar's Tale

| DirectedBy = James Gavin Bedford

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Corey, a burnt out photojournalist assigned to cover the L.A. sex scene, meets a high-class call girl who fascinates her. {{episode cast}} Erika Anderson, Audie England, Lorna Firman, Margaret Makinen, Peter Quartaroli, Terrence Sheahan, Paula Venice

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 21

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

| Title = In the Blink of an Eye

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn, Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Kathryn, an upper-class woman in France, is tempted to cheat on her powerful husband with a boxer. {{episode cast}} Laurie Simpson, Julien Maurel, Richard Dieux, Brian Edwards, Philippe Nahon, Dominique Valera

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 22

| EpisodeNumber2 = 9

| Title = Hotline

| DirectedBy = David Womark

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn, Gilles de Baillenx

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Tess takes a job at a phone sex hotline. {{episode cast}} Audie England, George Pilgrim, Don Bloomfield, María Celedonio, Margaret Cho, Wendy Schaal, Judy Toll

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 23

| EpisodeNumber2 = 10

| Title = Love at First Sight

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Harry and Cecelia, a couple on the run, pick up a hitchhiking bride. {{episode cast}} Alexandra Tydings, Anthony Addabbo, Eric James, Denice D. Lewis

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 24

| EpisodeNumber2 = 11

| Title = Gina

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Gina decides to shake up her life by moving to Paris. {{episode cast}} Lynette Walden, Michel Allaire, Stéphane Bonnet, Hervé Gamelin, Sabine Tingry, Didier Yakar

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 25

| EpisodeNumber2 = 12

| Title = Alphabet Girl

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A fashion model finds love. {{episode cast}} Christiana D'Amore, Justin Carroll, Brad Joseph Dubin

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 26

| EpisodeNumber2 = 13

| Title = Some Things Never Change

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = The independent head of a fashion company and a temperamental commercial director rekindle their flame. {{episode cast}} Marina Giulia Cavalli, Brad Fisher, Sylvie Guelton, Guy Amram, Hero Kawashima

| LineColor = 101113

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| EpisodeNumber = 27

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = You Make Me Want to Wear Dresses

| DirectedBy = Daniel Ducovny

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Tomboy Brandy is persuaded by Calahan to ditch her cowgirl slacks for dresses. {{episode cast}} Sammi Davis, Maximo Morrone, Michelle Beauchamp, Jason Court

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 28

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = The Game

| DirectedBy = Philippe Angers

| WrittenBy = Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A bored married couple invent a board game to renew their intimacy. {{episode cast}} Caron Bernstein, Frederick Washburn, Eugene Choy, Tarik Ergin, Allan Graf, Kether Parker, Janine Stillo, Michael T. Weiss

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 29

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = The Cake

| DirectedBy = Brian Grant

| WrittenBy = Kathryn MacQuarrie

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Juliet comes up with an idea for the cake for her husband's birthday. {{episode cast}} Jennifer MacDonald, Christian LeBlanc, Saxon Trainor, Peter Sands, John Bergantine, Tarik Ergin, Robert Peters, Barbara Pilavin, Janine Stillo, Sheelagh Cullen

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 30

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Like Father, Like Son

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Joshua Gray

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A French woman recounts how her boyfriend Jamie became involved with opera singer Celeste, who also happens to be the lover of Jamie's father. {{episode cast}} Arielle Dombasle, Elodie Frenck, Will Stewart, Jean-Yves Gautier

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 31

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Borders of Salt

| DirectedBy = Tibor Takács

| WrittenBy = Joëlle Bentolila

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Claire and Paul have a brief romantic encounter on the train. {{episode cast}} Alan Boyce, Sofia Shinas, Peter Quartaroli

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 32

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Written Word

| DirectedBy = Stephen Halbert

| WrittenBy = Kathy MacQuarrie

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Law professor Clare discovers the identity of the secret admirer who sends her letters every week. {{episode cast}} Robbi Chong, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Rhonda Aldrich, Peter Gregory

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 33

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

| Title = Girl on a Bike

| DirectedBy = Lydie Callier

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Joshua Gray

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Will goes on a wild goose chase through the streets of Paris to find a girl he saw bicycling and immediately became smitten with. {{episode cast}} Brent David Fraser, Géraldine Cotte

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 34

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

| Title = Emily's Dance

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Richard Baskin

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Emily is chosen to be the lead dancer in a music video, but becomes flustered when she has to dance with the video's star. {{episode cast}} Freedom Williams, Mari Morrow, Kent King, Lisa Boyle, Neisha Folkes-LeMelle, Wylie Draper

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 35

| EpisodeNumber2 = 9

| Title = Four on the Floor

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Joëlle Bentolila

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A car crash in a rainstorm strands two couples at a deserted building. {{episode cast}} Christopher Atkins, Jsu Garcia, Dominique Abel, Rachel Palmieri

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 36

| EpisodeNumber2 = 10

| Title = The Psychiatrist

| DirectedBy = David Womark

| WrittenBy = Nelly Alard

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Psychiatrist Evelyn is compelled into her own journey of sexual self-discovery when one of her patients confides to her about her sexual encounters with men. {{episode cast}} Denise Crosby, Georges Corraface, Demetra Hampton, Natasha Cashman, Manoëlle Gaillard, Laurent Le Doyen, Paco Reconti, Richard Magaldi

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 37

| EpisodeNumber2 = 11

| Title = Luscious Lola

| DirectedBy = Stephen Halbert

| WrittenBy = Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Mild-mannered Mimi creates a strong vivacious alter ego named "Luscious Lola". {{episode cast}} Bobbie Phillips, Michael Bendetti, Christina Fulton, Herbie Tribino

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 38

| EpisodeNumber2 = 12

| Title = Mercy

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Elise D'Haene, John Enos III

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Rebecca is torn between two men, her husband and a younger man. {{episode cast}} John Enos III, Heidi Mark, Joseph Whipp, Vance Harvey

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 39

| EpisodeNumber2 = 13

| Title = The Last Motel

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Pascal Franchot, Elisa D'Haene

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = The paths of five guests, including a sailor, a couple, and five women, converge at a motel. {{episode cast}} Perrey Reeves, Michael Burke, Ernie Lee Banks, Andrew Bilgore, Darren Foy, Rina Garcia, Rita Branch, Laurel Wiley, Ed Wing

| LineColor = 101113

}}

}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 1

| EpisodeNumber2 = 40

| Title = Billy Bar

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A former football star and prom queen realize their marriage is falling apart during Mardi Gras weekend. {{episode cast}} Anthony Addabbo, Troy Beyer, May Karasun, Jacqueline Lovell

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| EpisodeNumber2 = 41

| Title = Divorce, Divorce

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Chloe King, Zalman King (story)

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A couple in the midst of a divorce are stuck together for one fateful night. {{episode cast}} Audie England, Brad Fisher, Denice D. Lewis, Scott Plank, Brittany Ashton Holmes, Jennifer Rhodes

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| EpisodeNumber2 = 42

| Title = Cowboy, Cowboy

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A recent divorcee returns to her hometown and falls head over heels for a charming cowboy. {{episode cast}} Mark Zuelke, Kathrin Nicholson, Pat Destro, Hollie Hummel

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| EpisodeNumber2 = 43

| Title = Caged Bird

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Elise D'Haene

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = While in solitary confinement, Dakota meets Charlie, a prison guard. {{episode cast}} Shannon Atteberry, Hector Hank, Arroyn Lloyd, Jacqueline Lovell, Henric Nieminen

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| EpisodeNumber2 = 44

| Title = The Ex

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Daisy and her new boyfriend Michael find themselves hostages of her ex. {{episode cast}} Kathrin Nicholson, Matt George, Brian Zuckerman

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| EpisodeNumber2 = 45

| Title = The Teacher

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A married woman has a passionate affair with her tennis teacher, only to find out her husband hired him to enliven their humdrum marriage. {{episode cast}} Anthony Addabbo, Jacqueline Lovell, Mikhail Mamayev

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| EpisodeNumber2 = 46

| Title = Swimming Naked

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A swimmer competing for the Olympics catches the eye of a small-town lifeguard. {{episode cast}} Kristi Frank, Omry Reznik, Kenneth David Ebling, Henric Nieminen, Robin Sagstetter, Carrie Sturdevant Fisher

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| EpisodeNumber2 = 47

| Title = Jump

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Kathy McQuarrie, Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Tory goes skydiving on the eve of her engagement, which forces her to confront her fear and the reality she's been afraid to really live her life. {{episode cast}} Sonya Ryzy-Ryski, Michael Woods, Todd Gordon, Tom Sanders, Brad Hood, J.W. "Corkey" Fornof, Harry O'Connor, Dick "Skip" Evans

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| EpisodeNumber2 = 48

| Title = Tears

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A talented young dancer becomes trapped in a love triangle involving a renowned choreographer. {{episode cast}} Daniel Ezralow, Cyia Batten, Troy Burgess, Priscilla Harris, Arabella Holzbog, Caitlin McLean, Regan Patno, Carolyn Seymour, Jeff Young

| LineColor = 101113

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| EpisodeNumber2 = 49

| Title = Dime a Dance

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Chloe King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Winnie, Darcie, and Nan are dancers at a dime-a-dance joint. They each fall for their new bandleader, Michael. {{episode cast}} Ángel Ferreira, Hazel Miller, Dawn Whitaker, Bebe McGarry, Jennifer Burton, Al Israel

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| EpisodeNumber2 = 50

| Title = Details

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Melanie Finn

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Anne, a lonely and successful businesswoman, is drawn to a man who can't resist taking care of her neglected antique car. {{episode cast}} Alla Korot, Francesco Romano, Race Nelson

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| EpisodeNumber2 = 51

| Title = Laundrymat

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Elisa D'Haene, Anthony Addabbo

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A lonely single mother meets a handsome drifter late one night at a laundromat.{{episode cast}} Audie England, Brett Stimely

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| EpisodeNumber2 = 52

| Title = As She Wishes

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A man is marooned alone on an exotic island until one day when a beautiful woman arrives onshore. {{episode cast}} Amber Smith, Adamo Palladino

| LineColor = 101113

}}

}}

{{Episode table

|overall=

|season=

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| EpisodeNumber2 = 53

| Title = Weightless

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = John Shirley

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = An astronaut trapped in a dying spacecraft far from home has one last encounter with her co-pilot. {{episode cast}} Darya Poverennova, Mikhail Mamaev, Yuiri Malinovsky

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| EpisodeNumber2 = 54

| Title = Carried Away

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Chloe King, Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A woman retreats to a country farm to rethink her crumbling relationship with her boyfriend. A storm knocks out all communication except for carrier pigeon, leading the woman to communicate with her partner in a whole new way. {{episode cast}} Elena Leandrus, Mikhail Mamaev, Yuiri Malinovsky, Marina Cherneleac, Oxana Urib

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| EpisodeNumber2 = 55

| Title = Jealousy

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Patricia Louisianna Knop

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = An actor suspects his actress wife is having an affair with her hunky co-star. {{episode cast}} Patrick Budal, Yelena Zatolokina, Rubi Zack, Viktoriya Khadzhinova, Oleg Sukatchenko, Natalya Reva, Ekaterina Listrova, Aleksandr Seleznyov

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| EpisodeNumber2 = 56

| Title = The Boxer

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Elise D'Haene

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Kate, a photographer who has given up on love, falls for Max, a struggling boxer she allows to stay at her loft while they work together on a perfume ad. {{episode cast}} Melissa Behr, Patrick Budal, Heather Sutherland, Sherrie Rose, Erika Gabaldon

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| EpisodeNumber2 = 57

| Title = Strip Poker

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Patricia Louisianna Knop

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A photographer joins in a game of strip poker. {{episode cast}} Anfisa Nejinskaya, Larisa Tipikina, Yuliya Blokhina, Andrei Overchiuk, Vladimir Pliska, Marina Malchevskaya

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| EpisodeNumber2 = 58

| Title = Hard Labor

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Zalman King, Elise D'Haene

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Aleta, an advertising executive working on the campaign for Hard Labor Jeans, faces the prospect of forgiveness and redemption when she is confronted by her lover's ex. {{episode cast}} Jennifer Ciesar, Maximo Morrone, Jennifer Nash, Omar Alberto, Jim McMullan, Elan Atias, David McKay, Torry Pendergrass, Audie England

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| EpisodeNumber2 = 59

| Title = Slow Train

| DirectedBy = Zalman King

| WrittenBy = Julie Marie Myatt

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = Sally discovers her grandmother wasn't the passionless woman she'd thought her to be when she finds the diary she kept as a desperate young woman during the 1930s. {{episode cast}} Andrew Calder, Maureen Carter, Richard Hench, Floyd Irons, Athena Massey, Sam Menning, Henric Nieminen, Mark Zuelke

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| EpisodeNumber2 = 60

| Title = Temple of Flesh

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A couple's one-year anniversary celebration is crashed by a couple of hippies. {{episode cast}} Justin Carroll, Darren Foy, Anya Longwell, Elina Madison, Clement von Franckenstein, Martin Charles Warner

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| EpisodeNumber2 = 61

| Title = Juarez

| DirectedBy = Lizzie Borden

| WrittenBy = Caroline Yeh, Lizzie Borden

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = A young woman coming to terms with her mother's impending death becomes fascinated with a mysterious masked Mexican wrestler. {{episode cast}} Neith Hunter, Daniel Leza, Brad Fisher, Lupe Ontiveros, Sophia Santi, Sue Casey, Ludo Vika, Rick Garcia, Francisco P. Cardoza, Gokor Chivichyan, Jose P. Cordoza, Richard Doran, Salvador Guerrero IV, Mando Guerroro, Alvin Lion, Jeff Cadiente, Thomas Rosales Jr.

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| EpisodeNumber2 = 62

| Title = Farmer's Daughter

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = The spirited daughter of a vineyard owner nurses an injured cyclist back to health. {{episode cast}} Patrick Budal, Irina Grigoryeva, Aleksandr Shitikov, Rubi Zack

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| EpisodeNumber2 = 63

| Title = The Forbidden Zone

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Chloe King, Zalman King (story)

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|04|23|df=}}

| ShortSummary = A woman in an affair tells a story set in the far future in a completely puritan world, where the freedoms taken for granted are all but forbidden. {{episode cast}} Beverly Johnson, Anthony Addabbo, Honey Labrador, Jay Acovone, Albert Alexander, Bryan Anthony, Robin Antin, Lisa Arturo, Carmit Bachar, Michelle Beauchamp, Palmer Davis, Sharon Ferguson, Eric Fishman, Norman Howell, Nito Larioza, Kevin Alexander Stea, Taimak

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| EpisodeNumber2 = 64

| Title = Art of Loneliness

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|08|17|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Elizabeth, a blind late night radio personality, becomes involved in a love triangle with two other emotionally empty people. {{episode cast}} Raven Snow, Brad Fisher, Caron Bernstein, Honey Labrador

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| EpisodeNumber2 = 65

| Title = The Picnic

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Zalman King

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|05|17|df=}}

| ShortSummary = Rita is torn between two lovers who are best friends. {{episode cast}} Anthony Addabbo, Kira Reed, Eric James

| LineColor = 101113

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 14

| EpisodeNumber2 = 66

| Title = Banished

| DirectedBy = Rafael Eisenman

| WrittenBy = Tony Selznick

| OriginalAirDate =

| ShortSummary = An angel is condemned to earth where he is cursed with the power to kill with a kiss. {{episode cast}} Vladimir Kehkaial, Cyia Batten, Carmit Bachar, Melissa Williams

}}

}}

Originally screened in the UK on Channel 5 in the 1990s,{{cite book |last1=Arthurs |first1=Jane |title=Television and Sexuality |year=2004 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=978-0335209750 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=JksPJKYITAcC&&pg=PA52 52]}} the channel screened several episodes back-to-back on August 30, 2021. Red Shoe Diaries episodes were also broadcast on the Canadian television channel Showcase in August 2010.

Though the series did not gain positive attention from critics,{{cite news |last1=Willman |first1=Chris |title=TV Reviews : 'Red Shoe Diaries': A Peek at Cinematic Foreplay |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-05-16-ca-1777-story.html |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 16, 1992}}{{cite news |last1=Sauter |first1=Van Gordon |title=Red Shoe Diaries |url=https://variety.com/1992/tv/reviews/red-shoe-diaries-1200429690/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=Variety |date=May 15, 1992}}{{cite news |last1=Tucker |first1=Ken |title=Red Shoe Diaries |url=https://ew.com/article/1992/05/01/red-shoes-diaries/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=EW.com |date=May 1, 1992}} it was a major success for Showtime and helped boost the network's viewership to compete with HBO in the 1990s.{{sfn|Andrews|2006|p=160}} It was the first softcore program to be touted by a premium cable network and to deliver consistently high ratings.{{sfn|Andrews|2006|p=160}} Imitators and softcore series similarly aimed at female audiences sprang up in the wake of the show's popularity, including The Hunger, Emmanuelle in Space, Women: Stories of Passion,{{sfn|Andrews|2006|p=160}} and Strangers.{{cite magazine |last1=Bellafante |first1=Ginia |title=Now, The Sex Files On Pay Cable, After Hours, Men And Women Do Much More Than Communicate |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,984680,00.html |access-date=6 June 2023 |magazine=Time |date=June 10, 1996}}{{sfn|Andrews|2006|p=276}} TV critics described the series as "both creator of 'art house' soft porn and savior of the kind of quality programming for which pay cable has also become known", and "innovative for its time...[for staying] true to its basic, lusty principles while adding music-video artiness, jumpy, nervy video cuts and dim mood lighting for a veneer of upscale, almost snooty, erotica. Lifetime with nudity."{{cite news |title=Viewers Lust After Erotica |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/09/03/viewers-lust-after-erotica/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=Sun Sentinel |date=September 3, 1998}}

Despite the series' foregrounding of a woman's perspective and inclusion of some lesbian story lines, it did receive criticism for its heavy featuring of female nudity, particularly since no male full frontal nudity was shown.{{sfn|Martin|1994|p=55}}

After the 1992 release of the pilot movie, episodes from the series were compiled on VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD as branded Red Shoe Diaries movies. Each compilation features three episodes.

1. Red Shoe Diaries (1992)
2. Red Shoe Diaries 2: Double Dare. "Safe Sex" / "You Have the Right to Remain Silent" / "Double Dare"
3. Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick. "Just Like That" / "Another Woman's Lipstick" / "Talk to Me Baby"
4. Red Shoe Diaries 4: Auto Erotica. "Accidents Happen" / "Auto Erotica" / "Jake's Story"
5. Red Shoe Diaries 5: Weekend Pass. "Double or Nothing" / "Bounty Hunter" / "Weekend Pass"
6. Red Shoe Diaries 6: How I Met My Husband. "How I Met My Husband" / "Naked in the Moonlight" / "Midnight Bells"
7. Red Shoe Diaries 7: Burning Up. "Runway" / "Kidnap" / "Burning Up"
8. Red Shoe Diaries 8: Night of Abandon. "Night of Abandon" / "Liar's Tale" / "In the Blink of an Eye"
9. Red Shoe Diaries 9: Hotline. "Gina" / "Hotline" / "Love at First Sight"
10. Red Shoe Diaries 10: Some Things Never Change. "You Make Me Want to Wear Dresses" / "Some Things Never Change" / "Alphabet Girl"
11. Red Shoe Diaries 11: The Game. "The Game" / "The Cake" / "Like Father, Like Son"
12. Red Shoe Diaries 12: Girl on a Bike. "Girl on a Bike" / "Written Word" / "Borders of Salt"
13. Red Shoe Diaries 13: Four on the Floor. "The Psychiatrist" / "Four on the Floor" / "Emily's Dance"
14. Red Shoe Diaries 14: Luscious Lola. "Luscious Lola" / "The Last Motel" / "Mercy"
15. Red Shoe Diaries 15: Forbidden Zone. "Forbidden Zone" / "The Art of Loneliness" / "The Picnic"
16. Red Shoe Diaries 16: Temple of Flesh. "Temple of Flesh" / "Juarez" / "The Farmer's Daughter"
17. Red Shoe Diaries 17: Swimming Naked. "Swimming Naked" / "Jump" / "Tears"
18. Red Shoe Diaries 18: Strip Poker. "Strip Poker" / "Slow Train" / "Hard Labor"
19. Red Shoe Diaries 19: As She Wishes. "As She Wishes" / "Billy Bar" / "Weightless"
20. Red Shoe Diaries 20: Caged Bird. "Caged Bird" / "The Ex" / "The Teacher"

On June 17, 2014, Kino Lorber released Season 1 on DVD in Region 1.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Red-Shoe-Diaries-Season-1/19387|title=Red Shoe Diaries DVD news: Date Change for Red Shoe Diaries - Season 1 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140601231616/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Red-Shoe-Diaries-Season-1/19387|archive-date=2014-06-01 |website=TVShowsOnDVD.com}}{{cite news |last1=Kramer |first1=Gary M. |title=Revisiting Softcore 1990s Cable Staple 'Red Shoe Diaries,' Now Out on DVD |url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/revisiting-softcore-1990s-cable-staple-red-shoe-diaries-now-out-on-dvd-213949/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=IndieWire |date=July 7, 2014}} On the same day they also re-released Red Shoe Diaries - The Movie.{{cite web|url=http://www.kinolorber.com/video.php?id=1644|title=Red Shoe Diaries - The Movie (DVD)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702003446/http://www.kinolorber.com/video.php?id=1644|archive-date=2014-07-02 |website=Kino Lorber}} Season 1 was also made available on Amazon Prime Video.{{cite web |title=Red Shoe Diaries - Season 1 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Auto-Erotica/dp/B09D5Z52LG/ |website=Amazon Prime |access-date=4 June 2023}} The TV film and series (seasons 1-4) are also available on Tubi, a free streaming service.

In 2006, Zalman King wrote and directed a second, feature-length Red Shoe Diaries TV pilot. This pilot was completed but never aired.{{cite web |url=https://davidgoldingstudios.com/about |title=Résumé of Film Editor David Golding |last=Golding |first=David |publisher=David Golding |date=June 5, 2024 |website=David Golding Studios |access-date=June 5, 2024}}

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Andrews |first=David |title=Soft in the Middle: The Contemporary Softcore Feature in its Contexts |year=2006 |publisher=Ohio State University Press |hdl=1811/24075 |isbn=978-0814210222 |url=http://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/24075}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Martin |first1=Nina K. |title=Red Shoe Diaries: Sexual Fantasy and the Construction of the (Hetero)Sexual Woman |journal=Journal of Film and Video |volume=46 |number=2 |year=1994 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20688037 |access-date=6 June 2023 |pages=44–57|jstor=20688037 }}

• {{IMDb title|0103522|Red Shoe Diaries}}
• {{Epguides|RedShoeDiaries}}

{{Zalman King}}

{{Showtime Network programming}}

Category:Showtime (TV network) original programming

Category:1990s American anthology television series

Category:1992 American television series debuts

Category:1997 American television series endings

Category:Erotic television series

Category:Nudity in television

Category:Showcase (Canadian TV channel) original programming

Category:Television series by CBS Studios

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:Films directed by Zalman King