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Blossom


Blossom title Card
Format Sitcom/Drama
Created by Don Reo
Starring Mayim Bialik

Joey Lawrence

Michael Stoyanov

Jenna von Oÿ

Ted Wass

Finola Hughes

Courtney Chase

David Lascher

Barnard Hughes

Melissa Manchester

Sean Pasternak

Portia Dawson
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 114 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive

producer(s)
Don Reo

Gene Reynolds

Rob LaZebnik

David Amico

Paul Junger Witt

Allan Katz

Tony Thomas

Judith D. Allison (co-executive producer)
Producer(s) Racelle Rosett Schaefer

John Ziffren

Roxie Wenk Evans

Kenneth R. Koch

Josh Goldstein

Jonathan Prince

David Landsberg

Glen Merzer

Jonathan Schmock (co-producer)
Location(s) Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower St., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Running time 22 minutes
Distributor USA:

Buena Vista Television

NBC

Non-USA:

Buena Vista International

Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run January 3, 1991May 22, 1995
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Blossom was a half-hour comedy television series broadcast from 1991 to 1995 on NBC, Mondays at 8:30pm. The series starred Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.

Synopsis

The series begins with Blossom's mother having left the family to pursue her own life and career and the family trying to adjust. Blossom's dad Nick (Ted Wass) is a session musician who was frequently between gigs and tours. Her oldest brother Anthony (Michael Stoyanov) is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. Joey (named Donny in the pilot episode) (Joey Lawrence), the other brother, is a fairly stereotypical "dumb jock", known for the drawn-out delivery of his catch phrase, "whoa".

Blossom's best friend Six LeMeure (Jenna von Oÿ) also plays a significant part in her life. Six, an especially fast talker, was best known for her tendency to ramble at an almost incoherent pace. Blossom also frequently received advice from famous celebrities in fantasy scenes, as Mr. T, Hugh Hefner, Phylicia Rashad (who played Blossom's vision of the ideal mother in the first episode) and Will Smith all made guest appearances during the show's run.

Production

Five seasons of Blossom were produced, with a total of 114 episodes. The theme music was "My Opinionation" by Mike Post and Steve Geyer and performed by recording artist Dr. John. The show was in syndication from 1995-1998. Many of the episodes were directed by Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby, until his death.

Influence

The phrase "a very special Blossom" entered into slang lexicon in reference to the unusually large number of episodes advertised as such by the network. The term has since become used pejoratively to refer to television shows with heavy-handed moralizing.

The phrase was mocked in the Friends first season episode The One Where Underdog Gets Away:

Joey: Set another place for Thanksgiving, my entire family thinks I have V.D.

Chandler: ...tonight on a very special Blossom.

The phrase was also used on the show The Venture Brothers - In the episode "Escape to the House of Mummies, Part II", Doctor Orpheus claims to Dr. Venture that he can "make you think you're a 'Very Special Episode of Blossom!'"

On The Dana Carvey Show, the show is once again referenced during the "Germans Who Say Nice Things" sketch, with the line "Last night, we watched a very special episode of Blossom, and we cried!"

Blossom also helped briefly popularize casual hats with flowers on the brims, which were colloquially referred to as "Blossom hats."

Episodes

DVD Release

On January 27, 2009, Shout! Factory (under license from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) will release Seasons 1 & 2 of Blossom on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time with new commentaries and more. [1]



The Complete First and Second Seasons
Set details Special features
  • Studio: Shout! Factory
  • 37 episodes
  • 1.33:1 aspect ratio
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Subtitles: None
  • The Original Blossom Pilot - The episode that started it all.
  • A Very Special Show - A retrospective look at the series' creation and impact on television, including brand-new interviews with creator Don Reo and stars Mayim Bialik, Jenna von Oÿ, Joseph Lawrence and Ted Wass
  • A Very Special Friendship featurette
  • A Very Special Style featurette
  • Cast & Creator Commentaries
Release date
Flag of the United StatesFlag of Canada North America
January 27, 2009

Foreign broadcasts

  • The series was also a huge hit on Spanish television where it aired on TVE1 in the early 1990s in a prime time slot (8pm). The series was so popular that it led TVE to rescreen the entire run of the sitcom numerous times both on TVE1 and on second channel TVE2.
  • It was also popular in Brazil, being broadcasted by SBT in the fall of 90's.

See also

External links

Related links