Rewatching Central Park West

[Carrie Fairchild]

It's mostly a boyfriend-stealing bitches Melrose type of show, I guess it was fun the first time I watched it but it doesn't have enough bite to continue this rewatch.
Ciao.

On my last rewatch, I did begin to reconsider my opinion of the show. I still think it's the most well produced soap of the 90's, from the locations to the fashion to the soundtrack. I also think it's very well cast with no duds among the initial group of characters. I do see now that it falls down a bit when it comes to the plot. I think my initial joy of finally finding the show online (I never saw it when it originally aired) blinded me to some of the plot's more problematic elements.

A number of the cliffhangers lead to nothing such as Carrie warning Rachel off Peter and Alex threatening to "nail Rachel's ass to the wall" with a tabloid expose. The exchanges are deliciously catty but there's little follow on from them. They also use up the "battle for the editor's position" plotline very quickly, meaning any further tussles for power at Communique would've likely felt like rethreads of the earlier plot.

 

[tommie]

A number of the cliffhangers lead to nothing such as Carrie warning Rachel off Peter and Alex threatening to "nail Rachel's ass to the wall" with a tabloid expose. The exchanges are deliciously catty but there's little follow on from them. They also use up the "battle for the editor's position" plotline very quickly, meaning any further tussles for power at Communique would've likely felt like rethreads of the earlier plot.

I think they were still sort of setting things up; if you think about it, if they had gone ahead with the bigger Rush/Fairchild divorce trial, the positioning of a lot of characters makes sense; you of course have Carrie / Peter on Linda's side, Nikki, the mistress who is also on-and-off-ing with Peter, Alex, the trashy tabloid reporter with an increasing axe to grind, Rachel, the double-crosser at Communique and of course fish-out-of-the-water Stephanie. It wouldn't surprise me if the original plan was for Linda to "win" Communique in the divorce trial, hence why Lauren Hutton was signed as a regular.

Either way, I'm sure Darren Star's original planned second part of the season would've been more interesting than what we got even if I enjoy Camille Marchetta's Dynasty-lite in a trainwreck sort of way.

 

[tommie]

I think I bought the Pet Shop Boys single "Paninaro '95" because it was played in C.P.W.

It's mostly a boyfriend-stealing bitches Melrose type of show, I guess it was fun the first time I watched it but it doesn't have enough bite to continue this rewatch.
Ciao.

Episode 4 is definitively focused on swapping partners, episode 5 seems to switch it up again with leaks and Allen Rush.

 

[tommie]

LMAO in episode 5 - Carrie tries to seduce Mark yet again to talk about the non-existent play she's going to produce; he's being fooled by Stephanie that another one wants to produce it and feels bad about turning Carrie down since she REALLY wanted to produce his lame play and not just used it as an excuse to sleep with him to get back at her boss who is trying to fire her.
HE IS OFFICIALLY DUMBER THAN BILLY CAMPBELL

 

[tommie]

Episode 7 is my favourite one yet!

 

[tommie]

Alex threatening to "nail Rachel's ass to the wall" with a tabloid expose.

Actually this was followed up by Alex informing Carrie that Rachel was the leak. Alex felt she couldn't do anything to Rachel because of Peter... but left Carrie with all the dirt she dug up.

 

[tommie]

90s SEX SCENE OMG 90s SEX SCENE!!!!

Carrie's pleased at least.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I think they were still sort of setting things up; if you think about it, if they had gone ahead with the bigger Rush/Fairchild divorce trial, the positioning of a lot of characters makes sense; you of course have Carrie / Peter on Linda's side, Nikki, the mistress who is also on-and-off-ing with Peter, Alex, the trashy tabloid reporter with an increasing axe to grind, Rachel, the double-crosser at Communique and of course fish-out-of-the-water Stephanie. It wouldn't surprise me if the original plan was for Linda to "win" Communique in the divorce trial, hence why Lauren Hutton was signed as a regular.

Either way, I'm sure Darren Star's original planned second part of the season would've been more interesting than what we got even if I enjoy Camille Marchetta's Dynasty-lite in a trainwreck sort of way.

The Linda / Communique theory is an interesting one. I'd love to know the timeline of what stories were planned versus when they were told to retool the show. Like in the final episodes of the original batch, we had Stephanie and Mark deciding to return to Seattle and the arrival of Adam Brock. Presumably, Adam would've been Linda's new beau as she squared off against Allen in the divorce trial as opposed to him arriving with kids and an ex-wife in tow. Also, I wonder what would've happened at Communique? Would a new character have arrived to take over the reins from Stephanie? Or would Rachel have been running the show? Would the "crazy Alex" storyline have gone in the same direction? So many questions.

Actually this was followed up by Alex informing Carrie that Rachel was the leak. Alex felt she couldn't do anything to Rachel because of Peter... but left Carrie with all the dirt she dug up.

Thanks. I'd obviously forgotten this in the mists of soapy time.

 

[Willie Oleson]

On my last rewatch, I did begin to reconsider my opinion of the show. I still think it's the most well produced soap of the 90's, from the locations to the fashion to the soundtrack. I also think it's very well cast with no duds among the initial group of characters. I do see now that it falls down a bit when it comes to the plot

I think my problem (now, not the first time) is that it doesn't have a strong core. Nothing feels terribly important.
The 90s Aaron Spelling soaps were popular, but they seem very different from the 80s soap classics.
CPW kinda looks like a new Dynasty that's probably why the differences are more jarring.
The 80s soaps also did the relations merry-go-round, but there was always something bigger that influenced the characters. A legacy, a company, an old feud etc.

I was looking at my notes for the episode 4 review, and I realized I had absolutely nothing to say.
Carrie tries to seduce Mark (again). Rachel sabotages a reconciliation between Peter and Alex. Rachel wants Peter...because, well...because.
Nikki breaks up with Alan. Alan throws a hissy fit - instead of saying "I decide when this relationship is over, not you. Take your clothes off!".
In later episodes, Alex becomes obsessive with Peter, and Mark becomes obsessive with Carrie (which in itself is a funny twist, btw).

I'm not saying this is awful to look at, but overall CPW scratches the surface ever so slightly, and without any memorable scenes (like we got in Dallas and Dynasty) I felt I had seen enough.
This was not going to set the world on fire.

Melrose Place wins.

bitches!

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I stumbled across this. Not sure if memories are getting mixed up here but Madchen states Carrie Fairchild was to be spun off from CPW into Sex and the City but when she turned the role down, it was offered to Sarah Jessica Parker and became SATC as we know it.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I stumbled across this. Not sure if memories are getting mixed up here but Madchen states Carrie Fairchild was to be spun off from CPW into Sex and the City but when she turned the role down, it was offered to Sarah Jessica Parker and became SATC as we know it.

I've fallen into the rabbit hole here. According to this article, Candace Bushnell took the pseudonym Carrie for her SATC columns from Carrie Fairchild, the nightlife columnist character in her new friend Darren's soap Central Park West. Which doesn't tally time wise as her columns started in November 1994 and C.P.W didn't air until September 1995. Unless she knew of it because he was developing the show a year earlier. Regardless, I have invested too much time in reading up on this.

How Sex and the City Landed at HBO

It was a choice between ABC, HBO, or a movie company.

www.vulture.com

 

[Marika]

In Germany, CPW began airing in the fall of 1996 on RTL, and they aired all 21 episodes on Saturday afternoons as part of their "Young & Beautiful" block which also included "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place". CPW aired at 5.45 pm and after CPW was over, the timeslot was taken by "Models Inc." (which in the US preceded CPW).

In the following years, the "Young & Beautiful" block consisted of "Party of Five", "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place", and after "Melrose Place" was eventually gone, it was "Popular" and "Beverly Hills, 90210"for the 2000/2001 season. "Party of Five" was relegated to Sunday mornings because of terrible ratings.

Back in the day, I never watched a single episode of CPW as I only watched "90210" and "Melrose Place". After its initial airing, it has never been repeated on German tv, so I took the chance to dive into CPW now. I've just watched the first 3 episodes and I really like it.

If we compare the characters to "Melrose Place", Stephanie and Mark seem to be like Alison and Billy with Carrie being an early Amanda-type threatening their romance. However, Carrie also reminds me of Sydney, just more evil and rough. I loved the scene where she blows cigarette smoke on Stephanie's wardrobe. Somehow I like Stephanie, but it's hard to sympathize with her because we don't really know much about her backstory and we've mostly seen her in the office. Mark is cute, but also so helplessly dumb and naive.

Peter and Alex are a bit like Jake and Jo with their bickering. I like both of them.
Gil and Nikki are like Matt and Rhonda – C-story material and simply boring. At least both are nice to look at.
Linda hasn't done much so far and somehow I find her acting quite weak compared to the younger cast members.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

In Germany, CPW began airing in the fall of 1996 on RTL, and they aired all 21 episodes on Saturday afternoons as part of their "Young & Beautiful" block which also included "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place". CPW aired at 5.45 pm and after CPW was over, the timeslot was taken by "Models Inc." (which in the US preceded CPW).

In the following years, the "Young & Beautiful" block consisted of "Party of Five", "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place", and after "Melrose Place" was eventually gone, it was "Popular" and "Beverly Hills, 90210"for the 2000/2001 season. "Party of Five" was relegated to Sunday mornings because of terrible ratings.

Back in the day, I never watched a single episode of CPW as I only watched "90210" and "Melrose Place". After its initial airing, it has never been repeated on German tv, so I took the chance to dive into CPW now. I've just watched the first 3 episodes and I really like it.

If we compare the characters to "Melrose Place", Stephanie and Mark seem to be like Alison and Billy with Carrie being an early Amanda-type threatening their romance. However, Carrie also reminds me of Sydney, just more evil and rough. I loved the scene where she blows cigarette smoke on Stephanie's wardrobe. Somehow I like Stephanie, but it's hard to sympathize with her because we don't really know much about her backstory and we've mostly seen her in the office. Mark is cute, but also so helplessly dumb and naive.

Peter and Alex are a bit like Jake and Jo with their bickering. I like both of them.
Gil and Nikki are like Matt and Rhonda – C-story material and simply boring. At least both are nice to look at.
Linda hasn't done much so far and somehow I find her acting quite weak compared to the younger cast members.

There was a dubbed German episode of Central Park West online at one point. It was the best picture quality I'd seen of any of the uploads so far. It must've been ripped from a VHS of the "Young & Beautiful" block you talked about. For anyone that's interested, the first 13 episodes dubbed in French are floating around and the picture quality is a bit better than the ropey version we've all been watching.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Carrie Fairchild, the nightlife columnist character in her new friend Darren's soap Central Park West.

If they had focused on that columnist aspect (and why not, since she was the most interesting character) it could have been the 90s Gossip Girl (although I've never seen it. Was it good?)
CPW certainly had a trendy "feel" but their media business was mostly used as a glamorous backdrop.
I would have liked to see the reading of Mark's stage play, well maybe not all of it but just enough to taste it.

 

[Marika]

There was a dubbed German episode of Central Park West online at one point. It was the best picture quality I'd seen of any of the uploads so far. It must've been ripped from a VHS of the "Young & Beautiful" block you talked about.

Thanks for the advice – I just found that particular video from the German broadcast. It's the complete pilot episode, but the video is twice as long. After the ending of the pilot, it just keeps repeating the episode. At least now I can find out most of the dubbing voices
I also found the French episodes, but unfortunately, I don't speak a single word of French.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

If they had focused on that columnist aspect (and why not, since she was the most interesting character) it could have been the 90s Gossip Girl (although I've never seen it. Was it good?)
CPW certainly had a trendy "feel" but their media business was mostly used as a glamorous backdrop.
I would have liked to see the reading of Mark's stage play, well maybe not all of it but just enough to taste it.

Completely. Aside from a bit of office skulduggery by Rachel, the magazine business and Allen's empire were very much in the background. It was more of a "who's hopping into bed with who?" soap in those first batch of episodes although it may have been heading into the business world a bit more with the impending divorce trial and the arrival of Adam Brock before the revamp.

 

[Marika]

I've just finished episode 8, and now I understand why the show failed – it lacks any shocking, "Oh my God, they didn't" moments. Everything that's supposed to be "shocking" had been foreshadowed for at least a couple of episodes.

For a show targeted at a younger audience, it is also quite dialogue-heavy, gloomy and very static. That's not bad per se, but it reminds me of a daytime soap, just with better production values.

It also lacks characters the audience can root for as everyone is a selfish bitch. Even the supposed "good" characters like Peter, Linda, Gil and Nikki just care about their own well-being. Stephanie sits on a high horse, but in reality, she is just as rotten as Carrie and Rachel. A good soap should provide a mix of nasty bitches and trashy fun, but this is just too much evilness and quite repetitive at that.

 

[Marika]

I've now watched until episode 14, the premiere of the "rebooted" version.

Ironically, the episodes that were initially not broadcast in the US (episodes 10 to 13) where the best in the whole series. There was slick dialogue, some heated confrontations, and some of the characters showed new character traits.

I loved Stephanie going all Alison Parker on Carrie, storming in her office and calling her a "piece of dirt" (or something like that). Mark slowly realizing that he was only crazy Carrie's boytoy and her recording his booty call only to forward it to every staff member of "Communique" was also soapy gold.

Now the reboot... the first episode felt really empty. Mark and Stephanie are gone; Nikki and her storyline vanished without a trace; the Alex and Peter scenes were mostly recycled from the previous episode; and the Rachel vs Carrie feud at "Communique" feels repetitive. While Adam Brock is a nice addition, it was very contrived that he gained control over "Communique" within one episode. Now Linda and Gil, the two characters who were basically just empty shells during the show's first incarnation, are suddenly front and center.

I don't know why this reboot was even greenlit. They should have ended this show with episode 13.

 

[tommie]

I don't know why this reboot was even greenlit. They should have ended this show with episode 13.

They had committed to 22 episodes of the show from the get-go. I assume an agreement was made to cut one episode to finance this reboot.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I don't know why this reboot was even greenlit. They should have ended this show with episode 13.

They had committed to 22 episodes of the show from the get-go. I assume an agreement was made to cut one episode to finance this reboot.

The reboot was a mess but as @tommie says, it was likely born out of the agreement to do a full season order. Having tried to pull in the much coveted younger audience and failing, CBS decided to target it's traditional audience of older viewers and this is how we ended up with the focus shifting to Linda & Diana in a Dynasty-lite scenario. CBS obviously knew that it was DOA though because the reboot aired two episodes a week during the summer, presumably to burn them off before the Fall schedule premiered.