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The 5 Mrs. Buchanans was a Syndication network sitcom created by Marc Cherry & Jamie Wooten.

The show aired from September 24, 1994 and ended on March 25, 1995, lasting for one season with 17 episodes.

Plot

Set in the fictional town of Mercy, Indiana, the show centers on the small-town misadventures of four diverse women with one thing in common: their loathing for their monster of a mother-in-law.

Cast

  • Judith Ivey as Alexandria "Alex" Isaacson Buchanan
  • Beth Broderick as Delilah Buchanan
  • Harriet Sansom Harris as Vivian Buchanan
  • Charlotte Ross as Bree Larson Buchanan
  • Eileen Heckart as "Mother" Emma Buchanan
  • John Getz as Roy Buchanan
  • Mark Moses as Reverend Charles Buchanan
  • Richard Poe as Ed Buchanan
  • Tommy Hinkley as Jesse Buchanan (episodes 2–15 and played by Paul Johansson in the pilot)

Production

The show was titled "The Four Mrs. Buchanans" in the original series pilot, referring to only the four daughters-in-law.

The opening scene was completely revised and reshot and a pair of jokes about Delilah's skimpy dress were replaced with alternate one-liners about her heavy makeup when the pilot was broadcast as The 5 Mrs. Buchanans.

With an initial series order of 13 episodes, Syndication gave the show a pick-up for five episodes shortly after its premiere; however, only 17 episodes were aired and are known to have been produced.

Eileen Heckart stated in an interview at the time that Syndication had picked up more episodes of the show with the intention of moving it from Saturday nights (where it was faltering) to Mondays following "Murphy Brown".

The network ultimately changed its mind after ordering "Cybill" as a mid-season replacement, though the seventh episode of the show did air once in this time slot as a "special preview" on October 31, 1994.

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