"Falcon Crest" (1981) TV series 1981-1990

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Creator:

Earl Hamner Jr.

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Release Date:

4 December 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Set in the vineyards of California, this prime-time soap opera featured the conflict between two families: the Channings...

Plot Keywords:

Vineyard | Soap | Falcon | Wealth | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 46 nominations

Cast

Jane Wyman	...	Angela Channing (228 episodes, 1981-1990)
Lorenzo Lamas	...	Lance Cumson (228 episodes, 1981-1990)
Chao Li Chi	...	Chao-Li Chi / ... (215 episodes, 1981-1990)
David Selby	...	Richard Channing (209 episodes, 1982-1990)
Susan Sullivan	...	Maggie Gioberti / ... (207 episodes, 1981-1989)
Margaret Ladd	...	Emma Channing / ... (193 episodes, 1981-1989)
Ana Alicia	...	Melissa Agretti Cumson / ... (178 episodes, 1982-1989)
Robert Foxworth	...	Chase Gioberti (155 episodes, 1981-1987)
William R. Moses	...	Cole Gioberti (140 episodes, 1981-1987)
Abby Dalton	...	Julia Cumson / ... (98 episodes, 1981-1986)

Runtime:

60 min (227 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Napa Valley, California, USA

Company:

Amanda & MF

Trivia:

Jane Wyman and Lorenzo Lamas were the only actors that were part of the main cast through out the entire series. Lorenzo Lamas was the only actor who appeared in all 227 episodes. Jane Wyman was absent in 3 episodes prior to the final season(due to temporary health conditions), and then 16 more episodes during the ninth and final season. That gave Wyman a total of 208 appearances during 227 episodes, which in turn means that David Selby beat Wyman by one episode, even though Selby didn't appear until the start of the second season, as he was present in all 209 episodes from season 2 through 9. Chao Li Chi wasn't a part of the main cast during the 6 first seasons, but still only missed 7 episodes up until season 7. For the last three seasons Chi was promoted to the main cast, with the exception of 7 episodes during season 9 where he was temporarily denoted from the main cast, which gives him the third highest episode count as part of the cast, at 214 episodes. But Chi was in turn absent from another 26 credited episodes during the final three seasons, lowering his actual appearances to 188 episodes, which in turn means that not only David Selby, but also Susan Sullivan passes by Chi in number of appearances, as Sullivan was present during all of the series first 207 episodes, until she left the main cast and the show. Clocking in at 188 appearances, Chi beats Margaret Ladd by five episodes, as Ladd appeared in 183 episodes out of the 193 in which she was part of the cast. (Note: Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas, William R. Moses, Jamie Rose, Abby Dalton and Chao-Li Chi each has one added episode count to their total number of credits in the IMDb database, as they were also present in the unaired pilot.

Quotes:

Richard Channing Denault: Angela declared war on me before I even set foot in this valley. I'll tell you what I want. I want her head, and Chase's along side it!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "On the Waterfront: (#3.5)" (1989)

A classic nighttime soap

I got hooked on this show after the first few years had passed. These nighttime soap operas were known for their season-ending cliffhangers and this one was no exception. The best seasons of the series were 1986-1989, when they experimented with a faster-paced style of storytelling that was quite smart and exciting. This had by far the best sense of humor of all the soaps and featured excellent acting from Jane Wyman, Ana-Alicia, David Selby and Susan Sullivan (now on "Dharma and Greg") Interesting note: during many of its later years, this show's music was composed by Mark Snow, who went on to do the famous "X-Files" theme and score. I wish they still showed reruns of this show somewhere!