Frank's Place is an American comedy-drama series that aired on CBS for 22 episodes during the 1987–1988 television season. The series was created by Hugh Wilson and executive produced by Wilson and series star and fellow WKRP in Cincinnati alumnus Tim Reid.

TV Guide ranked it No. 3 on its 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".Roush, Matt (June 3, 2013). "Cancelled Too Soon". TV Guide. pp. 20 and 21 Rolling Stone ranked it No. 99 on its list of the best sitcoms of the television era.Best TV Sitcoms of All Time By Alan Sepinwall, Maria Fontoura, David Fear and Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, retrieved May 6, 2021.

Plot Set in New Orleans, Frank's Place chronicles the life of Frank Parrish (Tim Reid), a well-to-do African-American professor in Boston who inherits a restaurant, Chez Louisiane. In the premiere, Frank travels to New Orleans intending to sell the restaurant. However, waitress Miss Marie (Frances E. Williams), has a voodoo spin (curse) put on Frank ensuring that he will come back to carry on his family's business. Consequently, when Frank returns to New England, the life he's known there suddenly goes inexplicably haywire. Feeling he has no choice, Frank returns to New Orleans and makes many discoveries about black culture in New Orleans, the differences between northern and southern lifestyles, and himself.

On its surface, Frank's Place was a fish-out-of-water story, like The Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres. However, the series' story lines featured weightier topics such as race and class issues.

Cast and characters Tim Reid as Frank Parrish Daphne Maxwell Reid (Tim Reid's real-life wife) as Hanna Griffin Tony Burton as Big Arthur Virginia Capers as Mrs. Bertha Griffin-Lamour Robert Harper as Bubba Weisberger Lincoln Kilpatrick as Reverend Deal Charles Lampkin as Tiger Shepin Francesca P. Roberts as Anna Mae Don Yesso as Shorty La Roux William Thomas Jr. as Cool Charles Frances E. Williams as Miss Marie, oldest living waitress Wayne Woodson as Happy Dinner Guest

Production The idea for the series came from CBS vice president, Gregg Maday. As a young man, Maday frequented a restaurant in Buffalo, New York named Dan Montgomery's. Maday also wanted a series based in New Orleans due to the mid-1980s interest in Cajun cuisine and zydeco. The two ideas were combined. Wilson and Reid spent time in New Orleans for research. They found a restaurant named Chez Helene, and many of the things they encountered there were included in the series. Big Arthur was based on Chez Helene's owner, Austin Leslie. The series focused more on Creole cuisine and Creole culture rather than Cajun.

Don Yesso was a real-life New Orleans native whom Wilson met on a flight to the city. Yesso was not an actor, but Wilson cast him because of his genuine Yat dialect.

Unlike most sitcom productions of the era, Frank's Place was filmed with a single camera and used no laugh track.

Theme song The series theme song was Louis Armstrong's classic "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?". Licensing the song for the show cost an estimated $2,300 per episode during the show's original broadcast.

Episodes

Awards and nominations Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. Artios Awards Best Comedy Episodic Casting Deborah Barylski Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy Humanitas Prize 30 Minute Network or Syndicated Television Hugh Wilson NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series Tim Reid Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Daphne Maxwell Reid Frances E. Williams Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series David Chambers, Richard Dubin, Tim Reid, Max Tash, Samm-Art Williams, and Hugh Wilson Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Tim Reid Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series Beah Richards Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Hugh Wilson Outstanding Art Direction for a Series Jacqueline Webber and Daniel Loren May Outstanding Editing for a Series (Single Camera Production) Marsh Hendry and Robert Souders Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costuming for a Series Pat Welch Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series Ora Green Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special Michael Ballin, Martin P. Church, Lenora Peterson, and M. Curtis Price Television Critics Association Awards Program of the Year Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Viewers for Quality Television Awards Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series Tim Reid

Cancellation Frank's Place was cancelled after one season. Despite its strong beginning, ratings for Frank's Place declined. Viewers were reportedly puzzled by the show's changing timeslot and by how the show's style eschewed the traditional sitcom format. The show's large ensemble and film-style techniques made production costly. Wilson remarked that: "We just didn’t please the Nielsen monster."

Tim Reid was later told by CBS board member Walter Cronkite that the show was cancelled because Laurence Tisch, the network's CEO at the time, was upset by the episode "The King of Wall Street." Tisch, who bought CBS via junk bonds, viewed the episode as an insult since it depicted a Wall Street tycoon condemning junk bonds. As a result, Tisch demanded that the show be cancelled despite the objections of Cronkite and other board members.pages 243-245

Syndication Reruns aired on BET in 1990.

Home media In October 2008, CNN.com reported that because of music licensing issues, a DVD release would be unlikely. However, on November 10, 2008, The Times-Picayune reported that plans were underway for an eventual DVD release, although Tim Reid has said that, due to the prohibitive costs of the music rights, a new musical score will be recorded that will "recreate the mood of the music." He adds, "it has to be the mood of the show or I'd rather not do it."

However, the DVD was never produced. After a private screening of select episodes in 2011, Reid commented that music licensing costs "would cost more...now than it would to pay for all the actors that we had".

Notes

References

External links

Frank's Place entry from The Museum of Broadcast Communications