The Byrds of Paradise
Encyclopedia
The Byrds of Paradise is an American television series that ran during the 1993-94 season on ABC
. The hour-long drama centering on a father and his three children, abruptly relocated to Hawaii
from New Haven after the sudden death of the children's mother. Much of the show dealt with the titular Byrd family adjusting to their lives in an entirely new environment as they recovered from their loss, similar to the premise of the later Everwood
.
Filmed on location in the state of Hawaii, The Byrds of Paradise was unique in the inclusion of the local culture of Hawaii
in the lives of the originally mainland Byrd family, rather than their maintaining a lifestyle nearly indistinguishable from that on the mainland with Hawaii's tropical scenery serving primarily as an attractive background.
(performed with varying degrees of authenticity) and reflect a far more realistic portrait of Hawaii's culture than usually shown in film and television depictions of Hawaii. This tendency includes the romantic interests of the Byrds, who are local characters (played by local actors) rather than mainland transplants. Topics such as teenage pregnancy and underage drinking featured as usually presented in a television show with teens as central characters.
One of the more distinctive aspects of The Byrds of Paradise was the role of Dr. Murray Rubinstein, an unpretentious beachside psychiatrist
. Originally doctor to Franny, the temperamental middle child who is the most obviously traumatized by her mother's death, Murray eventually treats Sam, the children's father, also suffering from the loss of his wife. A voice of reason who counsels his patients with an unconventional bedside manner, the doctor makes significant progress with Franny and Sam.
Again in a more realistic rather than idealized representation of Hawaii, a tsunami
strikes mid-season, threatening the lives of several characters. The doctor's residence is destroyed, prompting him to continue his practice on chairs in the sand while he is rebuilding his house.
While the finished episodes were not aired in their entirety on the mainland, one of the sole season's last episodes, entitled Twelfth Night o' Whatevah, featuring a school production of Shakespeare presented entirely in pidgin, was aired in Hawaii.
television critic Tony Scott describes the series as a "viable if familiar concept for family viewing" that "plays comfortably and attractively." He further states that the realistic treatment of the difficulties faced by a family moving from the mainland to Hawaii "give the program heft." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
found the series to be "at once charming and predictable." Tucker found Busfield's character to be more confident and decent than other roles, in particular Elliot Weston on thirtysomething. "When Busfield plays nice, his natural glow dims somewhat." Benjamin Svetkey, also from Entertainment Weekly, describes the series as a "shockingly wholesome new drama" from Steven Bochco
. Svetkey quotes Bochco describing the series, "We're not pushing the envelope. We're just doing a show about how families wire up to each other in the 1990s." Jerry Schwartz of the Associated Press
describes the series as "an archipelago in a sea of earnestness" that does have "an occasionally quirky sense of humor." Scott D. Pierce of Deseret News describes the series as "a quality hour drama about a family. It is far from a perfect family, but it is an engaging one." He cautions that parents may want to screen this for their younger children but then goes on to say "Byrds of Paradise is the sort of family show viewers have been insisting they want to see."
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The hour-long drama centering on a father and his three children, abruptly relocated to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
from New Haven after the sudden death of the children's mother. Much of the show dealt with the titular Byrd family adjusting to their lives in an entirely new environment as they recovered from their loss, similar to the premise of the later Everwood
Everwood
Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...
.
Filmed on location in the state of Hawaii, The Byrds of Paradise was unique in the inclusion of the local culture of Hawaii
Culture of Hawaii
The culture of Hawaii has its origins in the traditional culture of the Native Hawaiians. As Hawaii has become home to many different ethnic groups during the past 200 years, each ethnic group has added elements of its own culture...
in the lives of the originally mainland Byrd family, rather than their maintaining a lifestyle nearly indistinguishable from that on the mainland with Hawaii's tropical scenery serving primarily as an attractive background.
Plot
Sam Byrd, the family's father, accepts a headmaster's position at a private school in Hawaii, which his children attend along with local students. All of the Byrds interact with local characters, some of whom speak pidginHawaiian Pidgin
Hawaii Pidgin English, Hawaii Creole English, HCE, or simply Pidgin, is a creole language based in part on English used by many "local" residents of Hawaii. Although English and Hawaiian are the co-official languages of the state of Hawaii, Pidgin is used by many Hawaii residents in everyday...
(performed with varying degrees of authenticity) and reflect a far more realistic portrait of Hawaii's culture than usually shown in film and television depictions of Hawaii. This tendency includes the romantic interests of the Byrds, who are local characters (played by local actors) rather than mainland transplants. Topics such as teenage pregnancy and underage drinking featured as usually presented in a television show with teens as central characters.
One of the more distinctive aspects of The Byrds of Paradise was the role of Dr. Murray Rubinstein, an unpretentious beachside psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
. Originally doctor to Franny, the temperamental middle child who is the most obviously traumatized by her mother's death, Murray eventually treats Sam, the children's father, also suffering from the loss of his wife. A voice of reason who counsels his patients with an unconventional bedside manner, the doctor makes significant progress with Franny and Sam.
Again in a more realistic rather than idealized representation of Hawaii, a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
strikes mid-season, threatening the lives of several characters. The doctor's residence is destroyed, prompting him to continue his practice on chairs in the sand while he is rebuilding his house.
While the finished episodes were not aired in their entirety on the mainland, one of the sole season's last episodes, entitled Twelfth Night o' Whatevah, featuring a school production of Shakespeare presented entirely in pidgin, was aired in Hawaii.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Timothy Busfield Timothy Busfield Timothy "Timmy B" Busfield is an American actor and director best known for his role as Eliot Weston on the television series Thirtysomething and his recurring role as Danny Concannon on the television series The West Wing... |
Sam Byrd |
| Seth Green Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris... |
Harry Byrd |
| Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated... |
Franny Byrd |
| Ryan O'Donohue Ryan O'Donohue Ryan Sean O'Donohue is an American voice actor, most notable for his performances in many Disney projects.O'Donohue began his acting career at the age of nine when he played Zeke Byrd on the 1994 ABC drama Byrds of Paradise, filmed in Hawaii. The show was cancelled after a 13-episode run despite... |
Zeke Byrd |
| Arlo Guthrie Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice... |
Alan Moon |
| Elizabeth Lindsey | Healani Douglas |
| Bruce Weitz Bruce Weitz Bruce Peter Weitz is an American actor. He is perhaps best-known for his role as Sgt. Michael "Mick" Belker in the 1980s TV series Hill Street Blues for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1984.-Early life:Weitz was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, the son... |
Dr. Murray Rubinstein |
Reception
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
television critic Tony Scott describes the series as a "viable if familiar concept for family viewing" that "plays comfortably and attractively." He further states that the realistic treatment of the difficulties faced by a family moving from the mainland to Hawaii "give the program heft." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
found the series to be "at once charming and predictable." Tucker found Busfield's character to be more confident and decent than other roles, in particular Elliot Weston on thirtysomething. "When Busfield plays nice, his natural glow dims somewhat." Benjamin Svetkey, also from Entertainment Weekly, describes the series as a "shockingly wholesome new drama" from Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
. Svetkey quotes Bochco describing the series, "We're not pushing the envelope. We're just doing a show about how families wire up to each other in the 1990s." Jerry Schwartz of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
describes the series as "an archipelago in a sea of earnestness" that does have "an occasionally quirky sense of humor." Scott D. Pierce of Deseret News describes the series as "a quality hour drama about a family. It is far from a perfect family, but it is an engaging one." He cautions that parents may want to screen this for their younger children but then goes on to say "Byrds of Paradise is the sort of family show viewers have been insisting they want to see."
List of episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|