L.A. Firefighters/FIRE Co. 132 Reviews

"L. A. Firefighters" follows the lives of the members of Fire Company 132 in Los Angeles County, California. Jarrod Emick is Jack Malloy, 132's fire captain with many problems to face on and off the job. His best friend and fellow firefighter, Phil Regan, has been killed fighting a tennement fire and in addition, Jack's wife, Laura, has recently left him. She is tired of his strong dedication to the fire service taking first priority over her. Laura explains, "I won't sit there and watch the department bury you like they did Phil Regan." Co-starring, is Christine Elise, who plays Erin Coffey, daughter of the Battalion Chief, who's never wanted his "little girl" to be a firefighter and is always trying to put her down. The show has its comical and intense moments; the plotline, characters, and writing is terrific! The fire scenes need some more thought, though. Overall, It is a really great show. "L. A. Firefighters" deserves as many viewers and as much attention as it can get. Review by: Suzanne Smiley 1/12/97, revised 1/19/97, 2/25/97, 11/10/97

NEW FOR SUMMER Debut: Scheduled for a six-week summer run (before joining the fall Sunday-night line up), this ensemble drama, set in the intense atmosphere of a Los Angeles firehouse, brings together an appealing cast of regulars with solid TV credits. Christine Elise (late of ER) plays neophyte Erin Coffey, who tries to prove her worth to her colleagues--and to her father, the Battalion Chief; Jarrod Emick ("Andersonville") plays crew captain Jack Malloy, whose dedication to the job jeopardizes his marriage; and Miguel Sandoval (Roberto Portalegre in Murder One) is Bernie Ramirez, a former firefighter turned arson investigator. Review by: TV Guide 6/3/96

Fire Co. 132

Network: Fox
Premiere Date: Sunday, November 10
Time Slot: Sundays, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Competition: America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC), 60 Minutes (CBS), Dateline NBC (NBC), Kirk (WB)
Cast: Jarrod Emick, Christine Elise

Track Record: Premiered June 3 (when it was titled L.A. Firefighters) to yawns from critics and guffaws from real-life firefighters who implied the series needed a new technical advisor. The large ensamble cast is headed by Emerick, a Tony winner for Damn Yankees. Elise had recurring roles on E.R., Beverly Hills 90210, and China Beach. Executive producer Gordon Greisman has spent most of his fifteen-year-career as a TV-movie writer and producer.

Bottom Line: Fox has pushed back the season premiere to retool the series. Three new characters have been announced: a female firefighter (Alexandra Paul of Baywatch fame), an emergency-room doctor (Jensen Daggit, who played Jonathan's girlfriend on NBC's The Single Guy for a few episodes last season), and a helicopter pilot (Rob Youngblood). Fox executives say series producers are addressing concerns of firefighters and writers are developing scripts that focus more on fire victims. What the series really needs is an original idea or two--not just firehouse romances punctuated by firey brushes with death.

-- I, for the most part, liked this review. What really GETS me is how the whole thing is entirely objctive until the last line which makes a snide remark about L.A. Firefighters in a review for Fire Co. 132. My Bottom Line is, don't make fun of a "new" show until you have seen it.

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The "L.A. Firefighters" characters, names, titles, and all other related indica are property of creator, Gordon Griesman, 1996. No challange of ownership to the trademarked property on this web site is intended or implied.