# Nightingales (American TV series)

Nightingales is an American medical drama television series that aired on NBC from January 21 to April 26, 1989. It was produced by Aaron Spelling Productions.

## Premise

The series follows the stories of Christine Broderick, a supervisor of student nurses, portrayed by Suzanne Pleshette, and her five nursing students: Sam, Bridget, Yolanda, Becky, and Allyson. Other hospital personnel include Christine's love interest, Dr. Paul Petrillo; the head nurse, Lenore Ritt; and the chief of staff, Dr. Garrett Braden. Nurse Sam also has a daughter, Megan.

## Cast

* Suzanne Pleshette as Christine Broderick
* Chelsea Field as Sam Sullivan
* Kristy Swanson as Becky Granger
* Susan Walters as Bridget Loring
* Roxann Dawson as Yolanda Puente
* Kim Johnston Ulrich as Allyson Yates
* Taylor Fry as Megan Sullivan
* Fran Bennett as Lenore Ritt
* Barry Newman as Dr. Garrett Braden

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) | Rating/share (households) |
| 0 | "Pilot" | Mimi Leder | Story by : Rita Lakin & Frank Furino and Howard Lakin Teleplay by : Howard Lakin | June 27, 1988 (1988-06-27) | N/A | 18.9/33 |
| 1 | "Episode 01" | Unknown | Unknown | January 25, 1989 (1989-01-25) | 20.5 | 15.1/26 |
| 2 | "Episode 02" | Unknown | Unknown | February 1, 1989 (1989-02-01) | 18.0 | 13.1/22 |
| 3 | "Episode 03" | Unknown | Unknown | February 8, 1989 (1989-02-08) | 15.9 | 11.6/18 |
| 4 | "Episode 04" | Unknown | Unknown | February 15, 1989 (1989-02-15) | 18.0 | 13.4/24 |
| 5 | "Episode 05" | Unknown | Unknown | February 22, 1989 (1989-02-22) | 18.1 | 13.1/22 |
| 6 | "Episode 06" | Unknown | Unknown | March 1, 1989 (1989-03-01) | 19.2 | 14.0/25 |
| 7 | "Episode 07" | Unknown | Unknown | March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15) | 15.9 | 11.4/20 |
| 8 | "Episode 08" | Robert Becker | Don Roos | March 22, 1989 (1989-03-22) | 17.8 | 12.9/23 |
| 9 | "Episode 09" | Unknown | Unknown | April 5, 1989 (1989-04-05) | 17.6 | 13.2/23 |
| 10 | "Episode 10" | Unknown | Unknown | April 12, 1989 (1989-04-12) | 17.5 | 13.0/23 |
| 11 | "Episode 11" | Unknown | Unknown | April 19, 1989 (1989-04-19) | 16.2 | 11.9/22 |
| 12 | "Episode 12" | Unknown | Unknown | April 26, 1989 (1989-04-26) | 15.3 | 11.6/20 |

## Production

The series was developed from a pilot television film, also titled Nightingales, that was directed by Mimi Leder and originally aired in June 1988. Field, Walters, Swanson, Bennett, and Jennifer Rhodes (as Effie Gardner) are the only members of the cast to appear in both the film and the series.

## Reception

The series was described in the Chicago Tribune as portraying nursing students as women who "don't spend much time studying...[but] do hang around in their underwear a lot". Nightingales was criticized for "demeaning the nursing profession...by portraying five student nurses as lusty bimbos", and the American Nurses Association initiated a letter-writing campaign that prompted several of the show's sponsors to withdraw their advertising. The series was cancelled after 13 episodes. Aaron Spelling briefly revived the show's premise in syndication as the 1995 series University Hospital, with a completely different cast. This variant only lasted one season as well.