# Civil Wars (TV series)

Civil Wars is an American legal drama that aired on ABC from November 20, 1991, to March 2, 1993. The series was created and executive produced by William M. Finkelstein and produced by Steven Bochco.

## Synopsis

The series focused on the lives and cases of New York City divorce attorneys. In the series, two of New York City's top divorce lawyers, Charlie Howell (Peter Onorati) and Sydney Guilford (Mariel Hemingway), form a partnership despite barely knowing each other, following the mental breakdown of Guilford's stressed-out partner, Eli Levinson (Alan Rosenberg). The show had a famously misanthropic opening credits sequence; in it, romantic photo albums were shown as the voice track played couples ripping into each other in court, as each of the show's principal attorneys interrogated them, one by one, on the stand.

## Cast

* Mariel Hemingway as Sydney Guilford
* Peter Onorati as Charlie Howell
* Debi Mazar as Denise Iannello
* Alan Rosenberg as Eli Levinson
* David Marciano as Jeffrey Lassick
Alan Rosenberg and Debi Mazar continued in their roles as Eli Levinson and Denise Iannello after ABC cancelled Civil Wars in 1993. The two characters were moved over to Bochco’s L.A. Law on NBC for its eighth and final season, with Levinson becoming a member of the series’ major law firm and Denise serving as his secretary.

## Episodes
### Season 1 (1991–92)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Gregory Hoblit & Michael M. Robin | William M. Finkelstein | November 20, 1991 (1991-11-20) | 4101 |
| 2 | 2 | "Daveja Vu All Over" | David Rosenbloom | David Milch | November 27, 1991 (1991-11-27) | 4105 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Pound and the Fury" | Gregory Hoblit | Steven Bochco & William Finkelstein | December 4, 1991 (1991-12-04) | OJ02 |
| 4 | 4 | "A Long, Fat Frontal Presentation" | Michael M. Robin | Ted Mann | December 11, 1991 (1991-12-11) | 4108 |
| 5 | 5 | "Have Gun, Will Unravel" | Mark Sobel | Dottie Dartland | December 18, 1991 (1991-12-18) | 4104 |
| 6 | 6 | "Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense" | Mark Tinker | Ted Mann | January 8, 1992 (1992-01-08) | 4103 |
| 7 | 7 | "Oceans White with Phone" | Joan Darling | Ted Mann | January 15, 1992 (1992-01-15) | 4106 |
| 8 | 8 | "For Better or Perverse" | Mark Tinker | Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein | January 21, 1992 (1992-01-21) | 4109 |
| 9 | 9 | "Pro Se Can You See" | Mark Tinker | Linda Elstad | January 22, 1992 (1992-01-22) | 4111 |
| 10 | 10 | "Shop 'til You Drop" | Brad Silberling | Charles H. Eglee & Channing Gibson | January 29, 1992 (1992-01-29) | 4110 |
| 11 | 11 | "His Honor's Offer" | Bill D'Elia | Ted Mann | February 5, 1992 (1992-02-05) | 4112 |
| 12 | 12 | "Whippet 'Til It Breaks" | Win Phelps | Linda Elstad | February 12, 1992 (1992-02-12) | 4107 |
| 13 | 13 | "Tape Fear" | Mark Tinker | William Finkelstein, Channing Gibson & Charles Eglee | March 17, 1992 (1992-03-17) | 4113 |
| 14 | 14 | "Chute First, Ask Questions Later" | Dan Lerner | George Malko | March 24, 1992 (1992-03-24) | 4114 |
| 15 | 15 | "Dirty Pool" | Michael M. Robin | William Finkelstein, Charles Eglee, Channing Gibson & Ted Mann | March 31, 1992 (1992-03-31) | 4115 |
| 16 | 16 | "Mob Psychology" | Joe Ann Fogle | William Finkelstein, Charles Eglee, Channing Gibson & Ted Mann | April 14, 1992 (1992-04-14) | 4116 |
| 17 | 17 | "Denise and De Nuptials" | Michael Fresco | William Finkelstein, Charles Eglee, Channing Gibson & Ted Mann | April 21, 1992 (1992-04-21) | 4117 |
| 18 | 18 | "Till Debt Do Us Part" | Mervin B. Dayan | William Finkelstein, Charles Eglee, Channing Gibson & Ted Mann | April 28, 1992 (1992-04-28) | 4116 |

### Season 2 (1992–93)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 19 | 1 | "The Naked and the Wed" | Mark Tinker | William M. Finkelstein | September 23, 1992 (1992-09-23) | 4205 |
| 20 | 2 | "Grin and Bare It" | Charles Haid | David Milch | September 30, 1992 (1992-09-30) | 4209 |
| 21 | 3 | "Oboe Phobia" | Mark Tinker | Ted Mann | October 7, 1992 (1992-10-07) | 4201 |
| 22 | 4 | "Drone of Arc" | Michael M. Robin | Ted Mann | October 14, 1992 (1992-10-14) | 4202 |
| 23 | 5 | "Below the Beltway" | Elodie Keene | Charles Eglee & Channing Gibson | October 21, 1992 (1992-10-21) | 4203 |
| 24 | 6 | "Devil's Advocate" | Tom Moore | Patricia Nardo and Channing Gibson & Charles Eglee & Ted Mann | October 28, 1992 (1992-10-28) | 4204 |
| 25 | 7 | "Das Boat House" | Mark Tinker | Charles Eglee & Channing Gibson | November 11, 1992 (1992-11-11) | 4207 |
| 26 | 8 | "A Bus Named Desire" | Michael Fresco | Story by : Carolyn Shelby & Christopher Ames Teleplay by : Carolyn Shelby & Christopher Ames and Steven Bochco & William M. Finkelstein & Charles H. Eglee & Channing Gibson & Ted Mann | December 2, 1992 (1992-12-02) | 4208 |
| 27 | 9 | "The Old Man and the 'C'" | Michael M. Robin | Lee May | December 9, 1992 (1992-12-09) | 4206 |
| 28 | 10 | "The Triumph of DeVille" | Dennis Dugan | William M. Finkelstein | December 16, 1992 (1992-12-16) | 4210 |
| 29 | 11 | "A Partridge in a Pair's Tree" | Dan Lerner | Ted Mann | December 23, 1992 (1992-12-23) | 4211 |
| 30 | 12 | "Hit the Road, Jack" | Mark Tinker | Channing Gibson & Charles Eglee | January 6, 1993 (1993-01-06) | 4212 |
| 31 | 13 | "Dances with Sharks" | Mark Tinker | Anne Kenney | January 19, 1993 (1993-01-19) | 4213 |
| 32 | 14 | "Split Ends" | Michael Fresco | Story by : Steven Bochco Teleplay by : William M. Finkelstein & Jennifer Flackett | January 26, 1993 (1993-01-26) | 4214 |
| 33 | 15 | "Watt, Me Worry?" | Dennis Dugan | William M. Finkelstein & Charles Eglee & Channing Gibson | February 9, 1993 (1993-02-09) | 4215 |
| 34 | 16 | "Alien Aided Affection" | Win Phelps & Mark Tinker | Ted Mann | February 16, 1993 (1993-02-16) | 4216 |
| 35 | 17 | "Captain Kangaroo Court" | Joe Ann Fogle | Anne Kenney & Jennifer Flackett | February 23, 1993 (1993-02-23) | 4217 |
| 36 | 18 | "A Liver Runs Through It" | Mark Tinker | William M. Finkelstein & Charles Eglee & Channing Gibson & Ted Mann | March 2, 1993 (1993-03-02) | 4218 |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 1992 | American Society of Cinematographers Award | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots | Brian J. Reynolds | Nominated |
| 1992 | Casting Society of America's Artios Award | Best Casting for TV, Pilot | Junie Lowry-Johnson | Nominated |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Series | Dave Weathers, Richard Taylor, Barbara Issak, Frank A. Fuller Jr., Pat McCormick, Gary Lewis, Albert Edmund Lord III, James Hebenstreit (For episode "Oceans White With Phone") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Television Critics Association Award | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | | Nominated |
| 1993 | American Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress, Dramatic Series | Debi Mazar | Nominated |
| 1993 | Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Drama | Mariel Hemingway | Nominated |
| 1993 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Alan Rosenberg | Nominated |
| 1993 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series | Gregor Hesse | Nominated |