# Homefront (American TV series)

Homefront is an American television drama series created by former Knots Landing producers Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick in association with Lorimar Television. The show is set in the late 1940s in the fictional city of River Run, Ohio, and aired on ABC from September 24, 1991, to April 26, 1993. The show's theme song, "Accentuate the Positive", was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer and performed by Jack Sheldon.

## Series overview

Homefront begins in September 1945 and focuses on three families from different backgrounds, the Sloan, Metcalf and Davis families. The Sloans, Mike Sr. and Ruth (Ken Jenkins and Mimi Kennedy), own a steel manufacturing factory initially responsible for making tank parts in the war. They are coming to grips with the death of their only son, Mike Jr., a soldier, and the arrival of his Italian war bride, Gina (Giuliana Santini), a Jewish Holocaust survivor. The Metcalfs include widow Anne (Wendy Phillips) and her three children, Hank (David Newsom), Linda (Jessica Steen) and Jeff (Kyle Chandler). Anne and Linda are dealing with being displaced from their job at the plant for returning GIs, while Hank, a returning soldier, and Jeff, a baseball player for the Cleveland Indians, are involved in a love triangle with college student Sarah Brewer (Alexandra Wilson). Meanwhile, Linda's friend, Ginger Szabo (Tammy Lauren) is shocked when her boyfriend Charlie Hailey (Harry O'Reilly) returns from the war with a British war-bride, Caroline (Sammi Davis).
Abe (Dick Anthony Williams) and Gloria Davis (Hattie Winston) are descendants from slaves and work for the Sloans as a chauffeur and housekeeper respectively. Their son Robert (Sterling Macer, Jr.) is a decorated veteran who served in Europe with the 761st Armored Battalion. He lands a job at Sloan Industries but is isolated and belittled by his racist co-workers. In the second season, he is joined by Perrette (Perrey Reeves), his white French war bride. Later cast members include Al Kahn (John Slattery), a Jewish union organiser and possible former Communist sympathiser who seduces Anne, and Judy Owens (Kelly Rutherford), a widow working as a bartender who has an affair with Mike Sr.
While the show received critical praise, it struggled in the ratings and was close to being cancelled after its first season. An April 11, 1992 issue of TV Guide ran a S.O.S (Save Our Shows) campaign to save five series from cancellation, which included Homefront, and two other period pieces (set in the 1950s), Brooklyn Bridge on CBS and I'll Fly Away on NBC. Of the five, Homefront received the most votes – 99,591 – and was subsequently renewed. Abigail Van Buren of Dear Abby also dedicated a column to the show, urging fans to write into the network to save it. However ratings did not improve in its second season, and after being moved around the schedule numerous times, the show was cancelled.

## Cast and characters

* Kyle Chandler as Jeff Metcalf
* Sammi Davis-Voss as Caroline Hailey
* Ken Jenkins as Mike Sloan, Sr.
* Mimi Kennedy as Ruth Sloan
* Tammy Lauren as Ginger Szabo
* Sterling Macer, Jr. as Cpl. Robert Davis (season 1 & eps. 1–4 of season 2)
* David Newsom as Lt. Hank Metcalf (season 1)
* Harry O'Reilly as Sgt. Charlie Hailey
* Wendy Phillips as Anne Metcalf Kahn
* Giuliana Santini as Gina Sloan
* Jessica Steen as Linda Metcalf
* Dick Anthony Williams as Abe Davis
* Alexandra Wilson as Sarah Brewer (eps. 1–20)
* Hattie Winston as Gloria Davis
* John Slattery as Al Kahn (eps. 5+)
* Kelly Rutherford as Judy Owen (season 2; recurring season 1)

## Episodes

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally aired | Originally aired |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
| 1 | 24 | 24 | September 24, 1991 (1991-09-24) | April 15, 1992 (1992-04-15) |
| 2 | 18 | 18 | September 17, 1992 (1992-09-17) | April 26, 1993 (1993-04-26) |

### Season 1 (1991–92)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "S.N.A.F.U." | Ron Lagomarsino | Lynn Marie Latham & Bernard Lechowick | September 24, 1991 (1991-09-24) | 447151 | 12.2 |
| 2 | 2 | "Take My Hand" | Lorraine Senna Ferrara | Bernard Lechowick | July 13, 1992 (1992-07-13) | 447152 | 8.5 |
| 3 | 3 | "Bedsprings" | David Carson | Lynn Marie Latham | October 1, 1991 (1991-10-01) | 447153 | 11.5 |
| 4 | 4 | "So All Alone" | Lorraine Senna Ferrara | Bernard Lechowick | October 8, 1991 (1991-10-08) | 447154 | 11.5 |
| 5 | 5 | "Patriots" | Nicholas Sgarro | Bernard Lechowick | October 15, 1991 (1991-10-15) | 447155 | 10.2 |
| 6 | 6 | "Holier Than Thou, Too" | Bruce Seth Green | Bernard Lechowick | October 29, 1991 (1991-10-29) | 447156 | 10.7 |
| 7 | 7 | "Toledo" | Nicholas Sgarro | Lynn Marie Latham | November 12, 1991 (1991-11-12) | 447157 | 12.2 |
| 8 | 8 | "Kids" | Bruce Seth Green | Diane Messina Stanley | November 19, 1991 (1991-11-19) | 447158 | 9.1 |
| 9 | 9 | "Man, This Joint is Jumping" | Félix Enríquez Alcalá | Lynn Marie Latham | November 26, 1991 (1991-11-26) | 447159 | 10.9 |
| 10 | 10 | "Splitting Hairs" | Bruce Seth Green | Bernard Lechowick | December 3, 1991 (1991-12-03) | 447160 | 11.0 |
| 11 | 11 | "Szabo's Travels" | Félix Enríquez Alcalá | Lynn Marie Latham | December 10, 1991 (1991-12-10) | 447161 | 9.4 |
| 12 | 12 | "Sinners Reconciled" | Lorraine Senna Ferrara | Bernard Lechowick | December 17, 1991 (1991-12-17) | 447162 | 10.8 |
| 13 | 13 | "All Theses Things Will I Give to Thee" | David Carson | Lynn Marie Latham | January 7, 1992 (1992-01-07) | 447163 | 10.4 |
| 14 | 14 | "When It Rains, It Pours" | Bruce Seth Green | Bernard Lechowick | January 14, 1992 (1992-01-14) | 447164 | 10.9 |
| 15 | 15 | "That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles" | Anita Addison | Lynn Marie Latham | January 28, 1992 (1992-01-28) | 447165 | 8.8 |
| 16 | 16 | "Bad Connection" | Lorraine Senna Ferrara | Bernard Lechowick | February 4, 1992 (1992-02-04) | 447166 | 11.0 |
| 17 | 17 | "Getting to First Base" | Bruce Seth Green | Lynn Marie Latham & Bernard Lechowick | February 18, 1992 (1992-02-18) | 447167 | 11.6 |
| 18 | 18 | "No Man Loyal and Neutral" | David Carson | David Assael | March 4, 1992 (1992-03-04) | 447168 | 10.3 |
| 19 | 19 | "First Sign of Spring" | Lorraine Senna Ferrara | Bernard Lechowick | March 11, 1992 (1992-03-11) | 447169 | 9.5 |
| 20 | 20 | "At Your Age" | David Carson | Bernard Lechowick | March 18, 1992 (1992-03-18) | 447170 | 10.7 |
| 21 | 21 | "Obstinacy or Constancy?" | Joseph L. Scanlan | Bernard Lechowick | March 25, 1992 (1992-03-25) | 447171 | 9.0 |
| 22 | 22 | "If You Want it Done Right..." | Lorraine Senna Ferrara | Bernard Lechowick | April 1, 1992 (1992-04-01) | 447172 | 10.3 |
| 23 | 23 | "Spanish Moss" | Joseph L. Scanlan | Lynn Marie Latham & James Stanley | April 8, 1992 (1992-04-08) | 447173 | 9.3 |
| 24 | 24 | "Songs Unsung Are Sweetest" | Nicholas Sgarro | Bernard Lechowick | April 15, 1992 (1992-04-15) | 447174 | 11.1 |

#### Note

* ↑ This episode aired out-of-order after the show's initial run, as ABC felt it was "too depressing" for new viewers.

### Season 2 (1992–93)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | Viewers (millions) |
| 25 | 1 | "By Popular Demand" | Joseph L. Scanlan | Bernard Lechowick | September 17, 1992 (1992-09-17) | 447701 | 9.2 |
| 26 | 2 | "The Lemo Tomato Juice Hour" | Sharron Miller | Lynn Marie Latham | September 24, 1992 (1992-09-24) | 447702 | 8.3 |
| 27 | 3 | "Can't Say No" | Roy Campanella II | Diane Messina Stanley | October 1, 1992 (1992-10-01) | 447703 | 8.7 |
| 28 | 4 | "Appleknocker to Wed Tomatohawker" | Joseph L. Scanlan | Bernard Lechowick | October 8, 1992 (1992-10-08) | 447704 | 9.8 |
| 29 | 5 | "A Nickel Plate Romance" | Mike Vejar | Lynn Marie Latham | October 22, 1992 (1992-10-22) | 447705 | 8.1 |
| 30 | 6 | "When the Stars Begin to Fall" | Sharron Miller | Bernard Lechowick | October 29, 1992 (1992-10-29) | 447706 | 8.7 |
| 31 | 7 | "The Traveling Lemo All-Stars" | Lorraine Senna Ferrara | Lynn Marie Latham | November 11, 1992 (1992-11-11) | 447707 | 8.1 |
| 32 | 8 | "First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage" | Sharron Miller | Bernard Lechowick | December 3, 1992 (1992-12-03) | 447708 | 7.7 |
| 33 | 9 | "Life Is Short" | Mike Vejar | Bernard Lechowick | December 17, 1992 (1992-12-17) | 447709 | 7.2 |
| 34 | 10 | "Signed, Crazy in Love" | Christopher Chulack | James Stanley | March 9, 1993 (1993-03-09) | 447710 | 9.6 |
| 35 | 11 | "On the Rebound" | Mike Vejar | Bernard Lechowick | April 23, 2000 (2000-04-23) | 447711 | unaired |
| 36 | 12 | "Like Being There When You're Not" | Mike Vejar | Bernard Lechowick | March 16, 1993 (1993-03-16) | 447713 | 9.4 |
| 37 | 13 | "Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How" | Sharron Miller | Lynn Marie Latham | March 23, 1993 (1993-03-23) | 447714 | 11.0 |
| 38 | 14 | "Garfield Slept Here" | Mike Vejar | Lynn Marie Latham | March 30, 1993 (1993-03-30) | 447715 | 10.0 |
| 39 | 15 | "By Word or Act" | Sharron Miller | Bernard Lechowick | April 6, 1993 (1993-04-06) | 447716 | 9.0 |
| 40 | 16 | "The Lacemakers" | Sharron Miller | Bernard Lechowick | April 13, 1993 (1993-04-13) | 447712 | 10.6 |
| 41 | 17 | "Shabbat Shalom" | Mike Vejar | Diane Messina Stanley & James Stanley | April 26, 1993 (1993-04-26) | 447717 | 8.8 |
| 42 | 18 | "All Good Things" | Sharron Miller | Bernard Lechowick | April 26, 1993 (1993-04-26) | 447718 | 8.8 |

#### Note

* ↑ This episode was never aired by ABC during its initial run, and premiered on April 23, 2000 as part of a Homefront marathon on TV Land.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 1992 | American Cinema Editors' Eddie Award | Best Edited Episode from a Television Series | Michael B. Hoggan and William B. Stich (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Casting Society of America's Artios Award | Best Casting for TV, Pilot | Irene Mariano | Nominated |
| 1992 | Casting Society of America's Artios Award | Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic | Irene Mariano | Nominated |
| 1992 | Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Sammi Davis | Nominated |
| 1992 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite New TV Dramatic Series | Homefront | Won |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | Christopher Chulack, David Jacobs, Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special | Ron Lagomarsino (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series | Jerry Gugliemotto and Barbara Ronci (For episode "Man, This Joint Is Jumping") | Won |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special | Jerry Gugliemotto and Georgina Williams (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Single-Camera Production | Michael B. Hoggan and William B. Stich (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Costuming for a Series | Chic Gennarelli and Lyn Paolo (For episode "At Your Age") | Won |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Costuming for a Miniseries or a Special | Nanrose Buchman, Chic Gennarelli and Lyn Paolo (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special | Anne D. McCulley and Dean E. Mitzner (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Nominated |
| 1992 | Television Critics Association Award | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Homefront | Nominated |
| 1993 | American Television Awards | Best Dramatic Series | Homefront | Nominated |
| 1993 | American Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress, Dramatic Series | Mimi Kennedy | Nominated |
| 1993 | Golden Globe Award | Best Television Series – Drama | Homefront | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Lynn Marie Latham, Bernard Lechowick, David Jacobs, Diane Messina Stanley, James Stanley and Christopher Chulack | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Bernard Lechowick (For episode "The Lacemakeres") | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series | Jerry Gugliemotto and Georgina Williams (For episode "Life Is Short") | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Costuming for a Series | Chic Gennarelli and Lyn Paolo (For episode "Like Being There When You're Not") | Won |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special | Dean E. Mitzner and Tom Pedigo (For episode "The Traveling Lemo All-Stars") | Won |
| 1993 | Television Critics Association Award | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Homefront | Nominated |
| 1993 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series | Mimi Kennedy | Nominated |
| 1993 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Founder's Award | Lynn Marie Latham, Bernard Lechowick, David Jacobs, Diane Messina Stanley, James Stanley and Christopher Chulack | Won |
| 1993 | Writers Guild of America Award | Original Long Form | Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick (For episode "S.N.A.F.U.") | Won |