"Truth may not always be fact," said Chris Abbott, Executive Producer of "Legacy," UPN's new fall family drama, justifying the period piece's tendency toward fiction, rather than historical fact. The post-Civil War drama set on a Kentucky horse farm will be "historically accurate, as long as it doesn't get in the way of good storytelling and aesthetics," assured the former "Little House on the Prairie" story editor.
"Legacy" stars Brett Cullen ("Young Riders") as widower patriarch horse breeder Ned Logan, who tries to instill in his family- two sons, two daughters, and a street-wise 17-year-old orphan from
New York that he takes in- the belief in "legacy" passed down by his Irish ancestors: love and support family and others less fortunate.
Following UPN's recent push to become more inclusive, "Legacy's" promo skews universal: horses, fights, dancing, violins, horse races, fires, and horse women, all set against a Celtic-Techno-World Beat soundtrack alas Demi Moore's "The Scarlet Letter." Abbott is pleased with the contempory feel
imposed on the late 1800's setting. "I like the music we were able to use," said the former "Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman" writer. "It has that world beat flavor."
"Legacy" premieres October 9 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on UPN.
UPN's "Legacy" has some potential
Friday, October 09, 1998
BY Rob Owen, Post- Gazette TV Editor
Pretty horses, pretty boys and pretty Irish music are woven together in "Legacy," a pretty good family drama premiering tonight on UPN (Pittsburgh's WNPA). This show is clearly aimed at a young female audience, right down to the scrappy orphan with Brad Pitt's face and Leonardo DiCaprio's hair.
"Legacy" is set on a post-Civil War Kentucky horse farm, home to the Logan clan, and it's the third of four Irish-American-themed series to premiere this fall. "Legacy" isn't as overtly Irish as
"Costello" or "To Have and To Hold." The only clues to the Logan family's ancestry are in the show's enchanting theme song ("The Mummers' Dance" by singer Loreena McKennitt) and a few bits of dialogue that help explain the series' title.
"My grandfather left us a legacy to help others less fortunate than ourselves," explains widower patriarch Ned Logan (Brett Cullen) when one of his uppity sons questions why they're taking in a "street urchin."
(I suspect the son is really angry because he knows the 17-year-old orphan, Jeremy - played by 23-year-old Ron Melendez - will get on more teen magazine covers.) The angry, petulant son is Clay (Jeremy Garrett). Grayson McCouch (one of the doomed
astronauts in "Armageddon") plays eldest son Sean, who is supposed to marry upper-class snob Vivian Winters (1996 Carnegie Mellon University grad Lisa Sheridan).
"It was so nice of your father to invite the servants to the party," Vivian says when she sees African-Americans in attendance. That pushes Sean's buttons. He secretly has feelings for Marita (Sharon Leal), who he explains isn't a servant, but "Pa's secretary."
The rapscallion Jeremy arrives after winning a game of cards on a train ride (just like Leo before he boarded Titanic!) and catches the eye of teen-age daughter Alice (Lea Moreno, who is destined to play Monica Lewinsky in the inevitable TV movie). Jeremy also bonds with youngest daughter Lexy (Sarah Rayne) over a loss - both kids' moms died when they were young. "Legacy" is UPN's best new fall series, although that's not saying much given the other shows the network has premiered. There's certainly no reason to cancel evening plans for "Legacy," but for families who stay at home on Fridays, this is a welcome alternative to ABC's kid-coms and CBS's oldster shows.
"Legacy" brings nothing new to its genre - and at times it's borderline boring - but it has the potential
to be a decent period soap opera. So far it's extremely family-friendly, too. The worst profanity in
the pilot is Clay's exclamation, "Hang dinner!"
Tonight's pilot features some memorable turns by guest actors who may or may not return, including
Jo Anderson (the second beauty in "Beauty and the Beast") as Ned's possible love interest, Lane
Smith (Perry White on "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman") as Vivian's rich pop and
Steven Williams (Mr. X on "The X-Files" and Linc on "Linc's") as the Logan farm's foreman.
It doesn't hurt that "Legacy" is shot on location at Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond, Va., giving the
show a different look. It's not the same old Hollywood backlot or a recycled "Dr. Quinn" set. It's a
prettier look than most TV shows.
And "pretty" pretty much sums up the legacy of "Legacy."
