| Kate Brasher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Stephen Tolkin |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Gordon Lonsdale |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | February 24 (2001-02-24) – April 14, 2001 (2001-04-14) |
Kate Brasher is an Americandrama television series created byStephen Tolkin, that was broadcast onCBS from February 24 until April 14, 2001. It premiered at 9:00pm ET/PT on Saturday, February 24, 2001 and was cancelled after six episodes.
The title character was the single mother of teenaged sons Daniel and Elvis living in Santa Monica, California. Facing a financial crisis, she seeks legal advice at Brothers Keepers, aninner city community advocacy center, and is offered a job as a social worker. Her co-workers include attorney Abbie Schaeffer and Joe Almeida, the organization's street-smart director, who founded it after his daughter was killed in gang crossfire.
Among those actors making guest appearances during the series' short run wereK Callan,Dennis Christopher,Paul Dooley,Mariette Hartley,Josh Hopkins,Carl Lumbly,Spencer Breslin,David Naughton andMackenzie Phillips.[1]
Series creator Stephen Tolkin based the character of Almeida on Rabbi Mark Borovitz, an ex-convict and alcoholic who became the spiritual leader of Gateways Beit T'Shuvah, a residential treatment center for Jews in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. The two men met when Tolkin contacted the rabbi for help with a friend who was dealing with substance abuse.[2]
Although set inSanta Monica, California, the series was shot on location inSan Diego, California.
| No. | Title | Directed by [3] | Written by [3] | Original release date | Prod. code [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kate" "Pilot" | James Frawley | Stephen Tolkin | February 24, 2001 (2001-02-24) | 1AEA01 |
| 2 | "Simon" | Jerry Levine | Story by : John Landgraf, Joel Fields, Stephen Tolkin Written by : Joel Fields, Stephen Tolkin | March 3, 2001 (2001-03-03) | 1AEA04 |
| 3 | "Jeff" | Steve Robman | Joel Fields, Stephen Tolkin | March 10, 2001 (2001-03-10) | 1AEA06 |
| 4 | "Jackson" | Joe Napolitano | Phil Penningroth | March 24, 2001 (2001-03-24) | 1AEA05 |
| 5 | "Tracy" | Arvin Brown | Stephen Tolkin | April 7, 2001 (2001-04-07) | 1AEA02 |
| 6 | "Georgia" | Steve Miner | Dana Baratta | April 14, 2001 (2001-04-14) | 1AEA03 |
Anita Gates of theNew York Times said the series "has an appealing cast and doesn't insult viewers' intelligence most of the time. But the main characters - who are 100 percent good and face off against people who are 100 percent bad - always seem to be making self-righteous speeches . . . There's nothing wrong with inspiring little speeches that make audiences cheer. It was always a pleasure to seeDixie Carter get carried away with one of hers onDesigning Women. But the speeches have to say something in a fresh way, and even Ms. Carter's orations got old once the show's writers became so self-conscious about them.
Kate Brasher is trying too hard . . . to be quirky . . . to create a noisyER-ish atmosphere of hustle, bustle, chaos and crisis, . . . [and] to be simultaneously uplifting and cynical."[4]