"Union Square" (1997-98)

[TMC]

Does anybody remember this? It was what amounted to a Friends clone that NBC attempted in the Fall of 1997. NBC placed it at 8:30 p.m., which was the coveted post-Friends timeslot on Thursday nights. Union Square, however, only lasted a single season.

The show had a problematic production. Union Square was originally written and intended as a vehicle for Mel Gorham. But NBC for whatever the reasons, decided that she wasn't working, so they replaced her with Constance Marie. The original pilot with Mel Gorham is available on YouTube if you're curious.

[icecream]

I haven't heard of Mel Gorham. But Constance Marie had success later with George Lopez and Switched at Birth.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by icecream

I haven't heard of Mel Gorham. But Constance Marie had success later with George Lopez and Switched at Birth.

THE CANCELLED SHOWS YOU REMEMBER .....

With such a successful run of shows created, NBC really had developed this ego that whatever they programmed on that night would work. And a lot didn't and we don't really remember them as much. But in the 1990's NBC was rolling after the creation of Friends and had came up with a new sitcom to be the perfect 8:30 slot companion for that show.

Basically the show was about a struggling writer and playwright named Michael who living in New York's "Union Square" takes influences of the wacky cast of folks around him. The show would be a series again about 20 somethings set in New York struggling with life, loves and more. It sounds like Friends but with a different cast and 3 years younger as a show. But the real story was behind the scenes.

NBC had saw Mel Gorham, an actress of Cuban/Jewish descent and felt she needed a vehicle after several films. Gorham was to loosely base some of her life ala Jerry Seinfeld around the series as a struggling actress in New York. NBC even had James Burrows direct the series pilot. Its then things fell apart quick. The test screenings hated Gorham as the lead actress and NBC feeling they had something special here, dumped her from the series and retooled the show into an ensemble sitcom. Focusing more on the Michael character. Gorham's character was replaced by actress Constance Marie and the struggling actress character she portrayed was reduced in this revamped series.

The series still failed as we know and died within 13 episodes. Even as NBC gave it the special timeslot between Friends & Seinfeld and promoted it hard, the series would end in January. Of course what happened to all those involved?

Actress, Harriet Sansom Harris (Suzanne Barkley) was already a TV/Film character actress who had a busy career before Union Square. After the series ended her biggest claim to fame was portraying Frasier Crane's agent Bebe Glazer. Harris also had a decent role on Desperate Housewives and recently was on Supergirl. Jim Pirri (Jack Pappas) has done a lot of voice work for video games and has done TV guest spots the last 2 decades. Jonathon Slavin (Albie) has been busy as well with various TV roles and was part of Better off Ted and is now in Dr. Ken.

Christine Burke (Carrie) seems to have left the industry and hasn't had a role since 2004. Her career really was never big before or after Union Square. Jeffret Anderson-Gunter (Vince) had a career from the late 1970s and 1980s. Things have slowed down for him since. Michael Landes (Michael) has been busy since the series ended as well. He's been in various TV and film projects since. And finally Constance Marie, who was cast in the retooled show with a reduced role has had a busy career in TV. She starred in the George Lopez Show in the 2000s and the last 6 years has been part of the series "Switched at Birth".

But what happened to the lady who the show was supposed to be about before NBC retooled it? Actress Mel Gorham would do a couple more films in the 2000s and retired from the industry in 2012. She never achieved the level of stardom that some of the cast or what Marie did. Things would end there but someone a couple years ago found the rejected pilot from Union Square with Mel Gorham and put it on YouTube.