Niagara (universe TV show)

From New Prairie Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Niagara
Opening title card for Season 2
GenreWorkplace Sitcom
No. of seasons9
No. of episodes216
Production
Running time30
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 12, 1984 (1984-09-12) –
May 20, 1992 (1992-05-20)

Niagara was a long-running sitcom set at the information desk at Niagara Falls, following a quirky group of employees, tour guides, and local characters who deal with tourists, unusual requests, and each other.

Plot

Main cast

  • Patricia Wexler as Margaret Donovan
    • The practical and level-headed supervisor of the information desk who keeps the staff functioning despite their constant mishaps.
  • Vincent Carlucci as Tommy Russo
    • A wisecracking former tour guide whose shortcuts and schemes often create the week's problems.
  • Linda Mercer as Elenor "Ellie" Brooks
    • A hopeless romantic and local history enthusiast who can answer nearly any question about Niagara Falls.
  • Richard G. Mallory as Harold P. Wainwright (Season 1 - 6)
    • An elderly employee who has worked at the falls since the 1950s and frequently reminisces about the area's past.
  • Karen Delaney as Diane Foster
    • The ambitious public relations coordinator who dreams of turning the information desk into a major tourist attraction.
  • Miguel Herrera as Eddie Morales
    • The cheerful maintenance man who seems to know everyone in town and frequently wanders into the staff's adventures.
  • Susan Avery as Janet Pierce (Season 2 - 9)
    • A college student hired in the second season whose youthful optimism often clashes with the veterans' cynicism.
  • Daniel Keaton as Officer Raymond Keegan
    • A friendly police officer and recurring love interest for Maggie who frequently assists the desk with unusual tourist incidents.
  • Goerge Radcliffe as Captain Charles Kemp
    • A gruff but lovable boat captain who regularly stops by the desk to gossip and offer questionable advice.
  • Heather Logan as Mellissa Grant (Season 7 - 9)
    • An eager intern introduced in Season 7 who brings modern ideas and accidentally creates chaos in the office.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
124September 13, 1984 (1984-09-13)May 16, 1985 (1985-05-16)
224September 12, 1985 (1985-09-12)May 15, 1986 (1986-05-15)
324September 11, 1986 (1986-09-11)May 14, 1987 (1987-05-14)
424September 17, 1987 (1987-09-17)May 19, 1988 (1988-05-19)
524September 15, 1988 (1988-09-15)May 17, 1989 (1989-05-17)
624September 14, 1989 (1989-09-14)May 17, 1990 (1990-05-17)
724September 13, 1990 (1990-09-13)May 16, 1991 (1991-05-16)
824September 12, 1991 (1991-09-12)May 14, 1992 (1992-05-14)
924September 17, 1992 (1992-09-17)May 20, 1993 (1993-05-20)

Episodes

Season 1 (1984-85)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
11"The New Guy"TBATBASeptember 13, 1984 (1984-09-13)N/A
Unknown
22"Lost and Found at the Falls"TBATBASeptember 20, 1984 (1984-09-20)N/A
Unknown
33"The Wrong Honeymooners"TBATBAOctober 4, 1984 (1984-10-04)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Airing was pre-empted Sept. 27 for the presidential debate)
44"A Map to Nowhere"TBATBAOctober 11, 1984 (1984-10-11)N/A
Unknown
55"Busload of Trouble"TBATBAOctober 18, 1984 (1984-10-18)N/A
Unknown
66"The Canadian Mix-Up"TBATBAOctober 25, 1984 (1984-10-25)N/A
Unknown
77"A Very Important Tourist"TBATBANovember 1, 1984 (1984-11-01)N/A
Unknown
88"The Camera Club"TBATBANovember 8, 1984 (1984-11-08)N/A
Unknown
99"Rainy Day at Table Rock"TBATBANovember 15, 1984 (1984-11-15)N/A
Unknown
1010"Thanksgiving at the Desk"TBATBANovember 22, 1984 (1984-11-22)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Thanksgiving Episode)
1111"Over the Edge: Part 1"TBATBANovember 29, 1984 (1984-11-29)N/A
Unknown
1212"Over the Edge: Part 2"TBATBADecember 6, 1984 (1984-12-06)N/A
Unknown
1313"A Very Soggy Christmas"TBATBADecember 13, 1984 (1984-12-13)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Holiday Finale followed by Winter Hiatus)
1414"Frozen Assets"TBATBAFebruary 7, 1985 (1985-02-07)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Spring Premiere)
1515"Love on the Canadian Side"TBATBAFebruary 14, 1985 (1985-02-14)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Valentine's Day episode)
1616"The Great Canadian Quicker Picker Upper"TBATBAFebruary 21, 1985 (1985-02-21)N/A
Unknown
1717"The Mayor Visits"TBATBAFebruary 28, 1985 (1985-02-28)N/A
Unknown
1818"The Tourist from Tokyo"TBATBAMarch 7, 1985 (1985-03-07)N/A
Unknown
1919"The Time Capsule"TBATBAMarch 14, 1985 (1985-03-14)N/A
Unknown
2020"Spring Breakout"TBATBAMarch 21, 1985 (1985-03-21)N/A
Unknown
2121"April Fools on the Border"TBATBAApril 4, 1985 (1985-04-04)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted March 28)
2222"Night Shift"TBATBAApril 18, 1985 (1985-04-18)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted April 11)
2323"Trading Desks"TBATBAMay 2, 1985 (1985-05-02)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted April 25)
2424"The Mist-ery Guest"TBATBAMay 16, 1985 (1985-05-16)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted May 9)

Season 2 (1985-86)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
251"Back to the Desk"TBATBASeptember 12, 1985 (1985-09-12)N/A
Unknown
262"The New Uniforms"TBATBASeptember 19, 1985 (1985-09-19)N/A
Unknown
273"A Celebrity at the Falls"TBATBASeptember 26, 1985 (1985-09-26)N/A
Unknown
284"The Wrong Tour Group"TBATBAOctober 3, 1985 (1985-10-03)N/A
Unknown
295"The Engagement Rumor"TBATBAOctober 10, 1985 (1985-10-10)N/A
Unknown
306"Passport Problems"TBATBAOctober 17, 1985 (1985-10-17)N/A
Unknown
317"Passport Problems"TBATBAOctober 24, 1985 (1985-10-24)N/A
Unknown
328"The Haunted Brochure Rack"TBATBAOctober 31, 1985 (1985-10-31)N/A
Things start to get weird at the front desk as things start to move on their own and the night crew gets a visit from an urban legend on Halloween night.
339"The Waterfall Festival"TBATBANovember 7, 1985 (1985-11-07)N/A
Unknown

Season 3 (1986-87)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
491"New Faces"TBATBASeptember 1, 1986 (1986-09-01)N/A
Unknown

Season 4 (1987-88)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
731"The New Supervisor"TBATBASeptember 10, 1987 (1987-09-10)N/A
Unknown

Season 5 (1988-89)

The "Golden Era" season. The show was a Top 10 ratings hit by this point. Brenda gets promoted, and Leo gets trapped in a legal battle over Canadian vs. American airspace.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
971"Fifth Time's a Charm"TBATBASeptember 15, 1988 (1988-09-15)N/A
Unknown
982"The Daredevil Diaries"TBATBASeptember 22, 1988 (1988-09-22)N/A
Unknown
993"The Horseshoe Hoax"TBATBASeptember 29, 1988 (1988-09-29)N/A
Unknown
1004"100 Bottles of Water on the Wall"TBATBAOctober 6, 1988 (1988-10-06)N/A
100th Episode Special
1015"Whose Line is it Anyway, Eh?"TBATBAOctober 13, 1988 (1988-10-13)N/A
Unknown
1026"The Haunting of Goat Island"TBATBAOctober 27, 1988 (1988-10-27)N/A
Halloween episode
(NOTE: Pre-empted Oct. 20)
1037"Election Mist"TBATBANovember 3, 1988 (1988-11-03)N/A
Unknown
1048"The Passport Panic"TBATBANovember 10, 1988 (1988-11-10)N/A
Unknown
1059"Thanksgiving Breakdown"TBATBANovember 17, 1988 (1988-11-17)N/A
Unknown
10610"The Canadian Caper: Part 1"TBATBANovember 24, 1988 (1988-11-24)N/A
Unknown
10711"The Canadian Caper: Part 2"TBATBADecember 1, 1988 (1988-12-01)N/A
Unknown
10812"Arthur's Audit"TBATBADecember 8, 1988 (1988-12-08)N/A
Unknown
10913"The Great Gift Exchange Rate"TBATBADecember 15, 1988 (1988-12-15)N/A
Holiday Finale followed by Winter Hiatus
11014"The Ice Bridge"TBATBAFebruary 9, 1989 (1989-02-09)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Spring Preimiere)
11115"Heartbreak Hotel"TBATBAFebruary 16, 1989 (1989-02-16)N/A
Unknown
11216"Leo's Legal Leap"TBATBAFebruary 23, 1989 (1989-02-23)N/A
Unknown
11317"The Loudspeaker Lunacy"TBATBAMarch 2, 1989 (1989-03-02)N/A
Unknown
11418"The Foam Patrol"TBATBAMarch 9, 1989 (1989-03-09)N/A
Unknown
11518"Green with Envy"TBATBAMarch 16, 1989 (1989-03-16)N/A
St. Patrick's Day episode
11619"The Tour Bus Tantrum"TBATBAMarch 23, 1989 (1989-03-23)N/A
Unknown
11720"Lost in the Spray"TBATBAApril 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted March 30)
11821"The Fudge Factor"TBATBAApril 20, 1989 (1989-04-20)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted April 13)
11922"Arthur Goes Over, Part 1"TBATBAMay 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted April 27)
12023"Arthur Goes Over, Part 2"TBATBAMay 18, 1989 (1989-05-18)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted May 1)

Season 6 (1989-90)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1211"Return to Table Rock"TBATBASeptember 7, 1989 (1989-09-07)N/A
Unknown

Season 7 (1990-91)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1451"The New Intern"TBATBASeptember 13, 1990 (1990-09-13)N/A
Unknown

Season 8 (1991-92)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1691"The New Computer"TBATBASeptember 12, 1991 (1991-09-12)N/A
Unknown

Season 9 (1992-93)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1931"The Final Descent"TBATBASeptember 17, 1992 (1992-09-17)N/A
Unknown
1942"The Kiosk Chronicles"TBATBASeptember 24, 1992 (1992-09-24)N/A
Unknown
1953"The Last Daredevil"TBATBAOctober 1, 1992 (1992-10-01)N/A
Unknown
1964"Arthur’s Retirement Plan"TBATBAOctober 8, 1992 (1992-10-08)N/A
Unknown
1975"Brenda’s Big Move"TBATBAOctober 15, 1992 (1992-10-15)N/A
Unknown
1986"Ghost in the Machine"TBATBAOctober 29, 1992 (1992-10-29)N/A
Halloween Episode
(NOTE: Pre-empted Oct 22)
1997"The Campaign Trail Mix"TBATBANovember 5, 1992 (1992-11-05)N/A
Unknown
2008"Leo Grows Up"TBATBANovember 12, 1992 (1992-11-12)N/A
Unknown
2019"Thanksgiving in a Poncho"TBATBANovember 19, 1992 (1992-11-19)N/A
Unknown
20210"The Final Countdown: Part 1"TBATBANovember 26, 1992 (1992-11-26)N/A
Unknown
20311"The Final Countdown: Part 2"TBATBADecember 3, 1992 (1992-12-03)N/A
Unknown
20412"A Bitter Cold Welcome"TBATBADecember 10, 1992 (1992-12-10)N/A
Unknown
20513"The Last Christmas at Table Rock"TBATBADecember 17, 1992 (1992-12-17)N/A
Holiday Finale
(NOTE: Followed by Winter Hiatus)
20614"The Digital Age Dawns"TBATBAFebruary 4, 1993 (1993-02-04)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Spring Premiere)
20715"The Valentine’s Day Kiosk Crash"TBATBAFebruary 11, 1993 (1993-02-11)N/A
Valentine's Day episode
20816"Soggy Bottom Blues"TBATBAFebruary 18, 1993 (1993-02-18)N/A
Unknown
20917"The Great Border Blockade"TBATBAFebruary 25, 1993 (1993-02-25)N/A
Unknown
21018"March Madness at the Desk"TBATBAMarch 4, 1993 (1993-03-04)N/A
Unknown
21119"The Souvenir Strike"TBATBAMarch 11, 1993 (1993-03-11)N/A
Unknown
21220"A View to a Spill"TBATBAMarch 18, 1993 (1993-03-18)N/A
Unknown
21321"The Golden Poncho Awards"TBATBAApril 1, 1993 (1993-04-01)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted March 25)
21422"Arthur Unplugged"TBATBAApril 15, 1993 (1993-04-15)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted April 8)
21523"The Last Tourist: Part 1"TBATBAApril 29, 1993 (1993-04-29)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted April 22)
21624"The Last Tourist: Part 2"TBATBAMay 20, 1993 (1993-05-20)N/A
Unknown
(NOTE: Pre-empted May 6 and 13 to build hype for the series finale)

Reception