Sister Kate is an American sitcom created by Frank Dungan, Jeff Stein, and Tony Sheehan, that aired on NBC from September 16, 1989, to July 30, 1990, during the 1989–1990 television season.

Sister Kate
GenreSitcom
Created byFrank Dungan
Tony Sheehan
Jeff Stein
Written byFrank Dungan
Jeff Stein
Tony Sheehan
Directed byJeffrey Melman
Noam Pitlik
John Sgueglia
StarringStephanie Beacham
Jason Priestley
Erin Reed
Hannah Cutrona
Penina Segall
Harley Cross
Alexaundria Simmons
Joel Robinson
Theme music composerMason Cooper and Brian Rawlings
Opening theme"Maybe An Angel" performed by Amy Grant
ComposersBrian Rawlings and Mason Cooper
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes19 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersFrank Dungan
Jeff Stein
Tony Sheehan
ProducerPatricia Rickey
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesLazy B/F.O.B. Productions
Mea Culpa Productions
20th Century Fox Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 16, 1989 (1989-09-16) –
September 1, 1990 (1990-09-01)

Synopsis

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The series stars Stephanie Beacham as Sister Kate, a nun who in the pilot episode is transferred to Chicago to run an orphanage, where she is put in charge of a septet of unwanted orphans whose scheming ways have already run off three priests. Storylines involved Sister Kate matching wits with the kids, and the kids' potential adoptions.[1]

Sister Kate premiered on Saturday, September 16, 1989 at 9:30 EST as a sneak preview, and aired regularly at 8:00 EST on Sundays.[2] The low-rated series was canceled after 19 episodes.

Cast

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  • Stephanie Beacham as Sister Katherine "Kate" Lambert
  • Jason Priestley as Todd Mahaffey
  • Erin Reed as April Newberry
  • Hannah Cutrona as Frederika "Freddy" Marasco
  • Penina Segall as Hilary Logan
  • Harley Cross as Eugene Colodren
  • Alexaundria Simmons as Violet Johnson
  • Joel Robinson as Neville Williams
  • Mike Williams as Mr. Beard
  • Gordon Jump as Lucas Underwood

Guest Stars

Guest appearances

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Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan appeared as Milli Vanilli in the January 7, 1990 episode "Eugene's Feat", speaking a few lines in their natural voices before (what was later revealed to be) lip-synching their hit "Blame It on the Rain".

Theme song

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The series theme song, "Maybe An Angel", was written by Brian Rawlings and Mason Cooper and performed by Contemporary Christian Music pop star Amy Grant.

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Pilot"Noam PitlikFrank Dungan, Jeff Stein & Tony SheehanSeptember 16, 1989 (1989-09-16)
2"Freddy's Bad Habit"Jeff MelmanFrank Dungan & Jeff SteinSeptember 21, 1989 (1989-09-21)
Sister Kate goes to extraordinary measures to break Freddy's smoking habit; Neville gets upset when someone wants to adopt Violet.
3"Eugene's Secret"Jeff MelmanFrank Dungan, Jeff Stein & Tony SheehanSeptember 24, 1989 (1989-09-24)
Sister Kate announces that everyone will be moving into shared bedrooms in an attempt to save money on heating costs. As a result, Eugene is fearful that a long-kept secret will get out while new roommates Freddy and April constantly quarrel with each other.
4"Freddy's Date"Jeff MelmanWilliam C. Kenny & Brenda HamptonOctober 1, 1989 (1989-10-01)
Freddy has a crush on the rich kid in her auto-shop class; Neville can't decide which musical instrument to play for his music class.
5"Eugene's Model"Jeff MelmanTony SheehanOctober 15, 1989 (1989-10-15)
Violet becomes jealous of the amount of time Neville spends with Sister Kate; Eugene takes up drawing and searches for a nude female model.
6"Neville's Hired Hand"Jeff MelmanFrank Dungan & Jeff SteinOctober 22, 1989 (1989-10-22)
Neville is so taken with a vagrant who stops for food that Kate hires him to be both a cook and handyman, on the condition that he continues to stay off the booze that he claimed to stop drinking.
7"Hilary's Date"Phill LewisChuck LorreOctober 29, 1989 (1989-10-29)
Hilary is somehow able to keep her wheelchair a secret from a boy she likes; Neville gives Kate the silent treatment after she scolds him for his language.
8"Violet's Friend"Jeff MelmanBrenda Hampton & William C. KennyNovember 5, 1989 (1989-11-05)
Violet's friend visits and puts the gang in an uproar and she gets upset and runs away. Later, Sister Kate gets a phone call from a local hospital informing her that Violet is there.
9"Kate's Baby"Jeff MelmanFrank Dungan & Jeff SteinNovember 19, 1989 (1989-11-19)
10"Kate's Furnace"Jeff MelmanUnknownNovember 26, 1989 (1989-11-26)
11"The Nun"John SguegliaTony SheehanDecember 3, 1989 (1989-12-03)
12"April in Paris"Jeff MelmanFrank Dungan & Jeff SteinDecember 10, 1989 (1989-12-10)
13"Father Christmas"John SguegliaWilliam C. Kenny & Brenda Hampton-CainDecember 17, 1989 (1989-12-17)
14"Eugene's Feat"Phil RamunoFrank Dungan & Jeff SteinJanuary 7, 1990 (1990-01-07)
15"Kandid Kate"John SguegliaUnknownJanuary 21, 1990 (1990-01-21)
16"Sweet Sixteen"UnknownUnknownJuly 16, 1990 (1990-07-16)
17"Bingo"Michael ZinbergBrenda Hampton-Cain & William C. KennyJuly 23, 1990 (1990-07-23)
18"Todd's Cheap Date"Jeff MelmanFrank Dungan & Jeff SteinJuly 30, 1990 (1990-07-30)
19"Underwood Underfoot"UnknownUnknownSeptember 1, 1990 (1990-09-01)

Award nominations

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Year Award Result Category Recipient
1990 Golden Globe Award Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical Stephanie Beacham
1990 Young Artist Awards Nominated Best New Television Series
Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Television Series Harley Cross
Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Television Series Jason Priestley

References

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  1. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1247. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  2. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1246. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
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