''Apple's Way'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series that aired on CBS from February 10, 1974, to January 12, 1975. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr. (1923-2016).

Premise

The Apples of Los Angeles—architect George, his wife Barbara, their children Paul, Cathy, Steven, and Patricia; and Grandfather Aldon—seek refuge from the hectic pace of city living and relocate to George's hometown of Appleton,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, which was founded by his ancestors. The family has to adjust to a different culture and climate and to a slower pace of life. They live in a working

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

that serves as a backdrop for the situations depicted in each episode. Well-meaning George often gets involved in causes that increased his family's tensions. ''Apple's Way'' was a mid-season replacement for '' The New Perry Mason''. The series did not gain the ratings CBS had hoped for, partly because it had to compete with

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's long-running Top 20 hit '' The Wonderful World of Disney'' and ABC's popular crime drama '' The F.B.I.''. The concept was "re-booted" in the second season to focus on plots that dealt more with social issues (such as freedom of speech, drug use, terminal illness) as opposed to the more rural-specific plots of the first season. The second season was produced by successful veteran producer-writer John Furia, Jr. Furia hired Worley Thorne as story editor. The series was canceled during its second season and replaced with ''

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

''.

Cast

* Ronny Cox as George Apple * Frances Lee McCain as Barbara Apple * Malcolm Atterbury as Grandfather Aldon * Vince Van Patten as Paul Apple *Patti Cohoon as Cathy Apple *Eric Olson as Steven Apple *Frannie Michel as Patricia Apple (1974) * Kristy McNichol as Patricia Apple (1974–1975)

Episode list

Season 1: 1974

Season 2: 1974–75

Syndication

Both

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division's MTV Entertainment Group. It was originally launched as Nick at Nite’s TV Land as a spinoff of Nick at Nite programing block consisting e ...

and AmericanLife TV aired the series in reruns during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Two decades after this series left the air, lead actors Ronny Cox and Frances Lee McCain were reunited in the short lived 1993–1994 television prime time soap '' Second Chances''.

References

External links

* *
Apple's Way
' at The Classic TV Archive * {{epguides, ApplesWay, Apple's Way
From the creator of The Waltons, Earl Hamner's Apple's Way
1970s American comedy-drama television series 1974 American television series debuts 1975 American television series endings American English-language television shows Television series by Lorimar Television Television shows set in Iowa CBS television dramas