''Against the Grain'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from October 1 until December 24, 1993. starring

John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the a ...

, Donna Bullock,

Robyn Lively Robyn Elaine Lively Johnson (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the 1989 films ''Teen Witch'' and '' The Karate Kid Part III.'' She is also known for her roles in the TV shows '' Doogie Howser, M.D.''; ...

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...

, and

Vanessa Lee Evigan Vanessa Lee Evigan (born March 18, 1981) is an American actress. She is the daughter of actor Greg Evigan and model and actress Pamela Serpe. She is also the sister of actress Briana Evigan and singer-songwriter Jason Evigan. In 2001, Evigan a ...

. The show was inspired by Buzz Bissinger's book '' Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream''.

Plot

Ed Clemons was an insurance company salesman and former high school football star who became coach of his former team the Stumper Mustangs, located in Stumper, Texas. Episodes follow the challenges that Ed faces as he attempts to transform a losing team into state champions.

Cast

as Ed Clemons *Donna Bullock as Maggie Clemons *

as Joe Willie Clemons *

as Jill Clemons *

as Jenny Clemons *

Stephen Tobolowsky Stephen Harold Tobolowsky (born May 30, 1951) is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in '' Groundhog Day'' and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in '' Memento'', as well as such television characters ...

as Niles Hardemann *

Jeanine Jackson Jeanine E. Jackson (born 1949) is an American diplomat. She was the ambassador to Burkina Faso from 2006 to 2009 and to the Republic of Malawi from 2011 to 2014. Life Jeanine Jackson was born in Wyoming. She is of European descent, and graduated ...

as Mindy Hardemann * Cheryl Rhoads as Winona Bruhns

Episodes

Reception

Writing in ''The New York Times'', John O'Connor said that "In some respects, the new NBC series ''Against the Grain'' does have the courage of its title. It's not just another half-hour sitcom running on wisecracks. It's an hourlong drama admirably aiming, according to one executive producer, Bruce Sallan, to present real-life problems and family issues".

References

External links

* Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios NBC original programming English-language television shows Television shows set in Texas 1993 American television series debuts 1993 American television series endings 1990s American drama television series {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub