''Glitter'' 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 broadcast by the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

network from September 13 to December 25, 1984. The series was produced by

Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...

and was set behind the scenes of a top entertainment magazine titled ''Glitter'', and attempted to combine the urgency of

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

and

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

with the glamorous lifestyles of the rich and famous featured in the pages of the magazine. The leading cast members were

David Birney David Edwin Birney (April 23, 1939 – April 27, 2022) was an American actor and director whose career included performances in both contemporary and classical roles in theatre, film, and television. He is noted for having played the title role ...

Morgan Brittany Morgan Brittany (née Suzanne Cupito) is an American actress born in Los Angeles. She is known for her role as Katherine Wentworth, the scheming younger half-sister of Pamela Ewing and Cliff Barnes, on the prime-time soap opera ''Dallas''. Care ...

, Christopher Mayer,

Dianne Kay Dianne Kay is a retired American actress. She is best known for playing 4th daughter Nancy Bradford on ABC's "Eight is Enough" from 1977 to 1981. Career Born in Phoenix, Arizona to Peter and Miriam Kay, Dianne Kay had a large role in Steven Spi ...

, and Arthur Hill. The format of the series was similar to two other popular ABC shows, which were also produced by Aaron Spelling; ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

'' and ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'', in that each week it featured high-profile guest appearances from famous celebrities, including

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

and

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

. Unlike the other shows, ''Glitter'' was not a ratings success. It was scheduled on Thursday nights against ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who operate ...

'', ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', and ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portray ...

'', which were all among the top-20 most-watched programs at that time. The first three episodes aired in September 1984, and then the show was taken off the air (though was still in production) until December 1984, when three more episodes were shown. Ratings did not improve and the series was cancelled. The remaining eight episodes were shown during December 1985 as part of ABC's late-night line-up. Despite its lack of success in the US, ''Glitter'' was sold internationally. It was shown in the UK on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in the summer of 1985 (though not all episodes were shown).

Cast

as Sam Dillon *

as Kate Simpson *

as Jennifer Douglas *Dorian Harewood as Earl Tobin * Christopher Mayer as Pete Bozak *

Melinda Culea Melinda Culea (born May 5, 1955) is an American actress. Early life Culea was born on May 5, 1955, in Western Springs, Illinois. She worked as a model before acting.Dangaard, Colin (1983) "Melinda Culea: The Struggle Goes on", ''Milwaukee J ...

as Terry Randolph *

Timothy Patrick Murphy Timothy Patrick Murphy (November 3, 1959 – December 6, 1988) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Mickey Trotter on the popular CBS prime time soap opera ''Dallas'' from 1982–83. Career Murphy started his acting care ...

as Chip Craddock * Tracy Nelson as Angela Timini *

Arte Johnson Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson (January 20, 1929 – July 3, 2019) was an American comic actor who was best known for his work as a regular on television's ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In''. Biography Early life Johnson was born January 20, 1929, in ...

as Clive Richlin *

Barbara Sharma Barbara Sharma (born September 14, 1938, Dallas) is an American actress and dancer of the night clubs, stage, television, and film. She began dancing at age 4 and professionally at age 9, dancing in nightclubs in Miami and Havana, Cuba. As a dance ...

as Shelley Sealy * Arthur Hill as Charles Hardwick

Episodes

External links

* (pilot) * (series) 1984 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings American television soap operas American primetime television soap operas American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Spelling Television English-language television shows Television shows set in New York City {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub