''Rachel Gunn, R.N'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

that aired on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

from June 28, 1992, to September 4, 1992.

Premise

The series followed the staff of Little Innocence Hospital in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. Those shown included head nurse Rachel Gunn, surgeon David Dunkle, and Native American

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

veteran Zac.Martin, John (June 27, 1992)
New Fox show is just plain dumb
''

The Dispatch ''The Dispatch'' is an American center-right subscription-based online magazine founded by Jonah Goldberg, Stephen F. Hayes, and Toby Stock. Several of ''The Dispatchs staff (including Hayes) are alumni of '' The Weekly Standard'', whi ...

'' (Lexington, North Carolina)Pierce, Scott D. (June 27, 1992)
Star of 'Rachel Gunn, R.N.' Is Better Than The Show
''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...

''Scott, Tony (June 26, 1992)
Rachel Gunn R.N. the House of Rachel
''Variety'' The opening theme was a cover of the

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News (formerly known as Huey Lewis & The American Express) are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singl ...

song " Workin' for a Livin'" sung by Ebersole.(July 10, 1992)
"Rachel Gunn, R.N."
''Entertainment Weekly''

History

The show was originally developed for CBS with country music singer

K.T. Oslin Kay Toinette Oslin (May 15, 1942 – December 21, 2020) was an American country music singer-songwriter. She had several years of major commercial success in the late 1980s after signing a record deal at age 45. Oslin had four number one hits and ...

to star in the title role. But in May 1991, it was reported that Oslin had pulled out because she thought the main character was too mean.(May 15, 1991)
K.T. Oslin pulls out of sitcom's starring role
''The Republic'' (Columbus, Indiana) After Ebersole came on board in the lead role, CBS ordered six episodes but concluded the show's brash style was not a good fit and seemed more like a show Fox would air.Cerone, Daniel (June 26, 1992)

''Los Angeles Times'' The show was later picked up by Fox.Lowry, Brian (April 26, 1993)
NBC sinks teeth into Par 'Viper'
''Variety''Terrace, Vincent
Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, Vol. 1, 2d ed.
p. 871 (2012) On June 10, 1992, Fox announced that the show would debut on Sunday June 28, in the 8:30pm Eastern Time slot, a summer time replacement for '' Roc''. At first it was announced that six episodes would air, though 13 had been ordered.Carmody, John (June 11, 1992)
The TV Column
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' After seven episodes aired, the show was moved to 9:30 Eastern on Fridays, for three weeks.(August 13, 1992)
Haunted Summer
''Battle Creek Enquirer'' The creator and executor producer of the show was Katherine Green, also a producer on '' Married... with Children.'' As a

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

graduate, she made sure that branded materials from that school and also

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

appeared on the set of the show.Saviers, Dale (August 28, 1992)
Blazers Looking For Spot on Dial
''Oklahoman'' Though Ebersole got credit for her performance, the show received generally negative reviews. In one of the more salacious reviews, ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' opined that "Fox is scraping the bottom of the bedpan with this summer sitcom," which it deemed an "ugly insultfest" and the "idiot cousin" of NBC show ''

Nurses Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

''.Hiltbrand, David (July 6, 1992)
Picks and Pans Review: Rachel Gunn, R.n.
''People'' The series was not a ratings hit and was canceled less than three months of its initial airing.

Cast

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress, singer and comedian. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage (theatre), stage. She has received two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a ...

as Rachel Gunn *

Kevin Conroy Kevin Conroy (November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022) was an American actor. He appeared in a variety of stage performances, television series, and television films. Conroy earned fame for voicing the DC Comics superhero Batman in various anim ...

as Dr. David Dunkle *

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...

as Becky Jo *Bryan Brightcloud as Zac * Lois Foraker as Jeanette * Dan Tullis Jr. as Dane Grey *Kathleen Mitchell as Sister Joan

Episodes

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0103517 1990s American sitcoms 1992 American television series debuts 1992 American television series endings 1990s American medical television series 1990s American workplace comedy television series Television shows set in Nebraska American English-language television shows Television series by Sony Pictures Television Works about nursing Fox Broadcasting Company sitcoms