''Berrenger's'' is an American prime-time

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

television series created by Diana Gould that aired on

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 ...

from January 5 to March 9, 1985. The series revolved around the Berrenger family, a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

dynasty which owned the glamorous department store which bore their name. Following in the tradition of ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

'' and ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'', ''Berrenger's'' played up to the familiar motifs of 1980s soap operas – glamorous and beautiful characters, using money and power in games of love, business and betrayal. After nearly 3 months on the air, the series was cancelled due to poor ratings, leaving one episode unaired.

Development

Produced in the mid-1980s, ''Berrenger's'' bore all the hallmarks of the genre and the era – a lavish central set (in this case, the department store's main floor, using the real-life location of

Barneys Barneys New York is an American brand founded in 1923 by Barney Pressman that operated full-line department stores from 1923 until 2020. Authentic Brands Group acquired Barneys' intellectual property in 2019, and has licensed the brand to Saks ...

in New York) and an expensive wardrobe budget, which dressed the cast, particularly the women, in current designer fashions. The series was made by

Lorimar Lorimar may refer to: * Lorimar Television, previously Lorimar Productions and later Lorimar Distribution, an American film and television production and marketing company from 1969 to 1986 * Lorimar-Telepictures, formed in 1986 after the merger of ...

, which was producing ''Dallas'', ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially cente ...

'' and ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...

''. The marketing material which accompanied the launch of the series sold it with the tagline "''... elegant clothes... beautiful people ... a powerful clan ...''" and "''Step through the etched-glass, art deco doors of this opulent retailer, where anything and everything can be bought or sold - for the right price - Berrenger's''."

Cast and characters

Simon Berrenger is a widower and the somewhat devious patriarch of the Berrenger department store empire. He has three children from his late wife Sarah. Paul, his eldest heir, and current president of Berrenger's, is unhappily married to socialite Gloria Brahms Berrenger (played by Andrea Marcovicci, credited as guest starring in every episode). They share a young son, David. Paul is having an affair with the stores' vice-president Shane Bradley. Simon's younger son, Billy, is in charge of public relations, and struggles with alcohol and gambling addiction. His only daughter, Barbara, is a divorcée and reformed party girl, who fights to prove herself to her father and make it on her own in the fashion industry. Other characters working in the department store include junior salesgirl Stacey Russell, who is promoted to boutique manager in the first episode; nymphomaniac store model Laurel Hayes, who seduces Simon; Barbara's daughter Melody Hughes; philandering window-dresser John Higgins, who has his eye on the needy, vulnerable Barbara; ambitious store comptroller Todd Hughes, Melody's ex-husband; naive salesgirl Cammie Springer, who shares an apartment with Stacey and Laurel; and Danny Krucek, grandson of Rinaldi (guest star

Cesar Romero César Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost 60 years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lover (stereotype), Latin lovers, historical ...

), the sinister head of the conglomerate Trans-Allied, who has a mysterious vendetta against the Berrengers. Recurring characters include Julio Marales (

Eddie Velez Edwin Velez (born June 4, 1958) is an American film, stage and television actor. He is best known for playing Frankie Santana in the final season of the American action and adventure television series ''The A-Team''. Early life and education ...

), a Hispanic fashion designer, and Max Kaufman ( Alan Feinstein).

Episodes

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0088481, title=Berrenger's American television soap operas American primetime television soap operas 1985 American television series debuts 1985 American television series endings Television series by Lorimar Television Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios American English-language television shows Television shows set in New York City NBC soap operas