About the show
Dr. Quinn was best known for its large supporting cast and high concept storytelling. The series often used its semi-historical setting as a vehicle to address issues of gender and race within the community. Countless issues were addressed that were relevant to modern times, some of which were quite controversial. One controversial episode even took on homophobia when the famous poet Walt Whitman came to town. Religion played a somewhat minor role in the series but was also used to address certain issues and new ideas.
Jane Seymour was cast as Michaela Quinn at the last minute, after she was given the script to read the day before production was to begin on the pilot. She was instructed to read the script and make a decision whether or not to commit to the contract. Seymour is quoted as saying she was moved to tears by the script and the next day began fittings for costumes.
The pilot episode was shot in early 1992 and finally aired in a 2-hour special on January 1, 1993. CBS aired a second hour-long episode of Dr. Quinn the next night to grab the audience’ attention. Expectations for the show were low due to its being aired alongside the Orange Bowl that year. Initially critics panned the series and predicted that it would be quickly cancelled. Therefore, the pilot served as a made for television movie that could either be developed into a series or stand alone as a single 2-hour movie. Ratings for the pilot and first episode were high and the show was immediately picked up for an entire season. Certain members of the pilot supporting cast were replaced.
The romance between Michaela and Sully was widely popular with audiences and can be attributed to Jane Seymour and Joe Lando’s chemistry on screen. In the season 3 finale entitled “For Better or Worse”, they were married in a special two-hour episode, which gained huge ratings and was highly publicized in magazines and on television. In season 4, Jane Seymour’s actual pregnancy with husband James Keach was written into the show which resulted in another highly rated episode with the birth of Michaela and Sully’s daughter, Katie.
The large supporting cast were all given the opportunity to develop their own characters and were often permitted to make suggestions and contribute ideas to the writers.
Dr. Quinn was one of the few dramatic shows to allow fans access to their filming sites at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California. Fans were permitted to come and watch the filming of episodes each week. Members of the cast would often talk to their fans and sign autographs during breaks in filming and developed a unique bond with their primary fanbase. During the final season of the show’s run, an official web site was established and is still active today. Two fans went on to create the “Dr Quinn Times” a newsletter in which interviews with the cast, producers, directors and technical specialists were conducted and distributed to fans twice each year.
Jane Seymour and Barbara Babcock were the only cast members to receive Emmy nominations for their roles during the series. Seymour was nominated several times during the series’ run while Babcock received a single nomination in 1995 for the episode entitled “Ladies Night” in which Dorothy Jennings undergoes a mastectomy. The show did win many technical awards as well as hair and make-up honors. Jane Seymour also won The Golden Globe for her portrayal of Michaela Quinn in 1996.
Replacement of Erika Flores with Jessica Bowman
There were various cast changes of minor characters during the series. However, the most profiled change took place during the show’s third season when the character of Colleen Cooper was recast halfway through the year. Unlike the other actors who signed 5-year contracts with the show, Erika Flores was hesitant. She held out for an increase in her salary and refused to sign a contract unless either she was offered a contract shorter than 5 years, or her salary could be increased. Rumors have circulated that Flores’ father gave her an ultimatum to end her contract unless they offered her more money or he would cut her off financially. Flores has denied such rumors claiming that she left the series for personal reasons as well as to pursue other opportunities. Whatever the reasons, the actress was abruptly fired with little warning by CBS after the show declined to meet her requests. Beth Sullivan decided that she wanted the character to continue instead of being killed off or sent away. The decision to replace the actress halfway through a season is perplexing and has never been explained. However, it is speculated that the producers felt the switch should take place as soon as possible. As a result, Jessica Bowman was cast as the new Colleen in Flores’ place after a desperate search for the right actress. Some of Erika Flores’ fans were vocal in their anger over the change and wrote CBS demanding to know why the actress had been replaced. CBS issued the following statement to the press:
Official “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Web Site” - February 7, 1996
“Dear Viewers: Over the past several months we have received numerous letters regarding the re-casting of “Colleen” on our show. When this change occurred, we released a statement to the affect of, “Unwilling to commit to 5 years, Erika Flores is leaving the series to pursue other interests.” Well, its now over one year and, the fact remains that Erika Flores left the show to pursue other interests. Now, what are those other interests? I can tell you its primarily school. She’s auditioned for movies, but her primary focus, to our knowledge, is school. After all, she’s only 16 years old. The events leading up to her decision to leave the show did include CBS’s request that she sign a 5 year contract. Erika did not want to commit to that extended period of time, and CBS would not allow it (all the series regulars, including Jane Seymour, are required to sign a 5 year contract.) We, as producers of the show, were able to convince CBS to double Erika’s salary in an attempt to keep her on the show. But she still was unwilling to commit to 5 years. This being the case, we had no other choice but to replace her. I hope that this will help clarify your questions about Erika Flores. She remains a very close friend of the show, often visiting the set for lunch,and we wish her all the best in her future pursuits. Tim Johnson Producer, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” (c) 1996 CBS”
The producers of the show felt that Jessica Bowman had the ability to successfully recreate the character on her own.
Other cast changes
Numerous cast changes occurred throughout the series though none quite as significant. Most notable was the replacement of Jane Wyman as Michaela’s mother Elizabeth Quinn. Wyman signed on to play the role for the third episode of Dr Quinn in Season One. Sources claim that Seymour and Wyman did not get along during the shooting of the episode. Seymour herself joked about filming a scene with Wyman in a wagon on her DVD commentary when asked by Joe Lando why she did not return to the series. Later Wyman refused to return for another guest appearance in Season 2. Georgann Johnson was later hired to replace Wyman in the role and continued throughout the remainder of the series in one special guest appearance each season including the final Dr Quinn television movie to critical acclaim. She remains a fan favorite for her work on the series.
Michelle Bonilla played the role of Theresa Morales in Season Five and was later replaced by Alex Meneses in Season Six. Bonilla was extremely unpopular among fans of the series for her often harsh portrayal and unlikeable character. Numerous accounts claim that she and the other cast members did not get along and by the end of Season 5 she was released from her contract.
In the Pilot episode, Loren Bray was portrayed by Guy Boyd, Jack Slicker was portrayed by Colm Meany, and Robert E. was played by Ivory Ocean. All three roles were recast for the remainder of the series by Orsen Bean, Jim Knobeloch and Henry G. Sanders respectively. Similarly, Jennifer Youngs did not begin playing Ingrid until the character’s second appearance. Ingrid was originally portrayed by Ashley Jones for one episode.
Tensions
The cast was reported to get along well despite some tensions which led to minor recastings and some disagreements between the show’s writers and cast. It is known Jane Seymour and Joe Lando dated one another for a few months (during the earlier half of the series). Though they had their very minor difficulties during filming (often the results of disagreements on characterization and practical jokes), they have continued to be very close friends.
The most documented tension came at the end of the show’s fifth season as Joe Lando was unhappy with both the show’s and his character’s direction. He seriously considered leaving the show and Beth Sullivan, who felt the show needed to be shaken up, openly stated Dr. Quinn could continue just fine with the Sully character killed off after a heated argument. Since it was not known if Joe Lando would return, the fifth season finale showed Sully being thrown over a cliff into a river leaving viewers wondering, along with Michaela Quinn, if he was dead or alive. This way, if Joe Lando did not return, Dr. Quinn would find Sully’s body and the show would go on with Sully dead, or if Joe Lando returned they would find him alive and well. As winter turned into spring in the early months of 1997, it seemed likely Joe Lando would not return so John Schneider was asked to return to the show playing Sully’s best friend Daniel Simon. John Schneider was intended to take Lando’s place as the show’s leading man and Michaela Quinn’s new love interest. But, upon learning this, Dr. Quinn fans created a campaign, known as “Save Our Sully.” However, by the time they were ready to film the season 6 premiere in the spring of 1997, and only after he was freed up to pursue other projects, Joe Lando agreed to return. He was given part-time status on the show and only appeared in several episodes. Although the episodes were spread out throughout the season, they were actually filmed over a period of several weeks and Joe Lando then only returned for the finale. Lando’s limited participation in the sixth season as well as Jessica Bowman’s absence due to her character being in college likely added to the decline in viewership.
Demographics change and cancellation
The show was a major hit in the United States for CBS and drew large ratings despite the fact it aired on Saturday nights, when networks rarely air new episodes owing to low viewership. Despite the high ratings, CBS claimed that the demographics changed during the show’s run. During its final season, the majority of Dr. Quinn’s viewers were women 40 years of age and older, and not the male and female 18-to-40 demographic that networks try to reach. In response, CBS ordered the writers to give the show a slightly darker feel than in previous seasons. As a result, season six was darker than any other season before it, with the death of several characters as well as some highly sensitive subject matter: the miscarriage of Michaela’s second child, as well as an episode entitled Point Blank where Michaela was shot by a man and then later developed post-traumatic stress disorder. Many fans did not like the changes while others felt that the tensions and high drama benefited the show after the overall pleasant past seasons. Despite these opposing opinions, the ratings still proved to be steady and consistent.
Nevertheless, the series was suddenly cancelled in 1998 after its 6th season, much to the shock and anger of its fans. Both the show’s star and producers had earlier claimed that CBS would produce a 7th season which all had agreed would be show’s last. This would allow Sullivan and the writers to wrap up all the character storylines and give the show the send off many felt was deserved. However, with rumors circulating that Dr. Quinn would not be returning, the producers wrote and filmed a finale that attempted to tie up most loose ends with the marriage of Colleen and the resolved issues of many characters. To this day, CBS has never given a clear reason as to why Dr. Quinn was cancelled, though it claimed that the demographics had changed so much that they could no longer sell commercial time slots to advertisers. This was not the case, however, as the show was still one of the highest rated shows on Saturday nights. The most common held belief by Dr. Quinn and CBS insiders is that the network wanted to move away from its more family friendly programming and Dr. Quinn was first on the list. It is also known that several of CBS’s top executives disliked Dr. Quinn a great deal and used the demographics excuse as reason to cancel it. During the 6th season, many fans complained after the show was put on hiatus several times and there was a sudden lack of promotion of when new episodes would air.
