Main Cast: Alison Lohman, Martin Donovan, Dana Delany, Philip Baker Hall, Barbara Babcock
Release Year: 2001
Country: US
Run Time: 60 minutes
Plot
Having spent virtually all of her 15 years enwrapped in a sheltered, pampered existence, Lily Greeley McAllister (Alison Lohman) was not quite prepared for the emotional jolt attending the suicide of a strange man in the dining room of the Greeley family's luxurious Pasadena home. Lily was equally unprepared for the blasé, unconcerned reactions of the Greeleys to this appalling spectacle. Attempting to find out why the man killed himself and why no one seemed to care all that much, Lily began to methodically unearth a number of unsavory family secrets -- and in the process, put her own future in dire jeopardy. Mike White of Dawson's Creek, Freaks and Geeks, and Chuck and Buck fame was the guiding creative force behind this bizarre weekly blend of Beverly Hills 90210 and Dallas, while actress Diane Keaton helmed the series' pilot episode. Others in the cast included Natasha Gregson Wagner and Mark Valley as two branches of the Greeley family tree, and Dana Delany as Catherine McAllister. The 60-minute Pasadena debuted September 21, 2001, on the Fox Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Diane Keaton - Director, Diane Keaton - Executive Producer, Brad Grey - Executive Producer, Mike White - Executive Producer, Bill Robinson - Executive Producer, Mark B. Perry - Executive Producer, Mark Snow - Composer (Music Score), Roy H. Wagner - Cinematographer, Dana Baratta - Producer, Mike White - Screenwriter, Mark B. Perry - Screenwriter, Dana Baratta - Screenwriter
The series starred Alison Lohman as Lily McAllister, an initially naïve young woman who witnesses a stranger's suicide and begins to investigate the secrets being hidden by her own very wealthy California family, the Greeleys. Other cast members included Dana Delany and Martin Donovan as Lily's parents, Will and Catherine McAllister. Mark Valley, Balthazar Getty, and Natasha Gregson Wagner portrayed Catherine's siblings Robert, Nate, and Beth Greeley. Philip Baker Hall and Barbara Babcock played Greeley patriarch and matriarch George and Lillian.
Crew
Pasadena was created by Mike White, who attended elementary and high school in Pasadena, California. Actor/director Diane Keaton was among the show's executive producers, and other producers included Mark Perry, Dana Baratta, Robert W. Goodwin, and Bill Robinson. The pilot was edited by Tatiana S. Riegel.
Broadcast history and ratings
Initial cancellation
The show was critically acclaimed but ignored by audiences upon its debut. The general speculation at the time being was that with the series airing two weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks, U.S. audiences were not willing to watch a show like Pasadena, with its dark atmosphere and cynical storylines.[citation needed]
"Second wind"
Only four episodes were originally aired in the U.S. in 2001, though thirteen were filmed, with the last episode seemingly resolving the primary mystery plotline of the series. In 2003 and 2004, all thirteen episodes were aired in various countries such as Romania (by the public television TVR 2), Bulgaria (BTV Channel), Colombia, New Zealand, Denmark, South Africa (on the pay channel M-Net) and China. In late 2005, the series was shown in its entirety for the first time in the U.S. on the cable channel SOAPnet.
