''Hearts Afire'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, starring

John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...

and

Markie Post Marky or Markie may refer to: Nickname * Marky Cielo (1988–2008), Filipino actor and dancer * Marky Delgado (born 1995), American soccer player * Markie Mark (born 1974), BBC Radio director * Marky Markowitz (1923–1986), American jazz trumpete ...

that aired on CBS from September 14, 1992, to February 1, 1995. The series' title is taken from a line in the

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

song " That's the Way of the World" (which originally served as the series' theme song).

Series premise

Described by CBS as a "politically topical series" and created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason, the show starred

and

playing John Hartman and Georgie Anne Lahti, respectively. Supporting actors included

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...

and

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

. The show was set in Washington, D.C., and centered on a conservative senator's aide (Ritter) and a liberal political reporter (Post) whose professional disagreements masked a growing attraction for one another. Other costars on the show included

George Gaynes George Gaynes (born George Jongejans; May 16, 1917 – February 15, 2016) was a Finnish-born American singer, actor, and voice artist. Born to Dutch and Russian-Finnish parents in the Grand Duchy of Finland of the Russian Empire, he served in the ...

Beth Broderick Elizabeth Alice Broderick (born February 24, 1959) is an American actress. She portrayed Zelda Spellman in the ABC/ WB television sitcom ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003).

, and Wendie Jo Sperber. The series was itself a satire on current affairs in Washington, D.C. John and Georgie Anne married near the end of the first season. In the second season, the show abruptly changed its setting to the Southern town where John grew up; he returned to take over the town's failing newspaper, accompanied by Georgie Anne and his two children from a previous marriage. Some of the supporting characters made the move as well, while others were superseded.

Cast

*John Hartman (portrayed by

) *Georgie Anne Lahti (portrayed by

) *Billy Bob Davis (portrayed by

)

Cameos

* Roger Clinton, half-brother of

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

, appeared in a cameo as a restaurant singer at the end of the series' third episode, aired in September 1992. * Hugh E. Rodham, father of the incoming

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

, made a cameo appearance in December 1992. The producers of the series were friends of the Clintons. *Political pundit

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...

guest-starred as himself on an April 1994 episode. That episode had the series' highest rating, finishing as the 8th-highest ranked show of the week during its original airing. *

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–1992 television series ''Night Court''. He later starred in the si ...

, Post's co-star on '' Night Court'', made a cameo appearance in a March 1994 episode, portraying columnist

Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comi ...

as part of a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

with Anderson's contemporary series, ''

Dave's World ''Dave's World'' is an American sitcom television series, created by Fred Barron, that aired on CBS from September 20, 1993, to June 20, 1997. The series is based on the writing of ''Miami Herald'' columnist Dave Barry. Plot The show focuses on ...

''.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1992–93)

Season 2 (1993–94)

Season 3 (1994–95)

Home media

Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...

released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 in 2005 and 2006. On November 7, 2012, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series and released ''Hearts Afire - The Complete Series'' on DVD on January 8, 2013.Hearts Afire DVD news: Announcement for Hearts Afire - The Complete Series , TVShowsOnDVD.com
The 7-disc set features all 54 episodes of the series, as well as bonus features.

References

External links

* * {{epguides, HeartsAfire
''Hearts Afire'' webpage
at TVHeaven.com 1990s American political comedy television series 1990s American satirical television series 1990s American sitcoms 1990s American workplace comedy television series 1992 American television series debuts 1995 American television series endings CBS original programming English-language television shows Political satirical television series Television series about marriage Television series created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason Television shows set in Washington, D.C.