''Red Shoe Diaries'' is an American anthology

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, ...

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

that aired on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

cable network from 1992 to 1997 and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas. It is a spinoff of an earlier film by the same name, also directed by Zalman King. Most

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning ...

s were

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

by either

Zalman King Zalman King (born Zalman King Lefkowitz; May 23, 1941 – February 3, 2012) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica. Early life Zalman Ki ...

, Rafael Eisenman or both. The story-lines usually have a thin plot revolving around some intrigue and the sexual awakening of a girl or woman who often also narrates. Sensuous love scenes with nudity as well as sultry, moody music are characteristic for most episodes. There is no story arc or characters connecting the different stories other than Jake Winters introducing each episode.

Synopsis

The tested episodes always open with a quick montage of a newspaper personals section ad under "Red Shoes" seeking women to mail in their personal diaries with stories of love, passion and/or betrayal. The presenter and host Jake Winters (

David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for portraying FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series ''The X-Files'' (1993–2002, 2016-2018) and as wri ...

) is then shown walking on desolate train tracks with his dog Stella. He begins reading a letter from his post office box out loud that begins with "Dear Red Shoes..." He first took out the ad after the suicide of his fiancée, and his subsequent confrontation of the man with whom she was having an affair, a construction worker and shoe salesman who sold her a pair of red high heels, inspiring the ad. He placed the ad in the newspaper in an effort to understand why it happened and learn his fiancée's reasons for killing herself through the stories of women in similar situations.

Episodes

Season 1 (1992)

Season 2 (1993)

Season 3 (1994)

Season 4 (1995)

Season 5 (1996)

Release

Syndication

''Red Shoe Diaries'' episodes were running on the Canadian television channel Showcase, early Saturday morning, as of August 2010. From time to time, episodes can also be viewed on Showtime. A few episodes can be viewed on Amazon Video or hulu.com. This show is also on Tubi, a free streaming service. Originally screened in the UK on Channel 5 back in the 1990's, the channel screened several episodes back-to-back on August 30th, 2021.

Home media

After the 1992 release of the pilot movie, episodes from the series were compiled on VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD as branded ''Red Shoe Diaries'' movies. Each compilation features three episodes. # ''Red Shoe Diaries'' (1992). Director: Zalman King. Stars: David Duchovny, Brigitte Bako, Billy Wirth # ''Red Shoe Diaries 2: Double Dare''. "Safe Sex" / "You Have the Right to Remain Silent" / "Double Dare" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick''. "Just Like That" / "Another Woman's Lipstick" / "Talk to Me Baby" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 4: Auto Erotica''. "Accidents Happen" / "Auto Erotica" / "Jake's Story" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 5: Weekend Pass''. "Double or Nothing" / "Bounty Hunter" / "Weekend Pass" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 6: How I Met My Husband''. "How I Met My Husband" / "Naked in the Moonlight" / "Midnight Bells" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 7: Burning Up''. "Runway" / "Kidnap" / "Burning Up" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 8: Night of Abandon''. "Night of Abandon" / "Liar's Tale" / "In the Blink of an Eye" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 9: Hotline''. "Gina" / "Hotline" / "Love at First Sight" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 10: Some Things Never Change''. "You Make Me Want to Wear Dresses" / "Some Things Never Change" / "Alphabet Girl" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 11: The Game''. "The Game" / "The Cake" / "Like Father, Like Son" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 12: Girl on a Bike''. "Girl on a Bike" / "Written Word" / "Borders of Salt" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 13: Four on the Floor''. "The Psychiatrist" / "Four on the Floor" / "Emily's Dance" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 14: Luscious Lola''. "Luscious Lola" / "The Last Motel" / "Mercy" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 15: Forbidden Zone''. "Forbidden Zone" / "The Art of Loneliness" / "The Picnic" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 16: Temple of Flesh''. "Temple of Flesh" / "Juarez" / "The Farmer's Daughter" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 17: Swimming Naked''. "Swimming Naked" / "Jump" / "Tears" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 18: Strip Poker''. "Strip Poker" / "Slow Train" / "Hard Labor" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 19: As She Wishes''. "As She Wishes" / "Billy Bar" / "Weightless" # ''Red Shoe Diaries 20: Caged Bird''. "Caged Bird" / "The Ex" / "The Teacher" On June 17, 2014,

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art house films, ...

released Season One on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. On the same day they also re-released ''Red Shoe Diaries - The Movie''.

Second ''Red Shoe Diaries'' TV pilot

In 2006, Zalman King wrote and directed a second, feature-length ''Red Shoe Diaries'' TV pilot. This pilot was completed but never aired.

References

External links

* * * {{Showtime Network programming Showtime (TV network) original programming 1990s American anthology television series 1992 American television series debuts 1997 American television series endings Erotic television series Showcase (Canadian TV channel) original programming Television series by CBS Studios English-language television shows Films directed by Zalman King