The First Disabled Character To Regular Show Up On A Primetime Show
Geri Jewell, a cerebral palsy comedian who producer Norman Lear had seen perform at the Media Access Awards in 1980, played this character. “I got a standing ovation, and I ran into Norman in the elevator,” Jewell later recalled. “He said, ‘You’ll be hearing from me really soon, kid.’ Three months later, he called me with the ‘Cousin Geri’ episode [in season two].” Over the next few years, Jewell appeared on the show a dozen times. Jewell was most recently a regular on HBO’s Deadwood and a guest star on Glee.
The First Disabled Character To Regular Show Up On A Primetime Show
It Wasn’t That Big Of A Hit
In its debut season, it rated 74th, just avoiding cancellation. The show became popular from season two onwards, especially among young viewers, thanks to the streamlining of the ensemble. However, despite the fact that the show frequently won its time slot and had a few episodes enter the weekly top 20, the season average was never higher than 24th. It received only three Emmy nominations (no wins) throughout its run: one for hairstyling, one for technical directing, and one for Charlotte Rae as lead actress.
It Wasn’t That Big Of A Hit