Pasadena Information

Pasadena is an American primetime soap opera originally broadcast in the U.S. from September to November 2001 on Fox.

Summary

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, and Chris Marquette as Lily's brother Mason. Mark Valley, Balthazar Getty, and Natasha Gregson Wagner portrayed Catherine's siblings Robert, Nate, and Beth Greeley, while Philip Baker Hall and Barbara Babcock played Greeley patriarch and matriarch George and Lillian. Alan Simpson was cast as Lily's love interest Henry Bellow, with Derek Cecil as Henry's brother Tom.

Pasadena was created by Mike White, who attended elementary and high school in Pasadena, California. Actress/director Diane Keaton directed the pilot episode and was among the show's executive producers, and other producers included Mark B. Perry, Dana Baratta, R. 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.

Syndication and international airings

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, Croatia, México, Serbia, Slovakia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Russia, 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. It began airing in Belgium on June 27, 2010 on Club RTL.