Blossom was a half-hour comedy television series broadcast from 1991 to 1995 on NBC, Mondays at 8:30pm. The series starred Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.
Synopsis
The series begins with Blossom's mother having left the family to pursue her own life and career and the family trying to adjust. Blossom's dad Nick (Ted Wass) is a session musician who was frequently between gigs and tours. Her oldest brother Anthony (Michael Stoyanov) is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. Joey (named Donny in the pilot episode) (Joey Lawrence), the other brother, is a fairly stereotypical "dumb jock", known for the drawn-out delivery of his catch phrase, "whoa".
Blossom's best friend Six LeMeure (Jenna von Oÿ) also plays a significant part in her life. Six, an especially fast talker, was best known for her tendency to ramble at an almost incoherent pace. Blossom also frequently received advice from famous celebrities in fantasy scenes, as Mr. T, Hugh Hefner, Phylicia Rashad (who played Blossom's vision of the ideal mother in the first episode) and Will Smith all made guest appearances during the show's run.
Production
Five seasons of Blossom were produced, with a total of 114 episodes. The theme music was "My Opinionation" by Mike Post and Steve Geyer and performed by recording artist Dr. John. The show was in syndication from 1995-1998. Many of the episodes were directed by Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby, until his death.
Influence
The phrase "a very special Blossom" entered into slang lexicon in reference to the unusually large number of episodes advertised as such by the network. The term has since become used pejoratively to refer to television shows with heavy-handed moralizing.
The phrase was mocked in the Friends first season episode The One Where Underdog Gets Away:
Joey: Set another place for Thanksgiving, my entire family thinks I have V.D.
Chandler: ...tonight on a very special Blossom.
The phrase was also used on the show The Venture Brothers - In the episode "Escape to the House of Mummies, Part II", Doctor Orpheus claims to Dr. Venture that he can "make you think you're a 'Very Special Episode of Blossom!'"
On The Dana Carvey Show, the show is once again referenced during the "German's Who Say Nice Things" sketch, with the line "Last night, we watched a very special episode of Blossom, und we cried!"
Blossom also helped briefly popularize casual hats with flowers on the brims, which were colloquially referred to as "Blossom hats."
Foreign broadcasts
The series also found some popularity in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s, where it was shown on Channel 4. The pilot aired July 5, 1990. This is made reference to by comedian Bill Hicks on his album Shock And Awe : Oxford Playhouse 11.11.92. "Why are you exporting our American horseshit?"
The series was also a huge hit on Spanish television where it aired on TVE1 in the early 1990s in a prime time slot (8pm). The series was so popular that it led TVE to rescreen the entire run of the sitcom numerous times both on TVE1 and on second channel TVE2.
