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Evening Shade
1990 - 1994 5.6 (12 votes) 4 Seasons
Genres
Comedy
Networks
CBS
Created By
Linda Bloodworth-Thomason

Evening Shade

Overview

Evening Shade is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from 1990 to 1994. The series stars Burt Reynolds as Wood Newton, an ex-professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who returns to rural Evening Shade, Arkansas to coach a high school football team with a long losing streak. Reynolds personally requested to use the Steelers as his former team because he is a fan. The general theme of the show is the appeal of small town life. Episodes ended with a closing narration by Ossie Davis summing up the events of the episode, always closing with "... in a place called Evening Shade." The show's final episode saw the guest appearances of Willie Nelson and Buzz Aldrin as escaped convicts on the run from authorities, the final scene being a spectacular shoot-out reminiscent of the final scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The opening segment included clips from around Arkansas, including the famous McClard's Bar-be-que, which is situated on Albert Pike Blvd. and South Patterson St. in Hot Springs National Park.

Key Crew

Producer: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason

Top Cast

Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds

Wood Newton

Marilu Henner
Marilu Henner

Ava Evans Newton

Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook

Evan Evans

Charles Durning
Charles Durning

Harlan Elldridge

Ann Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth

Merleen Elldridge

Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter

Herman Stiles

Jay R. Ferguson
Jay R. Ferguson

Taylor Newton

Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis

Ponder Blue

Seasons

Season 1 (1990)

No overview available.

24 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: A Day in the Life of Wood Newton
1990-09-21

On his birthday/wedding anniversary, an innocent Wood is photographed with a stripper; and Prosecuting Attorney candidate Ava discovers she's pregnant despite Wood's vasectomy.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 2: There Once Was A Boy Named Wood
1990-09-28

Frieda babysits, and fills in for Evan on poker night when he has a date with Miss Beausoleil.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 3: Whatever Happened to Clutch Newton?
1990-10-05

On seeing an old game film, Wood discovers his most celebrated high school touchdown catch was actually out of bounds.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 4: Sadie Hawkins Dance
1990-10-16

During Sadie Hawkins week, the football team begins a seven-day series of pranks on Coach Newton.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 5: Fast Women
1990-10-29

Ava asks Wood to talk with both their son, Taylor, and her father about their choice in dates.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 6: The Moustache Show
1990-10-02

Ava's high-school flame visits; Will shaves off half of Wood's moustache.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 7: All for Charity
1990-11-09

Hoping to win Wood's favour, Herman, at a fundraiser, bids for and wins a weekend with Wood and his family.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 8: Something to Hold Onto
1990-11-19

Wood and the rest of town tutor the football players in algebra so they won't fail their classes and be barred from a big game.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 9: Mr. Mom
1990-11-26

With Ava's prosecutorial work taking her away from her household duties, a miserable Wood has to take up the slack.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 10: Hooray for Wood
1990-12-10

Wood gets a bit part when a movie company and its temperamental star arrive to shoot a Civil War mini-series.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 11: The Wood Who Stole Christmas
1990-12-17

Tired of his kids' materialism, Wood gives their presents to a needy family.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 12: Wood and Ava and Gil and Madeline
1991-01-07

Wood and Ava are asked to dinner by a married couple—who turn out to be swingers into spouse-swapping.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 13: Wood's Thirtieth Reunion
1991-01-21

At his 30-year high school reunion, Wood hooks up with two old pals and one old flame.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 14: Vote Early and Vote Often
1991-01-28

Wood and Ava recall how friends rallied to help her get elected Prosceuting Attorney over her opponent Jim Guy Puckett.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 15: Chip Off the Old Brick
1991-02-04

Herman's big, blustery father comes to visit, but talks football with Wood and chases after Frieda more than he sees his son.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 16: The Trials of Wood Newton
1991-02-11

Wood must testify against Evan, who's being defended by his daughter Ava.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 17: Into the Woods
1991-02-18

On Wood's annual deer-hunting trip, a local legend deer drops dead in front of his cabin—outside official hunting grounds.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 18: Nothing to Fear But Harvey Lujack
1991-02-21

A convict who'd threatened prosecutor Ava when she had him put away escapes and heads toward town.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 19: Gambler Anonymous
1991-03-04

Wood tries to keep secret the presence of his guest: old acquaintance country-music singer Kenny Rogers.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 20: Sex Education
1991-03-24

An in-over-his-head Herman substitute teaches a class in sex education, and calls in ""expert"" Wood.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 21: I am Wood, Hear Me Roar
1991-04-01

Two female students attempt to join the football team.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 22: Herman and Margaret Sitting in a Tree
1991-04-08

Herman's relationship with Margaret hits a snag when she refuses to be seen with Herman on a formal ""date"".

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 23: Far from the Madden Crowd
1991-04-29

Ava goes into labor the night of the Booster Club Sports banquest, to which Wood has invited his football archrival Terry Bradshaw.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 24: The Baby Show
1991-05-06

Ava rides in the back of Ponder's catering truck on a chaotic ride to the hospital.

Runtime: 30 min
Season 2 (1991)

No overview available.

25 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Three Naked Men (Part 1)
1991-09-16

War breaks out between the women and the men on a segregated camping expedition after Wood scares the girls with his bear costume and gets whacked with a shovel—and culminates with the women abandoning the men during their ritual skinny-dipping. (Part 1 of 2)

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 2: Three Naked Men (Part 2)
1991-09-23

The women begin to feel guilty about having abandoned the men naked in the woods. (Part 2 of 2)

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 3: I'm With Stupid
1991-09-30

Molly caves in under pressure from her boyfriend and agrees to take part in a beauty contest.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 4: Tying the Knot
1991-10-07

Wood accompanies Will to the hospital when the boy needs a tonsillectomy—and decides that while he's there he might as well have a vasectomy.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 5: Miss Emily's Wild Ride
1991-10-14

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 6: The Road Trip
1991-10-21

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 7: Winning Isn't Everything
1991-10-28

The fate of the Evening Shade football program rests on the shoulder pads of Wood's new quarterback. Buddy: Buddy Reynolds. Harlan: Charles Durning. Wood: Burt Reynolds. Herman: Michael Jeter.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 8: Where's My Watch?
1991-11-11

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 9: I Do, I Don't
1991-11-18

Taylor and Aimee decide to marry.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 10: The Thanksgiving Show
1991-11-25

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 11: Busted
1991-12-09

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 12: Rear Window
1991-12-16

Wood gets stuck in the bathroom window.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 13: The Getaway
1992-01-06

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 14: Herman In Charge
1992-01-13

Wood and Ava leave Herman alone with the kids.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 15: The Au Pair Affair
1992-01-27

Ava feels displaced by the Newstons' talented au pair girl.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 16: Goin' To the Chapel (Part 1)
1992-02-03

Wood must express the family's concern over Evan's wedding. (Part 1 of 3)

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 17: Goin' To the Chapel (Part 2)
1992-02-24

Fontana calls off the wedding. (Part 2 of 3)

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 18: Goin' to the Chapel (Part 3)
1992-03-02

Fontana decides to proceed with the wedding; Merleen meets her daughter. (Part 3 of 3)

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 19: Play Herman For Me
1992-03-09

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 20: Callous Hearts of Rage
1992-03-23

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 21: Taylor Buys A Car
1992-04-06

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 22: Hasta la vista, Baby
1992-05-04

Herman takes humiliating work after losing his teaching job due to budget cuts.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 23: Cousin Readith
1992-05-11

Wood learns his bully cousin plans to visit.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 24: No Pain, No Gain
1992-05-18

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 25: The Perfect Birthday Party, Sort Of
1992-05-18

Runtime: 30 min
Season 3 (1992)

No overview available.

25 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: First Heroes
1992-09-21

Taylor returns, transformed by his three months in Amsterdam; Wood's late father's store is slated to be demolished.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 2: The Diary of Molly Newton
1992-09-28

Wood is having trouble dealing with Molly's growing womanhood— even before he discovers her erotic diary. And he totally overreacts to her first ""date"" (slides at the church followed by ice cream). Meanwhile, Harlan's visiting inlaws are putting a damper on his sex life.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 3: You Scratch My Back, I'll Arrest You
1992-10-05

Ava sends Wood to investigate when Harlan rents property to a massage parlor.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 4: What A Night
1992-10-12

Dumped by his girlfriend, Taylor quits the football team.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 5: Father-Child Campout
1992-10-19

Wood cajoles Will into a father/son camping trip.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 6: The Hole Story
1992-10-26

Events get out of hand when a hole in a bedroom wall resembles Abraham Lincoln.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 7: Harlan Deals A Meal
1992-11-09

Harlan fibs about his weight loss to Richard Simmons, then persuades Herman to impersonate him.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 8: The Resurrection of Wood Newton
1992-11-16

Ava is voted ""Arkansas Prosecuting Attorney of the Year.""

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 9: The NFL on CBS
1992-11-23

Wood forgets his anniversary when he gets a chance to be on ""The NFL Today.""

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 10: The Really Odd Couple
1992-12-07

Herman moves in with Freida when his building goes condominium.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 11: Carl the Mule
1992-12-14

A frustrated Wood resigns as team coach, and is replaced by Herman.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 12: I'll Be Home For Christmas
1992-12-21

...but Wood and Herman may not be, as they are stranded when their car breaks down on the way home from being Will an elusive gift available only out of town.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 13: Freida and the Preacher
1993-01-04

Freida falls for a man at the ice cream parlour, only to discover that he is the new preacher.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 14: Private School
1993-01-18

The Oakwood Academy, an exclusive private school Molly wants to attend, scrutinizes Wood and Ava, who discover they must pass an exam before Molly can be admitted. Meanwhile, Nab goes on a date with Amanda.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 15: Ava Takes a Shower (1)
1993-02-01

Ava hosts Fontana's baby shower, and wants Herman, who has joined Reba McEntire's security team, to get her to entertain.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 16: Ava Takes a Shower (2)
1993-02-08

Rebuffed by Reba McEntire, Ava still persists in planning the baby shower all by herself.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 17: They Can't Take That Away From Me (1)
1993-02-15

Ava invites sixties civil rights leader Aurelia Danforth to a Martin Luther King commemoration, then discovers that the guest has a past involving Ponder. (First of two parts)

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 18: They Can't Take That Away from Me (2)
1993-02-15

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 19: She What?!
1993-03-01

Taylor's girlfriend elopes with the school hunk.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 20: Another Baby Shower
1993-03-15

Fontana goes into labour, but Evan can't be reached.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 21: Cousins Behind Bars
1993-03-22

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 22: Mommy Goes AWOL
1993-04-12

Fontana despairs of her mothering abilities when only Evan can quiet baby Scout.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 23: Teaching Is A Good Thing
1993-05-03

Herman is ashamed to tell his mentor that he has lost his teaching job.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 24: Saint Bobby
1993-05-10

Wood thinks a college footbal coach is interested in Taylor.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 25: The Graduation
1993-05-17

Herman books John Denver for Taylor's graduation but gets Bob Denver instead.

Runtime: 30 min
Season 4 (1993)

No overview available.

26 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Four Naked Women
1993-09-20

After the women play a joke on them, the guys get even by locking them out of Fontana's house—while they're clad in Fontana's stripper costumes.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 2: One Down, Three to Go
1993-09-27

Ava has a hard time adjusting when Taylor moves out ioto his own apartment.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 3: One Hot Game
1993-10-04

Wood and Frieda get locked inside a sauna while everyone else in Evening Shade sweats out the football team's first game of the season.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 4: Witness for the Prosecution
1993-10-11

Ava and Harlan go head to head in court when he is a witness for an insurance company.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 5: Kiss of the Ice Cream Woman
1993-10-18

Herman has some bad news for the returning Margaret (who has some for him in return). Herman confesses that he cheated on Margaret by kissing the ice cream woman—but only after Margaret confesses to kissing a man during her trip to Greece.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 6: Night of the Living Newtons
1993-10-25

Wood tries to allay Emily's fear of scary costumes by letting her pick out his Hallowe'en attire.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 7: The Dance
1993-11-01

Wood is more than a wee bit upset when he has to deal with Molly dating boys; meanwhile, Herman discovers that he's Scottish.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 8: Wood and Evan's Excellent Adventure
1993-11-08

With Nub out sick, Wood and Evan takes over his newspaper route as the ladies run his other errands.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 9: Small Town Girl
1993-11-15

A Hollywood movie star takes a liking to Evening Shade—and decides to buy the whole town and turn it into a tourist attraction.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 10: Where There's Smoke
1993-11-22

Freida returns from her health farm jaunt determined to stop smoking, with Herman's help.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 11: Chain of Fools
1993-11-29

A new restaurant threatens Ponder's business, so the gang agree to participate in a serious of bizarre commercials.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 12: Sleepless in Arkansas
1993-12-13

Ava and Wood accompany a nervous Herman to a singles bar.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 13: The Proof is in the Pudding
1993-12-20

Ava is upset when she is forced to imprison her own father for refusing to divulge a journalistic source.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 14: The People's Choice
1994-01-03

Disaster is on the ballot when Harlan and Ima both run for mayor.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 15: Educating Calvin
1994-01-10

When Wood's delinquent cousin Calvin returns to Evening Shade, he decides to stay at the Newtons' until he earns his high school diploma.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 16: Paint the Town Nude
1994-01-17

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 17: The Perfect Woman
1994-01-31

The town gets an eyeful when Merleen takes up painting nudes—using Harland and Wood as her first subjects.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 18: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Wood
1994-02-07

Wood must humiliate himself in order to inherit $1 million.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 19: The Fabulous Frazier Girls
1994-02-28

Merleen's sisters ask her to join their singing act.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 20: I Did, I Did
1994-03-07

On their anniversary, Ava and Wood plan to reaffirm their vows—a plan that includes bachelor and bachelorette parties.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 21: Mr. Newton Goes to Hot Springs
1994-03-14

The town is bankrupt and it's up to Mayor Wood to fix the problem; and he starts by attending a mayors conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 22: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wood?
1994-03-28

Wood fields an offer from an old football chum who wants him as the new quarterback coach for the Atlanta Falcons.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 23: Wood Climbs to New Heights
1994-04-11

A suitor professes his love for Molly on the town's water tower.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 24: Mama Knows Best
1994-05-09

Mutual attraction develops between Ava's college pal and Taylor.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 25: The Odder Couple
1994-05-16

To avoid becoming infected with chicken pox, Wood moves in with Taylor.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 26: I Left My Ring in Evening Shade
1994-05-23

Nub becomes a chimney sweep. Meanwhile, Frieda's ex-husband returns with an unusual proposal: he wants to get married again, and wants Frieda to return his grandmother's ring so he can give it to his new spouse.

Runtime: 30 min

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