Fresno (miniseries)
Fresno is a 1986 television comedy miniseries that parodied popular prime time soap operas of the day such as Falcon Crest, Dallas, and Dynasty. The series featured high production values, including lavish haute couture gowns by leading costume designer Bob Mackie, a stellar cast of American comedy greats, including Carol Burnett, Teri Garr, Charles Grodin and Dabney Coleman, and a strong supporting cast of character actors including Charles Keating, Pat Corley, Louise Latham, Tom Poston and Henry Darrow. Fresno is also noteworthy for providing early featured roles for future stars Bill Paxton and Michael Richards. It was noted at the time as being the first American satirical TV comedy to be made in the then-popular miniseries format.
Summary
Parodying popular prime time soap operas of the era such as Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Knots Landing, Fresno chronicles the struggle of matriarch Charlotte Kensington (Burnett) to keep control of her dysfunctional family and defend their declining raisin empire against their arch-rival, the villainous Tyler Cane (Dabney Coleman). In the words of a contemporary network press release:
