1 00:00:01,029 --> 00:00:02,197 Here's a little test for you. 2 00:00:02,231 --> 00:00:06,567 What medical drama about doctors working in a children's hospital 3 00:00:06,601 --> 00:00:08,702 has been on television the longest? 4 00:00:08,737 --> 00:00:12,540 Well, if you had said anything other than "Childrens Hospital" 5 00:00:12,574 --> 00:00:15,376 or "Kid Emergency Room," you'd be wrong. 6 00:00:15,410 --> 00:00:20,114 But that's all about to change, because after fifteen long years on 7 00:00:20,148 --> 00:00:24,118 the air, "Childrens Hospital" is pulling the plug. 8 00:00:24,219 --> 00:00:28,322 I almost forget what I look like without the makeup on, you know? 9 00:00:28,356 --> 00:00:31,592 And later on in the program, dolphins have long been 10 00:00:31,626 --> 00:00:35,729 derided as poor man's tuna... Not quite fish, not quite mammal. 11 00:00:35,831 --> 00:00:37,665 I'm Louis La Fonda. 12 00:00:37,699 --> 00:00:42,903 All that and Andy Rooney tonight on "Newsreaders." 13 00:00:42,904 --> 00:00:50,904 Sync by honeybunny www.addic7ed.com 14 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,548 For the cast and crew of "Childrens Hospital" and its 15 00:00:54,583 --> 00:00:59,019 many fans, next Friday at 10:30 P.M. marks the end of an era. 16 00:00:59,054 --> 00:01:04,033 That's when the final episode airs for the first time, in one sense, 17 00:01:04,056 --> 00:01:09,551 a victim of its own success, but in another more real sense, 18 00:01:09,575 --> 00:01:11,899 a victim of low ratings. 19 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,066 Got the "Newsreaders" crew here. 20 00:01:14,136 --> 00:01:15,402 Hi, Mom. 21 00:01:15,504 --> 00:01:19,396 "Newsreaders" set out to document this historic final episode, 22 00:01:19,408 --> 00:01:21,342 but what we actually found may surprise you. 23 00:01:21,376 --> 00:01:22,309 Action. 24 00:01:22,344 --> 00:01:24,612 If he dies, let it be on your conscience. 25 00:01:24,646 --> 00:01:28,149 You mean I'm not gonna get in any real trouble if he dies. 26 00:01:28,183 --> 00:01:30,417 If you can live with yourself afterward. 27 00:01:30,452 --> 00:01:31,952 Yeah, sure, totally. 28 00:01:31,987 --> 00:01:33,888 Up top. 29 00:01:33,922 --> 00:01:35,655 I'm sorry, David? Can we cut? 30 00:01:35,724 --> 00:01:37,992 I... I can't remember which hand Blake uses to do things. 31 00:01:38,026 --> 00:01:41,061 Well, which hand do you use? 32 00:01:41,096 --> 00:01:42,796 Blake would use the hand you use. 33 00:01:42,831 --> 00:01:45,199 Look, are you right-handed or are you left-handed? 34 00:01:45,233 --> 00:01:47,891 I'm sorry. I'm just really confused. 35 00:01:47,915 --> 00:01:50,838 But before there was the "Childrens Hospital" of today, 36 00:01:50,862 --> 00:01:54,375 there was this pilot that was made originally for daytime TV. 37 00:01:54,409 --> 00:01:57,978 It never made it to air, but it contained the DNA of what the 38 00:01:58,013 --> 00:01:59,813 show would eventually become. 39 00:01:59,915 --> 00:02:04,251 You're both damn good doctors... and lovers, but I have to fire one of you. 40 00:02:04,286 --> 00:02:05,119 No, Chief. 41 00:02:05,153 --> 00:02:06,053 Chief, no. 42 00:02:06,054 --> 00:02:08,656 I actually play the role of, uh, both twins. 43 00:02:08,657 --> 00:02:12,993 Stop and we'll just switch the, uh... Switch it over. 44 00:02:13,028 --> 00:02:14,528 Okay, good. 45 00:02:14,563 --> 00:02:15,629 Quickly, please. 46 00:02:15,664 --> 00:02:17,198 This is the 1960s, guys. 47 00:02:17,199 --> 00:02:20,834 In fact, as soon as anybody opens their mouth on a TV show, 48 00:02:20,869 --> 00:02:23,237 you have to pay them a lot more money. 49 00:02:23,238 --> 00:02:24,638 Isn't that right, Jay? 50 00:02:24,673 --> 00:02:29,410 But some people were lucky enough to get lines, fifteen seasons worth. 51 00:02:29,444 --> 00:02:31,512 The cast of "Childrens Hospital." 52 00:02:31,546 --> 00:02:35,115 None of us knew it would get so big so fast, did we? 53 00:02:35,150 --> 00:02:38,152 It was like a runaway train with its head cut off, wasn't it? 54 00:02:38,186 --> 00:02:42,122 I couldn't walk down the street without being mobbed. 55 00:02:42,157 --> 00:02:45,793 I had to walk down through neighborhoods where mostly blind 56 00:02:45,827 --> 00:02:49,196 people lived so I could have some peace while walking. 57 00:02:51,766 --> 00:02:54,702 "It's hard for me because I don't speak English. 58 00:02:54,736 --> 00:02:57,471 Fans think that because I learn all of my lines phonetically, 59 00:02:57,505 --> 00:03:00,474 I understand them when they make sex talk at me. 60 00:03:00,508 --> 00:03:02,148 I only kind of do." 61 00:03:03,545 --> 00:03:04,578 Yeah. 62 00:03:04,613 --> 00:03:09,083 You're gorgeous, you know that. 63 00:03:09,117 --> 00:03:12,119 You're gorgeous. 64 00:03:12,153 --> 00:03:15,923 Very beautiful. 65 00:03:15,957 --> 00:03:19,994 By the end of the first season, "Childrens Hospital" was a bona fide hit. 66 00:03:20,028 --> 00:03:23,230 But even as these gorgeous doctors were breaking hearts, 67 00:03:23,265 --> 00:03:28,104 the show itself was breaking new ground, such as this scene from season four, 68 00:03:28,115 --> 00:03:31,138 the first time a doctor was portrayed on television... 69 00:03:31,172 --> 00:03:32,873 by a woman. 70 00:03:32,974 --> 00:03:34,507 Oh! Sorry, nurse. 71 00:03:34,576 --> 00:03:36,710 We thought the new doctor was coming in. 72 00:03:36,745 --> 00:03:38,245 She did just come in. 73 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,914 First of all, you mean "he" just came in. 74 00:03:41,516 --> 00:03:42,416 And where is he? 75 00:03:42,450 --> 00:03:47,321 No, I definitely did not mean "he." 76 00:03:47,355 --> 00:03:51,692 What are you talking about, nurse, uh... What is your name again? 77 00:03:51,726 --> 00:03:59,366 The name is Lola Spratt, Dr. Lola Spratt. 78 00:03:59,401 --> 00:04:01,235 Righteous! 79 00:04:01,269 --> 00:04:05,439 And "Childrens Hospital" would popularize more than just the 80 00:04:05,473 --> 00:04:06,940 catch phrase "Righteous!" 81 00:04:06,975 --> 00:04:09,410 The show had become a global phenomenon. 82 00:04:09,444 --> 00:04:13,914 Foreign-language versions were produced in Canada... Hawaii... 83 00:04:13,948 --> 00:04:16,717 Los Angeles... Even India. 84 00:04:29,569 --> 00:04:32,410 But as the flagship show reached its late middle age, 85 00:04:32,422 --> 00:04:37,338 some thought that the writers had lost touch with their original vision. 86 00:04:37,372 --> 00:04:39,239 The story lines became convoluted. 87 00:04:39,274 --> 00:04:41,775 Everyone relax. The tornado has passed. 88 00:04:41,810 --> 00:04:45,713 We may be trapped here for a while, but help is on the way. 89 00:04:45,814 --> 00:04:46,980 My water just broke. 90 00:04:47,015 --> 00:04:49,082 - I'm gonna have a nephew. - What? 91 00:04:52,620 --> 00:04:53,721 Who are you? 92 00:04:53,755 --> 00:04:55,889 We're the Boom Town Breakdance Troupe. 93 00:04:55,924 --> 00:04:58,325 We're in town for a show and decided to stop by. 94 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,461 Looks like you guys could use some help. 95 00:05:05,367 --> 00:05:08,535 In a creative lull, the cast and crew became 96 00:05:08,570 --> 00:05:11,805 disillusioned and bored, culminating in the now-infamous 97 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:14,842 scandal that would mark the beginning of the end of 98 00:05:14,876 --> 00:05:19,146 "Childrens Hospital," as well as the end of the middle of our news story. 99 00:05:19,180 --> 00:05:22,249 Tell me about the scandal. 100 00:05:22,350 --> 00:05:27,588 Well, you can listen to the tabloids, but here's my side of the story. 101 00:05:27,689 --> 00:05:30,824 I was trading derivatives in Asian markets and rededicating 102 00:05:30,859 --> 00:05:33,060 the returns into municipal slush funds. 103 00:05:33,094 --> 00:05:35,929 I was heavy on domestic commodities, so I was merely 104 00:05:35,964 --> 00:05:39,266 repurposing the dividends into auction market preferred stocks. 105 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:41,814 I messed up. 106 00:05:41,825 --> 00:05:44,505 To combat the sagging popularity of the show, 107 00:05:44,539 --> 00:05:48,108 the producers hired Fred Nunley, a well-known TV veteran who has 108 00:05:48,143 --> 00:05:52,646 been brought in to save many beloved shows over the last three decades. 109 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,049 None of those shows have made it to another season. 110 00:05:56,084 --> 00:05:58,752 "Childrens Hospital" had jumped the shark. 111 00:05:58,787 --> 00:06:01,955 The show's cancelation was announced after the first 112 00:06:01,990 --> 00:06:03,223 episode of this season. 113 00:06:03,258 --> 00:06:07,428 How did you all feel when you knew the show was coming to an end? 114 00:06:07,529 --> 00:06:11,532 I think we all had the same reaction, you know, which was, "Thank God!" 115 00:06:14,002 --> 00:06:17,704 The first person to hear the news was Dixie Peters, 116 00:06:17,739 --> 00:06:21,108 who played Dr. Cat Black up until this season, when her 117 00:06:21,142 --> 00:06:23,811 character died unexpectedly in childbirth. 118 00:06:23,845 --> 00:06:27,214 Ironically, Ms. Peters died in real life shortly before taping 119 00:06:27,248 --> 00:06:28,182 this interview. 120 00:06:28,216 --> 00:06:32,019 The idea of doing another episode makes me physically ill. 121 00:06:32,053 --> 00:06:34,087 I mean, I'd rather do anything else. 122 00:06:34,122 --> 00:06:37,524 I'd rather do a fifteen-minute low-budget comedy for basic cable. 123 00:06:37,559 --> 00:06:38,792 I mean, not literally. 124 00:06:40,094 --> 00:06:43,130 I watched all my friends skyrocket to stardom 125 00:06:43,164 --> 00:06:47,734 while I was stuck, day in and day out, year after year, on this show. 126 00:06:47,836 --> 00:06:50,504 Just Falcon joined the cast in 1993. 127 00:06:50,538 --> 00:06:54,308 I was offered "Crocodile Dundee"... 128 00:06:54,807 --> 00:06:59,939 But they kept me locked into my contract, so three sequels later, 129 00:06:59,962 --> 00:07:02,558 my very good friend Paul Hogan is a former millionaire. 130 00:07:02,581 --> 00:07:07,855 The answer to your question is... Yes, we are all best friends in real life. 131 00:07:07,889 --> 00:07:10,657 The man that plays the clown makes me sad. 132 00:07:10,692 --> 00:07:13,327 On the surface, filming this last episode was 133 00:07:13,361 --> 00:07:19,078 just like another day at the office, even if tensions were running a little high. 134 00:07:19,089 --> 00:07:21,144 I don't care if it's your birthday. 135 00:07:21,156 --> 00:07:23,058 You quit sulking! 136 00:07:23,070 --> 00:07:24,104 "I am a doctor." 137 00:07:24,138 --> 00:07:28,642 Yet, no one would speak about the 200-pound gorilla in the room. 138 00:07:28,676 --> 00:07:31,612 This is a very difficult time for you, isn't it? 139 00:07:31,646 --> 00:07:32,579 No. 140 00:07:32,614 --> 00:07:35,883 Unwilling to let go after fifteen years on the show, 141 00:07:35,917 --> 00:07:38,852 Cutter Spindell organized protests to the network. 142 00:07:38,887 --> 00:07:42,356 But I guess it didn't work. 143 00:07:42,457 --> 00:07:45,158 I know I've only been working here a few months, 144 00:07:45,193 --> 00:07:48,395 but already, you all feel like family to me. 145 00:07:48,496 --> 00:07:58,105 I'm gonna miss this place... More than you know... 146 00:07:58,139 --> 00:08:00,974 More than you'll ever know. 147 00:08:05,647 --> 00:08:08,549 Hello? 148 00:08:08,583 --> 00:08:10,684 Doctors? 149 00:08:10,718 --> 00:08:11,852 And cut! 150 00:08:11,886 --> 00:08:13,387 And that's a wrap, folks! 151 00:08:24,198 --> 00:08:25,832 Hold on, hold on, hold on! 152 00:08:25,867 --> 00:08:27,534 Everyone, quiet! 153 00:08:27,569 --> 00:08:29,828 Hey, listen, listen. 154 00:08:29,851 --> 00:08:33,926 Word is the cancellation... has been canceled. 155 00:08:33,949 --> 00:08:36,650 A bunch of fans or who knows who wrote letters, and... 156 00:08:36,662 --> 00:08:38,678 They're gonna continue the show indefinitely. 157 00:08:38,746 --> 00:08:41,882 All the contracts are automatically renewed, 158 00:08:41,916 --> 00:08:44,051 and call time's 5:45 in the morning. 159 00:08:57,343 --> 00:08:59,333 Turns out my hard work paid off. 160 00:08:59,367 --> 00:09:02,636 Georgene here saw my sign, and she recruited thousands of 161 00:09:02,670 --> 00:09:04,304 people to write letters. 162 00:09:04,405 --> 00:09:06,139 I did it for the kids. 163 00:09:06,174 --> 00:09:09,009 I mean, I couldn't imagine why a TV network would want to shut 164 00:09:09,043 --> 00:09:10,277 down a children's hospital. 165 00:09:10,311 --> 00:09:11,311 I'm sorry. 166 00:09:11,346 --> 00:09:13,580 - I just wanted to clarify... - We did it. 167 00:09:13,615 --> 00:09:15,282 Well, what needs to be clarified? 168 00:09:15,316 --> 00:09:17,217 We wrote letters, and she saved the hospital. 169 00:09:17,251 --> 00:09:19,319 I helped save a children's hospital. 170 00:09:19,354 --> 00:09:21,855 Well, you helped to save "Childrens Hospital," 171 00:09:21,889 --> 00:09:22,756 not a children's hospital. 172 00:09:22,790 --> 00:09:24,358 A children's hospital. 173 00:09:24,392 --> 00:09:25,125 Right. 174 00:09:25,159 --> 00:09:27,260 - I'm sorry... - And that's that. 175 00:09:27,295 --> 00:09:29,129 And that's that. 176 00:09:34,746 --> 00:09:36,836 What a success story. 177 00:09:37,071 --> 00:09:41,721 Like a death-row prisoner granted a reprieve at the 11th hour, 178 00:09:41,744 --> 00:09:45,228 "Childrens Hospital" lives to see another day. 179 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,447 Only, this show won't spend its first day of freedom getting 180 00:09:47,482 --> 00:09:49,650 wasted at a strip club. 181 00:09:49,684 --> 00:09:54,187 I'm Louis La Fonda, and this is "Newsreaders." 182 00:09:58,459 --> 00:10:02,763 Pa... parox... paroxy... oxysmal... yocult. 183 00:10:02,797 --> 00:10:04,665 Otoacoustic. 184 00:10:04,699 --> 00:10:07,801 Otoacush... ot... otoacoustic... oto. 185 00:10:07,835 --> 00:10:09,302 Oto. 186 00:10:09,337 --> 00:10:13,339 He has an injury to his elbum... Elbowe... elboum... Elbowe. 187 00:10:13,408 --> 00:10:17,344 I think this man needs an oper-an-n. 188 00:10:17,378 --> 00:10:19,212 Operadion. 189 00:10:19,247 --> 00:10:21,581 A operishun. 190 00:10:21,616 --> 00:10:24,151 Opera-teon. 191 00:10:25,386 --> 00:10:27,023 Peer-adion. 192 00:10:27,041 --> 00:10:28,909 E-l-b-o-w. 193 00:10:28,943 --> 00:10:30,844 Elbowe. 194 00:10:30,878 --> 00:10:32,913 Can I see it written down? 195 00:10:32,947 --> 00:10:35,249 Elboom, elbowe. 196 00:10:35,283 --> 00:10:37,050 What is even the elblow? 197 00:10:37,085 --> 00:10:39,152 Give me 10cc of penis-illin. 198 00:10:39,187 --> 00:10:40,520 Penis-illin. 199 00:10:41,389 --> 00:10:42,723 What the hell is that? 200 00:10:42,757 --> 00:10:43,957 What is penis-illin? 201 00:10:43,992 --> 00:10:44,925 Penicillin. 202 00:10:44,959 --> 00:10:46,159 Penicillin. 203 00:10:46,194 --> 00:10:47,894 Oh! 204 00:10:47,929 --> 00:10:49,096 What the hell is that? 205 00:10:49,130 --> 00:10:51,832 Next week on "Newsreaders," Kate Walsh, star of the hit series 206 00:10:51,833 --> 00:10:53,833 "Private Practice". 207 00:10:53,834 --> 00:10:56,834 Taye Diggs or Tim Daley? 208 00:10:56,835 --> 00:11:05,835 Sync by honeybunny www.addic7ed.com