February 2001 - 'PBS Hollywood Presents' Premieres

On February 1, 2001, the KCET-produced "PBS Hollywood Presents," a collection of five star-studded, feature-length dramatic teleplays, premiered on the network. KCET leveraged its proximity and ties to Hollywood to garner well-known acting talent and high production values.

The first production was an adaptation of the John Henry Redwood play "The Old Settler," a story of two sisters living in 1940s Harlem, which was directed by Debbie Allen and starred the director and her real-life sister Phylicia Rashad. "The Old Settler" was received with critical acclaim.

The series was followed up with "Collected Stories," starring Linda Lavin and Smantha Mathis, which premiered in January 2002. In September, "Copenhagen," premiered. Adapted from Michal Frayn's Tony Award-winning play and filmed on location in Europe, the drama starred Stephen Rea, Francesca Annis and Daniel Craig. In May 2003, the production of "The Gin Game," reunited legendary TV actors Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore for the first time since the 1960s. The series culminated in October 2004 with "Cop Shop," filmed in New York City, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Rosie Perez. "The Old Settler," "Collected Stories," and "The Gin Game" were all filmed at KCET's Sunset Boulevard studios.

"We had great actors performing great material working with marvelous directors, and we were able to showcase Hollywood in a manner that moved beyond the norm," said Mare Mazur, KCET's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, who worked as the Executive Producer of "PBS Hollywood Presents.