Why did "Key West" fail as a TV series?
The obvious answer is that so few viewers ever saw it. During its brief 13 episode run, there were several commercial breaks with no sponsor. When you see the network's logo displayed for 30 seconds or more, you can bet that their accountants' calculators are busily counting losses.

Underlying that lack of sponsorship are most certainly many factors. Some of these are known, while others can be guessed or speculated upon. There are, no doubt, many others of which most of us will likely never be aware.

Fox in 1993 was fairly new in the world of television networks. How new? Fox had only just begun seven-day programming that week.

Being a young network, they wanted to make inroads in the area of younger audiences, and were willing to take some risks. They were approached by creative minds because they were open to them. "Key West" brought such creativity, along with a talented ensemble cast (gifted and experienced, if not entirely well known), terrific production values, and the writing and direction of artists in their fields. Still it was not enough against the competition.

"Roseanne" was the number 1 rated show on television at the time, and was being followed in the 9:30 p.m. slot by Rosanne's real-life husband Tom Arnold in "Jackie Thomas". It would take more than a giant-killer to hack through that armor. Sophisticated story-telling cannot prove itself to the casual channel-flipper on commercial break. Had "Key West" not been launched against such a popular and well-established tag-team, perhaps a foothold could have been gained.

But there may have been other, more subtle foes at work. The September 1992 issue of TV Guide featured a decidedly negative introduction to the series: "Roseanne will eat this one for breakfast". To borrow a line from Gumbo, "What an invitin' invitation!" The single most widely read publication on the topic of "what's on tv" had cast the island adrift pre-premiere. Why bother checking out the new guy for yourself when the "experts" in the field had already told you it wasn't worth your time? Oh, but hey, don't take my word for it! Read it for yourself.

Two other aspects occur to me, which may have had some effect on the decision-making process regarding "Key West" staying on the air: The attitude of local viewers in Key West, and the local newspaper's review of the Pilot episode. These two may be strongly linked. While neither would have any appreciable influence on ratings such as Neilson's, their effect may have been felt on a corporate level at Fox and VIACOM, and at Stonehenge Productions. Let me explain:

I made my first "Key West" fact-finding visit to the island in April of 2002. It had been ten years since Stonehenge and company first began filming on the island. Not everyone I spoke with remembered the series, but those who did had strong and widely varied opinions.

Some remembered it as charming but brief. ("Didn't last long!") They told anecdotes of seeing the film crews around town, and chatting with some of the actors. Some talked about what likeable people folks like Ivory Ocean and Fisher Stevens were. One spoke of how Leland Crooke tended to keep to himself during shoots, working out the fine details of how he would portray Gumbo in the next scene. (Possibly a clue as to how he managed to pull off such emotionally charged performances as in Episode 3, The Great Unknown).

But for each positive response from one person, I would get a negative one from someone else. "Oh, that!", "Alligators???… in Key West?", "Oh, and of course they had to have a hooker!", "A Rastafarian???", "Key West is nothing like that!", "Key West would never have gotten rid of a great mayor just because he was gay!", "Cajuns???" "They'd have done better if they'd have used real stories of real people in Key West.", "We've got a lot more interesting real characters than the ones they made up!", "Those writers never even set foot on this island. They don't know what it's really like here!"

Now, I would not presume to argue facts with a Conch. But, my own observations include visiting Bahamas Village at Petronia Street (not hard to envision a Bahamian, possibly Rastafarian). I also noticed an assortment of strip-joints, and a veritable melting pot of cultures all over the island. And, I have been told by a local, who spends a great deal of time at Coconut Mallory, that there actually is an alligator living under Gumbo's.

Now as far of getting rid of the gay mayor… Ok, you've got me there. But understand that to have eliminated Chaucey's character as mayor would have killed at least three good story lines where she "comes of age" as a human being. You can't fix what isn't broken, so when Chaucey sees the errors of her ways and mends them, it is just good fiction.

In April 2002 it had been 20 years since I had seen the island. My connection had been having seen those 13 episodes many, many times. When I stepped off of that plane, the sights I saw, the people I met, the feel of the place was as if I had stepped into the 14th episode. Granted, I do not live there, I merely desire to do so. I am only a visitor on those few occasions (five times from April 2002 through May 2004) that I can get away and afford to make the trip.

I have, however, given quite a bit of thought to the negative responses I received - what could have been the thinking behind them? I have some guesses, though I may never know for sure. As you know, I am a big fan of the show. I am also a big believer in respecting the opinions of others, which is why I have tried to understand them.

Let's talk for a moment about the Key West Citizen newspaper. It is Key West's only daily paper, and I have done a bit of reading of it myself - enough to have formed an opinion of it. Although I do not live on the island (sigh), nor am I a subscriber, I read it when I am in town, and refer to it's affiliate, www.KeysNews.com online when I'm at home. It keeps me somewhat in touch with Paradise, and I think they do a good job of covering most major events and issues of the island.

To my knowledge, before the Pilot was aired, the Citizen published five articles about the series, it's production, and it's current effect upon the island. These were printed from September 16th, 1992 through January 19th, 1993. All of these were highly supportive of the series, and the pilot's airing was apparently an eagerly anticipated event.

That said, the review of the first "Key West" episode, which was printed the morning after it aired, in the Wednesday, January 20, 1993 issue was disastrous. Guest columnist Steve Cason named his piece, "`Key West' is not a realistic portrayal". I invite you to read his article.

Mr. Cason, I have just a few questions for you: What were you watching? What were you drinking? What were you smoking? What were you thinking?

Were it not for the fact that I have received so many hugely positive comments about the series, many of them specifically about the Pilot episode, I might accept that he and I just have a difference of opinion… but that is not the case. I cannot help but believe Mr. Cason had an agenda, some issues, maybe an ax to grind? Were you turned down as an extra? Or perhaps your part wound up on the cutting room floor? Did someone from the production insult you in some way? Maybe that was your ex-girlfriend in that purple bikini?

I do have to wonder, Mr. Cason, how did you manage to get the job of writing this critique? I also wonder what you might be doing for a living now.

Admittedly, little of what is seen on television today can be classified as either art or quality. Perhaps we have become accustomed to productions which hold no societal or other redeeming value. Maybe my age is showing when I can remember shows that left you feeling changed, the way a really good novel can. The craft of writing seems to have slid into the abyss of sight-gag, shock-value, titillation, and one-liners. Interwoven storylines appear to be a lost art. And maybe our expectations, along with our appreciation have slid as well.

I won't tell you that the Pilot episode was without flaw. Not the case. But where it was weakest (in my humble opinion) was that it was more like a movie that had been squeezed into a one-hour (including commercials) format. There was a lot to tell in that introductory episode. Many characters were introduced. Several stories were told. Hopes were built and dashed and regrouped. Tragedies portrayed and overcome. A 90-minute feature film was compressed to fit the time slot, and for the job they did of making that happen I believe the editors deserve kudos!

The people I have met in Key West do not strike me as anything less than independent thinkers. Still, many of the negative comments I received when asking around the island were virtually quotes from the article. Did Mr. Cason truly capture the thoughts and feelings of the people? Clearly not all of them. And why the wide spectrum?

Without naming names or places, it did generally ring true that those who'd had some association with the production (themselves or their place of business making an appearance) tended to be positive. Nearby-but-not-shown businesses tended to yield up negative responses. Coincidence? You decide. Then with Mr. Cason's words to hang their hats upon, water-fountain / coffee klatch (ok, this is Key West - we're looking at bar talk!) conversations tend to flower and grow.

What did the island of Key West gain from the TV series?
The two things that interest most businesses in Key West: Exposure and money.

From the amount and content of the email I've received, there have been a large number of viewers to have their interest in the island piqued by the series. Many had been previously unaware of this little island paradise, and many of these have made trips there since.

Another immediate result was the employment of locals in the show's production. This would include not just the acting extras used in front of the camera, but also location scouts, construction crews, and artists. Even the sail aboard the schooner "Wolf" was dressed up by the local sail maker.

Add to that a few tidy sums exchanged for use of property/filming locations. One property owner I spoke with used the money received to remodel what was a run down flophouse into a very nice bed & breakfast, winning at least one restoration award in the process, and a the start of a thriving business to boot.

What did the island of Key West lose when the series was cancelled?
Those very folks who were stricken with an attack of "sour-grapeitis" lost their opportunity to be seen in future episodes, because there weren't any. The possibility of using genuine local color as characters and stories also evaporated. Let's face a rather simple fact: The producers of the series could not go to Key West and wait for stories to hatch. David Beaird had a good idea for a series, and some thoughtful stories to get it started. He put together an able and gifted ensemble to turn it into reality. Good characters, scenarios, locations, production support - all were in place. All that was lacking was a real opportunity for this flower to take root and bloom. And maybe some nurturing from home.

"Key West" had tremendous potential as an aid to tourism. We are one example of that, and I have been contacted by many who echo that sentiment. And having spent some time there I can tell you that Key West is motivated by nothing if not inspiring tourism.

You may wonder why I feel that the shot Mr. Cason fired into "Key West's" foot mattered to those who held the "live or die" strings of the series. My thoughts are that the series was in a very tenuous position in the spring of 1993. When it went into hiatus after only 8 episodes had aired, it hung in a balance that was easily tipped. Possibly only one finger on the decision-making scale made the difference. With a more nurturing and supportive home perhaps one comment from one person at either Fox or Stonehenge or VIACOM could have saved it. And one negative article could have killed it. Don't think for a moment that Mr. Cason's article was not read by all who had an interest in the show's success. Fine, if the bad review was deserved, but the test of time shows it was not.

Other comments/thoughts:

Whenever I hear someone comment about the tv series not being an accurate representation of Key West, I cannot help but ponder some thoughts and gather a few visual images. For example, the tv series truly sent up an idealized version of the island. One could think of it as a distillation of the "better spirits" of Key West's nature. Never was seen anything resembling the commercialization of the Searstown area, nor was there any reference to the horrific odor that accompanies rotting seaweed on a beach. Searstown, for those who've not been there, is that part of the island that is the strip-mall center most cities have. K-Mart, McDonalds, Days Inn, you name it. The series would have you believe that the entire island is gorgeous beaches and Old Town, a Caribbean-flavored tropical paradise, free from litter and from the engine exhaust and noise of any other metropolitan area.

As much as I love the island, and I have pedaled a bicycle over nearly every road there, had Key West been accurately and truly captured by the cameras, the image on your television screen would not always have been quite as sweet.