Blossom Reboot: Why It Can Never Happen

The story behind how it was written, pitched, loved and denied a greenlight from Disney & 20th Century Studios.

It was not for lack of trying.

This is certainly an unusual and somewhat unceremonial way to share this news, but I have enjoyed sharing so many aspects of my life through writing on Substack and what I am about to talk about is a huge part of my life. It’s the reason I have not been in front of the camera in several years.

I am diving in here to explain what happened with the “Blossom” reboot which almost happened.

A little history first.

I starred in an NBC sitcom from the time I was 14 until I was 19.”Blossom” premiered after The Cosby Show and ran for 5 seasons most comfortably in the 8.30-9 pm time slot after “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

“Blossom” was centered around the life of a smart and fun teenage girl (unheard of at the time on network television) and it featured Blossom as the youngest child in a divorced family (also unheard of at the time on television). Blossom had an older brother played by Chicago-native Michael Stoyanov who was a recovering drug addict/alcoholic (unheard of at the time on television except in an afterschool special), and another older brother named Joey played by teen heartthrob Joey Lawrence. (I grew up watching Joey on “Gimme A Break.”).

Blossom’s best friend, Six (her father said “that’s how many beers it took”) was played by Jenna Von Oy, a fast-talking, hilarious and versatile actress who could cry on a dime and make you laugh on a dime. Ted Wass, who some of you may know from his years on the popular show, “Soap,” played the divorced father managing three kids. David Lascher (of “Hey, Dude” fame) played Blossom’s leather-jacket-wearing bad boy with a heart of gold boyfriend for several seasons and was a beloved member of the cast.

The creator of “Blossom,” Don Reo, wrote for “Laugh-In,” “M*A*S*H*,” “The Cher Show,” and every other show from that era. He conceived the idea for “Blossom” based on his musician friend, Dion, of 1950s Dion and the Belmonts fame - they had hits such as “The Wanderer,” “My Little Runaway,” and “Runaround Sue.” Don thought a show about a young cool musician dad would be novel, since most TV dads were lame and insincere; he wanted to show a fun dad who was also an involved parent. Originally, the show was all about the middle brother, Joey - originally named Donny - until Joey changed it when the show was sold in its first season.

A young executive named Leslie Laurie suggested to Don that he make the show about the sister which was basically sacrilege at the time to even suggest. “Girls will watch girls and girls will watch boys, but boys will only watch boys” was the slogan at the time to justify endless shows about boys. Don realized he could write every “Wonder Years” plot about a girl and that led to “Blossom.”

Our pilot episode shows Blossom talking directly to the camera in what some say is the first “vlogging” seen on TV; we certainly would love to think so. “Blossom” was never a critical success and we never received Emmy nominations. We hovered around the Top 25 list of shows, and we competed with Monday Night Football..

I was cast after “Beaches” came out. “Blossom” was a truly lovely set to grow up on. While every set has its squabbles and challenges, we had a ‘clean’ set where we never saw drugs or alcohol, we were treated with respect and kindness, and we were not abused or misused in any way. We also had a blast together over those five years. It was an incredible life to live for us all.

The show ended when I was two years out of high school. I went to college. Blossom had grown up, and I had, too.

Smash cut to after “The Big Bang Theory” ended. Don Reo and I started to talk about what it would be like to see where these characters were now, as adults in the modern world. I had always considered Don a sort of “third parent.” My parents were my biological and epigenetic influences, but Don, from the time I was 13 until 19, crafted my daily creative world and forged the path I still walk on– that of a child actor who grew up on TV.

So now Don and I are now both adults; I was now the age he was when he met me long ago on a rainy day at the old Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Ren-Mar studios in 1988, just after “Beaches” came out.

So what would Blossom be like 30 years later? Don wrote a draft in one sitting. He said it just flowed out of him. It wasn’t writing so much as it was receiving. He found our characters exactly where many of us find ourselves - funny, lost, wandering, meandering, and torn. The script is beautiful.

“Blossom” was a Disney-owned property. We approached Disney as I was on the cusp of starting “Call Me Kat” and was working on “Jeopardy!” and we simply did not have the time to develop the show but tried to lock it in quickly. Time ran out and I did three seasons of “Call Me Kat,” 2 seasons as co-host of “Jeopardy!” and when both of those ended, Don and I could not let the possibility of revisiting “Blossom” go.

In those years I was working on CMK and “Jeopardy,” new executives were in charge and we re-pitched the show. They seemed to love it, understood what we wanted to do, and Don and I felt comfortable to speak about it in the press. We felt certain this was moving forward.

And then…