Orleans is a short lived American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 drama series

Dramatic programming

Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...

 that aired on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 from January 7, 1997 through April 10, 1997. It ran for only 8 episodes. The series was said to be inspired by the experiences of creater producer Toni Graphia, who was the daughter of a Louisiana judge.

Synopsis

The show was centered around the character of Judge Luther Charbonnet, portrayed by Larry Hagman

Larry Hagman

Larry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...

. He was a judge seated in New Orleans and had a family that consisted of some wildly different characters. One of the sons was an assistant district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

, another son was a police officer, and a daughter who ran a casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

. An overall backstory to the series was that Judge Luther had another daughter who was missing or had been dead for years, and he had a search going on for information on her. Several "taboo" subjects were touched on this series, including interracial relationships (Judge Luther had a black girlfriend) and incest

Incest

Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...

 (the daughter had a relationship with her cousin).

The show was promoted pretty heavily before it had aired, and even originally had the old timeslot that Dallas

Dallas (TV series)

Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...

did during its run. However, the ratings were not great, and it got moved around in the schedule, presumably contributing to its quick downfall.

To date, it has not been repeated anywhere outside its original run nor released on home video in any form.

Cast

• Larry Hagman
  Larry Hagman
  Larry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
  
  .....Judge Luther Charbonnet
• Michael Reilly Burke
  Michael Reilly Burke
  Michael Reilly Burke is an American actor. He played Rex Van De Kamp on the unaired pilot of Desperate Housewives. Steven Culp replaced him before the pilot aired. He also appeared in The WB series Charmed in the episode Heartbreak City...
  
  .....Jesse Charbonnet
• Vanessa Bell Calloway
  Vanessa Bell Calloway
  Vanessa Bell Calloway is an American actress who has appeared in a number of films, including Biker Boyz, Love Don't Cost a Thing, What's Love Got to Do with It, Coming to America, and Cheaper by the Dozen....
  
  .....Rosalee Clark
• Brett Cullen
  Brett Cullen
  Peter Brett Cullen is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs. Early in 2007, he was cast as the role of an estranged father to one of the American football players, Tim Riggins , in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights.Cullen was born in Houston,...
  
  .....Clade Charbonnet
• Colleen Flynn.....Paulette Charbonnet
• Lynette Walden.....Rene Doucette
• O'Neal Compton
  O'Neal Compton
  O'Neal Compton is an American film and television actor.He was born Belton O'Neal Compton, Jr. in Sumter, South Carolina, the son of educators....
  
  .....Curtis Manzant
• Charles Durning
  Charles Durning
  Charles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
  
  .....Frank Vitelli
• Richard Fancy
  Richard Fancy
  Richard Fancy is an American actor known for his long recurring role on Seinfeld as publisher Mr. Lippman, Elaine Benes' one-time boss. He appeared on the third and fourth seasons of It's Garry Shandling's Show as network boss Mr. Stravely. He also plays the Priest in the 1991 Film What About...
  
  .....Vincent Carraze
• Jerry Hardin
  Jerry Hardin
  Jerry Hardin is an American actor who has made many television and film appearances. He played illegitimate heir, Wild Bill Westchester, in the failed 1982 television series Filthy Rich. One of his most recognizable roles was that of the character Deep Throat in the series The X-Files...
  
  .....Leon Gillenwater
• Melora Hardin
  Melora Hardin
  Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
  
  .....Gina Vitelli
• Cotter Smith
  Cotter Smith
  Cotter Smith is an American stage, film, and television actor.-Biography:He was born Joseph Cotter Smith in Washington, D.C., the son of Madeline and John Lewis Smith, Jr., who was a federal judge...
  
  .....Bill Brennecke

Episode list

Episode #	Production Code	Episode Title	Airdate
1	001	Pilot (Part 1)	January 7, 1997
2	002	Pilot (Part 2)	January 7, 1997
3	005	"Why Did the Crawfish Cross the Road?"	January 14, 1997
4	003	"Luther's Temptation"	January 21, 1997
5	006	"Hijack"	January 28, 1997
6	004	"Baby-Sitting"	March 27, 1997
7	007	"When the Saints Go Marching In"	April 3, 1997
8	008	"Missing"	April 10, 1997

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
1997	Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...	Nominated	Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)	David Langley Hamilton (For pilot episode)
1998	NAACP Image Awards	Nominated	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	Vanessa Bell Calloway

External links

• Page on Larry Hagman's Site