American Playhouse

This occasional series (the HALLMARK HALL OF FAME of PBS, it would appear up to about six or seven times a season over most of its run) was an anthology of original dramatic films and videotaped presentations, many of the films co-productions which might get an art-house run before (or after) appearing as an AP episode (such as SMOOTH TALK and TESTAMENT); others were meant for video presentation, such as the TALES OF THE CITY miniseries or (my favorite) the one-man show THE END OF A SENTENCE, starring Edward Herrmann. AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE head Lindsay Law moved on to Fox Searchlight as the series was winding down, presenting as its last "official" offering a cinema-verite miniseries in the 2000-2001 season.