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31 out of 42 people found the following review useful: Great show, not garbage at all, 30 March 2004 Author: green4tom from Brooklyn, USA
I am really taken aback that the only comment I see so far for this excellent show is entirely negative and dismissive. I feel compelled to set the record straight. The commentator dismisses the show for, among other things, anachronistic historical inaccuracy, as well as politically correct emotional sterility. That is ridiculous. This was a wonderful show. The episodes were certainly not all the same. It dealt with many issues that are politically and socially relevant. It presented emotionally gripping drama, with different points of view, especially including compassionate consideration of the plight of native American people. It reminded me very much of the show Kung Fu, which is set during the same period in American history, the 1870s, and also had similar themes of pacifism, labor militancy, feminism, the plight of native Americans as well as the Chinese immigrants. (In actuality, David Carradine himself, a good friend of the Director and Seymour's husband, James Keatch (brother to Stacy Keatch, who appeared in one episode as President Ulysses Grant), appears in one of the episodes. The Keatches and the Carradines go back at least to the time when both families did the movie on the Younger-James gang.) This show won an AWARD from the Smithosonian institution, hardly a left-wing bastion of political correctness, for its portrayal of the massacre of the Cheyenne at Washita. Its portrayal of the history of the persecution and genocide of the native Americans, by such notorious b******s as Chivington and Custer, was meticulously researched. Its show on Walt Whitman is a case in point as a study of actual attitudes, scientific as well as popular, toward homosexuality, during this period. The show presented well the CENTRAL cultural conflict in American history, as portrayed by such authors as Leslie Fiedling (LOVE AND DEATH IN THE AMERICAN NOVEL) and Richard Slotkin (RESURRECTION THROUGH VIOLENCE): between the murderous drive to conquer nature and exterminate the "Reds," vs. those, like Dr. Quinn, Sully, and their family, who seek, then as now, to make peace with their fellow human beings and the natural environment. The show emphasized the value of an emotionally, politically, and socially complex community, with its racial and ethnic hierarchies which Doctor Quinn continually challenged, and its emotional intimacies among men and women. Absolutely historically accurate! Last but certainly not least, the romantic aspects of the show: the growing romance between Dr. Quinn and Byron Sully, her adopted son Matthew and first Ingrid, and then the prostitute (what was her name?), and between her daughter. Caroline, and the Doctor, Andrew, were great: as was the portrayal of Matthew's coming of age as first the non-violent sheriff of the town, and then as a budding attorney. Please, if you have never seen this show before, do not be dissuaded by the previous commentator. Check it out-you'll be doing yourself a big favor. This is one of the best shows ever made for television!
20 out of 28 people found the following review useful: shame on you mean people, 1 February 2005 Author: blamechach from NY
how could anybody possibly say anything bad about Dr. Quinn at all?! its so addictive its ridiculous! i didn't even start watching it until a year and a half ago because my girlfriend used to be obsessed when she was little and she made me start watching the DVDs with her, but now I'm so obsessed with it! it was an amazing show and its a shame that people are badmouthing it. i wish it was still on. for the people who said that they were running out of diseases for her to cure that is ridiculous.. there are millions of diseases in this world, and of course they did not know about lots of them in the late 1800s but there are many episodes where the end of the episode she still does not know what is wrong with the person and cannot cure them because the disease wasn't really discovered yet. then they make a little announcement at the end of the episode stating what disease it is and if it has a cure now and what year they found it and all that. so really that claim that they ran out of ideas is ridiculous.. and really i mean one doctor for a whole town of course shes gonna have to deal with lots of different problems over and over again. and i have heard people saying it was not realistic for these people to get almost deathly ill so often, but really think about it. medicine was advanced, but no where near as advanced as it is now with vaccines and everything, we are much more sterile and all that now, so people did get sick more often then. this was over a hundred years ago! and i don't see how people can say that the native Americans were too "in touch with nature" thats what native Americans DO! they are all about nature and peace with nature, yes there were some native Americans who were violent and angry and all that and i think they did show that, they did not make them look like they were not violent at times. and also, there's no way you can say that the army coming in and stealing land and forcing native Americans into ethnic cleansing camps basically is a right thing to do and was the "founding" of our country, because the "founding" of our country was about freedom from England and religious persecution. oh and the original colleen (Erika Flores) didn't quit, she was forced out of the show by her father. thank you. the end. p.s. Dr Quinn rocks!
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Engaging Western series portrays frontier town's lady doctor, 4 May 2006 Author: roghache from Canada
While I was not a faithful devotee of the series, I tuned in whenever the opportunity presented itself and invariably enjoyed the stories revolving around a frontier town's lady doctor. I view the program strictly as entertainment, and missed too many episodes to comment accurately on any social issues depicted or historical liberties taken. However, I will note that the show does justifiably denounce racism and tends to cast native people in a sympathetic light.Set just after the Civil War, the series portrays the ongoing story of a lovely young Boston doctor, Michaela Quinn, who following the death of her own physician father, moves to the frontier town of Colorado Springs. There Dr. Mike sets up her medical practice, to the consternation of those upset at the novel prospect of a female physician. Byron Sully, a rugged mountain man (and friend to the Cheyanne) helps her adjust to frontier life, and naturally the pair develop a mutual attraction. She is aided by a midwife, Charlotte Cooper, who on her deathbed following a snake bike, places her three children (Colleen, Brian, and the older Matthew) in Dr. Mike's care. Thus the doctor takes upon herself the responsibility of three adopted children. Later Dr. Mike marries Sully and they have a baby of their own, little Katie, to add to their previously existing foster family.The beautiful British actress, Jane Seymour, is radiant, appealing, and sympathetic as the frontier doctor. Dr. Quinn certainly displays an admirable strength of wit and character, tackling both a challenging career and an instant family in this rugged pioneer setting. Yet she also reveals a touching vulnerability. The chemistry is electric between her and Sully (charismatically played by actor Joe Lando) and that factor is probably responsible for much of the show's success. On the whole, it's an engaging series and when it first aired, proved from my perspective superior to much of that era's TV programming.
8 out of 13 people found the following review useful: A great western (1863) show with contemporary themes., 22 May 1999 Author: John F. Mullin (videojohn@earthlink.net) from Los Angeles Ca., USA
This was a great series, too bad it was canceled. It was "Little House" of the 90s. Don't miss Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, the Movie.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: A Show That's All Heart!, 2 October 2008 Author: hannah8700-1 from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This is quite possibly the best show to ever be aired on television! It has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. "Dr. Quinn" is a story about embarking on life's many adventures and finding family, friends and love along the way in people and places you never thought possible. And it's a tale about the great West and the little happenings of a small town called Colorado Springs. Dr. Mike is a strong-willed, compassionate and independent woman who dedicated her life to helping others. Jane Seymour's performance in every episode, from beginning to end, was phenomenal. Joe Lando was also excellent as the beloved Sully. I love the romance they both share with each other and how they build their family around it. They are the sexiest couple of all time and have outstanding chemistry together that's evident in every episode! Their love story is one of the greats. I most definitely have more than one favorite episode, among them would have to be when Sully proposes to Michaela, when Dr. Mike and Sully finally get married, and when little Katie is born. The show sends out such a wonderful message about always doing what's right and sticking together as a family. It's also about loss and learning how to put the pieces back together again and finding joy in the little things. Each and every character adds to the success of the show and it just wouldn't be the same without them all. You really get to know them with each passing season and they almost become like family. It is unlike any other show on television. Nothing else compares! "Dr. Quinn" will always be an all time favorite of mine, for it truly touches the heart.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Fantastic show that made it's own, and was historically accurate just not all the time!, 3 April 2008 Author: Reno-007 from san diego, CA
I would first like to address the clueless individual who said this show lacked any kind of historical accuracy. Being a student of history and have taken enough classes in college to know the subject quite well, yes it did embellish certain things but not all of it was BS. Fact: There were a handful of women who were educated and did have degrees in medicine, they primarily came from what we would consider today Liberal areas in the North i.e. Boston, Philadelphia. Fact: The genocide that human garbage such as Custer and Chivington did to the Native Americans was well documented and treated very solidly during the two parter where Custer slaughtered Native Americans at Washita. Fact: After the Civil War, many people including single women, very few but they did make the trek, moved West because of the nightmarish slaughter of the War. Also it's spelled History or if you wanted to say Herstory, it's Her Story. You need to go back to school or take some anger management classes, given your hostile and laughable comment on a great show. Only drawback was the last season where Sully was living in a cave after killing that insect Sgt. O'Connor played very well by Patrick Kilpatrick. Also when Sully held that dead Indian baby after the Washita Massacre I was in college at the time taking a U.S. History course and did a paper on low life Custer, got an A- for that! Again, a great show that I wish could have gone on for at least one more season. Jane Seymour and the rest of the cast came into their own roles very well and it's a shame that it's not shown that much on T.V. anymore. FX, bring it back!
3 out of 5 people found the following review useful: It's a TV show people, not a historical documentary!!!!!, 20 March 2007 Author: Binkyboo13 from United States
First off I would like to start out by saying that I just can't understand why people think this is a bad show. The most common thing I read was that this show was basically historically incorrect or fake. Do you people think the things that happened on Little House on the Prairie were real? Do you think that all TV shows and movies that are based around some historical time period have to be accurate? If that were the case TV/movies would be very boring. Besides a few episodes that gave a few actual historical facts, it never claimed to be historically correct. Why can't people just watch the show and enjoy the amazing sets, wonderful characters and interesting story lines. Do you watch every John Wayne movie and judge them by what's historically correct? I doubt it. Anyways, I personally think it was one of the best shows ever. Joe Lando is hot, Jane Seymour is beautiful and both are great actors. I loved all of the characters, even the ones I hated. Most of the story lines were sad and made you feel for each character involved, but I laughed a lot too. I watched the show religiously and then for years on reruns and now I can't wait until the DVDs get a little less expensive so I can buy them all!!
5 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Wonderful Family Entertainment, 9 August 2003 Author: juliafwilliams from New York, NY
It is a sad day when programs produced for general family viewing are so few and far between. However, it is comforting to know that Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman joins the ranks of great family programming. One of my favorite episodes is 'Just One Lullaby', which depicts the thin line between school discipline and abuse. I did not agree with the way in which the teacher 'got a taste of her own medicine' toward the end of the episode, but it proved the adage that 'what goes around, comes around'.Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman may just go down in history as a great television classic.Huzzah for this one.
6 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Dr mike fan, 20 June 2005 Author: valjoemv-1 from United States
I fell in love with the show right away I guess being a girl. I was working at the time when the series finale aired. I felt sorry for the entire show's cast and crew who most likely expected to return for another season. But the CBS executives decided to cancel the show. I along with other wrote letters trying to save the show. I always looked forward to Saturdays on CBS. Shame on you CBS! Now onto business. There is only one Dr Quinn and Sully. I always Sully was a cutie. And William Shockly who played Hank the bartender. Robert E looked like a trusting person, Johnny Cash who guest starred looked like a gentle person. There have been three people playing Elizabeth Quinn (Dr Quinn's mother) the third one was the best. No offense to the series pilot or Jane Wyman. Certain episodes will stand out. The wedding of Mike and Sully. The birth of Katie. Even the episode where Grace and Robert E bought a house in town and in comes the KKK. That's how it was for black people. You can't forget when Ingrid died. Or Colleen's wedding to Andrew. You can see one episode on The Hallmark Channel and you will be hooked. Thanks to The Hallmark Channel for airing reruns of Dr Quinn Medicine Woman. Has anyone besides me noticed that the guy who played General Custer in the wedding episode was the very same guy who played the banker Preston Lodge III?
Excellent, Addictive, Entertaining, 8 November 2009 Author: Jasleen Matharu from United Kingdom
Despite being such a simple series, It is probably one of the best for that reason. The 'EastEnders' of nowadays is becoming way too stereotypical and predictable that this masterpiece of a series has a somewhat timelessness to it. I mean, I'm a 16 year old, and I'M ADDICTED TO IT! The acting is of a high standard and there is no part of it I can deem as typical.The best thing is, that if you miss a few episodes and pick it up from a random episode, it still makes sense and you still enjoy watching it. It's not like one of those series that if you miss one episode, you don't really understand what's going on in all the episodes following it. That is why this series is so viewer-friendly.I don't know about you, but I'm considering buying the entire box-set!
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