Against the Grain 

Insurance salesman Ed Clemons has just taken on the task of coaching the slumping high school football team of the small, but football-crazy town of Sumpter, Texas. He is given just one ... See full summary »

Stars:

John Terry, Donna Bullock, Ben Affleck

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
John Terry	...	Ed Clemons 8 episodes, 1993
Donna Bullock	...	Maggie Clemons 8 episodes, 1993
Ben Affleck	...	Joe Willie Clemons 8 episodes, 1993
Vanessa Evigan	...	Jenny Clemons 8 episodes, 1993
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Niles Hardeman 8 episodes, 1993
Jeanine Jackson	...	Mindy Hardeman / ... 5 episodes, 1993
Cheryl Felicia Rhoads	...	Winona / ... 5 episodes, 1993
Tim Griffin	...	Mark 4 episodes, 1993
Robyn Lively	...	Jill Clemons 3 episodes, 1993
Michael Cudlitz	...	Bud Hardeman 2 episodes, 1993
Johnny Keatth	...	Football Team Member 2 episodes, 1993
Joe Ochman	...	Clyde 2 episodes, 1993
Rick Peters	...	Bobby Taylor 2 episodes, 1993
John Posey	...	Stan Langston 2 episodes, 1993
Denise Richards	...	Jodi Collins 2 episodes, 1993
Lara Steinick	...	Lynette / ... 2 episodes, 1993

Storyline

Insurance salesman Ed Clemons has just taken on the task of coaching the slumping high school football team of the small, but football-crazy town of Sumpter, Texas. He is given just one season to turn the fumbling teens around, and he throws himself into the job wholeheartedly. Though his methods ruffle the feathers of the quiet little town, he manages to make some real progress with the players.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | family relationships | small town | american football | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Contracorriente

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magnum Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Ben Affleck/Kristen Bell/Rodriguez (2013)

User Reviews

The best TV series ever canceled so fast.

In my experience, this is the best television series that was ever canceled so quickly.

The premise is that John Terry's character, Ed Clemons, returns home from the hospital at the beginning of the first episode, after recovering from major, life-threatening injuries he'd suffered in a car accident. After surviving such a painful brush with death, Ed finds that his perspective on life has changed dramatically, so he quits his regular job (at a car dealership, if I remember correctly) and searches for more meaningful pursuits. He finds that there is a job opening for the head football coach at his son's high school, and he applies for the job, not knowing what to expect, because it has been years since he last played football himself.

From there the series explored interesting relationships among many characters from various walks of life. There was such potential for a classic series here that I couldn't believe it when NBC replaced this consistently superior and challenging show with "VIPER"!! There are no words currently in existence to describe my chagrin on that day!!!

I remember that near the end of a couple of episodes of "Against the Grain", when I began to feel that the script might have been getting a bit corny or overly sentimental, the writers always shifted gears just in time and accomplished episode endings that were excellent and unexpected, and left you feeling that you had just experienced classic, thoroughly satisfying entertainment (which is becoming somewhat of a rare feeling in this current era of "reality" programming.)

This series was amazing, and it almost seemed too good to be true.....which it turned out to be, I guess. I miss this show a lot, but with the limited number of episodes broadcast (I think it was only eight or nine) I suppose this one will never be released in any home video formats. That is a pity, because more people need to see just how well-balanced between comedy and drama a family series can be, especially one that never abandons its mature, intellectually and emotionally rewarding themes.