As far as I'm concerned, Christmas came early this year. Turns out that for the first time in almost 15 years, we have access to one of my all-time favorite TV shows — the 1991-93 series "Homefront."
All 41 episodes are available on YouTube. (And thanks to my TV critic pal Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for alerting me to that fact.)
Normally, I'd be reluctant to point you to a series on YouTube, because the people responsible for making the show aren't getting paid. But in this case, Warner Bros. has yet to make the show available on DVD or Blu-ray, and it's not on any of the pay streaming services.
The last time "Homefront" was available at all was as a two-day marathon on TV Land back in 2000. I got up several times in the middle of the night that weekend to record all the episodes on VHS, but my only remaining VCR is packed away.
"Homefront" opens in 1945 as the troops are returning home from World War II. Set in the fictional Ohio town of River Run, it features young veterans trying to rebuild their lives; the parents and sweethearts who waited for them; the women who took their places in the factories while they were gone; and the war brides they brought home with them.
The cast includes a very young Kyle Chandler, John Slattery, Ken Jenkins, Mimi Kennedy, Hattie Winston, Kelly Rutherford and a lot of other talent.
The look of the show is nothing short of fabulous. Great attention is given to sets, costumes and hairstyles, and the scripts were even written in the language and slang of the day.
It's a swell show.
"Homefront" was a hugely entertaining prime-time soap opera that was so much more than that. It wasn't just the great writing, casting and production values, it was about more than just the personal lives of the fully relatable characters.
"Homefront" tackled issues like racism, sexism, feminism, unionism — but it never felt like it was preaching to its audience in any way.
It was funny and heartbreaking in turns. Sometimes almost simultaneously.
And it's a period piece, so it seems as fresh and new today as it did when it premiered in 1991.
I just rewatched the first three episodes, and they hold up. The only difference is that I'm two decades older, so I find myself identifying more with the parents and less with the twentysomething children.
By means of complete disclosure, the creators/producers/writers of "Homefront" — husband-and-wife team Bernard Lechowick and Lynn Marie Latham — are friends of mine. But I was a huge "Homefront" fan before that friendship began.
Even if I'd never met them, I would have loved "Homefront" when it first aired. I still love it today.
If you're looking for something to watch, by all means go to YouTube and check it out.
Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.
Sterling Macer Jr. as Robert Davis, David Newsom as Hank Metcalf, Kyle Chandler as Jeff Metcalf and Harry O'Reilly as Charlie Hailey in "Homefront." Courtesy ABC
Ken Jenkins as Mike Sloan Sr. (left), Mimi Kennedy as Ruth Sloan, Dick Anthony Williams as Abe Davis and Hattie Winston as Gloria Davis in "Homefront." Courtesy ABC
John Slattery as Al Kahn and Wendy Phillips as Anne Metcalf Kahn in "Homefront." Courtesy ABC
Dick Anthony Williams as Abe Davis, Hattie Winston as Gloria Davis and Sterling Macer Jr. as Robert Davis is "Homefront." Courtesy ABC
The cast of "Homefront" — Front row (from left): Tammy Lauren, Kyle Chandler, Wendy Phillips, Jessica Steen and Sterling Macer, Jr. Middle row (from left): Kelly Rutherford, John Slattery, Harry O'Reilly, Hattie Winston. Back row (from left): Ken Jenkins,, Mimi Kennedy, Sammi Voss Davis, Giuliana Santini and Dick Anthony Williams. Courtesy ABC
Kyle Chandler as Jeff Metcalf and Tammy Lauren as Ginger Szabo in "Homefront." Courtesy ABC
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