Season three of Hearts Afire finds conservative political functionary John Hartman (John Ritter) still living in his hometown with his worldly, liberal journalist wife Georgie Anne (Markie Post), where they continue to churn out the local newspaper, "The Daily Beacon," with the help of John's lifelong pal Billy Bob Davis (Billy Bob Thornton) and Georgie Anne's acerbic gal-pal Madeline Stoessinger (Conchata Ferrell). Although the setting and most of the previous season's cast is intact, there are a couple of significant changes during Season three. For one, J. Skylar Testa has replaced Justin Burnette in the role of the Hartmans' oldest son Ben. And for another, Georgie Anne has given birth to a daughter. Although the series' locale switch from Washington D.C. to the Deep South during season two had given Hearts Afire a small boost in the ratings, the third season episodes suffered from the stiff competition of Fox's America's Most Wanted -- and then, after switching from Saturday to Wednesday night, the series was at the mercy of another opposing Fox show, Beverly Hills 90210. Hearts Afire was canceled in February of 1995, with only 13 of the series' final 14 episodes seeing the light of day on CBS.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
