Covington Cross

Production and broadcast

Thirteen episodes were produced, but only seven aired in the United States after ABC pulled the series from the air in November 1992. The show was expensive to produce due to overseas production costs, and most of the cast and crew were British. On one occasion, the series was preempted when its timeslot was bought by businessman Ross Perot for infomercials during his independent presidential campaign. Much of the filming was done in and around English castles; Allington Castle was used for exterior scenes, while Penshurst Place in Kent served for interiors.

The village set was built at Shepperton Studios and later reused in the sixth season of the British series Red Dwarf. The pilot aired in the UK six days after its US broadcast, but the remainder was not shown there, though a full 1993 British airing was originally intended. The program also aired in Ireland in 1994 and in France in 1993 on M6.

Reception

The show received mixed critical notice. Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times described it as a pleasing though occasionally plodding costume drama with a droll, self-mocking sense of humor. Todd Everett of Variety praised its color, production values, and script, noting first-rate tech credits and special mention for costume designer Barbara Lane. Entertainment Weekly found the show ludicrous. Tom Shales gave a negative review, calling it a Mel Brooks spoof minus the spoofing and remarking that the young characters behaved like spoiled tots from the 1990s, dubbing it 'Covington Cross, 90210'.