Running the Halls:

The History of Running the Halls:

Last updated: December 31, 2003.

After the success of Saved by the Bell, the original series, NBC wanted to expand its T-NBC Saturday morning line-up. So after starting California Dreams in 1992, NBC launched a third comedy in the fall of 1993. This show, Running the Halls (RtH for short in this FAQ) which debuted on NBC on September 11, 1993, was the first T-NBC comedy not to be produced by Peter Engel of SbtB and California Dreams fame (though its Executive in Charge of Production, as with Saved by the Bell: The New Class, California Dreams and Name Your Adventure, was Gary Considine). The producer of Running the Halls was Steve Slavkin. There were 13 first-run episodes shown Running the Halls' first (and only), '93-94 season.

This show, also unlike the other two, was set in a private boarding school by the name of Middlefield Academy. However, like the Saved by the Bell, Running the Halls primarily focused on the adventures of three girls and three boys, particularly the scheming, "Zack Morrisesque" Andy McBain (Richard Hayes). Rounding out the cast were the Headmistress, Miss Karen Gilman (Pamela Bowen), and her comical, student lackey, Mark "The Shark" Stark (Richard Speight, Jr.).

The first (and only) season of Running the Halls focused in on the development of the characters of the two rooming groups, the girls and the boys. Particular attention was paid to the characters of Andy McBain, Holiday Friedman (Laurie Fortier) (especially after she and McBain became an item), and to a lesser extent the characters of Miles Taylor and Mark "The Shark" Stark. The main story line was the romance of McBain and Holiday, and a sub-plot toward the end of the season was the developing romance between David Rees (Trevor Lissauer) and Molloy Simpson (Lackey Bevis). Finally, various instances of hilarity were provided by the show's final two characters, Nikki Watson (Senta Moses) and Miles Taylor (Craig Kirkwood).

The estute will notice that in the RtH episode "The Watch" (episode 1.11), it is visually implied that McBain and Molloy are still a couple, though the episode was aired well after McBain and Holiday had become an item. This is because NBC did not show Running the Halls in its proper order. So what follows is a list of the episodes in the proper chronolgical order:

Num   Prod No    Episode Title                  Air Date  
----  ---------  ------------------------       ----------
 1.1   (6302)     The Arrival                    09/11/93 
 1.2   (6301)     The First Mixer                09/18/93 
 1.3   (6303)     Dance Squad                    09/25/93 
 1.5   (6304)     Taylor Grades McBain           10/09/93 
 1.4   (6305)     The Rowing Competition         10/02/93 
 1.11  (6306)     The Watch                      11/20/93 
 1.7   (6307)     The Term Paper                 10/23/93 
 1.6   (6308)     The Big Kiss                   10/16/93 
 1.8   (6309)     Shark Moves In                 10/30/93 
 1.9   (6310)     McBain Chokes                  11/06/93 
 1.10  (6311)     The Conductor                  11/13/93 
 1.12  (6312)     The Break-Up                   11/27/93 
 1.13  (6313)     Rock Reunion                   12/04/93 

What made Running the Halls different than its T-NBC predecessors was its use of ridiculous and surreal plot developments and imagery to further the comedy. In this way, Running the Halls cast itself as the successor (of sorts) to the FOX TV show, Parker Lewis (Can't Lose). Some felt that RtH's use of this innovative comedy style made RtH superior to its T-NBC predecessors.

But like Parker Lewis, Running the Halls was also too sophisticated for its teenaged audience. RtH suffered from low ratings, and was cancelled by NBC after just one season. Its last episode, a repeat, aired on September 4, 1994. Its time slot was taken up by a second episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class for that show's second season.

After RtH, Slavkin co-Executive Produced (with Peter Engel) a comedy on the USA cable channel - USA High (though it appears that Slavkin only worked on the show for the first 25 episodes); USA High ran on the USA Network from 1997-1999. Slavkin has also been a writer on the TV series Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), The Famous Jett Jackson (1998), and Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003). Before RtH, show creator Steve Slavkin was a producer on NICK's Salute Your Shorts (1991).