Flying Blind: Tea Leoni, Corey Parker and Michael Tucci

Flying Blind aired from September 1992 until July 1993 on FOX.

Another in a long line of urban comedies on FOX, Flying Blind was about a rather dull young man whose life was turned upside down by an unlikely affair with a beautiful free-spirited woman. Neil ( Corey Parker), was a marketing assistant at Hochman Foods, the company where his neurotic father, Jeremy ( Michael Tucci), was a senior executive. His life was about as interesting as yesterday's dishwater until one night at a party he ran into Alicia ( Tea Leoni), an incredibly sexy and uninhabited woman, and they fell madly in love. It was hard to understand what Alicia, who was almost totally preoccupied with sex, saw in boring Neil. But there was certainly something. Neil, who still lived at home, spent his days trying to look good at work and his nights having a torrid and exhausting affair with the insatiable Alicia. Ted ( Marcus Giametti), was his unscupulous officemate who would do almost anything to get ahead.

When he was laid off in February, during a downsizing at Hochman, Neil moved in with Alicia and her 2 Manhattan loft roommates-Jordan ( Robert Bauer), a throwback to the hippies of the 60's, and Megan ( Clea Lewis), an arty neurotic with incredible low self esteem. Away from the watchful eye of his father, he tried to become more adventuresome by getting a job working for eccentric local film producer Dennis ( Charles Rocket).

A Review From The New York Times

by John J. O'Connor
Published:September 22, 1992

In "Flying Blind," Neil Barash is played by Corey Parker, who once played Melissa's young lover in "Thirtysomething." Just out of college and unable to find a job, Neil is forced to go work with his father, Jeremy (Michael Tucci), at a snack-food company, where he will explore the mysteries of market research and junk food. That's by day.

Then Neil meets Alicia (Tia Leoni), described more or less accurately by one of her inevitably flaky roommates as "great, funny, sexy, the best -- she'll kill ya." Can Neil be happy living with his anxiety-ridden parents in Long Island ("It may not be a paradise," he maintains, "but there are some lovely areas") while Alicia beckons from decadent Manhattan? Talk about culture clashes.

Fox has been down this road before, complete with frequent daydreaming sequences, in "Herman's Head" and countless look-alikes. Created by Richard Rosenstock, "Flying Blind" came up with one of the new season's more savvy pilots but, as episodes float by, the specter of a rut becomes more pronounced. Where do Neil and Alicia go from here? Being uninhibited simply isn't enough, especially when the supposedly promiscuous heroine tells the panting hero that "with you, it would be more delicious to wait." Next Sunday the writers, clearly sensing trouble, send Neil out on a date with another woman. Let's hope no one says "she'll kill ya."

An Article from USA TODAY
Published on March 26, 1993

Parker feels Fox turns a blind eye to his 'Flying'

By Jefferson Graham
USA TODAY

HOLLYWOOD-Here's a story about the flip side of the Hollywood dream.

It's about a guy who quit school to act , did impressive work in the theater, moved to Los Angeles and nabbed good roles in Bioxi Blues and Thirtysomething, and then, at age 27, got his own series, Fox's Flying Blind, which airs Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

But to hear Corey Parker tell it, the dreams were better than the reality.

As 22 weeks of the critically acclaimed but low-rated series wind down , with no clue as to whether Fox will renew the show , Parker has harsh things to say about his network, and about a series that he feels never lived up to the potential of its pilot.

" Its been frustrating working for a network that doesn't pay attention to their show," Parker says. " We feel like we have no support, like we're just there to fill the time slot."

Specifically , in a charge that other shows have also leveled at Fox, Parker says Blind has received little promotion. " Watch on Sunday night sometime," he says. " All of the shows are promoted up to Herman's Head at 9:30. Then it just stops."

Blind is a fantasy about a nebbish named Neil and Alicia ( Tea Leoni), the most beautiful gal in town. The two moved in together, but the following week, he moved out. Now, Parker says he doesn't know where the character is living-the producers haven't said.

After playing a nerd in Bioxi, Parker was reticent about doing another one in Blind. But newly divorced and the father of a 3-year old boy, he needed to work. He read a lot of scripts and Flying hit a nerve.

" There was so much dreck out there," he says. " This script was really funny."

Producers were on the brink of canceling the project if they couldn't find their guy.

" I went to Fox to read for the executives and the producers coached me on how to do it," he says. " Because the pressure was really on."

Parker got the role , even though he never auditioned or even read with Leoni. They met on the first day of filming.

Once the show got started, Parker was hoping his character would develop more. " I think I should challenge her instead of fawning all over her. It shouldn't just be he's the geek and she's the sex goddess."

Maybe it's the weather. Maybe Parker has the 'gee, I'm exhausted blues.' Whatever, Parker and sitcoms just don't seem to be a great match.

" I came from the theater," he says . " There it was always 'the plays the thing.' In Hollywood, it's easy for egos to dictate how a show is produced."

A renewal for next season is a question mark, and Parker has no clue to which way Fox is leaning. Asked if he wants it to return, Parker asys, " It really doesn't matter. I don't have a choice. They have me under contract for many years."

For more on Flying Blind go to http://www.sff.net/people/rothman/GBF/flyingblind.htm

For another page devoted to Flying Blind go to http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/05/25/short-lived-shows-flying-blind/

For a Webpage dedicated to Tea Leoni go to http://www.unmistakables.com/_t_/tea_leoni/

For another Website dedicated to Tea Leoni go to http://www.geocities.com/tealeoni2/

To watch the opening and closing credits of Flying Blind go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKAqmkbIA5Q