User Reviews

As I sit here in Wisconsin 18 years later watching and listening to the heavy rain fall against my office window, I'm brought back to the hurricane episode of this fantastic show! How many times in our lives have we wanted to escape it all...drive our car into the ocean and follow our heart.....

So sad that the powers that be never allowed this little diamond to reveal more of its magic. 18 years later and I can still pull up the emotion of this show. I cant say that about much over the years. I hope that someday this finds its way onto DVD.

Funny thing is...I read a comment from someone who lived in Columbus Ohio at the same time my neighbors were privy to the "..oh...oh OH NO!!" emanating from my college apartment due to the interrupting baseball programming mid show... Please Fox...release this on video!

Yay!! Finally. I loved the quirkiness of the characters and the stories. Can't wait to reacquaint myself.

Here we are 18 years after this show and I still remember it. A short run with fair success in its time slot. However, at the time, I think all comedy shows were judged to be either Seinfeld or "Not Seinfeld". I remember being shocked that Key West got dumped. It really was a smart show with a unique premise. I wonder if Fox just couldn't figure out what type of show it was. Since it had elements of comedy, romance, drama, it's possible that the show just slid through the cracks at Fox and right down the drain. I can't figure it out.

For fans of Jennifer Tilly, this was Jen at her absolute sexiest. She played a southern belle turned hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold. Since then, Savannah has lived only in my memories.

The fact that I still remember this after ten years is a testament to its quality. Little gems like this always get lost in the confusion of TV board room decisions, I suppose. The plot was unique and interesting. In fact, I always thought of Key West (the island) a little more fondly after seeing this series. Quirky and charming, this short lived, thoughtful comedy had much to give to television and was robbed of its potential. Combining sunshine, humor and free thinking as always something worth watching. Ah well, quality television is now all but completely restricted to channels that you must pay for. Obviously, interesting adventures such as this could never survive on broadcast television.

I am right now watching "The Big Chill" on DVD. One of its actors is Meg Tilly. I looked it up on IMDb which led me to reading Meg's bio which mentioned and reminded me of Meg's sister Jennifer Tilly whose filmography included "Key West", which was one of my wife's and my favorite shows. I then read this entire thread of reviews.

Wow, I really loved that show also and agree with all of the sentiments about the quirkiness and uniqueness of the characters and situations.

As most everyone else, I wish it was on DVD or otherwise available.

The last reviewer says he watches it on reruns so I wish I knew what network, channel, day, times it is on.

So if anyone knows how we can watch episodes of "Key West", please let us know.

Key West, for too short a time was "appointment TV" for my family. I'd stop by Red Lobster and pick up a Party Tray for the night it was on. The irony of the situation was that I was working for a Fox Affiliate at the time, and every one at the station was incensed at them not renewing the show. Everyone in that cast was excellent. Fisher Stevens... perfect. Who couldn't fail to identify with an "everyman" who dreams of being a writer in Key West? Jennifer Tilly was always remarkable (and she is one HECK of a Texas Hold'em Player). You can still find the pilot episode on YouTube. Wish they'd post the Hurricane one. That episode alone, should have won an Emmy, as well as the rest of the cast.

The biggest problem that the TV program Key West faced was that it was advertised wrong. If you saw the ads you would think it was a jiggle how, and be sorely disappointed. It was a vastly more complex show than that.

I happened to be in Key West just before Hurricane Andrew hit, and I think I actually found myself having a drink or two with some of the cast in Rum Runners. Of course, that was before the show hit. I did see the sailboat that was in the opening go by a few times, and chatted with the guy who you see hacking up coconuts in the opening too. HE was a real local. Yes, I'd love to see this on DVD.

We all seem to be in agreement. It was an excellent show and let die way before it's time. I've decided that if I really enjoy a show, it's often the kiss of death. I love the quirky, ensemble cast shows, and a great setting always helps. I really expected to see a lot of these stars in other television productions, but short of Mariska Hagartay who played Fisher Stephens crazy girlfriend, I've not seen many of them except in occasional cameo roles. What a shame.

Key West, Northern Exposure, Gilmore Girls, and Veronica Mars... all great shows, all sadly gone before their time.

Hear us, loud and clear, we want Key West on DVD..... please.

I loved this show. Too bad it only lasted for a few months. Key West was funny and creative. Plus being always summer brought me in. It's about a individual who leaves the big city and heads off to the Caribbean or Key West Florida. Jennifer Tilly the local lady for hire was funny and glamorous. Each episode brought life for an hour to a hum drum life.

Such a shame that this wonderful bright spot on the small screen had such talent in writers and actors, such wonderful scenery that was the ultimate escapism for those in a land locked, sun deprived state. Many of the actors went on to bigger things...another indicator that there was something wonderful sadly lost. I lived in Columbus, Ohio at the time, with all of my (now ex) husband's very large family in a chorus of 'NO NO!!' every time it would be yet again taken over by a baseball game broadcast.

Someone who wrote here mentioned it was up against 'Rosanne'...all my ex and I noticed was that it was always always always preempted by BASEBALL!!!! Yes, FOX really wasted something wonderful that one and nothing will ever equal it~! Thank you for the memories of it.

I think that "Key West" might do well as a DVD. There probably are a lot of failed Star Treks that just never had a chance to succeed. We will never know if this could have been a great series. I would love to know if there is a way to see older shows like this or are they just another Hollywood footnote? Is it possible to find copies of these shows so that we loyal oddballs can enjoy them again? The show had a great writing talent and some if not all of the episodes left you with a feel for the characters that is often missing in todays hit shows.I often came away with a sense of learning something from the story lines and greatly entertained by the very unique characters. Thank You.

Fisher Stevens does a good Hawkeye as the rugged writer, Jennifer Tilly is nervous and cutesy as a girl hiding out from a convent.. a topless blonde dancer spends the night next to him where she completely trusts him alone for platonic reasons.. blah, blah, stagey monologues rattle on.. Is it too much to ask for a little realism and believability? Are their clothes really glued on when they sleep at night?

My little sister and I didn't know what was different about Key West, but we watched it faithfully, and were mightily disgruntled when it disappeared without apology. The characters, the colors, the dialogue, and some other unnameable thing made this show unforgettable. I'd say 'haunting,' but it wouldn't convey the quiet smile I find when I remember the way Jennifer Tilly said, "Seamus, Baby," when he had that awful fever, or the upbeat-but-not-sappy way the (kooky, but r e a l ) characters interacted. If someone knows where this is available on DVD, I know two nostalgic 20-somethings who'll buy it up in a minute flat.

Agree that this was one of the best episodes of this show. I remember the series well as I was in the Florida Keys when the show had its debut. I was looking through old VCR tapes that were "keepers" and came across two that had about eight episodes. I ended up spending part of Christmas night (and the next) watching these shows. The singer was Bankie Banx - saw his name come up on the credits. He's from Anguilla and owns a beach front bar called The Dune Preserve. He's a longtime friend of Jimmy Buffett and Bankie's classic song "Still In Paradise" is featured on the latest Buffett CD/DVD combo called "Live In Anguilla" - it is track #12 on CD 1 and #8 on the CD. I too would like to someday see this short lived series come out on DVD. Keep the faith!

This series, while idealized and fictionalized, has the quirkiness, sultriness, and good-heartedness that does come from living on an island.

I lived in an out of the way part of Hawaii for a few years and found some hilarious, quirky, and fun people in some remote (non-tourist) areas.

Every time I see the reruns of this series, I fondly compare my memories of experiences in out-of-the-way parts of Hawaii with the memories portrayed and fictionalized in Key West.

This series is not reality television. I hate reality television.

It is from the era when people still wrote creative TV shows. Give me a "young writer" who takes their inspiration from the "angels in the spray, wizards in the palm trees and elves in the seashells" any day.

This was one of Fox Networks first shows as I recall. I always stopped what ever it was I was doing and found a TV to see it. When it was canceled after 13 episodes I felt like I had lost my best friend(s).

OH, and if "Retrogasm" is still looking the singer in episode 7 was Bankie Banx. ..... I have the Lyrics :)

"Key West" is very close to my heart for many reasons, and "heart" is at the center of what made the series so memorable.

Episode 7, "Act of God", is well remembered as "the hurricane episode". The singer that several have asked about is Bankie Banx, and he is from Anguilla. The "beautiful haunting" song that he performs as the hurricane approaches is called "Edge of Darkness". It was released on Bankie's album, "Mighty Wind" in 1996, three years after the series ended.

Episode 12, "The System" (aka: "the cigar factory episode"), features another Bankie Banx tune. "Island Boy" plays behind the opening scene on a seemingly normal, busy day at Gumbo's Bar: JoJo is shooting pool, Flame is doing an erotic dance, Gumbo is serving food & drinks, Savannah whispers in the ear of a young sailor, and Seamus uses all of this as inspiration for a human-interest newspaper article. The article leads to the bar being closed. This song is the title track from Bankie's 1991 album.

The series theme and all background music comes from Dan Wool's excellent "Pray For Rain". These little touches add to a fine cast, engaging stories, high production qualities, and "paradise" location. Who wouldn't want to live in "Key West"?

I only discovered this show recently and am disappointed that they only made 13 episodes.

Each episode has 2-4 different story lines going at once about the inhabitants of Key West and they tend to not be your average kind of stories.

While Fisher Stevens plays the perfect central character, it was really an ensemble show and what a strange ensemble they were.

This was a great show. I've never seen reruns. The whole concept was great. Don't you get tired of same old same old cop/detective/hospital/lawyer shows? This was awesome. Jenifer Tilley was the prostitute at the end of the bar which had a live alligator in a pen. Fisher Steven was a Hemingway Want-to-be who'd hit the lotto and moved to Key West and started working for a local News Paper. This was a great comedy! I'm very sad that it died after one season. I've never forgotten it after all these years. It made me a fan of Fisher Stevens and Jenifer Tilley. The last thing I recall Fisher in was Morning Edition which was also a great, short-lived show. Sad

Both my husband and I watched Key West with great pleasure...his might have had a lot to do with Jennifer Tilly, who was amazingly attractive in this series. Every character was perfect, the writing was great, the music was wonderful. Today, this series would be like "Scrubs"; a gem to be discovered and given time to catch on. If we had had any idea it would be cancelled so prematurely we would certainly taped every episode. One of my fondest wishes is to finally see a boxed set (videos or DVD) available. Is there anyone or any company that we might all contact to make that happen? Even better, rerunning the series on a cable station...now that gives me hope. Thanks so much for giving me an opportunity to talk about this wonderful series.

When the Fox network was just starting out, they weren't afraid to take chances with unusual material and this is the best example. From the first episode, it was natural to see a resemblance to the contemporaneous "Northern Exposure" (1990), with Seamus as the fish-out-of water corresponding to Dr. Joel Fleischman. But then you hit Episode 3, "The Great Unknown", and you know things aren't going to be the same. This is the unlikeliest thing in the world: Magical Realism successfully translated to an American television program. It will probably never be accomplished again. This series richly deserves to be made available on tape or DVD.

This was one show which never got a fair break. It didn't stand a chance against "Rosanne" which at the time was one of the top rated shows on TV. TV Guide's reviewer hated it, and I wrote them a letter saying that he needed to get a pitcher full of margaritas and sit on a Key West pier and do some stargazing. Whether or not he did, who knows?

Although the real Key West is not as simple a place as is was depicted in this series, they did a good job of capturing its magic. I taped all of the episodes and have about worn them out since 1993. (HEY FOX: HOW ABOUT PUTTING THE SHOW ON VIDEO!!!)

Even after all this time I still wonder what Seamus,Cody,Gumbo, and all the rest are doing now. It is a true shame that the show never had a chance to continue. I particularly enjoyed the episode where Cole's father dropped out of the Bermuda Triangle after being missing for forty years. I always felt that this was the last one made (though not the last one shown) because Hunter Farmer vanished into the Triangle himself. I even wrote a story which explains what happened to him.

Seamus O'Neill was someone I could identify with. Like him, I have dreamed from time to time of being a writer and moving to Key West. And like him, I work in a factory and hope for better things. This show was a wonderful escape from the hum-drum of the so-called "real" world -- something we all need from time to time.

I wish Fox would at least rerun all of the episodes; if they gave it a good time slot, they may be surprised.

Sebastian Knowlton's comments were right on the money: Fox, as usual, short-changed the fans of an innovative series and left us with nothing but fond memories. We never even got re-runs, so if we weren't recording it as it was broadcast, memories are all that's left.

I like many of you loved the series Key West, but the Hurricane episode really touched me. BUT does anyone know who the guy was singing in that episode? He was Jamaican? maybe but sang a beautiful haunting song as the storm came.

I watched that show religiously when it first aired. So far I cannot find the series on DVD or even find many people (except here) that remember that show. Jennifer Tilly was awesome. I have been to Key West and drank in the wonderful bars that Hemmingway drank in. I almost moved there once too.

Thanks for any help with this song.

Which is, unfortunately, mostly what succeeds on TV these days. Shows such as Key West are just too intelligent, and go over the head of Average Joe TV Viewer (or Average Joe TV Executive). With all the proliferation and specialization of TV channels these days, maybe some day we can have an "Intelligent TV Channel" where shows like these can flourish and those too dim to "get it" can just remove it from their channel rotation.

Key West was smart, funny and *very* quirky. No fart jokes or pratfalls, which is probably why it didn't succeed; just a continuous, surreal humor. I didn't even mind that it starred the despicable Denise Crosby. It seemed fitting that she should not only end up in this loony bin, but be in charge of it.

Any TV producers out there reading this -- there's an idea for you. Create an "Intelligent TV Channel", and give us shows like this, or Max Headroom, Brimstone, Cupid, etc. You could even call it that, as a dig at the mindless drivel that pours off the screen most of the time.