History Series / CentralParkWest

* YourCheatingHeart: Occurs frequently.
** Much of the first season is motivated by Carrie repeatedly attempting to seduce Mark behind his wife's back.
** Peter is dumped by Alex (initially) after she catches him in ([[NotWhatItLooksLike what she thinks is]]) a one-night stand.
** Allan has been repeatedly cheating on his wife with a much-younger woman, Nikki Sheridan.
** Rachel is said in-universe to have done this against her husband in the U.K., and then does the same thing to Gil towards the end of the series when she cheats on him with Tyler Brock.

** Mark's career as a playwright is constantly talked up by other characters throughout the first season, even though the audience never sees any evidence of his work or the play he wrote in action. It may also be a case of StylisticSuck, as Mark repeatedly struggles to find a person who will bankroll and produce his play and a fellow writer/producer has to be paid by Stephanie to take a look at it. When the audience finally gets to see Mark's work (in the series finale, as Jordan Tate is reading it), it comes off as disposable supermarket literature.

* JustInTime: Subverted; the series finale involves Mark taking Carrie hostage at her Hamptons home and attempting to kill her by staging her death as a suicide (via tying her to a chair and trying to make her shoot herself). When authorities (who were tipped off to what's happening) arrive at her home and try to bust in, she uses the distraction to free herself from her bonds and struggle over the gun with Mark.. and by the time the police get in, she's already shot him dead.

* MelodramaticPause

** The first season ends with Stephanie scoring a decisive victory over Rachel by producing a "fashion sucks" issue of ''Communique'', then opting to move back to Seattle with Mark. The second season ultimately has Mark relay to Carrie and Gil that Stephanie ultimately split from Mark. This was caused by Muriel Hemingway ultimately deciding not to renew her contract at the end of the first season.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Series/SexAndTheCity''. Darren Star met author Candace Bushnell during production of ''CPW'', and would later team up with her to bring the aforementioned series to TV, basing lead character Carrie Bradshaw on Creator/MadchenAmick's character, Carrie Fairchild (to the extent that they both have the same job -- a newspaper columnist).

* PutOnABus: Stephanie and Peter. The former was written off immediately at the beginning of the second season (as a result of Muriel Hemingway opting for an exit clause in her contract) and the latter was sent off to hide in South America four episodes later.

* RuleOfPool: Deliberately invoked in the second season.

* ShootTheMoney: Many of the scenes filmed in the downtown area include long panning shots, expansive cinematography and wide-angles. Given how much it was costing per episode to film in NYC, this was expected.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: The character Nikki Sheridan, who has her own art gallery and is involved in an [[TheMasochismTango antagonistic tryst]] with Peter's stepfather, Allan Rush, while trying to buy a piece of art from him. The whole story climaxes a season-and-a-half later with Allan ordering an assassin to kill Nikki, but said assassin has second thoughts and tells her to run away instead.
* ShotgunWedding: Alex and Peter
* StalkerWithACrush: Mark Merrill and Alex

* TeacherStudentRomance: Between Peter and a student in his law class.

''CPW'' had the misfortune of being greenlit right after one of CBS' worst television seasons ever: 1994-95, when Fox's acquired partial rights to broadcast NFL games. Many local affiliate stations departed to Fox because of this move; the shifts left CBS with programming that primarily attracted an older audience. ''Central Park West'' was part of CBS's attempt to rebrand itself and appeal to younger viewers. However, despite a huge marketing push - it was the most promoted new show in years - and an attempt to portray the show as the SpiritualSuccessor to 80's soap operas like ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', ''Series/{{Dynasty|1981}}'' and ''Series/KnotsLanding'', the ratings didn't climb.

* CatFight: Linda Fairchild and Dianna Brock in the second season. Complete with them falling into a [[Series/{{Dynasty}} pool]].

''CPW'' had the misfortune of being greenlit right after one of CBS' worst television seasons ever: 1994-95, when Fox's acquired partial rights to broadcast NFL games. Many local affiliate stations departed to Fox because of this move; the shifts left CBS with programming that primarily attracted an older audience. ''Central Park West'' was part of CBS's attempt to rebrand itself and appeal to younger viewers. However, despite a huge marketing push - it was the most promoted new show in years - and an attempt to portray the show as the SpiritualSuccessor to 80's soap operas like ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', ''Series/{{Dynasty}}'' and ''Series/KnotsLanding'', the ratings didn't climb.

* YourCheatingHeart: Seen multiple times throughout the series. Gil and Rachel's relationship revolves around this, Stephanie eventually leaves New York because of Mark's affair with Carrie, and Peter and Alex's relationship begins with her briefly leaving after mistakenly thinking he slept with someone he met at a bar.

The series centered around the Fairchild siblings (played by [[Series/TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]] and Creator/JohnBarrowman), the stepchildren of the wealthy editor of the trendy New York-based fashion magazine ''Communique''. Carrie Fairchild (Amick) works as a columnist at ''Communique'', while Peter Fairchild (Barrowman) works as a high-powered attorney. As the series begins, editor Stephanie Wells (Muriel Hemingway) takes control of the magazine while coming into conflict with Carrie. The group becames immersed in a world of backstabbing socialites, sex, drama and intrigue while working to further their own careers and ambitions.

''CPW'' had the misfortune of being greenlit right after one of CBS' worst television seasons ever (1994-95), where many stations departing to Fox because of that network grabbing NFL rights from CBS didn't care a wit to market it, and stations coming into CBS just wanted people to know they existed first before promoting anything. Despite a huge marketing push (geared towards younger viewers, it was the most promoted new show in years) and an attempt to portray the show as the SpiritualSuccessor to 80's soap operas like ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', ''Series/{{Dynasty}}'' and ''Series/KnotsLanding'', the ratings didn't climb.

The series centered around the Fairchild siblings (played by [[Series/TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]] and Creator/JohnBarrowman), the stepchildren of the wealthy editor of the trendy New York-based fashion magazine. ''Communique''. Carrie Fairchild (Amick) works as a columnist at ''Communique'', while Peter Fairchild (Barrowman) works as a high-powered attorney. As the series begins, editor Stephanie Wells (Muriel Hemingway) takes control of the magazine while coming into conflict with Carrie. The group becames immersed in a world of backstabbing socialites, sex, drama and intrigue while working to further their own careers and ambitions.

The series centered around the Fairchild siblings (played by [[Series/TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]] and Creator/JohnBarrowman), the stepchildren of the wealthy editor of a trendy New York-based fashion magazine. Carrie Fairchild ([[Series/TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]]) works as a columnist at the fashion magazine ''Communique'', while Peter Fairchild (Creator/JohnBarrowman) works as a high-powered attorney. As the series begins, magazine editor Stephanie Wells (Muriel Hemingway) and her husband, playwright Mark Merrill, move to the city and she takes control of the magazine while coming into conflict with Carrie. The group becames immersed in a world of backstabbing socialites, sex, drama and intrigue while working to further their own careers and ambitions.

* ButtMonkey: Rachel (the fashion editor at ''Communique'') hits this trope with record speed during the first season. She's hit with a divorce settlement when her infidelity are caught on tape, she's thrown out of Carrie's apartment because she framed the latter for something she didn't do, thrown out of her hotel because she can't pay her bills, is scared that she'll be deported for not having a valid passport, has several schemes backfire spectacularly on her, is rejected ''twice'' by Peter (even after she openly admits her feelings for him), gets fired shortly after she finally takes control of Communique, and is made a laughing stock when the former editor produces a "fashion sucks" issue of the magazine that puts her clothing-themed editorial supplement to shame. All this happens before she humiliates herself in order to get her old job back at the very beginning of the second season.

* ChickMagnet: Peter. Despite the fact that other people claim that he's the biggest bachelor in New York, he states that he's not the type of person who sleeps around, even though several women are seen eyeballing him (including Alex, and one other woman he nearly brings him for a one-night stand) throughout the first season.

* InformedAbility: Mark's career as a playwright is constantly talked up by other characters throughout the first season, even though the audience never sees any evidence of his work or the play he wrote in action. It may also be a case of StylisticSuck, as Mark repeatedly struggles to find a person who will bankroll and produce his play and a fellow writer/producer has to be paid by Stephanie to take a look at it.

** Nikki runs away after the assassin ordered to kill her has second thoughts.

* TheMasochismTango: Rachel and Gil (Peter best friend). The way they're written, the two characters are supposed to be totally at odds with each other, yet they keep playing emotional and sexual games with each other over the course of the series.

* PutOnABus: Stephanie and Peter. The former was written off immediately at the beginning of the second season (as a result of Muriel Hemingway opting for an exit clause in her contract) and the latter was sent off to hide in South America two episodes later.
* ReallyGetsAround: Both Carrie and Rachel have this reputation in-universe. One character even notes that Rachel's divorce proceedings read like "the complete works of Creator/JackieCollins".

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney

* WillTheyOrWontThey: Peter and Alex, for the first half of season 1.

* CatFight: Linda Fairchild and Dianna Brock in the second season. Complete with them falling into a [[{{Dynasty}} pool]].

''CPW'' had the misfortune of being greenlit right after one of CBS' worst television seasons ever (1994-95), where many stations departing to Fox because of that network grabbing NFL rights from CBS didn't care a wit to market it, and stations coming into CBS just wanted people to know they existed first before promoting anything. Despite a huge marketing push (geared towards younger viewers, it was the most promoted new show in years) and an attempt to portray the show as the SpiritualSuccessor to 80's soap operas like ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', ''{{Dynasty}}'' and ''KnotsLanding'', the ratings didn't climb.

The series centered around the Fairchild siblings (played by [[TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]] and Creator/JohnBarrowman), the stepchildren of the wealthy editor of a trendy New York-based fashion magazine. Carrie Fairchild ([[Series/TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]]) works as a columnist at the fashion magazine ''Communique'', while Peter Fairchild (Creator/JohnBarrowman) works as a high-powered attorney. As the series begins, magazine editor Stephanie Wells (Muriel Hemingway) and her husband, playwright Mark Merrill, move to the city and she takes control of the magazine while coming into conflict with Carrie. The group becames immersed in a world of backstabbing socialites, sex, drama and intrigue while working to further their own careers and ambitions.

* AxCrazy: Alex (Peter's girlfriend) suddenly goes crazy after Peter discovers her fake pregnancy scheme, so she tries to stab him to death in their apartment. She ends up [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome dying] soon afterwards.
* TheBeautifulElite: The series follows characters who all work in high-profile jobs (Wall Street, magazine publishing, art sales) and get caught up in each other's machinations and problems.stead.

* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrom: Alex lasts long enough into the second season to have a couple scenes, then undergoes SanitySlippage and attempts to murder Peter when he finds out about her pregnancy scheme. It doesn't work, and she [[HoistByYourOwnPetard falls onto the knife and dies instead]].

* AxCrazy: Alex (Peter's girlfriend) suddenly goes crazy after Peter discovers her fake pregnancy scheme, so she tries to stab him to death in their apartment. She ends up [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome dying]] in* TheBeautifulElite: The series follows characters who all work in high-profile jobs (Wall Street, magazine publishing, art sales) and get caught up in each other's machinations and problems.stead.

''Central Park West'' (also known as ''CPW'') was an American prime time television soap opera that ran from September 1995 to June 1996 on Creator/{{CBS}}. The series centered around the Fairchild siblings (played by [[TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]] and Creator/JohnBarrowman), the stepchildren of the wealthy editor of a trendy New York-based fashion magazine. The two became immersed in a world of backstabbing socialites, sex, drama and intrigue while working to further their own careers and ambitions.

The series was created and executive produced by ''Series/MelrosePlace'''s Darren Star, and was set in the affluent Central Park West area of Manhattan, [[BigApplesauce New York]]. When the show premiered, it boasted a cast of heavyweight drama actors (including Lauren Hutton and Mariel Hemingway, among others).

!!This show contains examples of:

* AbortedArc / LeftHanging: The series ends with one supporting character dead, one main character in limbo, several character arcs unfinished and a cliffhanger ending.
* AlmostKiss
* AxCrazy: Alex (Peter Fairchild's girlfriend) who suddenly goes crazy in the second season after Peter discovers her fake pregnancy scheme, so she tries to stab him to death in their apartment. She ends up [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome dying]] instead.

* ButtMonkey: Rachel Dennis (the fashion editor at ''Communique'') hits this trope with record speed during the first season. She's hit with a divorce settlement when rumors of her infidelity are caught on tape, thrown out of her hotel because she can't pay her bills, is scared that she'll be deported for not having a valid passport, has several schemes backfire spectacularly on her, is rejected ''twice'' by Peter (even after she openly admits her feelings for him), gets fired shortly after she finally takes control of Communique, and is made a laughing stock when the former editor produces a "fashion sucks" issue of the magazine that puts her clothing-themed editorial supplement to shame. All this happens before she humiliates herself in order to get her old job back.

* ClingyJealousGirl: Deanne, who tries to win Gil back after he dumps her, and ends up trying to sabotage his career after he rejects her advances.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Mark (Stephanie's husband) is killed by his own gun after he ties Carrie up and plans on making her death look like a suicide.

** Deanne disappears after making Gil's life a living hell and doesn't appear again for the rest of the series.

* TheMasochismTango: Rachel and Gil (Peter Fairchild's best friend). The way they're written, the two characters are supposed to be totally at odds with each other, yet they keep playing emotional and sexual games with each other over the course of the series.

* RichBitch

* ShootTheShaggyDog: The character Nikki Sheridan, who is attempting to open up her own art gallery and wants to buy an art piece from Carrie and Peter's stepfather, Allan. The whole story climaxes a season-and-a-half later with Allan ordering an assassin to kill Nikki, but said assassin has second thoughts and tells her to run away instead.

* WhatTheHellHero: Alex's editors give her this (and subsequently fire her as a result) when she runs with a story that turns out to be based on false information. Notable for the fact that the person who supplied her with this information (Peter) [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realized he was playing her]] and tried to stop her, but she didn't listen.

* FollowUpFailure: Much like ''Models Inc'', ''CPW'' was a failed attempt by Darren Star to create a SequelSeries to ''Series/MelrosePlace''.

* MissingEpisode: Half of the second-season episodes only aired on international stations.
* NetworkToTheRescue: CBS spent so much money making the show (the first season alone cost roughly $13-15 million, at a million per episode plus advertising) that when it suffered in the ratings, they had no choice but to stick with it in the hope that it would get better.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Linda Fairchild's relationship with Allan; he doesn't get along with her daughter Carrie.
* PutOnABus: Stephanie and Peter

* ShootTheShaggyDog: The character Nikki Sheridan, who is attempting to open up her own art gallery and wants to buy an art piece from Carrie and Peter's stepfather, Allan. The whole story climaxes with Allan ordering an assassin to kill Nikki, but said assassin has second thoughts and tells her to run away instead.

''Central Park West'' (also known as ''CPW'') was an American prime time television soap opera that ran from September 1995 to June 1996 on Creator/{{CBS}}. The series centered around the Fairchild siblings (played by [[TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]] and JohnBarrowman), the stepchildren of the wealthy editor of a trendy New York-based fashion magazine. The two became immersed in a world of backstabbing socialites, sex, drama and intrigue while working to further their own careers and ambitions.

''Central Park West'' (also known as ''CPW'') was an American prime time television soap opera that ran from September 1995 to June 1996 on {{CBS}}. The series centered around the Fairchild siblings (played by [[TwinPeaks Madchen Amick]] and JohnBarrowman), the stepchildren of the wealthy editor of a trendy New York-based fashion magazine. The two became immersed in a world of backstabbing socialites, sex, drama and intrigue while working to further their own careers and ambitions.

''CPW'' had the misfortune of being greenlit right after one of CBS' worst television seasons ever (1994-95), where many stations departing to Fox because of that network grabbing NFL rights from CBS didn't care a wit to market it, and stations coming into CBS just wanted people to know they existed first before promoting anything. Despite a huge marketing push (geared towards younger viewers, it was the most promoted new show in years) and an attempt to portray the show as the SpiritualSuccessor to 80's soap operas like ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', ''{{Dynasty}}'' and ''{{Knots Landing}}'', the ratings didn't climb.

* {{Shotgun Wedding}}: Alex and Peter

* StealthParody: During the final string of episodes in season 2, it became clear (both to the writers and the viewers) that the show would soon be cancelled due to its low ratings. The writers apparently decided to go for broke, as a number of StealthParody elements were written into the scripts. Dianna Brock comments on the ridiculousness of her relationship with a fellow business tycoon and mocks the most over-the-top elements of the story - in one episode, she calls Peter (who killed his wife and fled the country) a "''little wife-killer''" to his '''mother'''. The normally-stoic playwright Mark Merrill turns into a raging psychopath who microwaves puppies and stalks the main character. There's a CatFight between two of the supporting females, along with commentary by other characters on how insane the whole incident is. An assassin is hired to kill an art gallery owner at the insistence of a magazine publisher. This continued all the way to the finale, which never aired in the U.S. due to its cancellation.