knightni Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 24. (tie) How I Met Your Mother (2005-present) (4 of 18 lists - 47 points - highest ranking #4 Brian) How I Met Your Mother (or HIMYM) is an American situation comedy that premiered on CBS Broadcasting on September 19, 2005. The show was created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays. The series is based around the main character, Ted Mosby, telling his son and daughter about the events that led to his meeting their mother. How I Met Your Mother's other main characters are Marshall Eriksen, Robin Scherbatsky, Barney Stinson, and Lily Aldrin. Thomas and Bays drew from their friendship in creating the characters, with Ted based loosely on Bays and Marshall and Lily based loosely on Thomas and his wife. The character Barney Stinson has been compared to Fonzie in Happy Days, in which a secondary "breakout character" often takes over much of the focus of the episodes. Production Inspired by "our friends and the stupid stuff we did in New York," How I Met Your Mother is Bays and Thomas' idea. The duo's first concept about "an Enron executive who gets sentenced by the judge to go teach at an inner-city high school" was discarded because neither writer wanted to research the subject.[5] The theme tune to the show is from the song Hey Beautiful by The Solids, of which Carter Bays and Craig Thomas are members. Episodes generally start with the opening credit screen. However, a cold opening has been used more often recently, especially in season three. Viewers then occasionally see Ted's children on a couch and hear him talking to them, telling the story of how he met their mother. Alternatively we can just see scenes from previous shows or shots of New York City with Ted narrating over the top. The show explores the concepts of stories and storytelling usually with multiple flashbacks occurring each episode, a technique similar to that often employed in the earlier UK sitcom Coupling. This effect has been dubbed "deep frying" the story, a reference to the show's director, Pamela Fryman. This structure necessitates many more scenes than the average sitcom; therefore the show is not filmed before a live studio audience despite being shot in the traditional sitcom format. Laughter is not recorded until the episode is shown to an audience after it has been completely edited together. Sometimes, scenes would incorporate a studio audience depending on the set structures. The bar "MacLaren's" in which some of the show is set is based on a bar in New York called McGees. It has a mural that Carter Bays and Craig Thomas both liked and wanted to incorporate into the show. Cast Main characters * Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby * Jason Segel as Marshall Eriksen * Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky * Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson * Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin * Bob Saget (uncredited) as Future Ted Mosby (voice only) Recurring and guest stars * Adriana Lima as Herself * Alessandra Ambrosio as Herself * Alexis Denisof as Sandy Rivers * Amy Acker as Penelope * Ashley Williams as Victoria * Bob Barker as Himself * Britney Spears as Abby * Bryan Cranston as Hammond Druthers * Charlene Amoia as Wendy the Waitress * Danica McKellar as Trudy * David Henrie as Future Son * Emmitt Smith as Himself * Enrique Iglesias as Gael * George Clinton as Himself * Heidi Klum as Herself * James Van Der Beek as Simon * Jane Seymour as Marshall's lecturer * Joe Manganiello as Brad * Joe Nieves as Carl * John Cho as Jeff Coatsworth * Lindsay Price as Cathy * Lyndsy Fonseca as Future Daughter * Mandy Moore as Amy * Marisa Miller as Herself * Marshall Manesh as Ranjit * Megan Mullally as the voice of Barney's Mother * Miranda Kerr as Herself * Monique Edwards as Robin's News Program Producer * Morena Baccarin as Chloe * Orson Bean as Old Bob * Rich Fields as Himself * Sarah Chalke as Stella * Selita Ebanks as Herself * Steven Willison as Ted's old Roommate * Wayne Brady as James Stinson Season synopsis Season One In the year 2030, Ted Mosby (voiced by Bob Saget) gathers his daughter and son to tell them the story of how he met their mother. The story begins in 2005 with Ted (Josh Radnor) as a single, 27-year-old architect living with his two best friends from Wesleyan University, Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), a law student, and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), a kindergarten teacher, who have been dating for almost nine years when Marshall proposes. Their engagement causes Ted to think about marriage and finding his soul mate, much to the disgust of his friend Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), a womanizer with an unnamed corporate job. Ted begins his search for his perfect mate. He is introduced to the ambitious young reporter Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), when Barney plays the game he invented to introduce Ted to women: "Hi, have you met Ted?" Ted quickly falls for Robin, though she doesn't feel the same as he does. As the series progresses, Ted begins dating a baker, Victoria, whom he meets at a wedding, causing Robin to become jealous and realize she does have feelings for him. When Victoria moves to Germany for a fellowship, Ted almost cheats on her with Robin. The two then break up, and after a rough patch, he begins to date Robin at last. Meanwhile, Lily begins to wonder if she's missed any opportunities because of her relationship with Marshall, and decides to pursue an art fellowship in San Francisco, breaking up with Marshall in the process. Season Two Ted and Robin are finally a couple. The heartbroken Marshall must now go on and try to continue his life without Lily, and begins dating other people. Realizing she is not an artist, Lily returns to New York. She's reunited with Marshall, and the season culminates in their marriage. Barney loses a "slap bet," which permits Marshall to slap him in the face five times at any given time in the future, whenever Marshall chooses, which he has done two times through the course of this season. Ted and Robin decide to just be friends when they realize that they both want different things. It is revealed that Barney has a gay, black brother. They eventually find out that Robin was a Canadian teen pop star in the early 90s. Season Three Robin returns from a trip to Argentina, and Ted must adjust to life as just her friend. Marshall and Lily decide to move out on their own, falling in love with a place they can't afford. Marshall learns of Lily's bad credit rating due to her compulsive shopping. They are able to finally score their dream apartment despite this, only to discover the neighborhood is next to a sewage treatment plant. Coming to terms with this, they later also realize that the apartment is crooked. Barney is slapped for the third time on Thanksgiving, which Marshall dubs "Slapsgiving." Ted attempts to woo Stella (Sarah Chalke), a dermatologist he sees to remove an embarrassing tattoo. This culminates in a memorable "two-minute date," which incorporates small talk, dinner, a movie, coffee, and a goodnight kiss, all within two minutes. Meanwhile, an unknown woman begins to sabotage Barney's attempts to hook up. Robin sleeps with Barney after he comforts her following a break-up, which is followed by Ted's disapproval due to the breaking of the "Bro Code." After that, Ted decides not to be friends with Barney anymore. Barney's saboteur is revealed to be Abby (Britney Spears), Stella's receptionist, with a vengeance against Barney for not calling her after they had sex. She still wields a pseudo-psychotic fixation on Ted and does all she can to pursue him with the help of Barney who also still holds a grudge against Ted. In the last episode, "Miracles'" Ted and Barney renew their friendship after both Ted and Barney are involved in accidents (Ted is in a cab accident and comes out of it without a scratch. Barney is run over by a bus while rushing to find out if Ted's all right). At the end of the episode, Ted proposed to Stella. It has not been revealed whether Stella is the woman Ted marries. However, in the Episode "10 sessions," Stella reveals that she attended and left a party on St. Patrick's Day, which may have been the same one Ted attended. It is also heavily implied that Barney has feelings for Robin. In the episode "The Goat", we find out that, in the following year (when Ted turns 31), Robin will be living in Ted's apartment. Awards * Emmy Award: Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series (2006). * Emmy Award: Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (2006). * Emmy Award: Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Neil Patrick Harris). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 24. (tie) The King of Queens (1998-2007) (5 of 18 lists - 47 points - highest ranking #2 3E8) The King of Queens is an Emmy-nominated American sitcom that ran for nine seasons, from 1998 to 2007. The show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions in associaton with Columbia Pictures Television (1998-1999); Columbia TriStar Television (1999-2002); Sony Pictures Television (2002-2007) and filmed at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, USA. Plot summary Blue-collar couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan (Kevin James and Leah Remini) share their home in Rego Park, Queens, New York with Carrie's odd dad, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller). Doug, who makes a living as a delivery person for the International Parcel Service (IPS), spends most of his time at his home with wife Carrie. Carrie works as a secretary for a law firm in downtown Manhattan. This is complicated by Arthur, who can be quite a handful — so much so that they hired a dog walker, Holly (Nicole Sullivan), to look after him by walking him, with the dogs, in the local park. Doug hangs with his advice-giving buddies Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams), Spence Olchin (Patton Oswalt), Richie Iannucci (Larry Romano) and his cousin Danny Heffernan (Gary Valentine). His friend Spence is a Star Trek loving geek who isn't very savvy when it comes to women. Deacon Palmer is Doug's best friend, and can often be seen going to Knicks' games with Doug or just hanging out with Spence, Richie, and Danny. Carrie and Doug do good deeds (such as donating to charities or helping a person find a job), reconcile or apologize, or do something beneficial for themselves (such as selling a house, or investing in the stock market) often end up going completely wrong, and bad often humorously goes to worse, often leaving the characters in a stagnant position by the end of the episode. Unlike the traditional sit-com formula, the central conflict of many episodes is left unresolved at the end. The ending scene of most episodes is a very short joke that often is only tangentially related to the main story line. Award Nominations Emmy Awards: * Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Kevin James (2006) Image Awards: * Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Victor Williams (2007) People's Choice Awards: * Favorite TV Comedy (2007) * Favorite TV Comedy (2008) Characters * Doug Heffernan (played by Kevin James): Doug is an average parcel delivery man who exerts a rather light-hearted and oftentimes immature mentality. His misadventures are often always fueled by his immature mannerisms, screaming, and his love of food. He is usually bossed around by his wife, causing him to think of strange, intricate schemes in order to get what he wants, although they always manage to fall through in the end, causing constant squabbles between him and his wife Carrie. Doug's disobedience in eating fatty foods after Carrie has told him not to is another common reason why the two have some disagreements. He generally enjoys the simple pleasures of watching sports and playing poker with his friends. * Carrie Heffernan (played by Leah Remini): Carrie is Doug's beautiful wife. Carrie never went to college, but is a hard-working paralegal. Carrie's lust for shopping is often the basis of their arguments. She has also started problems for Doug in her constant attempts to make their realtionship and daily lives more poetic and meaningful, which usually involves his diet. Carrie's best friend is Deacon's wife, Kelly Palmer. She constantly pushes Doug to make more of himself and improve his morals, but often acts competitive and hypocritical, and can even be as unscrupulous as Doug. She's even been judged by Holly and Doug as being scary when she gets upset, and, during a flashback, finds that she is usually happier (she describes herself as never being truly happy) when others are miserable. * Arthur Spooner (played by Jerry Stiller): Carrie's widowed father Arthur is the classic oddball of the family. He lives in the basement of the Heffernan house because he accidentally set fire to his own home in the pilot episode. Arthur is mostly known for his incoherent irascible outbursts. He tells a lot of questionable stories of what he claims he's been through in his past. Arthur is usually seen causing regular chaos and getting on someone's bad side with his antics, craziness, and obnoxious behaviors. Carrie and Doug sometimes have trouble being romantic or just spending time together because Arthur will get in the way. Even with all of his bad behavior, Arthur deep-down has a heart of gold, which always manages to shine through, causing Doug and Carrie feel guilty about something in the end. Arthur also tries to cause trouble with and pick on Doug's friends. He's able to and often does towards Spence, but he is not as successful when he tries it towards Deacon, who often refers to him as "the old man." * Deacon Palmer (played by Victor Williams): As Doug's best friend, Deacon is the cooler and more responsible of the two, in addition to being the classic "family man." He is tall and athletic. Deacon and his wife Kelly have two sons named Major and Kirby. He's often seen hanging out with Doug, whether it's at their lunch break, over the weekend, or for a family gathering. Although he is often experiencing relationship problems, Deacon always has time to chill out and have fun. * Spence Olchin (played by Patton Oswalt): Spence, another friend of Doug's, is often viewed as the nerd of the group. Not only is he very paranoid, he also takes an interest in science fiction and comic book conventions--interests that his friends don't share. He is of Albanian heritage, and used to work as a subway token collector. In one episode, he is a "house boy" for Deacon and Kelly. This character is based heavily on the actor who plays him, Patton Oswalt.[citation needed] Spence may be the most tragic of the show's characters. He demonstrates being very intelligent and capable in a variety of intellectual pursuits, but he is haunted by his family history, his domineering and unstable mother, and his inability to assert himself with others. * Danny Heffernan (played by Gary Valentine): Danny Heffernan is Doug's cousin, and he is also seen hanging out with Doug, Spence, and Deacon. At the beginning of the show, Doug didn't like his cousin very much, and they were distant. As the show progressed, they become buddies, and regularly hang out along with Deacon and Spence. Danny even becomes Spence's roommate in a small apartment. The two often looked as if they were involved in a romantic relationship together, and they fought like a married couple. Danny also used to own a Pizza Place, and he is divorced. He once had the nickname "Stumpy," which was given to him by Doug. Gary Valentine and Kevin James are brothers in real life. They both created last names for acting. Valentine is his father's middle name. * Holly Shumpert (2001–2005, 2007) (played by Nicole Sullivan): Holly is a cheerful, yet insecure dog-walker hired by Doug and Carrie to walk Arthur. She is often seen arriving at the Heffernan house to pick up Arthur, but is also a family friend of the Heffernans. She is often viewed as a bit strange because of her habits and the men she dates (not to mention her habit of over-drinking, to which she openly confesses). In one episode, Holly asks Carrie, "What am I doing wrong? I give them money, I let them stay at my house." Overall, however, Holly is a gentle soul, especially when she puts up with Arthur's antics. Recurring characters * Kelly Palmer, Deacon's wife (played by Merrin Dungey): As Carrie's best friend, Kelly is Deacon's typically agreeable, soft-spoken wife, and the two of them have two children together. Kelly and Deacon have experienced some serious relationship problems, much more serious than the petty arguments between Doug and Carrie. On one occasion, Deacon mentions being hit in the head with a frying pan. Kelly's split with Deacon coincided with Merrin Dungey's appearance in the regular cast of the Jennifer Garner series Alias. * Richie Ianucchi (1998-2001) (played by Larry Romano): Richie was also one of Doug's closest friends, but was quietly written out of the show in the third season as per Romano's request to work on another sitcom. During the third season, he only appeared on one episode, called "Paint Misbehavin'". Richie was known as the ladies' man among Doug's friends, even admitting to sleeping with Doug's sister. Richie is an FDNY firefighter. * Sara Spooner (1998) (played by Lisa Rieffel): Sara was Carrie's irresponsible, wannabe-actress younger sister. The character of Sara Spooner had appeared in only 4 episodes (episodes 1,2,3,&6), and disappeared after that without any explanation or mention of her ever again. After the show started gaining popularity, Kevin James had been interviewed and was asked about what happened to Sara. James explained that the producers couldn't think of any story lines to develop Rieffel's character, so she was discontinued. In the episodes where she did appear, her character did not appear much, except for the pilot, where she was on camera for roughly half the episode. Future dialogue suggests that Sara Spooner never existed, and that Carrie is an only child. Minor characters * Stephanie Heffernan, Doug's sister (Ricki Lake) * Veronica Olchin, Spence's mother (Anne Meara) * Doug Pruzan, Carrie's former boss (Alex Skuby) * Joe Heffernan, Doug's father (Dakin Matthews) * Janet Heffernan, Doug's mother (Jenny O'Hara) * Supervisor Patrick O'Boyle, Doug's boss (Sam McMurray) * Lou Ferrigno, the Heffernan's next-door neighbor (2000–2007): Himself * Carla Ferrigno, Lou Ferrigno's wife (2000-2007): Herself * Denise Battaglia, Spence's girlfriend (Rachel Dratch) * Mr. Kaplan (Carrie's former boss) and Mr. Kaufman (Carrie's most recent boss) (Victor Raider-Wexler) * Kirby Palmer (Omari Lyles/Marshaun Daniel/Philip Bolden) * Major Palmer (Desmond Roberts) * Young Doug (Tyler Hendrickson) * Father McAndrew, priest at the Heffernan's Church (Joe Flaherty) * Tim Sacksky, the Heffernan's neighbor (Bryan Cranston): returned unexplained for one episode (3x22) after moving out in episode 2x22 due to ripping off Doug in a water filter pyramid scheme. After that, the Sacksky's were never heard of again. * Dorothy Sacksky, Heffernan neighbor (Dee Dee Rescher) * Mike Ross (Michael Lowry) * Debi Ross (Marcia Cross) * Mickey (Ford Rainey), a friend of Arthur's * Kim (Melissa Chan) * Amy (Christine Gonzales) * George Barksdale (Gerry Black) * Stu, Doug's uncle and Danny's father (Gavin MacLeod) * Jimmy, Doug's co-worker at IPS (Jimmy Shubert) * Duke, another of Doug's co-workers (Steve Tancora) * Georgia Boone, Carrie's boss (Lisa Banes) * Marc "Shmenkman" Shropshire (Sean O'Bryan) * Abby "Shmenkman" Shropshire (Elisa Taylor) * Rico (Angelo Pagan, Leah Remini's husband) works at IPS with Doug. Greets with "Hey, Jack!" * Kyle, Bianca, and Dave * Winthrop (Graham Phillips) * Tim Hofferman ( Jason Peirce), Doug gets the Hoffermans' pictures, and when he sees the Hoffermans in person, admits "They're fabulous!" * Noelle Hofferman (Louisette Geiss), Tim Hofferman's wife * Nick Bakay: Beginning in 2000, Bakay worked as a producer on the CBS hit comedy, The King of Queens, where he also wrote and acted in several episodes. He also had a recurring role as a priest, which he also served as a producer and voice-over on the show. Guest appearances * Donny Osmond, episode 110: "Supermarket Story" and episode 217: "Meet By-Product" * William Hurt, episode 425: "Shrink Wrap" * Ben Stiller, episode 425: "Shrink Wrap" * Julie Benz, episode 120: "Train Wreck" * Pat Sajak, episode 317: "Inner Tube" * Vanna White, episode 317: "Inner Tube" * Gavin MacLeod, episode 323: "S'no Job" and episode 418: "Hero Worship" * Chris Elliott, episode 408: "Lyin' Hearted and episode 817: "Buggie Nights" * Janeane Garofalo, episode 615: "Cheap Saks" * Judge Reinhold, episode 607: "Secret Garden" * Jon Favreau, episode 618: "Trash Talker" * Todd Zeile, episode 904: "Major Disturbance" * Burt Reynolds, episode 714: "Hi, School" * Adam Sandler, episode 909: "Mild Bunch" * Ray Romano, as Ray Barone in episodes 109: "Road Rayge", 119: "Rayny Day" 208: "Dire Strays" and 810: "Raygin Bulls" * Brad Garrett, as Robert Barone in episode 109: "Road Rayge" * Peter Boyle, as Frank Barone also in episode 109: "Road Rayge" * Doris Roberts, as Marie Barone in episode 119: "Rayny Day" * Patricia Heaton, as Debra Barone in episode 208: "Dire Starys" * Adam West, episode 806: Shear Torture * Robert Goulet, episode 818: "Sold-Y Locks" * Huey Lewis, episode 821: "Hartford Wailer" * Kirstie Alley, episode 814 "Apartment Complex" * Steve Schirripa, episode 116: "S'Ain't Valentine's" * Eddie Money, episode 423: "Eddie Money" * Tucker Carlson, episode 910: "Manhattan Project" * Lainie Kazan, episodes 910: "Manhattan Project" and 912: China Syndrome Series finale The King of Queens ended its 9 season run on May 14, 2007 with the one-hour series finale "China Syndrome". The airing was #12 in the Nielsen ratings with 13.61 million viewers. The season average is #33 with 11.4 million viewers, which is higher than the past two seasons. At the end of the show (a flash forward) Doug and Carrie are seen with 2 children (one adopted in China and one of their own) living in the same house with Arthur, who has returned after his failed marriage. The King of Queens was the last live-comedy show that had premiered from the 1990's to go off the air[citation needed]. Show background Based on the lives of blue-collar couple Doug & Carrie Heffernan, The King of Queens debuted on CBS on September 1, 1998. For most of its run it was a Monday night staple, competing with shows such as the long-running drama 7th Heaven. In 2003, when scheduled against The West Wing and Nanny 911, it dropped slightly in the ratings. The final episode aired on May 14, 2007, which made The King of Queens one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1990s-2000s. The show is currently in syndication worldwide and airs on TBS in the United States. The character of Arthur was conceived with Jerry Stiller in mind, but he initially turned down the role. Veteran comedian Jack Carter was then cast and a pilot was shot. Soon afterwards, Stiller changed his mind and took the part. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 22. Friends (1994-2004) (6 of 18 lists - 48 points - highest ranking #7 SoxFan1) Friends is a sitcom about a group of friends in the New York City borough of Manhattan that was originally broadcast from 1994 to 2004. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and produced by Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane. The show has been broadcast in more than one hundred countries and still continues to attract good ratings for its episodes in syndication. The final episode of the show was watched by an estimated US audience of 52.5 million.[1] Friends was a multiple Emmy Award winning television program that received 56 various awards and a further 152 nominations. Cast See also: List of recurring characters in Friends and List of Friends guest stars * Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Karen Green, a fashion enthusiast who starts working at the coffee shop, but later moves into management at Bloomingdale's and later at Ralph Lauren. * Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica E. Geller (later Bing), a chef who changes jobs often throughout the show, ending up as head chef at Javu. * Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay (later Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan), an eccentric masseuse and musician. She later marries Mike Hannigan and changes her name to his. * Matt Le Blanc as Joseph (Joey) Francis Tribbiani, a struggling actor who becomes famous for his role on Days Of Our Lives as Dr. Drake Ramoray. * Matthew Perry as Chandler Muriel Bing, an executive in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large multi-national corporation. He is later a junior copywriter at an advertising agency and marries longtime friend Monica Geller. * David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Monica's older brother, a paleontologist working at a museum of Prehistoric History and later a professor of paleontology at New York University. Before Friends Two of the series' stars, Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston, had already appeared in several unsuccessful sitcom pilots. Another, Lisa Kudrow, was also familiar with working on sitcoms, having played Ursula Buffay on Mad About You. (In an interesting twist, it was revealed in Friends that Phoebe was Ursula's twin sister.) Kudrow was cast in the pilot of Frasier in the role of Roz, but the part was later re-cast with Peri Gilpin in the role.[2] Courteney Cox was already an accomplished TV and film actress when she was cast in Friends, having appeared in the likes of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and with several minor roles on sitcoms such as Seinfeld and Family Ties. The character of Ross was written with David Schwimmer in mind; having auditioned for Crane and Kauffman in the past, Schwimmer was said to have a memorable voice and was most known for his Broadway work. Matt LeBlanc appeared as Vinnie Verducci in Married... with Children in the early 1990s and starred in that sitcom's short-lived spin-off, Top of the Heap, as well as in the unrelated Vinnie & Bobby, but before that had mainly been focusing on advertising and modeling work when he was cast as Joey Tribbiani. After Friends During the show's run, the cast all achieved household name celebrity status,[3] and all pursued careers in the movies, with varied success. Aniston's movie career is predominantly populated with light romantic comedies including The Good Girl, Bruce Almighty, Along Came Polly, Rumor Has It, The Break Up and Derailed. Cox made several lightweight films and achieved her greatest success with the Scream series, in which she costarred with her husband, David Arquette, who had made a guest appearance as Ursula's stalker in Friends. This was followed by the critically acclaimed TV series, Dirt, that portrayed her as a ruthless editor of a two-bit tabloid magazine. Kudrow fared best in low budget indie films, most notably The Opposite of Sex, and also films like the comedy hit Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and Analyze This. Most recently Kudrow played a main character alongside Hilary Swank in 2007's P.S. I Love You. Perry co-starred in the Canadian mafia comedy The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards along with Bruce Willis, who had also made guest appearances on the show. He also starred as the title character in the critically acclaimedThe Ron Clark Story, and has since co-starred in TV drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and an episode of Scrubs titled "My Unicorn" as Murray. Matt LeBlanc took a leading role in Lost in Space and starred as the boyfriend of Alex (Lucy Liu) in Charlie's Angels. He also reprised his role as Joey Tribbiani in the show's spin off series, Joey. In 2001, Schwimmer co-starred as Capt. Herbert Sobel in the 2001 TV mini-series Band of Brothers[4] In 2005, Schwimmer starred as the voice for the giraffe Melman in the movie Madagascar a role which he will reprise in 2008 for Madagascar 2. David Schwimmer also directed 10 episodes of Friends and 2 of Joey. His big directorial debut "Run Fatboy Run" was released on March 28th, 2008. Behind the scenes, the show was known for its unusually cohesive and unified cast. The six main actors made deliberate efforts, from early on, to keep the show's ensemble format and not allow one member to dominate; notably for a show of its length, the six principals each appeared in every episode of the run.[5] This included requesting that all actors on the show be nominated either for the same category of award (Supporting Actor until 2001, then Lead Actor from 2002 onwards) or not at all, and entering collective instead of individual salary negotiations. [6] The actors became such close friends that one guest star, Tom Selleck, reported sometimes feeling left out.[7] The cast remained good friends after the show's run, most notably Cox and Aniston, with Aniston being godmother to Cox and David Arquette's daughter, Coco. In their official farewell commemorative Friends Til' The End, they each separately acknowledged in their interviews that the cast had become their family. Storylines and format See also: List of Friends episodes The first season introduces the six main characters - Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross. Rachel, who left her fiance at the altar on her wedding day, has come to New York to live with Monica. It establishes early on in the season that Ross has been infatuated with Rachel since the two characters attended high school. Several episodes revolve around his attempts to tell her how he feels. Meanwhile, Ross's estranged lesbian wife Carol is pregnant with his baby. This puts him and Carol's lesbian life partner, Susan (played by Jessica Hecht), in an awkward position. When the baby is born at the end of the season, Ross, Carol, and Susan agree to name him Ben: after a nametag on a janitor's uniform worn by Phoebe. The episodic nature of the season sees the other characters having multiple dates, many of which go wrong (Monica dates a minor in one episode). The recurring character of Janice (played by Maggie Wheeler) is introduced as a girlfriend Chandler breaks up with in an early episode but frequently returns to through the ensuing ten seasons. The second season features more serialized storylines; it begins when Rachel discovers that Ross is dating Julie (played by Lauren Tom), someone he knew from grad school. Julie returns for several episodes early in the season. Rachel's attempts to tell Ross she likes him mirror his own failed attempts in the first season, though the characters eventually begin a relationship that lasts into the following season. Joey, a struggling actor in the first season, gets a part in a fictionalized version of the soap opera Days of Our Lives but loses the part soon after when he angers the writers by saying in an interview that he writes many of his own lines. Tom Selleck begins a recurring guest role as Dr. Richard Burke. Richard, a friend of Monica and Ross' parents who is recently divorced and with grown children, is 21 years older than Monica but despite this they date for the second half of the season. In the season finale, they end the relationship when they realize that he does not want any more children and she does. The second season also served to deepen Chandler and Joey's friendship. This becomes especially apparent in the episodes in which Joey temporarily moves out and a creepy guy named Eddie moves in. Season three took on a significantly greater serialized format.[8] Rachel begins working at Bloomingdales and Ross becomes jealous of her coworker, Mark. Ross and Rachel break up after Ross sleeps with the hot girl from the copy shop, Chloe. His insistence that he and Rachel were "on a break" becomes a running gag through the remaining seasons. The two show significant animosity towards each other through the second half of the season, though the cliffhanger ending suggests the two reconcile. Interestingly, the first episode after they break up does not focus on the two of them, but on Chandler, who's having a very hard time dealing with the situation, as it reminds him of his parents' divorce. Phoebe, established as having no family except for an identical twin sister, becomes acquainted with her half-brother (played by Giovanni Ribisi) and in the finale discovers her birth mother she never knew she had (played by Teri Garr). During the fourth season, actress Lisa Kudrow became pregnant. This was written into the show by having Phoebe become a surrogate mother to the children of her brother and his wife (played by Debra Jo Rupp).[9] Ross and Rachel briefly reconcile in the premiere but soon break up again. Mid-season, having moved on, Ross begins dating an English woman called Emily (played by Helen Baxendale from Cold Feet) and the finale, featuring the wedding of the characters, was filmed on location in London. Chandler and Monica sleep together when, after a wedding guest mistakes Monica for Ross' mother, Monica seeks comfort in the arms of a friend. Rachel attends the wedding at the last minute, intending to tell Ross that she still loves him, but she is sidetracked when Ross replaces Emily's name with her own while saying his vows. The fifth season follows Monica and Chandler keeping their new relationship a secret from their friends, while Ross' marriage to Emily ends before it even started, following their wedding (Baxendale's pregnancy prevented her from appearing on-screen in all but two episodes[10]). Monica and Chandler's relationship becomes public and on a trip to Las Vegas, they decide to get married. On a cliffhanger, Ross and Rachel drunkenly stumble out of the wedding chapel. In the sixth season premiere Ross and Rachel's marriage is established to be a drunken mistake and, although Ross is reluctant to do so, the two get a divorce (Ross's third) after failing to get an annulment. Monica and Chandler decide just to move into her apartment together and Rachel moves in with Phoebe. Joey, still a struggling actor, gets a part on a cable television series called "Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E", where he stars alongside a robot. Ross gets a job lecturing at New York University and starts dating a student (played by Alexandra Holden). Bruce Willis makes a three-episode cameo as her father. Phoebe and Rachel's apartment has a fire meaning Rachel moves in with Joey and Phoebe with Chandler and Monica. In the final episodes, Chandler decides to propose to Monica. Trying to make it a surprise, he starts acting like his old commitment-phobic self, telling her he opposes marriage. For a brief moment Monica considers going to back to Richard, who confesses to her that he still loves her and is willing to have children with her. Monica gets wind of Chandler's idea, and attempts to propose to him but breaks down in tears and cannot finish. Chandler then asks her to marry him and the show is ended with celebration with many of the friends who were standing outside the door. Season seven largely concerns various wedding-related antics by Monica and Chandler. Joey's television series is cancelled but he is offered his old job back on Days of Our Lives. Phoebe's apartment is fixed but due to the way the apartment has been rebuilt, Rachel stays with Joey. The two-part season finale follows Monica and Chandler's wedding, with guest stars that include Kathleen Turner as Chandler's transvestite father. The closing moments of the season reveal that Rachel is pregnant. The eighth season's first episodes follow a "Who's the father?" format, with the father revealed to be Ross in episode two and Rachel telling him in episode three. Joey begins to develop romantic feelings for roommate Rachel (who moved in with Joey after a fire at Phoebe's apartment left them with only one bedroom) and when Joey's feelings are revealed things become awkward for the two. Eventually their friendship returns to its status quo but in the finale, following Rachel's giving birth to a daughter, she accepts an accidental proposal of marriage from him. The season was regarded as a return to form for the series; its ratings increased as viewers tuned in for comfort following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.[11] It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. The ninth season follows Ross and Rachel living together with baby Emma after she and Joey clear up the misdirected proposal. She soon moves back in with Joey after a fight with Ross. Monica and Chandler, inspired by Ross and Rachel, decide to conceive a child of their own. They seek medical advice after several episodes of trying for a baby, and discover that both of them are physically unable to conceive. Paul Rudd appears in the recurring role of Mike Hannigan, a new boyfriend for Phoebe. Hank Azaria returns as David "the scientist guy", a character originated in the first season, and Phoebe must choose between the two in a touching finale, deciding to choose Mike. The finale is set in Barbados, where the group goes to hear Ross give a keynote speech at a Paleontologist conference. Aisha Tyler appears as the series' first recurring black character.[12] Tyler plays Charlie, Joey's intelligent girlfriend. The tenth season closes up several storylines; Monica and Chandler decide to adopt a child, and meet Erica, a birth mother from Ohio (played by Anna Faris). Erica gives birth to twins in the series finale. Phoebe and Mike get married towards the end of the season and Rachel takes a job based in Paris. Ross declares his love for her and they resume their relationship (not making any mistakes this time) in the season finale, while Monica and Chandler move out of their apartment into the suburbs. Joey is upset that everything is changing. Rachel still gets on the plane even with Ross' confessions, but later appears at his apartment door admitting she loves him too. In the series finale, at the end, a tearful Rachel says 'Shall we go get some coffee?' to which Chandler sarcastically responds, 'Sure. Where?' (the last words spoken on the show). Production Friends was created in 1993 by David Crane and Marta Kauffman as a follow-up to their cable series Dream On. Friends was aimed at young adults who, during the early 1990s, were identified by their café culture, dating scene and modern independence.[13] Originally to be named Across the Hall, Six of One, Insomnia Café, or Friends Like Us,[14] Friends was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television, for NBC in the U.S., and was first broadcast on that network. 'Friends' debuted on September 22, 1994. The show was a huge success throughout its ten-year run and was a staple of the NBC Thursday night line-up. Kauffman and Crane note only one moment they would take back - the use of the line "I'm wearing two belts," in two different episodes and seasons.[13] The final episode aired on May 6, 2004. The finale was one of the most-watched series finales in television history, behind only M*A*S*H, Cheers, and Seinfeld. The fountain seen in the opening title sequence can be found at the Warner Bros. Ranch at 411 N. Hollywood Way, in Burbank, California, about a half mile north of the main studio lot. The fountain was also used prominently in the finale of the Charlton Heston classic, The Omega Man, and in the film version of the Broadway musical, 1776. The opening scene was shot at about 4:00 a.m. while it was particularly cold for a Burbank morning.[15] After the series finale in 2004, the spin-off show Joey was created. Many fans criticized NBC's decision to give the character his own show, and ratings decreased significantly between the first and second season.[16] Forty-six episodes were filmed, but only 38 episodes aired in the U.S. The show was canceled on May 15, 2006. Only the first season has been released on DVD. The first episode drew 18.6 million viewers compared to the four million who tuned in to the final broadcast episode. Cultural impact Friends has made a notable contribution to some areas of popular culture - in particular fashion. The series has been noted for its impact on everyday fashion and hairstyles. Aniston's hairstyle was nicknamed "The Rachel" and copied around the world.[17] Joey Tribbiani's catchphrase "How you doin'?" has become a popular part of Western English slang, often used as a pick-up line or when greeting friends.[18] The show also popularized the idea of the "laminated list", a list of celebrities that a person's partner will permit them to sleep with if they were to ever meet them. In "The One with Frank Jr." the characters exchange "lists" verbally, while Ross creates a physical list and laminates it, making his choices permanent. The concept of the laminated list has been adopted by the Hollywood Stock Exchange website.[19] The phrase "Ross and Rachel" has appeared as a joke in Scrubs: the janitor describes J.D.'s relationship with Elliot as "not exactly Ross and Rachel." After a pause, the "Ross and Rachel" in question is revealed to be two other employees in the hospital, "Dr. Ross, and Rachel from bookkeeping," and the offscreen shots. Friends has been referenced again in the Scrubs episode, "My Cold Shower"; Carla describes J.D and Elliot's relationship as being, "On and off more than Ross and Rachel, from Friends", J.D then explains how he is nothing like Ross and in Doctor Cox's tradition of calling J.D girl's names, he tells J.D he's more like Rachel. On the 100th episode of the television show One Tree Hill (Lucas' and Lindsay's wedding), a character references Ross saying the wrong name at the altar when he was marrying Emily. In one episode of the British show Skins, a Russian girl learns English from Friends, and uses many of the catchphrases (such as "How you doin'" and "We were on a break") as a recurring joke. One of the principal settings of the series, the Central Perk coffee house has inspired various imitations worldwide (the coffee house is based on Cholmondeley's, a coffee shop and lounge in Usen Castle at Brandeis University, the alma mater of the show's creators), including the now-defunct "Phoenix Perk" in Dublin (named for the park in the city) and the 'Riverdale Perk' in Toronto. In 2006 Iranian businessman Mojtaba Asadian started a "Central Perk" franchise, registering the name in 32 countries. The décor of his coffee houses are inspired by that in Friends. James Michael Tyler, who plays Gunther, the Central Perk waiter in love with Rachel, attended the grand opening of the flagship Dubai café and is the spokesman for the company.[20] The name of every Friends episode, with the exceptions of the very first and last episodes (titled 'Pilot' and 'The Last One' respectively), starts with 'The One...', e.g. 'The One with Ross' Inappropriate Song', though the Pilot is sometimes called 'The One where Monica gets a Roommate', or 'The One Where It All Began'. In continuing with this tradition, a boxed set containing all ten seasons on DVD was called "The One With All Ten Seasons". This tradition is a spoof on TV shows. Awards and nominations Over the show's 10-year run, it mainly won Emmy Awards over other awards, such as Golden Globes and SAG Awards. It won 6 Emmys out of 63 nominations. Awards Emmy Awards * 2003 - Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series - Christina Applegate * 2002 - Outstanding Comedy Series * 2002 - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Jennifer Aniston * 2000 - Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series - Bruce Willis * 1998 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Lisa Kudrow * 1996 - Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series - Michael Lembeck (for "The One After the Superbowl") Golden Globe Awards * 2003 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy - Jennifer Aniston People's Choice Awards * 2004 - Favorite Television Comedy Series * 2004 - Favorite Female Television Performer - Jennifer Aniston * 2003 - Favorite Television Comedy Series * 2003 - Favorite Female Television Performer - Jennifer Aniston * 2002 - Favorite Television Comedy Series * 2002 - Favorite Female Television Performer - Jennifer Aniston * 2001 - Favorite Television Comedy Series * 2001 - Favorite Female Television Performer - Jennifer Aniston * 2000 - Favorite Television Comedy Series * 2000 - Favorite Female Television Performer - Jennifer Aniston * 1999 - Favorite Television Comedy Series * 1995 - Favorite New Television Comedy Screen Actors Guild Awards * 2000 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Lisa Kudrow * 1996 - Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominations Emmy Awards * Outstanding Comedy Series (1995-96, 1999-2000, 2003) 5 nominations * Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston (2003-04) 2 nominations * Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Matt LeBlanc (2002-04) 3 nominations * Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Matthew Perry (2002) * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston (2000-01) 2 nominations * Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Lisa Kudrow (1995, 1997, 1999, 2000-01) 5 nominations * Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series David Schwimmer (1995) Golden Globe Awards * Best TV Series - Musical or Comedy (1996-1998, 2002-2004) 6 nominations * Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy Matt LeBlanc (2003-04) * Best TV Supporting Actress Jennifer Aniston (2002) * Best TV Supporting Actress Lisa Kudrow (1996) Screen Actors Guild * Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1999-2004) 6 nominations * Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Matt LeBlanc (2003) * Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Lisa Kudrow (1999, 2004) 2 nominations * Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston (2002-03) 2 nominations American Comedy Award * Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series Courteney Cox (1999) Kids' Choice Awards * Favorite Television Actress Courteney Cox (1997) Teen Choice Award * Choice TV Actress - Comedy Courteney Cox (2002-03) 2 nominations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSqwert Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I must be a prude or something because i think there's a lot of crap shows on this list so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 21. 30 Rock (2006-present) (4 of 18 lists - 50 points - highest ranking #4 BigSqwert) 30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey. The show is produced by Broadway Video and Little Stranger, Inc., in association with NBC Universal and airs on the NBC network in the United States.[1] It is produced in a single camera setup.[2] The show deals with the goings on behind the camera of the fictional live sketch comedy series, TGS with Tracy Jordan.[3] The pilot episode first aired on October 11, 2006.[4] The first season was comprised of 21 episodes. The second season, which premiered on October 4, 2007,[5] was originally intended to contain 22 episodes[6] but, was abbreviated to 15 episodes because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[7][8] A third season, which is expected to contain 22 episodes, is set to premiere on October 30, 2008.[9][10][11] The current executive producers are Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels, Marci Klein, David Miner and Robert Carlock.[1] 30 Rock is filmed primarily at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, New York,[12] but some scenes are filmed on location at Rockefeller Center.[13] The series has an ensemble cast which currently consists of ten regular cast members, including Fey.[1] The series main cast consists of Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander and Alec Baldwin. The show also has a cast of three other supporting characters as well as many recurring characters. 30 Rock has been a critical success, winning several major awards including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series,[14] the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series,[15] the Producers Guild of America Award for Producer of the Year in Episodic Comedy Series[16] and a Peabody Award[17] as well as achieving the top ranking on a myriad of critics' year-end best of 2006 and 2007 lists.[1] Despite these accolades, the series averaged a low 5.8 million viewers in its first season, in the United States, according to the Nielsen Ratings system, and ranked just 102 out of 142 television series. Production Conception In 2002, Fey, who was the head writer and a performer on Saturday Night Live, pitched the show that became 30 Rock to NBC, originally as a sitcom about cable news. NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly felt that "Fey was using the news setting as a fig leaf for her own experience and [he] encouraged her to write what she knew."[19] The show was subsequently reworked to revolve around a Saturday Night Live (SNL) style skit show. In May 2003, Fey signed a contract with NBC to remain in her SNL head writer position until at least the 2004 – 2005 television season, and to develop a primetime project to be produced by Broadway Video and NBC Universal.[20] During the 2004-2005 pilot season, a pilot was announced named Untitled Tina Fey Project. The pilot which became 30 Rock was about the head writer of a variety show who has to manage her relationships with the show's volatile star and executive producer. The storyline evolved into one that dealt with a head writer of a variety show who dealt with both the stars as well as the variety show's new network executive.[21] 30 Rock was officially given the greenlight to air on May 15, 2006 and was given a 13-episode order.[22] The show underwent further changes during the months leading up to and following its debut. A May 2006 press release mentioned that sketches from The Girlie Show would be made available in their entirety on NBC's broadband website, DotComedy.com. The idea was to air the fictitious TGS with Tracy Jordan online.[23] This aspect of the series was abandoned prior to its debut. Filming locations 30 Rock is filmed in New York City. Although establishing shots of 30 Rock are often repeated, outdoor scenes are filmed on location at Rockefeller Center or in other parts of New York City.[13] Most of the indoor scenes are filmed at Silvercup Studios in Queens.[12] In the episodes "Cleveland" and "Hiatus", Battery Park City, Manhattan and Douglaston, Queens doubled for Cleveland, Ohio and the fictional Needmore, Pennsylvania, respectively.[24] Music The series features a "jaunty" jazz soundtrack.[25] The music is composed by Fey's husband Jeff Richmond, who is also a producer for 30 Rock. Richmond wrote the theme song, which was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.[26] Seven short original songs have been featured in episodes, five of which were performed by Jane Krakowski,[27][28][29][30][31] another performed by Tina Fey and Jason Sudeikis[32] and another performed by Tracy Morgan.[33] The show has also covered three existing songs,[34][35][36] including the song "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips. The song had its lyrics altered to accommodate the character Kenneth being "misinformed about the time [of the 11:45 train]."[36] One song heard throughout the episode "The Source Awards" is performed by the artist The Gray Kid. It is the song "Oh My." The song was mixed with a piano arrangement composed by Jeff Richmond.[37] Internet On April 2, 2008 NBC announced, 30 Rock 360, an online extension of the 30 Rock series. The extension will feature Jack Donaghy's Online Business Courses (or Jack U). Users will also be able to read Jack's blogs and upload their own business advice in video form. Users will be able to submit skits for TGS with Tracy Jordan and act out skits from TGS. The feature will re-open Ask Tina, an interactive question and answer platform in which users can ask Fey questions. Fey will answer the questions in video form.[38] Ask Tina was a fixture on NBC.com's 30 Rock section throughout the first season.[39] Complete episodes of 30 Rock are available online, to U.S. residents only, along with downloads through the "NBC Direct" service.[40] Episodes were available on iTunes, although this arrangement ceased in December 2007 as NBC and Apple Inc. were unable to come to a renewal deal.[41] The first season is currently available for streaming on Netflix, which requires a paid subscription.[42] The first and second seasons are also available on Amazon Unbox for $1.99.[43][44] The episodes of the second season are also available for free streaming on Hulu.com with brief commercials at the normal interruption points. Cast and characters The plot of 30 Rock revolves around the cast and crew of the fictional sketch comedy series TGS with Tracy Jordan, which is filmed in Studio 6H inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza.[27] The cast of the series is an ensemble cast,[1] which means that each character is seen with roughly the same amount of importance in each episode. The initial season had seven roles receiving star billing. Tina Fey portrayed the protagonist, the head writer of TGS with Tracy Jordan, Liz Lemon; Tracy Morgan played the loose cannon star of TGS Tracy Jordan; Jane Krakowski acted as the limelight seeking Jenna Maroney; Jack McBrayer portrayed the young, obedient Southern-born NBC page, Kenneth Parcell; Scott Adsit played the "sane," quick witted producer of TGS, Pete Hornberger; Judah Friedlander acted as the trucker hat-wearing childish, sarcastic writer Frank Rossitano and Alec Baldwin portrayed the decisive, controlling, suave network executive Jack Donaghy, who constantly interferes with the goings on at TGS.[1] Beginning with season two, three characters, who were credited as guest stars during season one, received star billing in addition to the existing cast.[1] Katrina Bowden portrayed Liz's attractive, laid back assistant Cerie Xerox.[45] Keith Powell played black Harvard alumni writer James "Toofer" Spurlock. Lonny Ross acted as the immature TGS cast member Josh Girard. Numerous supporting characters have been given recurring appearances in the series. They include Maulik Pancholy as Jack's loyal assistant Jonathan. Grizz Chapman and Kevin Brown make appearances as members of Tracy's entourage Grizz and Dot Com, respectively. John Lutz makes appearances as the food loving TGS writer J.D Lutz. Casting Fey started by casting herself as the lead character, Liz Lemon. The next actor to be cast was Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan.[46] After that was Jack McBrayer who plays Kenneth Parcell and then Rachel Dratch.[47][47] Originally, Dratch, Fey's longtime comedy partner and fellow SNL alumna, was to portray Jenna. Dratch played the role in the show's original pilot, but in August 2006, Jane Krakowski was announced as Dratch's replacement, with Dratch remaining involved in the show playing various characters.[48] Fey attributed the change to the role itself, one Fey called a "straight-ahead acting part" better suited for Krakowski; Fey said she and Dratch "were both very excited about this new direction."[49] Dratch appeared in eleven first season episodes.[27][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][29][58] Shortly following the casting of McBrayer and Dratch, Alec Baldwin was cast as Jack Donaghy, the "totally uncensored" Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming.[59] Judah Friedlander was later cast as the staff writer of The Girlie Show, Frank Rossitano.[60] Finally Scott Adsit was cast as Pete Hornberger, a long time friend of Liz's and producer of The Girlie Show.[61] Season synopses Season one Season one began airing in the United States on October 11, 2006[4] and featured 21 episodes.[62] The season finalé aired on April 26, 2007.[63] When Jack Donaghy, the "Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming" at General Electric (GE), is transferred to work at the NBC headquarters, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and retool the late night sketch comedy series The Girlie Show, outrage storms through the show's cast and crew, especially among the head writer, Liz Lemon, and the main actress, Jenna Maroney. Jack proceeds to wreak havoc on The Girlie Show, forcing Liz to hire the off-the-wall movie star Tracy Jordan, and then again angering the cast and crew of The Girlie Show when he changes the name to TGS with Tracy Jordan (or just TGS). As the season progresses, the episodes become less about TGS and more about how the characters deal with juggling their lives and their jobs--specifically the protagonist, Liz Lemon, but other characters are also explored. Episodes also become less self contained and various story arcs develop in the second half of the season. For example, the first major story arc centers on Liz's relationship with Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters), "The Beeper King." Other story arcs include: Jenna promoting her movie The Rural Juror; Tracy going on the run from The Black Crusaders; Jack's engagement, which was eventually called off, to a Christie's auctioneer named Phoebe (Emily Mortimer); and another relationship of Liz's with Floyd (Jason Sudeikis). Season two Season two began airing in the United States on October 4, 2007[5] and featured 15 episodes.[64] The second season was originally intended to consist of 22 episodes but the order was cut to 15 due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike,[64][65] The season finalé aired on May 8, 2008.[64] As Liz broke up with Floyd during the summer, she is looking for ways to rebound and when Jerry Seinfeld confronts Jack, about a new marketing campaign which featured Seinfeld in all NBC shows, a chance encounter with Liz gets the much needed advice she needs. The first episode is a fitting parallel to the struggles of the show, as the show attempts to rebound from a poor viewership year as Jack and Liz keep saying, "this is our/my year". After winning a number of awards the producers were hoping to have a massive increase in ratings. Also during the TGS summer hiatus, Jenna becomes obese due to performing in the broadway show Mystic Pizza: The Musical and with the help of Kenneth, loses the weight. Tracy has encountered some marital problems with his wife Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd) and they become separated, but later reunite. During the season, Jack develops a relationship with a Democratic congresswoman named Celeste "C.C." Cunningham (Edie Falco). They later break up. An arc that was established in the first season but becomes more apparent in the second is regarding Jack running for the GE chairmanship against his archnemesis Devon Banks (Will Arnett). The season ends with Liz planning to adopt a child after believing she was pregnant with Dennis' baby. Kenneth also travels to Beijing to be a page at the 2008 Summer Olympics and Tracy invents a pornographic video game. Jack ends the season working at a new government job in Washington, D.C., but plans to get fired by proposing a "gay bomb." Season three NBC announced on April 2, 2008 that 30 Rock will return with a third season as part of NBC's fall schedule. The season will consist of 22 episodes and is expected to premiere on October 30, 2008.[9][10][11] Impact Critical reception 30 Rock has been well received by critics but has struggled to attract viewers.[66] Robert Abele of LA Weekly declared that the show was "A weirdly appropriate and hilarious symbol of our times."[67] The Wall Street Journal's Dorothy Rabinowitz wrote that "The standard caution is relevant - debut episodes tend to be highly polished. All the more reason to enjoy the hilarious scenes and fine ensemble cast here."[68] Some less favorable reviews were received from Brian Lowry of Variety. Lowry said that "Despite her success with "Mean Girls," [Tina] Fey mostly hits too-familiar notes in the pilot. Moreover, she's a limited protagonist, which is problematic."[69] Criticism was also received from Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, who said that "30 Rock is less than the sum of its parts, and, as an entry in the single-camera comedy sweepstakes, it fails to show either the inspired inventiveness of Arrested Development or provide the surprisingly perceptive character studies of The Office."[70] Metacritic gave the pilot episode a Metascore—a weighted average based on the impressions of a select thirty-one critical reviews—of 67 out of 100.[71] The season premiere of the second season, "SeinfeldVision," which featured Jerry Seinfeld,[72] received mostly positive reviews. Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "SeinfeldVision was a clever and ironic way to incorporate [Jerry] Seinfeld."[73] Matt Webb Mitovich of TV Guide said that "['SeinfeldVision'] was a solid start to the new, fought-for season" and that it did have "some great, great moments." Despite this praise, Webb Mitovich criticised Kenneth and Tracy's "office wife" storyline saying that "we've seen this shtick before on countless other sitcoms, so it was a bit empty and filled with 'easy' jokes." Criticism was also received regarding the "striped outfit... it didn't work. No," referring to a joke involving Jenna trying to distract the TGS writers from her newly gained weight.[74] Lisa Schmeiser of Television Without Pity graded this episode as a "B+."[75] Despite the mostly positive reviews, Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times thought that "SeinfeldVision" "is mostly a reminder that even the most talented actors and writers sometimes slip under pressure."[76] Days before the premiere of the season premiere, Seinfeld was criticized as using his appearance in this episode as a plug for his upcoming feature film Bee Movie. Seinfeld, NBC and General Electric stated that this was done as metahumor.[77] At the end of 2006, LA Weekly listed 30 Rock as one of the best "Series of the Year."[78] The show also appeared on similar year end "best of" 2006 lists published by The New York Times,[79] The A.V. Club,[80] The Boston Globe,[81] The Chicago Sun-Times,[81] Entertainment Weekly,[81] The Los Angeles Times,[81] The Miami Herald,[81] People Weekly,[81] and TV Guide.[81] The Associated Press wrote that NBC's "Thursday night comedy block—made up of My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock—is consistently the best night of prime time viewing for any network."[82] In 2007, it appeared on The Boston Globe's "best of" list[83] as well as the "best of" lists of The Chicago Sun-Times,[83] The Chicago Tribune,[83] Entertainment Weekly,[83] The Los Angeles Times,[83] New Jersey Star-Ledger,[83] The New York Times,[83] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,[83] The San Francisco Chronicle,[83] The San Jose Mercury News,[83] TV Guide and USA Today.[83] 30 Rock was named the best series of 2007 by Entertainment Weekly.[83] Awards and nominations Capping its critically successful first season, 30 Rock won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and Elaine Stritch was awarded an Emmy in September 2007 for her work as a guest actress in "Hiatus."[14] Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin were nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Lead Actor in a comedy series categories respectively.[84] "Jack-Tor" and "Tracy Does Conan" were both nominated in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.[84] The series received four Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[84] Alec Baldwin received the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical in 2007.[85] Baldwin also received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series in 2007.[86] The series also received various other guild award nominations during its first season.[87][88] In 2008, Tina Fey won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical.[89] That year, the series also received a nomination for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical.[89] Fey and Baldwin both won Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2008.[90] The series took home the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series in 2008.[15] 30 Rock also received the The Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Series - Comedy from the Producers Guild of America in 2008.[16] The series also received a Peabody Award in 2008.[17] Upon announcing the award, the Peabody Board commended the show for being "not only a great workplace comedy in the tradition of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, complete with fresh, indelible secondary characters, but also a sly, gleeful satire of corporate media, especially the network that airs it."[91] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 It kills me that I Love Lucy is ranked so low. Plus, that it's under 30 Rock and How I Met Your Mother. Disgraceful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Current stuff always floats to the top, some people will only name shows they have seen. I stuck primarily to :30 situation comedies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSqwert Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 QUOTE (Texsox @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 03:16 PM) I stuck primarily to :30 situation comedies. Likewise. My list would have looked completely different had I included other formats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 01:22 PM) Likewise. My list would have looked completely different had I included other formats. Any way around these sorts of issues in the future? When we did the athletes I tried to get the rules narrowed down as to who qualified, what teams they had to play for, for how long, etc, but for one like this it'd have been even harder to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 QUOTE (Texsox @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 01:16 PM) Current stuff always floats to the top, some people will only name shows they have seen. Yeah, unfortunately, I just didn't have the ability to vote for or against things that not only weren't current for me but which I'd only seen a couple times in reruns at most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSox_Sonix Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I didnt submit a list this time but I'm glad 30 Rock is on the list...for whatever reason i just absolutely love that show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSox_Sonix Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 03:27 PM) Any way around these sorts of issues in the future? When we did the athletes I tried to get the rules narrowed down as to who qualified, what teams they had to play for, for how long, etc, but for one like this it'd have been even harder to do. Well the category is favorite comedies, so for younger people who werent around for the older shows and/or havent seen them, they obviously wouldnt be a favorite of theirs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 (edited) QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 03:07 PM) It kills me that I Love Lucy is ranked so low. I think some folks don't realize how monumental this program was for pretty much inventing the situational comedy. I'm not an old folk or anything at 25 either, I just know my tv history! (and enjoyed that show as a youngin!") Edited June 25, 2008 by Steve9347 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I probably tainted this list, because outside my top 4 or 5, I just started listing shows that I liked and not really ranking them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pants Rowland Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 (edited) I did not submit so it will be interesting to see what materializes in the coming days. I do hope to see The Honeymooners, All in the Family, Sanford & Son, Welcome Back Kotter and Three's Company in the mix. Three's Company was not my favorite, but there are elements to it that make it one of the more memorable comedies ever on TV. Another hilarious movie that a lot of people were not sure was a comedy was Shadow of the Vampire with Willem Defoe. Edited June 25, 2008 by Pants Rowland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 03:55 PM) I did not submit so it will be interesting to see what materializes in the coming days. I do hope to see The Honeymooners, All in the Family, Sanford & Son, Welcome Back Kotter and Three's Company in the mix. Three's Company was not my favorite, but there are elements to it that make it one of the more memorable comedies ever on TV. Another hilarious movie that a lot of people were not sure was a comedy was Shadow of the Vampire with Willem Defoe. All in the Family is very high on my list and Kotter made my top 20. The other shows were on my original list of all comedies I could think of I really liked, which was about 40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 20. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-96) (3 of 18 lists - 51 points - highest ranking #2 MHizzle85) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an award winning American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show starred Will Smith as a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to live with his wealthy relatives in a Bel-Air mansion. His lifestyle often clashes with that of his relatives there. 148 episodes were produced over six seasons. Theme song and opening sequence The theme song and opening sequence explains the context of the show. Will Smith is revealed as a street-smart teenager, born and raised on the mean streets of West Philadelphia, while the plot of the story is shown and rapped in the theme song. The theme song was written and performed by The Fresh Prince (Will Smith). Contrary to popular belief, DJ Jazzy Jeff did not compose the music for the opening credits. The music was composed by Quincy Jones III, who is credited at the end of each episode. An additional credit at the end of episodes also reads "Theme song written by Will Smith", in regard to the lyrics, with no reference to DJ Jazzy Jeff. The music often used to bridge scenes together during the show is also based on a similar chord structure as the theme song. This too is the work of Quincy Jones III. The full version of the theme song, telling how he went on a plane to Bel-Air, was only used on the first three episodes of the show, although Will Smith did record it as an unreleased B-side.[1] The full-length version, which is 2:52", was included on Will Smith's Greatest Hits album and attributed to himself only. A 3:23" version was released in the Netherlands in 1992, and reached #3 on the charts. For the first few episodes of the show stanzas one to three and stanzas six and seven were used. Beginning with Episode #9 (titled "Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect (2)"), only the first two and the last two stanzas of the song were used. The change to the theme song allowed for longer episodes to be created. Seasons 1, 5, and 6 featured an instrumental version of the theme and still photographs from the episode for the closing credits. In Season 2, the music and stills were dropped and closing credits would almost always appear over bloopers and outtakes from the episode. This continued until the end of Season 4. The closing theme over episode clips returned for Season 5, due to NBC's change from traditional credits to the split screen credits that are currently employed by the network. Cast and characters The Banks Family * William "Will" Smith (Will Smith) * Philip "Zeke" Banks (James Avery) * Vivian Smith Banks (Janet Hubert-Whitten/Daphne Maxwell Reid) * Carlton Banks (Alfonso Ribeiro) * Hilary Banks (Karyn Parsons) * Ashley Banks (Tatyana Ali) * Nicholas "Little Nicky" Andrew Banks (Ross Bagley) * Geoffrey Butler (Joseph Marcell) Other Characters * Jazz (Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" A. Townes) * Viola "Vy" Smith-Wilkes (Vernee Watson-Johnson) * Beulah "Lisa" Wilkes (Nia Long) * Jackie Ames (Tyra Banks) Episodes Main article: List of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episodes Recurring settings * The Banks Mansion - full series: The mansion is where the Banks family, as well as Will, live; the address was revealed in the fourth season's "For Sale By Owner" as 805 Saint Cloud Road. A majority of the show's scenes take place in the mansion. Originally, most of the family scenes took place in the living room, with less prominence given to the kitchen. The living room set had archways at either end to hallways, and two doorways at the back of the set to the side yard. The right-side hallway was occasionally shot in, and had a staircase upstairs, and the front door. The kitchen set was not attached to the rest of the downstairs set, and was unconventionally laid out compared to many sitcoms: The left side had counters that continued along the fourth wall (where the audience would be), and had a lot of depth (from the audience perspective), with camera angles frequently shooting almost parallel to the fourth wall. The set had two interior doors; one of which, at the right side of the set, led to the hallway left of the living room (though was not attached on set), and an exterior door to the unseen back yard. There was a dining room also off the hallway left of the living room. The upper floor hallway was shown in Season 1, until the mansion sets were completely rebuilt after the season. In the second season, the kitchen and living room sets were rebuilt much larger, and were connected directly by an archway, allowing scenes to be shot continuously between the sets, which is where most scenes were shot. The staircase upstairs was incorporated into the back of the living room, with only one rarely-used exit to the side yard beside it. An actual television prop was added at the fourth wall, whereas there had only been one implicitly in the first season. The archway to the right still led to a hallway with the front door. The only element that remained from the original set was the kitchen's left-hand wall and island which were rotated ninety degrees to become the back wall at the right of the kitchen, with some modification to the cosmetics. The archway was the only way into the room, other than the exit at the left to the backyard patio, which was now an existing part of the main house set. In addition, Will's and occasionally other family members', rooms were shown (sometimes changing looks between appearances) during the series. The pool house was shown in one episode of season 3. A different set was used when it became a main location in season 4 until the end of the series, after Will and Carlton moved in. Despite the changes, the exterior shot of the Banks house, which is an actual house in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California, was constant throughout the series, usually featured in still shots. A running gag, however, featured Jazz being thrown out of the front door using the exterior of the house. * Bel-Air Prep - Seasons 1-3: Bel-Air Prep is the high school that Will and Carlton attend in Seasons 1-3.The 3 main sets are the classroom, a hallway and the auditorium (the auditorium was only shown in three episodes: "Def Poet's Society", "Courting Disaster" and "Just Say Yo"). * Hospital - Seasons 2-6: A hospital in Los Angeles is seen in several episodes which deal with the Banks family's medical problems. The exterior shot of the hospital is a shot of the VA Hospital in nearby Westwood * Jazz's apartment in Compton - Seasons 1,3-5: Jazz lives with a few friends in a run-down apartment complex in Compton, California called the Chalet Towers. This setting was seen in every season except Seasons 2 and 6. * KFPB Channel 8 News station - Seasons 3,4,6: This setting was seen throughout Season 3 because Hilary was hired as a weather girl and fell in love with Trevor Collins, who died in a bungee accident in Season 4. Due to his death, the setting was written off towards the end of the 4th Season. The setting returned in Season 6 because Hilary's own talk show was produced there. * ULA Student Store - Seasons 4-5: The ULA Student Store, also known as "The Peacock Stop" for the school mascot, is where Will, Carlton, and Will's friend Jackie Ames work. In Season 4, Jackie is the manager, Carlton is the assistant manager, and Will is the cashier. When Jackie leaves ULA in the middle of Season 4, Carlton takes over as manager and Will becomes assistant manager and cashier until Season 5. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 I like this gif better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 19. (tie) South Park (1997-present) (7 of 18 lists - 52 points - highest ranking #6 Balta1701) South Park is a two-time Emmy Award-winning, animated American television comedy series created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Comedy Central. The series has been distributed and aired by Comedy Central since 1997. The show is well-known for its pop-culture parody, scatological humor, and satirical handling of current events. Since its debut on August 13, 1997, the show has aired 174 episodes over 12 seasons. The twelfth season began airing on March 12, 2008, and the second half of season 12 will premiere on October 1 2008.[1] The show is contracted to produce new episodes through a fifteenth season, until late 2011.[2] In 1999, South Park was made into a feature-length film titled South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Origins South Park began in 1992 when Trey Parker and Matt Stone, at the time students at the University of Colorado, met in a film class and created an animated short called Jesus vs. Frosty. The low-budget crudely made film featured prototypes of the main characters of South Park, including a character resembling Cartman but named "Kenny", an unnamed character resembling what is today Kenny, and two near-identical unnamed characters who would resemble Stan and Kyle.[3] In 1995, FOX executive Brian Graden saw the film, and commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film that he could send to his friends as a video Christmas card. Titled Jesus vs. Santa, it resembled the style of the later series more closely, and featured a martial arts duel and subsequent truce between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas. This video was later featured in the episode "A Very Crappy Christmas" in which Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Mr. Hankey "save" Christmas for the town. The video was popular and was widely shared, both by duplication and over the Internet. This led to talks to create a series, first with FOX, then with Comedy Central, where the series debuted on August 13, 1997. During the first four seasons of South Park, clips of the shorts can be seen in the opening sequence within an old television and a billboard. History South Park's early episodes tended to be shock value-oriented and featured more slapstick-style humor than later episodes. Although satire had been used on the show occasionally earlier on, it became more prevalent in later episodes. Episodes have parodied Michael Jackson ("The Jeffersons"), Paris Hilton ("Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset"), and The Passion of the Christ ("The Passion of the Jew"), as well as addressed serious political issues such as terrorism ("Cartoon Wars"), American immigration policy ("Goobacks"), Gay Marriage ("Follow that Egg"), and the Terri Schiavo case ("Best Friends Forever"). The pilot episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" (nearly identical to the first official episode, which has the same name), required three months to produce using construction paper and traditional cut-out animation techniques. However, the version that aired was different from the original version. Current episodes duplicate the original, amateurish look using modern computer animation tools—first PowerAnimator and then Maya, which Parker and Stone described as "building a sandcastle with a bulldozer". This allows for a shorter production schedule, enabling the creators to respond quickly to current events. The December 17, 2003 episode "It's Christmas in Canada" depicted the capture of Saddam Hussein a mere three days after the actual event, even referring to the "spider hole" in which he was found. In this instance—as with the Elián González episode ("Quintuplets 2000") — the creators changed the production of an episode at the last minute to focus on the new world event. In 2002, the episode "Free Hat" aired. In this episode—inspired by Kyle's comment on Ted Koppel's Nightline that changing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial would be like changing Raiders of the Lost Ark—a fictional George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decide to alter the first Indiana Jones film. Soon after the episode aired, Lucas and Spielberg announced that contrary to rumors they would not be altering Raiders of the Lost Ark for DVD release. On August 26, 2007, Parker and Stone committed to three more seasons of South Park, so the show will run until at least 2011.[2] They will continue to write, direct, and edit every episode of the show. [4] Edited versions of South Park episodes, with the TV-14 rating, began broadcasting in syndication on September 19, 2005 on various local channels around the U.S.[5] The series is co-distributed by Debmar-Mercury and 20th Television; the latter replaced Tribune Entertainment as co-distributor in early-2008, after Tribune ceased business. In March 2008, Comedy Central made all South Park episodes available for legal streaming on the South Park Studios website. However, legal issues prevent the episodes from being accessible in the UK, Australia and a few other territories outside US for now.[6] Characters Main article: South Park characters Prior to season four, the main characters of the show were four third grade students (often called "the boys" when as a group for easier reference): Stanley "Stan" Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Theodore Cartman, and Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick. There are many recurring characters on the show, including the boys' families, school staff, and other students. These include Leopold "Butters" Stotch, Chef, Mr. Hankey, Towelie, Jesus, and Satan. There are also many other minor characters. Matt Stone and Trey Parker voice most of the male South Park characters, while April Stewart and Mona Marshall (formerly Mary Kay Bergman and Eliza Schneider) voice most of the female characters such as Wendy Testaburger and Sheila Broflovski. Other voices are currently provided by Adrien Beard (Token Black), Vernon Chatman (Towelie), and Jennifer Howell (Bebe Stevens). Former members of the voice cast include Isaac Hayes (Chef) and John Hansen (Mr. Slave). Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski were initially designed to represent creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone respectively; however, both have admitted to ultimately identifying far more with Cartman.[7] Setting The show is set in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. The town is located in South Park, a geographical area of approximately 1000 square miles which is a high-altitude intermontane grassland basin.[8] South Park is in Park County about 80 miles southwest of Denver and four miles from Fairplay. An unexplained peculiarity is that it is almost always winter in South Park, and there is (almost) always snow on the ground. This could be because the appearance of the characters, which were first introduced in a Christmas short, were dressed for winter. Cartman mentions in Jakovasaurs that there are only two seasons in South Park, winter and July (as seen in such episodes as Summer Sucks). South Park is inspired by both real-life towns in the South Park basin such as Fairplay and the Denver suburbs such as Littleton, the sites of the upbringing of South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.[9] The town is served by South Park Elementary and Hell's Pass Hospital. Town police consists almost entirely of Officer Barbrady (not counting county sheriff's deputies Yates and Murphy) and the only discernible politician is Mayor McDaniels. The town flag was changed in Chef Goes Nanners because the image of white people lynching a black man was thought racist. The new flag features a black man being lynched by people of all races and nationalities, including another black man. South Park was home to Jesus until his death in Red Sleigh Down. Episodes Main article: List of South Park episodes Animation Construction paper cutouts were used in the original pilot animation and in the first episode made for Comedy Central. Subsequent episodes have been produced by computer animation providing a similar look to the originals. The appearance of characters and scenes has become less crude over time, largely in order to enhance the comedic effect. Special effects, such as prepackaged explosions, have replaced cardboard-style fires. Light shading has been used to highlight "sappy," movie-like moments as well as some of Cartman's dramatic poses. Some episodes, such as Tweek vs. Craig and Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina, have even incorporated sections of live action video. CorelDRAW is used to create the characters, which are animated using Maya, or in early episodes, PowerAnimator. The style of animation used for South Park was inspired by the paper cut-out cartoons made by Terry Gilliam for Monty Python's Flying Circus, of which Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been lifelong fans.[10] Thanks to this efficient method, episodes of South Park are usually completed in six days (although some, such as AWESOM-O or Woodland Critter Christmas have taken only three or four).[11] Music The show's original theme song was a musical score performed by the band Primus. The song has been remixed three times during the course of the series (as of season ten), and certain lines have been altered (see below). In the beginning of season 10 the title music was changed to the song "Whamola", performed by The Les Claypool Frog Brigade, from the album Purple Onion. (Les Claypool is the singer and bassist in both Primus and the Frog Brigade.) Kenny's lines in the song, like the rest of his speech in the show, are muffled by his parka hood, which covers his entire face except for his eyes; however, Kenny's lines have been revealed by South Park Studios. In seasons 1–2, he says "I love girls with big fat titties, I love girls with deep vaginas." [12] From seasons 3-5 he says "I have got a 10 inch penis, use your mouth if you want to clean it." [12] In season 6, Kenny had been written out of the show, having supposedly permanently died; in his absence, Timmy, who has a cognitive disability (early in the show Timmy was originally described as being "mentally retarded"[13]), takes his place, singing "Timmy Timmy, Timmy Timmy, Timmy Timmy, Livin'a lie Timmy!" After returning to the show just before season 7, Kenny also returned to the theme song: From season 7 to the first half of season 10, Kenny says "Some day I'll be old enough to stick my dick in Britney's butt." [14] Starting with the second half of Season 10, Kenny's lines changed again to "I like f***ing silly b****es because I know my penis likes it."[15] In the original unaired pilot episode of Cartman Gets An Anal Probe, in the rather different version of the opening, Kenny's lines are the same as they were in the first 2 seasons. Popular songs such as "Kyle's Mom is a Big Fat b****" originated on the show, but the creators' musical abilities were not frequently used until the release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The film's soundtrack (co-written and produced by Grammy Award-winning composer-lyricist Marc Shaiman) featured songs like "Blame Canada" (nominated for an Oscar; see below), "I'm Super," "La Resistance Medley," "Hell Isn't Good," "Mountain Town," "Uncle f***a" (won an MTV Movie Award for "Best Musical Performance"), "Up There," and "What Would Brian Boitano Do?." Several of the songs from the movie are satires of tunes from Disney cartoons. For instance, "Mountain Town" is highly similar to the song "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast. "Up There" is a take-off of two different Disney songs, "Out There" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. "La Resistance Medley" spoofs both "One Day More" from the stage musical Les Miserables and "Tonight" from West Side Story. Parker and Stone have, on occasion, performed these songs (and others) under the band name DVDA. In the show, Eric Cartman will often burst into song to convey a false altruism or optimism that belies his baser motivations. In "Red Sleigh Down", he sings "Poo-Choo Train", an unnervingly cheery Christmas carol, in an obvious attempt to convince Mr. Hankey and Santa Claus that he is worthy of Christmas presents. In "I'm a Little Bit Country", Cartman sings Paula Cole's song "I Don't Want to Wait" while beating someone to death (Cartman also sings the song as an homage to his Dawson's Creek Trapper Keeper in the episode "Trapper Keeper"). In "The Death of Eric Cartman", Cartman sings "Make It Right" with Butters in a weak attempt to reconcile his sins. In "Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods", Cartman sings the Donna Summer song "She Works Hard For The Money" during an audition for Cheesy Poofs. In the episode "Ginger Kids", he sings a song about tolerance once he realizes he's not one of the "Gingers" and that he just convinced every Ginger in town to exterminate non-Ginger people. Cartman also uses the song "Heat of the Moment" in episode 513 ("Kenny Dies") to convince the U.S. Senate to approve stem cell research. Cartman has a mental quirk that forces him to finish singing Styx's Come Sail Away whenever someone sings a few bars of the song. As soon as he learns this, Kyle, who has a strong and explicit hatred for Cartman, takes advantage of this and forces Cartman to finish the song so many times that Cartman becomes literally unintelligible. In episode 409, "Something You Can Do with Your Finger", the boys made their boy band, "Fingerbang". Cartman was also the lead singer for "Faith + 1", a Christian band he formed with Butters and Token in the episode "Christian Rock Hard". He creates several "Christian" songs by taking sexually suggestive love songs and substituting romantic words such as "baby" and "darling" with "Jesus"; instead of the traditional "Christian Rock" lyrics singing about spiritual love for Jesus, Cartman sings about his desire to have actual, physical sex with Jesus. A few titles of these songs include "Body of Christ" and "Get Down on my Knees and Start Pleasing Jesus" The band Korn appears in one of the Halloween episodes, where South Park is plagued by ghost pirates. It is the band's job to "solve the mystery" (this of course is a spoof of Scooby Doo). In the episodes climax, Korn plays "Falling Away from Me" in celebration of the solved mystery. In "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", Cartman's hand puppet "Jennifer Lopez" (who pronounces her name as "Hennifer Lopez") recorded a hit single entitled "Taco Flavored Kisses", inciting the wrath of the "real" Jennifer Lopez character. Additional musical contributions to the show come from the band Primus, which performed the original opening and ending themes for the show, and formerly from Isaac Hayes, who voiced Chef's singing of usually-sexual songs to explain certain adult themes to the boys. The Chef song "Chocolate Salty Balls" was released as a single in the UK in 1998 to support the Chef Aid album and became a number one hit[1]. Many episodes also feature highly melodramatic musical scores to comically exaggerate the emotional content of the scene. For example, melancholy music plays in the background when Timmy sends away his beloved pet turkey, Gobbles, in the episode "Helen Keller! The Musical". Controversies Controversies over South Park have occurred numerous times. The show depicts what many people find to be taboo subject matter, from its use of vulgarity (It Hits The Fan) to its satire of subjects such as religion and cults (such as All About Mormons, Bloody Mary, Red Hot Catholic Love, Fantastic Easter Special and Trapped in the Closet), sexuality (The Death Camp of Tolerance), steroids (Up The Down Steroid), and global warming (Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow). Stone and Parker are self-described "equal opportunity offenders" and episodes often lampoon all sides of a contentious issue, rather than taking a concrete position. Themes Apart from the continuously "vulgar" presentation of issues, South Park implements several recurring themes that it frequently uses, including current events, disabilities, political issues, racism, gay rights, death, environment, censorship, political correctness, abortion, sex, atheism, and religion, many of which are widely viewed as controversial. Awards * South Park has been nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program seven times (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007). The show has now won twice, for the 2005 episode "Best Friends Forever"[16] and the 2006 episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft".[17] * On April 5, 2006, it was announced that the show had won a Peabody Award.[16] * In 2007, Time magazine included the show on their list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time." [18] * South Park was nominated for important awards such as the 1998 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program. It was also nominated for the 1998 GLAAD Award for Outstanding TV - Individual Episode for "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride". It also received an Image Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Isaac Hayes) in 1999. [19] * South Park was nominated for a 2006 Teen Choice Award for "Best Animated Show", but lost to Family Guy.[20] * South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Music, Original Song" for "Blame Canada". They lost to Phil Collins and made fun of him in two consecutive episodes in season 4 ("Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000" & "Timmy 2000"). Creator Trey Parker explained the reasoning for these barbs in the season 4 DVD commentary, saying "we were fully expecting to lose, just not to Phil Collins". "Blame Canada" was performed by Robin Williams during the televised award show, which was the first to carry a TV-14 parental advisory, in part because of the performance of that song, which contains some adult language. * Another track from the movie, "Uncle f***a", won an MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Performance; Trey Parker and Matt Stone accepted the award, and thanked the audience for "not nominating Phil Collins". * South Park is the one of the very few actively-running television series that has won a CableACE Award. It won the award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.[21] . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 19. (tie) The Honeymooners (1955-56) (5 of 18 lists - 52 points - highest ranking #1 BigEdWalsh) The Honeymooners debuted as a half-hour series on October 1, 1955. Although initially a ratings success—it was the #2 show in the United States—it faced stiff competition from the popular Perry Como Show. The show eventually dropped to #19, and production ended after 39 episodes (now referred to as the "Classic 39"). The final episode of The Honeymooners aired on September 22, 1956. Despite its relatively brief run, The Honeymooners is considered one of the premier examples of American television comedy. It has been referenced in numerous homages and parodies, and has inspired successful television comedies such as The Flintstones and The King of Queens. Cast and crew The majority of The Honeymooners focused on its four principal characters, although various secondary characters made multiple appearances. * Ralph Kramden, played by Jackie Gleason, is a bus driver for the fictional Gotham Bus Company. He is never seen driving a bus (except in publicity photos), but is shown multiple times at the bus depot. Ralph is frustrated by his lack of success, and often develops schemes designed to earn him and his wife a quick fortune. Ralph is very quick-tempered, and frequently resorts to insults and hollow threats of physical violence. * Alice Kramden (née Gibson), played by Audrey Meadows, is Ralph's patient, but sharp-tongued wife of roughly 15 years. Alice often finds herself bearing the brunt of Ralph's insults, which she returns in fine form. She is bitingly sarcastic and very level-headed, trying to convince Ralph of the stupidity of his various schemes, which makes him lose his temper. However, she is considerably unruffled and never fazed by Ralph's constant threats to strike her "one of these days..." She studied to be a secretary before her marriage and works briefly in that capacity when Ralph is laid off. Ralph's jealousy of Alice's handsome boss "Tony Amico", who is told that Ralph is Alice's brother because married women have a harder time finding jobs, soon puts paid to that venture, particularly after Amico asks Ralph about dating Alice. Another foil for Ralph is Alice's mother, even sharper-tongued, whom Ralph despises. Alice's father is occasionally mentioned but never seen. * Edward "Ed" Norton, played by Art Carney , is a New York City sewer worker and Ralph's best friend. He is considerably more good-natured than Ralph, but nonetheless trades insults with him on a regular basis. Ed (typically called "Norton" by Ralph) often gets mixed up in Ralph's schemes, and his carefree and rather dimwitted nature usually results in raising Ralph's ire, while Ralph often showers him with verbal abuse, shoves him around, and throws him out of the apartment when Ed irritates him. Ed and Ralph are both members of the fictional Raccoon Lodge. * Thelma "Trixie" Norton, played by Joyce Randolph, is Ed's wife and Alice's best friend. She did not appear on every episode and had a less developed character, though she is shown to be bossy towards her husband and rather disposed towards violence. In one episode she is depicted as a pool hustler. On another episode, Ralph insults Trixie by making a reference to Minsky's (a burlesque theatre; the original Trixie (played by Elaine Stritch) was a burlesque dancer). However Randolph's characterization was more wholesome and there are no references to her background. She is even rather prudish, complaining to her husband when a "fresh" store employee called her "sweetie-pie". Some of the actors that appeared multiple times on the show include Jimmy Guarasci, Blanche Rothstein (who played Alice's mother); and Meg Laduca. History Origins In July 1950, Jackie Gleason took over as the host of Cavalcade of Stars, a variety show that aired on the DuMont Television Network. After a few episodes, Gleason and his writing staff developed a sketch that drew upon familiar domestic situations for its material. Gleason wanted a realistic portrayal of life for a poor husband and wife living in Brooklyn. The couple would fight constantly, but ultimately show their love for each other. After rejecting titles such as "The Beast", "The Lovers", and "The Couple Next Door", Gleason and his staff settled on "The Honeymooners" for the name of the new sketch. Gleason took the role of Ralph Kramden, a blustery bus driver, and he chose veteran comedy movie actress Pert Kelton for the role of Alice Kramden, Ralph's acerbic wife.[1] "The Honeymooners" made its debut on October 5, 1951, as a six-minute sketch.[2] Cast member Art Carney made a brief appearance as a police officer who gets hit with flour Ralph had thrown out the window. The tone of these early sketches was much darker than the later series, with Ralph exhibiting extreme bitterness and frustration with his marriage to an equally bitter and argumentative middle-aged woman (Kelton was nine years older than Gleason). The Kramdens' financial struggles mirrored those of Gleason's early life in Brooklyn, and he took great pains to duplicate on set the interior of the apartment where he grew up (right down to his boyhood address of 328 Chauncey Street).[2] The Kramdens (and later the Nortons) are childless, an issue never explored, but a condition on which Gleason insisted. Early additions to the cast of later sketches were upstairs neighbors Ed and Trixie Norton. Ed (played by Carney) was a sewer worker and Ralph's best friend, although his innocent and guileless nature was the source of many arguments between the two. Trixie Norton (maiden name unknown), Ed's wife, was originally portrayed as a burlesque dancer by Elaine Stritch, but was replaced by the more wholesome looking Joyce Randolph, after just one appearance. Trixie is a foil to Ed, just as Alice does for Ralph, but derivatively, and almost always off-screen. [2][3] Due in part to the colorful array of characters that Gleason invented (including the cast of "The Honeymooners"), Cavalcade of Stars became a huge success for DuMont. It increased its audience share from nine to 25 percent. Gleason's contract with DuMont expired in the summer of 1952, and the financially struggling network (which folded in the mid-1950s) was unable to re-sign him. Move to CBS CBS president William S. Paley convinced Gleason to leave the DuMont Network and bring his show to CBS. In July 1952, the cast of the retitled Jackie Gleason Show embarked on a highly successful five-week promotional tour across the United States, performing a variety of musical numbers and sketches (including the popular "Honeymooners"). The cast performed four shows a day, which was too much for Kelton, who was suffering from "heart problems." In actuality, Kelton was blacklisted as a suspected communist. She was replaced on the tour by Gingr Jones [sic], and subsequently was blacklisted (having earlier been named on the Red Channels blacklist) by CBS, which meant that a new Alice was needed.[3][4] Jones's replacement was Audrey Meadows, already known for her work in the 1951 musical Top Banana and on Bob and Ray's television show. Before receiving the role, Meadows had to overcome Gleason's reservations about her being too attractive to make a credible Alice. To accomplish this, she hired a photographer to come to her apartment early in the morning and take pictures of her with no make-up on, wearing a torn housecoat, and with her hair undone.[5][4] When the pictures were delivered to Gleason, he looked at them and said, "That's our Alice." When it was explained to him who it was he said, "Any dame who has a sense of humor like that deserves the job."[4] With the addition of Meadows the now-famous "Honeymooners" lineup of Gleason, Carney, Meadows, and Randolph was in place. The rising popularity of "The Honeymooners" was reflected in its increasing prominence as part of The Jackie Gleason Show. During the first season, it appeared on a regular basis (although not weekly) as a short sketch during part of the larger variety show. The sketches ranged in length from seven to thirteen minutes. For the 1953–54 season, the shorter sketches were outnumbered by ones that ran for a half hour or longer. During the 1954–55 season, most episodes consisted entirely of "The Honeymooners". Fan response was overwhelming. Meadows received hundreds of curtains and aprons in the mail from fans who wanted to help Alice lead a fancier life. By January 1955, The Jackie Gleason Show was competing with (and sometimes beating) I Love Lucy as the most-watched show in the United States. Audience members lined up around the block hours in advance to attend the show.[1] Before Gleason's initial three-year contract with CBS expired, he was offered a much larger one by CBS and Buick (the carmaker having dropped their sponsorship of The Milton Berle Show). The three-year contract, reportedly valued at $USD 11 million, was one of the largest in show business history. It called for Gleason to produce 78 filmed episodes of The Honeymooners over two seasons, with an option for a third season of 39 more. He was scheduled to receive $65,000 for each episode ($70,000 per episode in the second season), but had to pay all production costs out of that amount. Art Carney received $3,500 per week, Audrey Meadows received $2,000 per week, and Joyce Randolph (who did not appear in every episode) received $500 per week. Production for The Honeymooners was handled by Jackie Gleason Enterprises, Inc., which also produced the show's lead-in, Stage Show.[1][2] The first episode of the new half-hour series aired Saturday, October 1, 1955, at 8:30 pm (during prime time), opposite Ozark Jubilee on ABC and The Perry Como Show on NBC. As it was sponsored by Buick, the opening credits ended with an advertisement ("Brought to you by your Buick dealer. And away we go!"), and the show concluded with a brief Gleason sales pitch for the company. All references to the carmaker were removed when the show entered syndication.[5] Critical reaction to The Honeymooners was mixed. While The New York Times and Broadcasting and Telecasting Magazine wrote that it was "labored" and lacked the spontaneity of the live sketches, TV Guide praised it as "rollicking", "slapsticky" and "fast-paced".[1] In February 1956, the show was moved to the 8 pm time slot, but had already started to lose viewers to the hugely popular Perry Como Show. Gleason's writers had also begun to feel confined by the restrictive half-hour format, and Gleason felt that they were starting to run out of original ideas. After just one season, Gleason and CBS agreed to cancel The Honeymooners, which aired its 39th and last original episode on September 22, 1956. In explaining his decision to end the show with $7 million remaining on his contract Gleason said, "the excellence of the material could not be maintained, and I had too much fondness for the show to cheapen it."[1] Gleason subsequently sold the films of the "Classic 39" episodes of the show to CBS for $USD 1.5 million.[2] Revivals One week after The Honeymooners ended, The Jackie Gleason Show returned on September 29, 1956. "The "Honeymooners" sketches were soon brought back as part of the revived variety show. When Art Carney left the show in 1957, the sketches ceased production. In 1962, Gleason's variety show returned as Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine. The "Honeymooners" sketches returned as well, whenever Carney was available. Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph were replaced as Alice and Trixie by Sue Ane Langdon and Patricia Wilson, respectively.[2][3] In January 1966, Meadows returned as Alice for a musical special entitled The Honeymooners: The Adoption, a re-enactment of a 1955 sketch of the same name. When The Jackie Gleason Show (now based in Miami Beach, Florida) returned in 1966, the "Honeymooners" sketches (now in color for the first time) returned as a series of elaborate musicals. The sketches, which comprised ten of the first season's thirty-two shows, followed a story arc that had the Kramdens and Nortons traveling across Europe after Ralph won a contest. "The Color Honeymooners", as it has since become known, featured Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean in the roles of Alice and Trixie, respectively (Meadows and Randolph did not want to relocate to Miami). One notable 1967 segment featured the return of Pert Kelton, this time playing Alice's mother, Mrs. Gibson.[2][3] "The Honeymooners" ended again when The Jackie Gleason Show was canceled in 1970, the result of a disagreement in direction between Gleason and the network. Gleason wanted to continue interspersing "The Honeymooners" within the confines of his regular variety show, while CBS wanted a full-hour "Honeymooners" every week. On October 11, 1973, Gleason, Carney, MacRae and Kean reunited for a 'Honeymooners' skit called "Women's Lib" on a Gleason special on CBS. Finally, the Kramdens and Nortons were brought back for four final one-hour specials on ABC, which aired from 1976–78. Alongside Gleason and Carney, Audrey Meadows returned as Alice (for the first time since 1966) while Jane Kean continued to play Trixie. Joyce Randolph, the actress most identified as Trixie, never played the part after the 1950s. These four specials were the final original "Honeymooners" productions.[3] Production In 1955, most television shows (including The Jackie Gleason Show) were performed live and recorded using kinescope technology. One notable exception was I Love Lucy, which was recorded directly onto 35 mm film. For The Honeymooners, Gleason utilized the Electronicam TV-film system, developed by DuMont in the early 1950s. As a result of the superior picture and sound quality afforded by the Electronicam system, episodes of The Honeymooners were much more suitable for rebroadcast than some other shows of the era.[2][3] All 39 episodes of The Honeymooners were filmed at the DuMont Television Network's Adelphi Theater in New York City, in front of an audience of 1,000. Episodes were never fully rehearsed, as Gleason felt that rehearsals would rob the show of its spontaneity. The result was that while the cast was able to bring a fresh approach to the material, mistakes were often made—lines were either recited incorrectly or forgotten altogether, and actors did not follow the scripted action. To compensate, the cast developed visual cues for each other: Gleason patted his stomach when he forgot a line, while Meadows would glance at the refrigerator when someone else was supposed to retrieve something from it.[5][6] In contrast to other popular comedies of the era (such as Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, Leave It to Beaver, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), which depicted their characters in comfortable, middle class suburban environments, the set design for The Honeymooners reflected the blue collar existence of its characters. The Kramdens' apartment, in particular, was sparsely furnished—the main set was a kitchen, which consisted of a functional table and chairs, a curtain-less window (with a view of a fire escape) and an outdated icebox.[2][3][4] The instrumental theme song for The Honeymooners, "You're My Greatest Love", was composed by Gleason and performed by an orchestra led by Ray Bloch (who had previously served as orchestra leader on Gleason's variety show, as well as The Ed Sullivan Show). Although lyrics were composed, they were never sung. Sammy Spear, who later became Gleason's musical director, provided the arrangement.[7] The music heard in the episodes was not performed during the show, so to enhance the feeling of a live performance for the studio audience an orchestra performed before filming and during breaks.[1] The show's original announcer was Jack Lescoulie, who was also a spokesman for the sponsor, Buick. For the non-sponsored syndicated version, the introduction was voiced by CBS staff announcer Gaylord Avery. Awards Art Carney won five Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Ed Norton—two for the original Jackie Gleason Show, one for The Honeymooners, and two for the final version of The Jackie Gleason Show. He was nominated for another two (1957, 1966) but lost. Gleason and Meadows were both nominated in 1956 for their work on The Honeymooners. Gleason was nominated for Best Actor – Continuing Performance but lost to Phil Silvers, while Meadows was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role but lost to Nanette Fabray. Meadows was also nominated for Emmys for her portrayal of Alice Kramden in 1954 and 1957.[8][9] The following table summarizes award wins by cast members, both for The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show. Actor Awards won Show Art Carney Emmy, Best Series Supporting Actor (1954) The Jackie Gleason Show Emmy, Best Supporting Actor in a Regular Series (1955) The Jackie Gleason Show Emmy, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (1956) The Honeymooners Emmy, Special Classifications of Individual Achievement (1967) The Jackie Gleason Show Emmy, Special Classification of Individual Achievements (1968) The Jackie Gleason Show Audrey Meadows Emmy, Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series (1955) The Jackie Gleason Show Plot For the full list of episodes, see List of The Honeymooners episodes Most of The Honeymooners took place in Ralph and Alice Kramden's kitchen. Other settings used in the show included the Gotham Bus Company depot, the Raccoon Lodge, and on occasion the Nortons' apartment. Many episodes began with a shot of Alice in the kitchen, awaiting Ralph's arrival from work. Most episodes focused on Ralph and Ed Norton's characters, although Alice played a substantial role. Ed's wife, Trixie, played a smaller role in the series, and didn't appear in every episode as the other three did. Each episode presented a self-contained story, which never carried over into a subsequent one. The show employed a number of standard sitcom clichés and plots, particularly those of jealousy and comic misunderstanding. The show presented Ralph as an everyman and an underdog who struggled to make a better life for himself and his wife, but who ultimately failed due to his own shortcomings. He (along with Ed) devised a number of get-rich-quick schemes, none of which succeeded. Ralph was quick to blame others for his misfortune, until it was pointed out to him where he had fallen short. Ralph's anger was replaced by short-lived remorse, and he would then apologize for his actions. Many of these apologies to Alice ended with Ralph saying, "Baby, you're the greatest", followed by a hug and kiss.[1][3][4] In most episodes, Ralph's short temper got the best of him, leading him to yell at others and to threaten physical violence, particularly against Alice. Ralph's favorite threats to her were "Bang, zoom, straight to the moon!" and "One of these days … one of these days … POW, right in the kisser!" This has led some to criticize the show as displaying an acceptance of domestic violence.[10][11] Ralph never carried out his threats, however, and others have pointed out that Alice knew he never would.[3][4] In retaliation, the targets of Ralph's verbal abuse often responded by simply joking about his weight, a common theme throughout the series.[3][4] Alice was never seen to back down during any of Ralph's tirades. Impact and legacy Due to its enduring popularity, The Honeymooners has been referenced numerous times in American pop culture, and has also served as the inspiration behind other television shows. The show also introduced memorable catchphrases into American culture, such as "Bang, zoom, straight to the moon!", "One of these days...one of these days...POW, right in the kisser!" and "Baby, you're the greatest". * In 1960, the animated sitcom The Flintstones debuted. Many critics and viewers noted the close resemblance of that show's premise and characters to that of The Honeymooners.[14] Co-creator William Hanna has stated that The Honeymooners was used as a basis for the concept of The Flintstones.[citation needed] Mel Blanc, the voice of Barney Rubble, was asked to model Barney's voice after Ed Norton, but reportedly refused. Gleason later said that he had thought about suing, but decided not to as he did not want to be the person responsible for having the show pulled off the air.[15][16] * All in the Family premiered as a mid-season replacement on CBS five months after the last episode of The Jackie Gleason Show and took over Gleason's Saturday evening time slot the following fall. * The sitcom King of Queens was inspired partly by The Honeymooners.[17] In a 2001 episode of the show ("Inner Tube"), Doug Heffernan (played by Kevin James) dreams that he is Ralph Kramden, his wife Carrie (played by Leah Remini) is Alice Kramden, and his friend Deacon Palmer (played by Victor Williams) is Ed Norton. The sequence was filmed in black-and-white and the audio quality (including the audience) matches a '50s style. * In 1999, TV Guide published a list entitled "TV's 50 Greatest Characters Ever!" Ed Norton was #2, and Ralph Kramden was #13.[4] * In 2002, The Honeymooners was listed at #3 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. * The show was parodied in a series of animated Looney Tunes shorts, in which the principal characters are depicted as mice and Ralph's "big dream" is to get enough cheese to impress Alice. These cartoons are "The Honey-Mousers" (1956), "Cheese It, the Cat!" (1957), and "Mice Follies" (1960).[18] Human caricatures of Ralph and Ed are pitted against Bugs Bunny in the 1956 Warner cartoon "Half-Fare Hare". In one Sylvester and Tweety cartoon — in which Granny gets rousted out of her house by the big bad wolf, only to get the wolf in the end — Granny (June Foray) hollered, "One of these days...one of these days...Pow! Right in the kisser!" And in another cartoon, when Sylvester falls into an open manhole, inside we hear a voice like Ed Norton's say "Hey, look at this, Ralph, a pussycat". To which, Sylvester simply peers out of the sewer to the audience. * As Ralph Kramden was a New York City bus driver, one of the service depots in Brooklyn was renamed the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot in 1988. All buses that originate from the bus depot bear a sticker on the front that has a logo derived from the 'face on the moon' opening credits of The Honeymooners. The MTA also took 1948 GM-TDH5101 bus number 4789, renumbered it to 2969 and made it the 'official Jackie Gleason bus'. * A statue of Gleason as Ralph Kramden stands at the Eighth Avenue entrance to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. The plaque on the base of the statue reads, "Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden - Bus Driver - Raccoon Lodge Treasurer - Dreamer - Presented by the People of TV Land"[19] * Comedian Eddie Murphy impersonated Ralph and Ed in an infamous stand-up routine depicting Kramden and Norton as gay lovers as part of his 1983 concert film Eddie Murphy Delirious. * An episode ("A Trip To The Moon") of the 1980s detective spoof Moonlighting features lead characters David Addison, Maddie Hayes, Agnes Dipesto, and Richard Addison performing a Honeymooners re-creation. * Comedian Joe Piscopo released a song entitled "Honeymooners Rap" in 1985, in which he impersonated Ralph Kramden while Eddie Murphy supplied the voice for Ed Norton. * A Tribe Called Quest's song What contains the line "What's Ralph Kramden, if he ain't yellin', at Ed Norton, what's coke snortin'?" * The Honeymooners was spoofed in an episode of Perfect Strangers as a result of the character Balki Bartoukomos (Bronson Pinchot) spinning an extended metaphor about the characters' situation to an episode of The Honeymooners he had once seen; Balki's description of the episode is shown in a black-and-white flashback. Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) portrayed Ralph Kramden and Balki portrayed Ed Norton (retaining his foreign accent in the role). * In the Pinky and the Brain episode "Win Big", Pinky repeatedly says, "Bang, zoom, right in the kisser!" after watching The Honeymooners. Later in the episode, the knowledge of the origin of this phrase plays a part in Brain's attempt at world domination. The entire plot of the episode also seems to parody the Classic 39 episode The $99,000 Answer, especially in how the episode ends, when Brain attributes the Honeymooners line in his final question to Pinky. * In the Futurama episode "The Series Has Landed", Fry witnesses the future's interpretation of The Honeymooners. "Bang, zoom, straight to the moon!" was thought by the people in the year 3000 as a representation of man's desire to travel to space. Fry correctly notes that the quote was actually a metaphor for domestic violence. In the episode "Spanish Fry", one of the aliens also refers to the catchphrase—"One of these days Ndnd... Bang, zoom, straight to the third moon of Omicron Persei 8!". * In the Family Guy episode "The Fat Guy Strangler", Lois Griffin's brother, Patrick, who has been in an asylum for most of his life for killing some fat men, and of whose existence Lois was ignorant her whole life, was traumatized as a child when he walked in on his mother having oral sex with Jackie Gleason, who ejaculates off-camera while saying his catchphrase, "Pow! Right in the kisser!" over and over. Peter Griffin triggers Patrick's killing spree by wearing a bus driver's uniform identical to the one Gleason wore on The Honeymooners. After Patrick is caught, he is left traumatized again at the end of the episode by Peter's endlessly repeating the phrase "Pow! Right in the kisser!". Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has said that Gleason was an influence for Peter's character.[20] In another Family Guy episode titled "PTV" when Peter is sitting on the couch watching the TV and the FCC is censoring everything that may be offensive, Brian states that there was something weird about that Honeymooners episode he watched that day and it cuts to a scene where Jackie Gleason's character is saying "One of these days Alice, one of these days!" and the voiceover replacement says "I'm going to stimulate the economy by buying an American Car." * In the "Stan of Arabia (Part 1)" episode of American Dad! (another MacFarlane creation), Stan Smith uses the "Pow! Right in the kisser!" line to threaten his wife Francine Smith, only with a gunshot to the ceiling replacing the word "pow". * The 1985 film Back to the Future features a scene set in 1955, where the family of Lorraine Baines is watching an episode of The Honeymooners entitled "The Man from Space". This is technically an anachronism, however, as the scene takes place in November, while that episode did not air until December 31. Earlier in the movie, Marty McFly's family was watching a rerun of the same episode over dinner; he is thus able to identify the episode (which was supposedly being aired for its first time) as a "rerun". * Louis C.K. has stated in an interview that he based the layout of Louie's apartment in Lucky Louie on the Kramdens' apartment, in contrast to other shows like The King of Queens that have very nicely decorated apartments on low incomes.[21] * Two remote-sensing cameras on the New Horizons space probe to the dwarf planet Pluto are named "Ralph" and "Alice". * On January 15, 2007, the clip-art comic strip Partially Clips featured a reference to The Honeymooners. * On June 1, 2007, FOX aired a special of TV's Funniest Moments. A clip from the episode titled The $99,000 Answer was on the list. It was when Ralph identifies the composer of Swanee River as being "Ed Norton". The success of The Honeymooners in countries outside the United States has led to the production of new shows based entirely on it. In 1994, the Dutch broadcasting network KRO produced a version of The Honeymooners entitled Toen Was Geluk Heel Gewoon ([back] then was happiness very ordinary), using translated scripts of the original series but changing its setting to 1950s Rotterdam. After the original 39 scripts were exhausted, the series' lead actors, Gerard Cox and Sjoerd Pleijsier, took over writing, adding many new characters and references to Dutch history and popular culture. The series was a hit in the Netherlands and continues to run.[22] In 1994, the Swedish network TV4 produced a version of The Honeymooners entitled Rena Rama Rolf, but changing its to modern-day Gothenburg, Rolf (Ralph) is working as a streetcardriver. The show ran until 1998.[citation needed] In 1998, the Polish network Polsat produced a version of The Honeymooners entitled Miodowe lata, using both translated scripts of the original series and new ones, but changing its setting to modern-day Warsaw. The original series ran until 2003 and was continued in 2004 as Całkiem nowe lata miodowe.[23] On June 10, 2005, a feature film remake of The Honeymooners was released, featuring a predominantly African American cast. The roles of Ralph, Alice, Ed, and Trixie were played by Cedric the Entertainer, Gabrielle Union, Mike Epps, and Regina Hall, respectively. The movie was a critical and commercial failure, earning slightly more than $USD 13 million worldwide.[24] In 1988, software company First Row Software released a Honeymooners videogame for Commodore 64 and DOS systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 17. (tie) Saturday Night Live (1975-present) (4 of 18 lists - 54 points - highest ranking #2 knightni) Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American sketch comedy/variety show based in New York City that debuted on October 11, 1975. It features a regular cast of typically up-and-coming comic actors, joined by a guest host and musical act. George Carlin was first to host the show. The show — broadcast live (or on tape delay to the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones) from Studio 8H at the GE Building in New York's Rockefeller Center — has launched careers for many major American comedy stars of the last thirty years. It was created by Canadian Lorne Michaels who, excluding a hiatus from season 6 through season 10, has produced and written for the show and remains its executive producer. SNL is one of the longest-running network programs in American television history. Originally, the show was called NBC's Saturday Night, as the current (and originally intended) title was in use by rival network ABC. NBC purchased the rights to the name in 1976 and officially adopted the new title on March 26, 1977. Throughout its history (except for season 7 and other rare exceptions), the show has traditionally begun with a cold open that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!" History * By era: 1975-1980, 1980-1985, 1985-1990, 1990-1995, 1995-2000, 2000-2005, 2005-present Saturday Night Live cast See also: Saturday Night Live cast Current repertory players * Fred Armisen (2002–present) * Will Forte (2002–present) * Bill Hader (2005–present) * Darrell Hammond (1995–present) * Seth Meyers (2001–present) * Amy Poehler (2001–present) * Andy Samberg (2005–present) * Jason Sudeikis (2005–present) * Kenan Thompson (2003–present) * Kristen Wiig (2005–present) * Casey Wilson (2008–present; featured player) Notable tenures Although Saturday Night Live has a rapid turnover of supporting players, some performers have had long tenures with the show: Cast Member Tenure Total Seasons Total Episodes[1] Darrell Hammond 1995–Present 13 252 Al Franken 1977–1980, 1986, 1987–1995 11½ 90 Tim Meadows 1991–2000 9½ 190 Kevin Nealon 1986–1995 9 175 Phil Hartman 1986–1994 8 155 Horatio Sanz 1998–2006 8 162 Chris Kattan 1996–2003 7½ 150 Chris Parnell 1998–2001, 2002 - 2006 7½ 148 Maya Rudolph 2000–2008 7½ 135 Rachel Dratch 1999–2006 7 139 Will Ferrell 1995–2002 7 143 Seth Meyers 2001–Present 7 132 Tracy Morgan 1996–2003 7 146 Amy Poehler 2001–Present 7 131 * Dana Carvey and Mike Myers are credited with 6½ seasons each. Announcer Don Pardo has served as the announcer for the series since it began (except for season 7, when Mel Brandt filled that role). Pardo, who was 57 when the show debuted and who retired from NBC in 2004 at age 86, still flies in from his home in Tucson, Arizona to introduce the show as of 2008. Hosts/musical guests See also: List of Saturday Night Live episodes The following performers have hosted SNL at least five times. Some of these hosts, notated with a (•), are the subjects of their own "Best of ..." videotape, DVD, or compilation special. (±) indicates a former cast member. The "Five Timers' Club" originates from a sketch which appeared on Tom Hanks' fifth episode. Performer Number of Episodes First Hosted Most Recently Hosted Date of Five Timer Membership Steve Martin (•) [2] 14 October 23, 1976 February 4, 2006 April 22, 1978 Alec Baldwin (•) 13 April 21, 1990 November 11, 2006 December 10, 1994 John Goodman 12 December 2, 1989 November 3, 2001 May 7, 1994 Buck Henry 10 January 17, 1976 May 24, 1980 November 19, 1977 Chevy Chase (•)(±) 9 February 18, 1978 February 15, 1997 November 16, 1985 Tom Hanks (•) [3] 8 December 14, 1985 May 6, 2006 December 8, 1990 Christopher Walken (•)[4] 7 January 20, 1990 April 5, 2008 May 19, 2001 Elliott Gould 6 January 10, 1976 November 15, 1980 February 16, 1980 Danny DeVito 6 May 15, 1982 December 10, 1999 January 9, 1993 Candice Bergen 5 November 8, 1975 May 19, 1990 May 19, 1990 Bill Murray (±) 5 March 7, 1981 February 20, 1999 February 20, 1999 Drew Barrymore 5 November 20, 1982 February 3, 2007 February 3, 2007 The following performers have been musical guests on SNL at least five times: Musical Guest Number of Episodes First Musical Appearance Last Musical Appearance Other Notes Paul Simon 7 October 18, 1975 May 13, 2006 Simon also hosted or co-hosted three shows. He co-hosted with Catherine Oxenberg on May 10, 1986, during the 11th season. He solely hosted the second show on October 18, 1975 where he performed with Art Garfunkel and Phoebe Snow and on November 20, 1976, where he was one of two musical guests. Is also best friend of show creator Lorne Michaels. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 7 November 10, 1979 April 10, 1999 Randy Newman 6 October 18, 1975 October 22, 1988 James Taylor 6 September 18, 1976 November 13, 1993 Beck 6 January 11, 1997 October 28, 2006 He appeared as musical guest two times in 1999 (with hosts Bill Paxton and Christina Ricci). He has also been featured in a sketch about the evils of medicinal marijuana. Sting 5 October 17, 1987 November 20, 1999 Only non-American performer to appear as a musical guest at least five times; has also performed in at least one sketch during each of his appearances. Foo Fighters 5 December 2, 1995 October 13, 2007 Lead singer Dave Grohl has actually appeared nine times; he was the drummer for Nirvana in their two performances, as well as for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Tenacious D for one performance each. Musical guests who simultaneously hosted The following performers have pulled a double duty as both musical guests and host during the same SNL episode: Musical Guest Date of Hosting/Musical Appearance Other Notes Lily Tomlin November 22, 1975 She is actually the first to host and be in the musical act, but the show was listed without a musical act. So she is not given musical act credit Desi Arnaz February 21, 1976 He is the first performer to appear simultaneously as host and musical guest. Paul Simon November 20, 1976 Ray Charles November 12, 1977 The Rolling Stones October 7, 1978 Are the only band to host and be musical guests on SNL (even though Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood were the only band members to appear in sketches - Bill Wyman did not) Frank Zappa October 21, 1978 Olivia Newton-John May 22, 1982 Lily Tomlin January 22, 1983 Appearing in the musical act also technically makes her the first to host and appear in the musical act twice. Though again the show was listed without a musical guest so she was not given credit. Tomlin appeared as Pervis Hawkins Stevie Wonder May 7, 1983 Willie Nelson February 21, 1987 Dolly Parton April 15, 1989 Quincy Jones February 10, 1990 Jones' hosting stint had ten musical guests on one night, an SNL record. Sting January 19, 1991 Sting also hosted in early 1997. He was not the credited musical guest but he did perform a few numbers. MC Hammer December 7, 1991 Garth Brooks February 28, 1998 and November 13, 1999 He is one of only three performers to simultaneously act as host and musical guest more than once. Garth appeared in the second such episode as himself as host, and his alter ego Chris Gaines as musical guest. Deion Sanders February 24, 1995 Bon Jovi was the credited musical guest, but Deion Sanders performed "It's On" and "Must be the Money". Jennifer Lopez February 10, 2001 Britney Spears May 13, 2000 and February 2, 2002 At 18, she was the youngest person in SNL History to act as a host and musical guest the same time on May 13, 2000. Justin Timberlake October 11, 2003 and December 16, 2006 Janet Jackson April 10, 2004 Queen Latifah October 9, 2004 Ludacris November 18, 2006 Jon Bon Jovi October 13, 2007 Jon Bon Jovi hosted, with Bon Jovi performing twice, and Foo Fighters performing once. Castmembers who have hosted Here is a list of all SNL castmembers who have hosted SNL. If a (•)appears next to a name that means they have a Best Of. Castmembers are put into order by when they first hosted. Performer Times Hosted First Hosted Most Recently Hosted When a Castmember Other Notes Chevy Chase (•) 9 February 18, 1978 February 15, 1997 1975-1976 / 1½ seasons First former castmember to host and first to host more than five times. He is the first Weekend Update anchor to come back to host. As of 1997, he is banned from ever hosting again due to his harsh treatment of castmembers. Bill Murray 5 March 7, 1981 February 20, 1999 1977-1980 / 3½ seasons Second former castmember to host five or more time times. He is the second former Weekend Update anchor to come back to host SNL. Only castmember to host during Jean Doumanian's tenture as producer. Eddie Murphy (•) 2 December 11, 1982 December 15, 1984 1980-1984 / 3½ seasons He is the only performer to host while still a castmember. Also, he was the first of only four hosts who joined the cast when Lorne Michaels was not producing SNL. Don Novello 2 January 14, 1984 May 12, 1984 1978-1980 + 1985-1986 Hosted as his character Father Guido Saeducci. Billy Crystal 2 March 17, 1984 May 12, 1984 1984-1985 / 1 season He is the first performer to join the cast after he had hosted. He co-hosted with Ed Kock, Don Novello, Betty Thomas and Edwin Newman on May 12, 1984. Also, he is one of only four hosts who joined the cast when Lorne Michaels was not producing SNL. Michael McKean 1 November 3, 1984 November 3, 1984 94-95 / 1½ He is the second performer to join the cast after hosting a show, and also the oldest individual to join the cast. Martin Short 2 December 6, 1986 December 7, 1996 1984-1985 / 1 season He co-hosted with Chevy Chase and Steve Martin on December 6, 1986. He is one of only four castmembers hosts who joined the cast when Lorne Michaels was not producing SNL. Paul Shaffer 1 January 31, 1987 January 31, 1987 1979-1980 / 1 season He is the only former leader of the SNL Band to host. Dana Carvey (•) 3 October 22, 1994 October 21, 2000 1986-1993 / 6½ seasons Damon Wayans 1 April 8, 1995 April 8, 1995 1985-1986 / ½ season He is the first castmember to come back to host SNL after being fired from the show, and the first castmember from In Living Color to host. Phil Hartman (•) 2 March 23, 1996 November 23, 1996 1986-1994 / 8 seasons Chris Rock (•) 1 November 2, 1996 November 2, 1996 1990-1993 / 3 seasons Robert Downey Jr 1 November 16, 1996 November 16, 1996 1985-1986 / 1 season Mike Myers (•) 1 March 22, 1997 March 22, 1997 1989-1995 / 6 seasons has an updated version of his best of Chris Farley (•) 1 October 25, 1997 October 25, 1997 1990-1995 / 5 seasons made his last appearance on tv with the episode he hosted Jon Lovitz (•) 1 November 8, 1997 November 8, 1997 1986-1990 / 5 seasons Ben Stiller 1 October 24, 1998 October 24, 1998 1989-1989 / ½ season David Spade (•) 2 November 7, 1998 March 12, 2005 1990-1996 / 6 seasons Norm MacDonald 1 October 23, 1999 October 23, 1999 1993-1998 / 5 seasons He is the third former Weekend Update anchor to come back to host SNL and the only WU anchor to host after being fired from being an anchor on WU (he wasnt fired from the cast). Dan Aykroyd (•) 1 May 17, 2003 May 17, 2003 1975-1979 / 4 seasons H is the fourth former Weekend Update anchor to come back to host SNL. Will Ferrell (•) 1 May 14, 2005 May 14, 2005 1995-2002 / 7 seasons has two best ofs Julia Louis-Dreyfus 2 May 13, 2006 March 17, 2007 1982-1985 / 3 seasons first women castmember to host / first women castmember from the Ebersol era Molly Shannon (•) 1 May 12, 2007 May 12, 2007 1995-2001 / 6½ seasons second women castmember to host but first from the Michaels era Tina Fey 1 February 23, 2008 February 23, 2008 2000-2006 / 6 seasons The SNL Band The Saturday Night Live Band (most often referred to as The Live Band) is the house band of Saturday Night Live (SNL). It has consistently featured some of the finest studio musicians available in New York, including Paul Shaffer, G.E. Smith, Lou Marini (1975-1983), David Sanborn (1975), Michael Brecker, Ray Chew (1980-1983), Alan Rubin (1975-1983), Georg Wadenius (1979-1985), Steve Ferrone (1985), David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter) and Tom Malone, who served as leader of the band from 1981 to 1985. The band is currently under the leadership of Tower of Power alum Lenny Pickett and keyboardists Leon Pendarvis and Katreese Barnes. Recurring characters and sketches For recurring characters and sketches, see the list alphabetically, chronologically, and by cast member. Films based on SNL sketches The early days of SNL spawned several movies, including the successful The Blues Brothers. However it was the success of Wayne's World, that encouraged Lorne Michaels to produce more film spinoffs, based on several popular sketch characters. Michaels revived 1970s characters for Coneheads (1993), followed by It's Pat (1994); Stuart Saves His Family (1995, with the Stuart Smalley character); A Night at the Roxbury (1998, with the Butabi Brothers characters); Superstar (1999, with the Mary Katherine Gallagher character); and The Ladies Man (2000). Some did moderately well, though others did not — notably It's Pat!, which did so badly at the box office the studio which made the film, Touchstone, pulled it only one week after releasing it, and Stuart Saves His Family, with the latter losing US$15 million despite good reviews. Film Release Date Budget Gross Profit Reviews The Blues Brothers 1980 $27 million $57,229,890 + Good Wayne's World 1992 $20 million $121,697,323 + Good Wayne's World 2 1993 $40 million $48,197,805 + Mix Coneheads 1993 Unknown $21,274,717 Unknown Bad It's Pat 1994 Unknown $60,822 Unknown Bad Stuart Saves His Family 1995 $15 million $911,310 - Mix A Night at the Roxbury 1998 $17 million $30,331,165 + Bad Blues Brothers 2000 1998 $28 million $14,051,384 - Bad Superstar 1999 $14 million $30,636,478 + Bad The Ladies Man 2000 $11 million $13,592,872 + Bad Key Party Unknown The studio Since the show's inception, SNL has aired from Studio 8H, located on floors 8 and 9 of GE Building (30 Rockefeller Plaza, or "30 Rock"). Due to the studio originally being a radio soundstage for Arturo Toscanini and his NBC Symphony Orchestra, the layout of the studio floor and the audience positioning causes some audience members to have an obstructed view of many of the sketches. According to NBC, the 8H studio has an almost perfect sound acoustic. The offices of SNL writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30 Rock". During the summer 2005 shooting hiatus, crews began renovations on Studio 8H. With its thirty-first season premiere in October 2005, the show began broadcasting in high definition, appearing letterboxed on conventional television screens. Three of the first four shows of the 1976-77 season were shot at the former NBC Studios in Brooklyn, due to NBC News using Studio 8H for Presidential election coverage. Production process The following is a summary of the process used to produce the show. It is based in part on interviews with former SNL head writer and performer Tina Fey in 2000 and 2004.[5][6] Monday: * The day begins with a topical meeting, identifying the biggest story for the show's opening. * This is followed by a free-form pitch meeting with Lorne Michaels and the show's host for the week. The official name is "The Host Meeting" but all the writers and cast members call it "The Pitch Meeting" * Throughout the week the host has a lot of influence on which sketches get aired. * Following the meeting, writers begin to draft the two scripts each must produce. Tuesday: * Starting in the afternoon, anywhere from 30 to 45 scripts are written, most of which will not be broadcast. * Once a writer's scripts are complete, he or she will often help other writers on their scripts. Wednesday: * All scripts get a read-through. * After the read-through, the head writer(s) and the producers meet with the host to decide which sketches to work on for the rest of the week, with Lorne Michaels and the host having the final say. Thursday: * The surviving sketches are reviewed, word-by-word, by the writing staff as a whole or in two groups in the case of co-head writers. * Some sketches which survived the cut because of their premise, but are in need of work, are rewritten completely. Others are changed in smaller ways. * The Weekend Update crew starts coming together, starting with the news items written by writers dedicated all week to the segment. * The crew comes in for rehearsal, and the music act is rehearsed as well as some of the larger, more important sketches. * The host and musical guest and usually some cast members shoot two to four promos to play for NBC. Friday: * The show is blocked. * The writer of each sketch acts as producer, working with the show's set designers and costumers. Saturday: * With the show still far from finalized, the day begins with a run-through, with props, in front of Lorne Michaels. * After the run-through, the cast and crew find out which of the sketches are in the dress rehearsal, and which are cut. The writer/producer deals with any changes. * This is followed by a dress rehearsal performed in front of the studio audience, which lasts from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. (or sometimes later) and contains approximately twenty minutes of material which will be deleted from the final broadcast. * Lorne Michaels uses firsthand observation of the audience reaction during the dress rehearsal and input from the host and head writer to determine the final round of changes, re-ordering sketches as necessary. * The live show then begins at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, but some markets will delay airing. The status of the show during the week is maintained on a bulletin board. Sketches and other segments are given labels which are put on index cards and put on the board in the order of their performance. The order is based on content as well as production limitations such as camera placement and performer availability. Segments which have been cut are kept to the side of the board. As the broadcast approaches, often the writer/producer discovers the fate of his or her segment only by consulting the bulletin board. A 60 Minutes report taped in October 2004 depicted the intense writing frenzy that goes on during the week leading up to a show, with crowded meetings and long hours. The report particularly noted the involvement of the guest hosts in developing and selecting the sketches in which they will appear. Similarly, there has been an A&E episode of Biography which covered the production process, as well as an episode of "TV Tales" in 2002 on E! Entertainment Television. When it's not live Reruns SNL reruns are aired out of its original broadcast sequence, usually determined by which episodes have not yet been repeated, but had high ratings or acclaim for its live broadcast. Shows usually air twice during a particular season, but often the highest rated shows of the season have a second encore show towards the end of the off-season, or episodes will be repeated a second or third time to coincide with a new event connected with the person who hosted. For example, the Natalie Portman episode aired in March 2006 to promote V for Vendetta was repeated August 5, 2006, prior to the film's DVD release August 8. Similarly, Jeff Gordon's episode reran following NBC's coverage of the Pepsi 400. Encore showings are not always identical to the original broadcast. Successful sketches aired later in the show during the original broadcast may be reedited to appear earlier, and segments that did not work well during the live broadcast may be replaced by the dress rehearsal version, or entirely new sketches. A Peter Sarsgaard sketch from his January 21, 2006 appearance, involving Rachel Dratch's fake newscast, met with technical difficulties during the live broadcast when the in-sketch TV stopped working and a stagehand was seen fixing it. It was replaced with a dress rehearsal version in rerun. This has happened many times over the years, including Kathleen Turner's monologue in 1989. A sketch involving "butt pregnancy" during the first broadcast of the November 12, 2005, Jason Lee episode was replaced with a musical sketch about cafeteria food during the repeat. In the earlier years of the show's history, reruns occasionally replaced weaker sketches with segments from other episodes, usually from episodes that did not have an encore showing at all. Perhaps one of the most notable substitutions was the replacement of Sinéad O'Connor's October 3, 1992 live performance during which she destroyed a photograph of Pope John Paul II, with the dress rehearsal performance from earlier that evening. The show is never live in the western half of the USA. There was a short experiment in which it did air live on the west coast in 2001 after live XFL football games.[citation needed] NBC airs a recording of the live show for the Mountain and Pacific time zones. NBC and Broadway Video share the copyright to every episode of the show made thus far. From 1990 until 2004, Comedy Central and its predecessor Ha! re-aired reruns of the series, after which E! Entertainment Television signed a deal to reruns.[7] Abbreviated thirty and sixty minute versions of the first five seasons aired as The Best of Saturday Night Live in syndication beginning in the 1980s and later on Nick at Nite in 1988, VH1, Comedy Central and E! Entertainment Television. Compilations From time-to-time, SNL airs compilation shows. Such shows will feature hand-selected best sketches from the previous season; of a particular cast member or multiple-time host; or centered on a particular theme (eg. Halloween, Christmas). Political sketches are typically culled for a special in presidential election years; the 2000 special was notable for having self-deprecating (though separate) appearances by candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore. Delays * The show was forced by the network to run on a seven-second delay when Andrew Dice Clay and Richard Pryor hosted. * The episode scheduled for October 25, 1986, hosted by Rosanna Arquette, was not aired until November 8 due to NBC broadcasting Game 6 of the 1986 World Series; the game entered extra innings, causing that night's broadcast of SNL to be canceled. The show was recorded for the studio audience starting at 1:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and broadcast two weeks later with an "apology" by New York Mets pitcher Ron Darling. * The episode scheduled for February 10, 2001, hosted by Jennifer Lopez, aired 45 minutes late due to an XFL game. Lopez and the cast were not told they were airing on a delay.[8] * During Eddie Murphy's last season, he negotiated to record a number of extra sketches in September 1983 that featured him and were broadcast in episodes for which he was not available. His last live show was with host Edwin Newman on February 25, 1984.[9] * When Sam Kinison delivered a comic monologue in 1986, NBC removed his plea for the legalization of marijuana from the West Coast broadcast and all subsequent airings. * A portion of Martin Lawrence's 1994 monologue concerning feminine hygiene has been removed from all repeats, replaced with a voice-over and intertitles stating that the excised portion "...was a frank and lively presentation, and nearly cost us all our jobs."[10] * In a November 21, 1992 Wayne's World sketch, the characters Wayne and Garth (respectively portrayed by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) made fun of Chelsea Clinton (the then 13-year old daughter of President-Elect Bill Clinton), implying that Chelsea was incapable of causing males to "Schwing!" (essentially meaning she was unattractive). This joke was subsequently edited out of all repeats and syndication rebroadcasts of this sketch for being unfunny.[11] . . . 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knightni Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 17. (tie) Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005) (6 of 18 lists - 54 points - highest ranking #5 Soxfan1) Everybody Loves Raymond is an Emmy Award-winning American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996 to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of Ray Romano (who is represented by the Ray Barone character he plays) and the writing staff. The main characters on the show are also loosely based on Romano's family members. It is one of the most critically acclaimed American sitcoms of its time. Everybody Loves Raymond was nominated for and won many awards. The show reruns in syndication on different cable channels such as TBS, and in most TV markets on local stations. Show background The show revolves around the life of Italian-American Ray Barone, a newspaper sportswriter from Lynbrook, Long Island. Ray lives with his wife, Debra Barone, their daughter, Ally, and their identical twin sons, Michael and Geoffrey. Ray's parents and brother Robert frequently make their presence known to the frustration of Ray and especially Debra. Unfortunately for Ray, he always has to hear about it from Debra. Debra particularly finds herself at odds with Ray's mother, Marie — a passive-aggressive woman. Ray often finds himself in the middle of all the problems and arguments. His biggest nemesis is his brother Robert, who is insecure about Ray being the favorite son. Although Robert and Ray are frequently seen fighting like children and picking on each other, the brothers are very devoted to each other. Robert frequently calls Ray "Cubby" and stands up for him, while Ray has a great admiration for Robert, who is a police officer. Their father, Frank, is very tough and does not like to show his feelings, but through the years several episodes were crafted to show how much he loves his family. Ray and Debra have their share of marital disagreements, with Debra frequently denying Ray sex, and Ray prefers watching sports television to talking to his wife. A recurring theme on the show has them having a long interaction each night while in bed, just before going to sleep, and sometimes there is a sweetness between them. Cast Main article: List of Everybody Loves Raymond characters * Raymond Albert Barone (Ray Romano) is a sportswriter for Newsday. He lives in Lynbrook, Long Island with his wife, Debra, and their children Geoffrey (Sawyer Sweeten), Michael (Sullivan Sweeten) and Alexandra "Ally" (Madylin Sweeten). Other members of his family, who live across the street, include his brother Robert, and his parents Frank and Marie. Ray's characters is loosely based on the real-life Romano; both are the father of twin boys and a girl. * Debra Louise Barone (Patricia Heaton), née Whelan, is Ray's wife, and the mother of Ally, Michael, and Geoffrey. As a housewife, Debra is frequently stressed out because she not only has to deal with all the housework and her three rambunctious children (without much assistance from Ray), but also Ray's obnoxious, intrusive family members, whom she often complains about. Debra tends to hold back her feelings and usually only after Ray does something she lets loose by having tantrums and completely losing control of herself. * Robert Charles Barone (Brad Garrett) is Ray's brother and the son of Frank and Marie, conceived out of wedlock. Standing at 6' 8.5", he is the tallest Barone, and has several quirks, the biggest being a nervous habit of touching food to his chin before eating it, commonly known as the "Crazy Chin". Robert is a caring uncle and still deeply cares for little brother Raymond. Robert has been a New York City Police Department Officer for 27 years, and attains the rank of Lieutenant by the end of the series. His height, appearance and demeanor are the source of much humor, but despite his huge size, Robert is a very skilled dancer. * Marie Janella Barone (Doris Roberts) is Ray's mother, the wife of Frank, and the matriarch of the Barone family. Intrusive and over-nurturing, she is a housewife who excels in cooking, cleaning, and other things dealing with keeping a good home and bringing up a nurturing and caring family. Marie and Frank live across the street from Ray and Debra in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York. * Francis Oscar "Frank" Barone (Peter Boyle) is Ray's father and Marie's husband, a retired bookkeeper with a stubborn masculine personality. A war veteran, Frank served in the Korean War, which he frequently brings up, to the annoyance of his sons. He is a member of the Elk, and was named Man of the Year by his Lodge. * Amy Louise MacDougall-Barone (Monica Horan) is Robert Barone's wife, and the best friend of Debra, who introduced Amy to Robert. Although Amy marries Robert in the seventh season, she also appears in the previous seasons. Many issues have caused Amy and Robert to break up in the first six seasons, with one being caused by Raymond. Quite often, Amy apologizes to someone even if she didn't do anything wrong. Main crew Executive Producers: Philip Rosenthal (Head Writer), Stu Smiley, Rory Rosegarten, Ray Romano, Lew Schneider, Tucker Cawley, Steve Skrovan, Jeremy Stevens, Aaron Shure and Mike Royce. Co-Executive Producers: Lisa Helfrich Jackson, Tom Caltabiano and Leslie Caveny. Producer: Holli Gailen. Notes * There were 6 different intros to the series. One for a specific episode, and 5 for the 5 different seasons. Seasons 4, 5, 8, and 9 didn't have introduction sequences. The episodes in those seasons would start without one. * Philip Rosenthal and Monica Horan are "real life" husband and wife. * Philip Rosenthal, Monica Horan and Tom McGowan are all graduates of Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. The show makes frequent mentions/visuals regarding the university, including Ray's Hofstra tee-shirt (he usually wore in bed scenes), a Hofstra magnet on the Barone's refrigerator, and a stein with the University seal on the table behind Ray's couch. The university was also featured in season 6, episode 11 ("The Kicker"), when Frank and Robert attend a football game with Hofstra playing Northeastern and in season 8, episode 17 ("The Ingrate') where Ray receives an honorary doctorate degree in which Ray is wearing an actual Hofstra PhD candidate cap and gown and holding a Hofstra Honorary degree. * Phil Rosenthal and his wife continuously give back to their alma-mater. On October 2005, Phil and his wife (Monica Horan) hosted a live (sold out) performance of Everybody Loves Raymond: Inside the Writers Room at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University. * The show's score, including the opening and closing themes, was composed by longtime session drummer Rick Marotta and includes pieces of Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'[2] * In early seasons, Kevin James frequently appeared as one of Raymond's friends, called Kevin. Kevin James later assumed the title role in his own sitcom, The King of Queens, and was from then on Ray's friend Doug. Ray, Robert, Debra, Marie and Frank also guest-starred as the Barones on The King of Queens in several episodes. * As well as appearing on The King of Queens, Ray and Frank appeared in an episode of the sitcom Cosby, and Ray appeared on The Nanny and Becker. * When Romano hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts appeared during his monologue, with Roberts in character and Boyle reminding Romano of his own SNL hosting stint in the 1970s. * Romano also voiced a character named 'Ray Magini' on an episode of the Simpsons, who was a handyman Homer met in a bar and tried to get to help him fix a hole in the roof. Due to a number of plot devices, no one ever actually saw Ray until the end of the episode and thought he was Homer's imaginary friend. * The title of Everybody Loves Raymond has been spoofed by many shows. Chris Rock spoofed the show's title for his own show called Everybody Hates Chris. The ABC drama Lost also spoofed the show's title for the second-season episode "Everybody Hates Hugo." A Law & Order episode has a parody title "Everybody Loves Raimondo's." * On the show Futurama, they frequently make references to a parody of "Raymond", "Everybody Loves Hypnotoad". And the Futurama movie "Bender's Big Score" DVD contains an extra feature of an entire episode of "Everybody Loves Hypnotoad." * Some of the returning characters, as well as many walk-on roles, have been played by various cast members' families. * In the Judd Apatow movies The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, characters played by Paul Rudd have referred directly to the show. Lines include "That's just a good show, I tape it sometimes..." (when lending the main character a box of pornography, accidentally containing the Everybody Loves Raymond VHS) and "Marriage is like an unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, but it doesn't just last 20 minutes... it lasts forever." * In Brad Garret's Show, 'Til Death, Ray Romano appears as an extra, (The episode where Brad's wife on the show are fighting over how he slapped her while going on a trip somewhere) After Ray shouts at Brad's wife, (Geeze Lady! What more do ya want! - Said because Brad is saying he's sorry and everything) Brad's wife asks who that was, and Brad replies with "It looks like someone I used to work with." Events * Robert and Amy's wedding: The episode that may be the biggest moment on the show, while not necessarily the highest rated, was the May 19, 2003 episode in which Robert married his long-time on-again, off-again love, Amy MacDougall. With the marriage came several new recurring characters, including Amy's parents and brother. A rumored spin-off featuring Robert and Amy never materialized. * Mother's Day Fight: One event in the series that could be the most dramatic was the month-long feud between Debra and Marie. The argument lasted four consecutive episodes, between the 6th and 7th seasons. * The Finale had Ray getting his adenoids removed and he had trouble coming out of anesthesia. The final shot of the show referenced the Last Supper. * Seasons 1 through 6 all ended with flashback episodes. Episodes Main article: List of Everybody Loves Raymond episodes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 If I would have made a list, South Park and The Fresh Prince would have definitely been high up there. Great choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jun 26, 2008 -> 01:21 PM) If I would have made a list, South Park and The Fresh Prince would have definitely been high up there. Great choices. Fresh Prince should be higher than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 01:56 AM) Fresh Prince should be higher than it is. Ya, I agree. I have no right to b**** as I didn't make a list, but Fresh Prince and South Park are two of my favorite shows of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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