FOX
The first week of March did not yield much in the way of successful TV series launches. The five decades between 1951 and 1991 had no new shows at all. 2001 gave us a spin-off series that had a big cult following but little in the way of ratings, making it a sadly much-too-shortly-lived series. 2011 gave us a ‘mockumentary’ series based on a real TV show, and another series that wasn’t a a spin-off but was set in the same TV universe as another show on a different network. Let’s see which if these shows you remember!
1951
- No new shows premiered this week in 1951.
1961
- No new shows premiered this week in 1961.
1971
- No new shows premiered this week in 1971.
1981
- No new shows premiered this week in 1981.
1991
- No new shows premiered this week in 1991.
2001
February 28 – Some of My Best Friends
- Cast: Jason Bateman, Danny Nucci, Alec Mapa, Jessica Lundy, Michael DeLuise
- Guest Cast: Joe Grifasi, Louis Lombardi
- Synopsis: Warren Fairbanks is a gay Greenwich Village writer. His sexual orientation isn’t suspected initially by the fellow who has responded to his newspaper ad for a new roommate. Though the road is bumpy for them at first, they strive to reach a common understanding.
- Network: CBS
- Broadcast History: One season, 8 episodes (plus 1 unaired pilot and 2 unaired episodes), last broadcast on April 11, 2001
- Trivia: Working titles for the series included Macho Man and Me and Frankie Z. The series was inspired by the film Kiss Me, Guido. Series creator Tony Vitale based the idea on his own relationship with his flamboyantly gay boss at Club Med, where the two became fast friends. Attempting to turn the idea into a series with Harvey Fierstein and John Travolta, he was told a show with a lead gay character would never fly on a network, then several weeks later Fierstein announced he would be starring in a show with a similar premise with Andrew Dice Clay. Furious that his idea was stolen, Vitale threatened legal action and quickly copyrighted his story, turning it into a one act play. After positive response, he expanded it to two acts and then turned it into a screenplay for the film Kiss Me, Guido. Reviews noted the film felt like a TV sitcom, but it wasn’t until after the success of Will & Grace that Vitale was able to bring his show to television. Vitale was paired with gay sitcom veteran Marc Cherry to develop the show. Bateman had originally come to the production company to pitch his own script but the producers wanted him for their show, although CBS head Les Moonves was against Bateman’s casting even though he had been Bateman’s boss during production of The Hogan Family. Others were auditioned but they came back to Bateman. The character of Vern was originally named Terry, and was written as an overweight white guy. Petite, Asian actor Alec Mapa read for the role and Vitale wanted him but no one else did. Mapa was finally cast at the last minute and the role was reconceived for him. After the series was cancelled, Mapa appeared on Cherry’s Desperate Housewives as a character named Vern, but it’s unknown if it was intended to be the same character or just an inside joke. Josette DiCarlo has been cast as Danny Nucci’s mother, but he was 32 playing 24, and a network exec approached DiCarlo prior to filming her first scene and said, ‘YOU’RE Danny’s mom?’ She was quickly replaced by Camille Saviola. The Me and Frankie Z title nearly stuck, with LGBT publications running articles about the show with that title. The title was changed at the last minute, and was cited as the worst title by both of the show’s leads. The unaired episodes were finally broadcast when the Logo network reran the series.
March 1 – Big Apple
- Cast: Ed O’Neill, Kim Dickens, Michael Madsen, Jeffrey Pierce, David Strathairn, Glynn Turman, Titus Welliver, Donnie Wahlberg, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Samantha Buck, Frank Pellegrino, Michael Rispoli
- Guest Cast: Sebastian Roché, James Naughton, Yul Vasquez, Dylan Baker, Carey Lowell, Chris Messina, Annie Parisse, Henry Winkler
- Synopsis: The story centers on two New York City Police Department detectives Mooney and Trout working with the FBI to solve a murder with ties to organized crime.
- Network: CBS
- Broadcast History: One season, 8 episodes, last broadcast on April 19, 2001
- Trivia: The series was slated to air opposite NBC’s ER. 13 episodes were originally ordered before CBS cancelled the series. Despite the low ratings, reviews of the show were largely positive, drawing comparisons to NYPD Blue and Murder One.
March 4 – The Lone Gunmen
- Cast: Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Zuleikha Robinson, Stephen Snedden
- Guest Cast: Jim Fyfe, George Coe, Darren E. Burrows, Tony Denison, Bill Macy, Michael McKean, Tom Poston, Christopher Rich, Stephen Tobolowsky, John Walsh, Alan Dale, Mark Valley, Edward Woodward, Mitch Pileggi, Rekha Sharma
- Synopsis: The X-Files’ Lone Gunmen, their action-loving man-childish sidekick and patron, Jimmy Bond, and their sexy master thief frienemy, Yves, investigate crimes and conspiracies, often in a silly, comedic and over the top fashion.
- Network: FOX
- Broadcast History: One season, 13 episodes, last broadcast on May 11, 2001.
- Trivia: Spin-off of The X-Files. Chris Carter, David Duchovny and Erica Durance made uncredited appearances. The first episode featured a remotely hijacked airliner sent to crash into the World Trade Center, airing six months before the 9/11 attacks. The trio returned to The X-Files after the show’s cancellation and were promptly killed off, although their ‘ghosts’ did reappear in the ninth season finale. Had the series been renewed for a second season, Michael McKean would have returned as a series regular. The character name ‘Yves Adele Harlow’ (played by Zuleikha Robinson) is an anagram for Lee Harvey Oswald, the ‘lone gunman’ assassin of JFK.
2011
March 6 – After Lately
- Cast: Chelsea Handler, Chuy Bravo, Sarah Colonna, Brad Wollack, Chris Franjola, Heather McDonald, Jeff Wild, Jen Kirkman, Steven Marmalstein, Roy Handler, Fortune Feimster, Josh Wolf
- Guest Cast: Ross Matthews, Loni Love, Reese Witherspoon, Jay Leno, Natasha Leggero, Jennifer Aniston, Dave Grohl, James Van Der Beek, Kate Beckinsale, Melissa Etheridge, Johnny Knoxville, Charlize Theron, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kevin Nealon, Monica Potter, Jane Fonda, Geri Jewell, Gary Valentine, Tori Spelling, Justin Bieber, Ben Gleib, Giuliana Rancic, John Caparulo, Bobby Lee, Jason Sklar
- Synopsis: After Lately is a faux reality show, purporting to expose the behind-the-scenes goings-on of Chelsea Handler’s hit, late-night, E! network talk show, Chelsea Lately. In fact, it is a scripted comedy using a ‘show-about-a-show’ concept, similar to The Larry Sanders Show (except that the show at the center of After Lately is a real show) and is, also, a satire of the personality flaws and skewed mindsets commonly associated with show business and celebrities. The performances are both scripted and improvised.
- Network: E!
- Broadcast History: Three seasons, 24 episodes, last broadcast on April 15, 2013
- Trivia: Many of the show’s storylines were based on actul events at the Chelsea Lately offices.
March 6 – America’s Next Great Restaurant
- Cast: Bobby Flay, Curtis Stone, Steve Ells, Lorena Garcia
- Synopsis: Contestants competed by pitching restaurant ideas to a panel of judges with the winner receiving financial backing for the concept.
- Network: NBC
- Broadcast History: One season, 9 episodes, last broadcast on May 1, 2011
- Trivia: Jamawn Woods won the series with his ‘Soul Daddy’ restaurant concept. Three locations opened the day after the finale in Minneapolis, Manhattan and Los Angeles. They closed within two months of the grand opening. Woods blamed Chipotle’s management team for the restaurants’ failure and sued for the year’s salary he said he was owed. A settlement was reached out of court. Runner-up Joey Galluzzi was the only contestant to successfully open a restaurant based on his original concept (‘Saucy Balls’) that operated continuously for more than five years.
March 6 – Breakout Kings
- Cast: Domenick Lombardozzi, Brooke Nevin, Malcolm Goodwin, Jimmi Simpson, Serinda Swan, Laz Alonso
- Guest Cast: Jason Behr, Channon Roe, Gregg Henry, Nicholas D’Agosto, Omari Hardwick, Richard Burgi, Robert Knepper, Mark Pellegrino, Scout Taylor-Compton, Luna Lauren Velez, Josie Davis, Zack Ward, Michael Reilly Burke, Kelly Hu, Dominic Keating, Jessica Tuck, Frank Grillo, Jeff Kober, Taylor Kinney
- Synopsis: The series follows a task force assembled by the U.S. Marshals to capture prison escapees. Several current convicts are offered a chance to aid in this effort, with the promise of a transfer to a minimum-security prison and a reduction in their sentences for every fugitive they catch. However, if any of them tries to escape, they will all be returned to their original prisons and their sentences will be doubled.
- Network: A+E
- Broadcast History: Two seasons, 23 episodes, last broadcast on April 29, 2012
- Trivia: The series was created, written, and executive-produced by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, who previously worked together on Prison Break. Robert Knepper reprised his Prison Break ‘T-Bag’ character in a guest appearance in the third Season 1 episode, setting the shows in the same TV universe. Other characters are mentioned in that episode as the ‘Fox River 8’. Frank Grillo appeared in the first season of Prison Break, but as a different character. The show was originally developed for the FOX network.
March 6 – Taking on Tyson
- Cast: Mike Tyson, Mario Costa, Vinnie Torre, Junie Roman, Rickie Roman
- Synopsis: Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who has raised and bred pigeons since he was a child, becomes involved in the world of competitive pigeon racing.
- Network: Animal Planet
- Broadcast History: One season, 6 episodes, last broadcast on April 3, 2011
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