Frank TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Frank TV | |
 The Frank TV logo. |
|
| Genre | Sketch comedy show |
|---|---|
| Created by | Frank Caliendo |
| Directed by | Jay Karas |
| Starring | Frank Caliendo Freddy Lockhart Mike MacRae |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | TBS |
| Original run | November 20, 2007 – January 6, 2009 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Frank TV was an Emmy-Winning TBS sketch comedy show starring Frank Caliendo, Mike MacRae, and Freddy Lockhart. Frank is the host of the show and performs in sketches in full makeup as characters he impersonates. Frank joked he "wanted the show to be called The Chappelle Show, but the lawyers wouldn't allow it". Prior to the show's premiere, TBS released clips of the show on their official website.
The first episode of Frank TV premiered on November 20, 2007. The series is filmed in front of a live studio audience and features an array of sketches filmed in front of various sets to resemble the likes of popular TV shows. In some sketches, Frank impersonates multiple characters on screen at once, such as one spoofing a Seinfeld reunion show set in the future where he plays Jerry, George, Kramer, Elaine, and Newman; and another with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as movie critics. Frank's castmates from MADtv, Aries Spears and Mo Collins, have guest starred on the show. Pat Kilbane also guest starred but, he wasn't on the show when Frank was. TBS promoted the show heavily during its baseball coverage, but the show garnered negative reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave the show a grade of C, calling it unfunny and unoriginal.
As of January 2009 Frank TV has officially been canceled and will not be airing reruns. When asked about a second season, Frank Caliendo commented by saying, "We’re not coming back. It hasn’t been announced, but we’re done. The time has come and gone for the show, unfortunately".[1]
Contents |
[edit] Advertising
TBS aired teaser commercials for the show during its coverage of Major League Baseball during the 2007 postseason. A teaser was also released and shown in movie theaters before the official trailers began.[when?] These ads featured Frank dressed up as one of his many characters, often 3-5 in the same advertisement.
[edit] Episode List
[edit] Season 1: 2007-2008
| Title | Original Airdate | Production Code | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Franksgiving" (Pilot) | November 20, 2007 | 101 | 1 | ||
| What Seinfeld would look like in the year 2027; John Madden prepares a turducken for the audience in honor of Thanksgiving; Frank pulls a co-host from the audience; three movie trailer announcers going on tour; Bill Clinton gives a tour of his Presidential library; President Bush gives his daughter a special father/daughter talk on the day of her wedding; and Frank's co-host plays Caliendo Squares with Charles Barkley. | |||||
| "Money in the Frank" | November 27, 2007 | 102 | 2 | ||
| Donald Trump holds a seminar; President Bush tries to get back in America's good graces with a romantic dinner; Jack Nicholson has lost his pants; Al Pacino and Robert De Niro get a movie review show; and Sean Connery opens a voice club for men. | |||||
| "Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a Frank"[2] | December 4, 2007 | 103 | 3 | ||
| Donald Trump opens his own one-man show on Broadway; President Bush holds press conferences during difficult times in the nation's past (Great Depression, Watergate, The crash of the Titanic, etc); Al Pacino, Sean Connery, and Jack Nicholson all appear in bizarre foreign TV commercials; and in his latest role, William Shatner plays a judge. | |||||
| "Ballpark Frank"[3] | December 11, 2007 | 104 | 4 | ||
| Frank portrays a manic Robin Williams, who tries to dominate the show, and offers a satirical doctoring of the series “Grey's Anatomy.” Also: spoofs of Al Pacino, Michael Richards, and Bill Clinton. Guest starring Ernie Johnson Jr. and Kenny Smith as themselves. | |||||
| "Frankincense and Myrrh" | December 18, 2007 | 105 | 5 | ||
| Frank Caliendo jingles all the way in a holiday edition, mimicking Dr. Phil, a ranting Andy Rooney; and Al Gore, also a Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump cartoon is shown, and Charles Barkley hosts his own talk show, "In My 5". | |||||
| "Frankapalooza" | October 21, 2008 | 6 | |||
| Oliver Stone gives his take on the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair; James Gandolfini debuts his new show about puppies; what do Jedis do on their time off; what it would be like to have the character Jules Winnefield from Pulp Fiction as president; John McCain makes his pitch for the White House; and David Letterman has a new kids show. | |||||
| "Damn Frankees" | October 28, 2008 | 7 | |||
| Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal co-host a political talk show; John Madden stars in a reality show; and a look back at Rush Limbaugh's early days as a DJ for disco music. Guest starring Aries Spears as Shaquille O'Neal. | |||||
| "A Frank in the Hand is Worth 2 in a Bush" | November 4, 2008 | 8 | |||
| On this election night special, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney fill in for Frank. | |||||
| "Frank of America" | November 11, 2008 | 9 | |||
| Sketches include Donald Trump on parenting, a parody of Mary Tyler Moore if it was done in the style of The Office, Sean Connery becomes a victim of identity theft, and Shaggy and Scooby-Doo solve the mystery of who is haunting the White House. Guest starring Mo Collins as Mary Richards. | |||||
