High Society (TV series)
| High Society | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Robert Horn Daniel Margosis |
| Written by | Lisa Albert Pat Dougherty Markus Flanagan Robert Horn Daniel Margosis |
| Directed by | Stan Daniels Iris Dugow Ellen Gittelsohn Michael Lembeck |
| Starring | Jean Smart Mary McDonnell |
| Theme music composer | Howard McCrary Mark Stevens |
| Opening theme | "The Lady Is a Tramp" performed by Chaka Khan |
| Composer(s) | Frank Fitzpatrick David Tobocman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Gary Dontzig Markus Flanagan Robert Horn Daniel Margosis Steven Peterman |
| Producer(s) | Lisa Albert Barbara Dorio |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | JVTV Look Ma Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | October 30, 1995 – February 26, 1996 |
High Society is the title of an American television sitcom that aired Monday nights on CBS in 1995 and early 1996; it was entered into the CBS schedule as a replacement for If Not for You, a sitcom starring Elizabeth McGovern, which was quickly canceled by the network.[1] The theme song was the Lady is a Tramp sung by Chaka Khan.
Its premise was similar to the campy British comedy series Absolutely Fabulous.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
The series revolves around two New York City women who acted in an outrageous, campy, and decadent manner. Ellie Walker (Jean Smart) was a successful author of trashy romantic novels, and her best friend and publisher was Dorothy 'Dott' Emerson (Mary McDonnell). Emerson was a divorced mother with a preppie college-aged son, Brendan Emerson (Dan O'Donahue), a College Republican, who rejected the relentless sexual advances of Ellie, but who otherwise appeared to be heterosexual. In the pilot episode, the women's small-town former college friend, Val Brumberg (Faith Prince), arrived and moved in with Dott. At the publishing house, the women worked with a flamboyant gay male secretary named Stephano (Luigi Amodeo) and a sleazy publisher partner named Peter Thomas (David Rasche).
Aside from the situational comedy that arose from Ellie and Dott's campy antics, the storylines often centered around the notion of family. Val started to become something of a mother figure to Brendan. Stephano was often seeking a boyfriend and was seen more as a family member than a mere secretary, and in the final episode Ellie decided that she wanted to have a baby and she scouted out possible fathers.
[edit] Cancellation
Despite garnering good ratings and being a part of CBS's victory in one of the sweeps week in the 1996 television season,[2] the series was canceled after 13 episodes.
[edit] Cast
- Jean Smart...Ellie Walker
- Mary McDonnell...Dorothy "Dott" Emerson
- Dan O'Donahue...Brendan Emerson
- David Rasche...Peter Thomas
- Faith Prince...Valerie "Val" Brumberg
- Luigi Amodeo...Stephano
- Jayne Meadows...Alice Morgan-DuPont-Sutton-Cushing-Ferruke
[edit] Episodes
| Episode # | Production Code | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 465051 | "Family Val's" | October 30, 1995 |
| 2 | 465053 | "Who's Son is It Anyway?" | November 6, 1995 |
| 3 | 465052 | "Sleeping with the Enemy" | November 13, 1995 |
| 4 | 465055 | "Dolce & G'bye Now" | November 20, 1995 |
| 5 | 465056 | "Tomb with a View" | November 27, 1995 |
| 6 | 465054 | "The Naked and the Deadline" | December 4, 1995 |
| 7 | 465057 | "Finnigan's Rainbow" | December 11, 1995 |
| 8 | 465058 | "We Ought to be in Pictures" | December 18, 1995 |
| 9 | 465059 | "Nip and Tuck" | January 15, 1996 |
| 10 | 465060 | "Alice Doesn't Pump Here Anymore" | January 22, 1996 |
| 11 | 465061 | "Touching up Your Roots" | February 5, 1996 |
| 12 | 465062 | "I Found My Thrill on Nancy Garvey Hill" | February 12, 1996 |
| 13 | 465063 | "The Family Jewels" | February 26, 1996 |
[edit] Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Jayne Meadows |
| 1996 | Casting Society of America | Nominated | Best Casting for TV, Comedy Pilot | Leslie Litt |
[edit] References
- ^ James, Caryn (1995-11-06). "Television Review; It's Monday, So It Must Be Women". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00EED81739F935A35752C1A963958260. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
- ^ McDaniel, Mike (1996-03-05). "CBS wins final week of sweeps". The Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/features/96/03/06/tv.html.
