Mr. Sunshine (2011 TV series)
| Mr. Sunshine | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Matthew Perry Marc Firek Alex Barnow |
| Starring | Matthew Perry Allison Janney Andrea Anders James Lesure Nate Torrence Portia Doubleday |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (4 unaired) (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jamie Tarses Thomas Schlamme Matthew Perry Alex Barnow Marc Firek |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Anhedonia Productions Shoe Money Productions Barnow and Firek Productions FanFare Productions Sony Pictures Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | February 9, 2011 – April 6, 2011 |
Mr. Sunshine is an American television sitcom that ran from February 9, 2011 to April 6, 2011, as a midseason replacement.[1] The single-camera comedy was co-created by Matthew Perry, who also starred in the series.[2] ABC cancelled the series on May 13, 2011 due to low ratings.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Premise
Ben Donovan (Perry) is the operations manager for the Sunshine Center, a second-tier arena in San Diego, who has to deal with the unusual demands of his job and his unpredictable boss (Allison Janney).[4]
[edit] Cast and characters
- Matthew Perry as Ben Donovan – manager of the Sunshine Center.
- Allison Janney as Crystal Cohen – Ben's unpredictable boss.
- Andrea Anders as Alice – Ben's former "friends with benefits" now dating Alonzo.
- James Lesure as Alonzo Pope – former NBA star, Ben's happy-go-lucky co-worker and Alice's boyfriend.
- Nate Torrence as Roman Cohen – Crystal's lovable but weird son. He has a crush on Heather.
- Portia Doubleday as Heather – Ben's assistant, who everyone believes is crazy.
[edit] Development and production
Mr. Sunshine is based on a concept by Matthew Perry, who planned to co-write, star in, and executive produce.[5] The project sparked a bidding war among the networks, with ABC landing the comedy in October 2009.[6] The deal came with hefty penalties if the pilot did not make it to series.[7][8] Perry teamed with Sony writers Alex Barnow and Marc Firek to pen the script.[6]
A green light to produce the pilot came from ABC in early January 2010.[2][9] Thomas Schlamme, of Shoe Money Productions, was chosen to direct the half-hour pilot.[10] Perry, Schlamme, and co-writers Barnow and Firek were all listed as executive producers for the pilot, along with Jamie Tarses of FanFare Productions.[4]
Casting began in late January, with Allison Janney as the first actor added to the cast as Ben's boss.[11] In February, Andrea Anders was tapped as Ben's "friend with benefits",[12] and Nate Torrence brought on board to play Roman, the son of Ben's boss.[13] The casting of Portia Doubleday as Ben's assistant, and James Lesure as an ex-basketball star, was announced at the end of April.[14]
In May 2010, ABC picked up the pilot for the 2010–2011 television season.[15]
On May 13, 2011, ABC announced that it had canceled Mr. Sunshine.[3]
[edit] DVD release
The series was released on DVD on November 1, 2011, featuring the 4 unaired episodes.[16]
[edit] References
- ^ Gorman, Bill (December 6, 2010). "ABC's 'Mr. Sunshine' Will Bump 'Cougar Town'; Plus Dates For 'Happy Endings' & 'Off The Map'". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/12/06/abcs-mr-sunshine-will-bump-cougar-town-temporarily-plus-premiere-dates-for-happy-endings-off-the-map/74516. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (January 12, 2010). "Matthew Perry project a go at ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/matthew-perry-project-go-abc-19418. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ a b Updated: 'V' Cancelled; 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'Mr. Sunshine,' 'Detroit 187,' 'Off The Map,' 'No Ordinary Family' Cancelled Too
- ^ a b "2010 ABC Program Development Guide - Comedy Series". The Futon Critic. March 25, 2010. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/03/25/2010-abc-program-development-guide-comedy-series/20100325abc04/. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 12, 2009). "Matthew Perry develops single-camera project". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ib26dae96f6367a4499767e1b6aa77cd5. Retrieved April 25, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (October 14, 2009). "Matthew Perry project goes to ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ibadf593c28401ee82c78deaa0b93c76b. Retrieved April 25, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Development Update: Wednesday October 14". The Futon Critic. October 14, 2009. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2009/10/14/development-update-wednesday-october-14/8338/. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 14, 2009). "ABC lands Matthew Perry project". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/abc-lands-matthew-perry-project-52381. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Development Update: Tuesday, January 12". The Futon Critic. January 12, 2010. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/01/12/development-update-tuesday-january-12/8470/. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (January 12, 2010). "ABC looks to Matthew Perry for 'Sunshine'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5pGObnQUe. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ "Development Update: Friday, January 29". The Futon Critic. January 29, 2010. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/01/29/development-update-friday-january-29/8505/. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 9, 2010). "Andrea Anders, Jesse Metcalfe join pilots". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/andrea-anders-jesse-metcalfe-join-20482?page=show. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ "Development Update: Monday, February 10". The Futon Critic. February 10, 2010. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/02/10/development-update-wednesday-february-10/8522/. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ "Development Update: Friday, March 26". The Futon Critic. March 26, 2010. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/03/26/development-update-friday-march-26/8589/. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena (May 13, 2010). "ABC picks up two comedies, 'Happy Endings' and 'Mr. Sunshine,' for fall". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/05/abc-picks-up-two-comedies-happy-endings-and-mr-sunshine-for-fall.html. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ "Mr. Sunshine - Updated DVD Info for the Matthew Perry Series Corrects Date, Cost, Count of Discs and Episodes". TV Shows on DVD. September 30, 2011. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mr-Sunshine-DVD-Update/16011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
