The War at Home (TV series)
| The War at Home | |
|---|---|
 Season 2 intertitle |
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Rob Lotterstein |
| Directed by | Andy Cadiff |
| Starring | Michael Rapaport Anita Barone Kyle Sullivan Kaylee DeFer Dean Collins |
| Composer(s) | W.G. Snuffy Walden Joseph Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Cadiff Michael Hanel Rob Lotterstein Mindy Schultheis |
| Producer(s) | Suzan Bymel Al Lowenstein |
| Editor(s) | Andrew Chulack |
| Cinematography | Mike Berlin Donald A. Morgan |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Acme Productions Rob Lotterstein Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 720p (HDTV) |
| Original run | September 11, 2005 – April 22, 2007 |
The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family. It ran for two full years but was not picked up for a third season.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Michael Rapaport as David "Dave" Gold
- Anita Barone as Victoria "Vicky" Gold
- Kyle Sullivan as Lawrence Alan "Larry" Gold
- Kaylee DeFer as Hillary Gold
- Dean Collins as Michael "Mike" Gold
- Rami Malek as Khaleel Nazeeh "Kenny" Al-Bahir
[edit] Plot
The show depicts the lives of Dave and Vicky and their three children as they live their lives in Long Island, New York, dealing with normal family issues. Dave is a middle class Jewish insurance salesman. He is often portrayed as insensitive and cynical, and sometimes as a paranoid, overprotective and hypocritical bigot. His family (especially Larry) find it difficult to accept his behaviour. Dave is constantly scolded and insulted (and even punched once) by Larry for always picking on him. It is established toward the end of season one that Dave is the way he is because he had a father who constantly badgered him. Dave's wife Vicky is an attractive Italian Catholic part-time receptionist at a Doctors' office. Generally levelheaded, she usually spends her time dealing with Dave's unreasonable behavior, but can be quite obnoxious herself.
Of their three children, the oldest is Hillary (Kaylee DeFer), a typical 17-year old who frequently misbehaves, trying to get away with bad behavior behind the backs of her parents, who often regard her with suspicion. Second oldest is 16-year-old Larry (Kyle Sullivan), an odd misfit given to emotional outbursts (such as when Vicky denies him permission to see Brian Boitano star as Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings On Ice). Larry is often seen with his best friend Kenny. Initially Dave believes that the boys are both gay, but it is later revealed to the audience that while Larry is not gay, Kenny has a secret crush on Larry. Dave, and to a lesser extent Vicky, often treat Larry's flamboyancy with wary eyes. The youngest child, the pubescent 14-year-old Mike (Dean Collins), must deal with issues such as masturbation, dating and underage gambling. His character is portrayed as tougher and more cynical than Larry's.
The series frequently breaks the fourth wall between segments of an episode, during which Dave or other characters deliver a rant or other comment directly relating to the scene.
[edit] Origin of title
The phrase 'The War at Home' was originally used to describe the conflict between the US authorities and anti-Vietnam protesters and draft-avoiders within the US during the 1960s. Thus the series title is a metaphor for domestic conflict.[citation needed]
[edit] Response
[edit] Critical reception
The show was originally panned by critics, scoring a 28/100 on Metacritic, but received critical acclaim during its 2nd season for its handling of Kenny's "coming out" story arc, including a Humanitas Prize nomination for Lotterstein, as well as a GLAAD Award nomination for "Outstanding Comedy Series".[1][2][3][4][5]
[edit] Seasonal ratings
| Season | Episodes | Premiere | Season finale | Viewers (in millions) |
Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005–06 | 22 | September 11, 2005 | April 30, 2006 | 7.2[6] | #82[6] |
| 2 | 2006–07 | 22 | September 10, 2006 | April 22, 2007 | 4.9[7] | #118[7] |
[edit] Awards
| Year | Award | Category/Recipient(s) | Episode | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Art Directors Guild | TV - Multi-Camera Television Series
John Shaffner (production designer) |
Pilot | Nominated | [8] |
| Teen Choice Awards | TV - Choice Comedy/Musical Show | — | Nominated | [9] | |
| TV - Choice Actor: Comedy | — | Nominated | [9] | ||
| TV - Choice Parental Unit | — | Nominated | [9] | ||
| 2007 | Humanitas Prize | TV - 30-Minute Category | "Kenny Doesn't Live Here Anymore" | Nominated | [4] |
| Young Artist Award | TV Series - Best Supporting Young Actor | — | Nominated | [10] | |
| 2008 | GLAAD Media Award | TV - Outstanding Comedy Series | — | Nominated | [5] |
| Young Artist Award | TV Series - Best Supporting Young Actor | — | Nominated | [11] |
[edit] DVD releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | May 15, 2007[12] | 22 |
|
[edit] International broadcasters
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010) |
[edit] References
- ^ "The War At Home - Season 1". Metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-war-at-home/season-1. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ "Interview With Rami Malek of "The War At Home"". AfterElton.com. http://www.afterelton.com/archive/elton/people/2007/2/ramimalek.html. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ "Rob Lotterstein". Disney Channel Medianet. http://www.disneychannelmedianet.com/web/showpage/showpage.aspx?program_id=3129298&type=producer. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ a b "2007 Humanitas Prize: Winners & Nominees". IMDb.com - 2007 Humanitas Prize. http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000337/2007. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ a b "19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards: Winners & Nominees". IMDb.com - 19th GLAAD Media Awards. http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000286/2008. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ a b "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 26, 2006. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576393. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
- ^ a b "2006-07 primetime wrap". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 25, 2007. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f?pn=1. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
- ^ "2006 Art Directors Guild: Winners & Nominees". IMDb.com - 2006 Art Directors Guild. http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000618/2006. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ a b c "2006 Teen Choice Awards: Winners & Nominees". IMDb.com - 2006 Teen Choice Awards. http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000644/2006. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ "28th Annual Young Artist Awards: Winners & Nominees". 28th YoungArtistAwards.org. http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms28.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ "29th Annual Young Artist Awards: Winners & Nominees". 29th YoungArtistAwards.org. http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms29.html. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ "The War at Home: The Complete First Season". Amazon.ca. http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000MTEFVE/. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
[edit] External links
- 2005 American television series debuts
- 2007 American television series endings
- 2000s American television series
- American television sitcoms
- English-language television series
- Fox network shows
- Television shows set in New York
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television
- American LGBT-related television programs
