10 Items or Less (TV series)
| 10 Items or Less | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Robert Hickey Nancy Hower John Lehr |
| Starring | John Lehr Kim Coles Bob Clendenin Jennifer Elise Cox Greg Davis Jr. Chris Payne Gilbert Kirsten Gronfield Christopher Liam Moore Roberta Valderrama |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Robert Hickey Nancy Hower John Lehr |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 20–22 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | TBS |
| Release | November 27, 2006 – present |
10 Items or Less is a partly scripted, partly improvised American comedy series created by Nancy Hower, John Lehr, and Robert Hickey. It stars Lehr as a less-than-successful businessman who returns home to run Greens & Grains, the family-owned supermarket, upon the death of his father.
The series debuted on TBS on November 27, 2006. It aired in Canada on Global's CH stations, but when the new E! television system replaced CH, the show was dropped due to poor ratings.
On TBS, it aired every Monday night at 11pm ET/PT with either one or two new thirty minute episodes. Coincidentally, a film also titled 10 Items or Less opened on December 1, 2006, four days after the TV show's premiere.
On March 13, 2007 TBS announced that the show had been picked up for a second season of 8 episodes[1]. The second season aired in the US every Tuesday at 11pm ET/PT, with the last episode airing on March 4, 2008. On May 14, 2008 the show was renewed for a third season to air early in 2009[2]. The series airs in the United Kingdom on FX, and is showing both seasons back to back. It was announced that Turner Broadcasting System purchased the CBS Corporation's share in the joint venture between them and Time Warner for The CW. TBS later announced that The CW will pick up 10 Items or Less for a Fourth and Fifth season which will air in 2010.
Summary
The series stars John Lehr as a struggling New York City businessman who moves back to his hometown of Dayton, Ohio to take over the family supermarket following the death of his father. The show is set in the fictional supermarket known as Greens & Grains, located at 5th Street and Tiberius[3].
Filming
A detailed script is written for each episode outlining the overall story arc. However, this script is not shown to the actors; instead they are provided with a loose outline of the plot, often finding out about it as they film. All dialogue is improvised spontaneously by the actors on the set. A typical 22-minute episode will be edited-down from roughly 30 hours of raw improvised dialogue and scenes[4]. John Lehr describes their production style as "similar to Spinal Tap."[5]
The series is filmed in a real grocery store called "Jon's" in Reseda, California (formerly Vons)[6], often with actual customers used as extras.
Characters
Main Characters
- Leslie Pool (John Lehr) - the owner/manager of G&G. Returning back to Ohio from NYC, Leslie brings his oblivious yet lovable management style to the Greens & Grains grocery store he inherits after his father's death.
- Amy Anderson (Jennifer Elise Cox) - The manager of Greens & Grains' No. 1 competitor from down the street, Super Value Mart. Amy went to high school with Leslie.
- Ingrid Wakowski (Kirsten Gronfield) - Ingrid is the quirky, soft-spoken customer service representative who lives for Renaissance Festivals.
- Yolanda Nelson (Roberta Valderrama) - The straight talking dominant force behind the produce department.
- Todd Sykes (Chris Payne Gilbert) - Todd, the butcher who hopes to be a NASCAR driver.
- Carl Dawson (Bob Clendenin) - Carl is the sweet doofus stockboy with a huge crush on Yolanda.
- Richard Mednick (Christopher Liam Moore) - Richard is a dignified cashier who dreams of becoming a professional ice dancer.
- Buchwald Washington (Greg Davis Jr.) - Buck is a checkout bagger who is looking towards the future of becoming a doctor by attending night school.
Minor Characters
- Manuelito (Raymond Ochoa) - Carl and Yolanda's son, but he thinks his dad died in the war. Carl finally sees his son in The Miracle Worker, but Leslie thinks he is talking to him.
- Shannon (Evie Peck) - This is a girl that Ingrid sees Todd flirting with in the aisle in The New Boss.
- Andy (Andrew Friedman) - Andy is Carl's friend who gives him an "It's a Boy" balloon after Yolanda tells him that he is the father of Manuelito in The New Boss.
DVD Release
| Title | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons One and Two | December 27, 2008 | TBA | TBA |
Episodes
References
- ^ "TBS attracts top names for new prime time and late-night original series". The Futon Critic. 2007-03-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "TURNER ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS OFFERS DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING SLATE, BIG STARS AND INNOVATIVE NEW OPTIONS FOR ADVERTISERS". The Futon Critic. 2008-05-14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Greens & Grains Grocers - Directions".
- ^ "'10 Items' thrives on no script, hours of improv strategy".
- ^ "Q&A with John Lehr of '10 Items Or Less'".
- ^ "Grocery-store Comedy Premieres on TBS". Progressive Grocer magazine. 2006-11-28.
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