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Suburgatory

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Suburgatory
GenreSitcom
Satire
Created byEmily Kapnek
StarringJeremy Sisto
Jane Levy
Ana Gasteyer
Rex Lee
Carly Chaikin
Allie Grant
Alan Tudyk
Cheryl Hines
Narrated byJane Levy
Opening theme"Pleasant Nightmare" by Alih Jey
ComposerJared Faber
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersEmily Kapnek
Michael Fresco
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesPiece of Pie Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 28, 2011 (2011-09-28) –
present

Suburgatory is an American sitcom television series created by Emily Kapnek, airing on ABC. The series premiered on September 28, 2011, airing on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 Central following The Middle.[1] The title is a portmanteau, thought up by former CNN Senior Producer Linda Keenan, of the words "suburban" and "purgatory". On May 10, 2012, the show was officially renewed for a second season.[2]

Premise

Main article: List of Suburgatory episodes

The series follows George Altman, a single father who decides to get away from New York City to the suburbs so he can give his teenage daughter, Tessa, a better life after he finds an unopened box of condoms in her drawer. However, their move to the suburbs has the daughter wondering if they just entered the world of The Stepford Wives after they see how "perfect" their new locale is, right down to the neighbors who welcome them into the cul-de-sac.

Cast

Main cast

  • Jeremy Sisto as George Altman, a single father and architect from New York City, who decides to move upstate to the suburbs wanting a better life for his daughter, Tessa.
  • Jane Levy as Tessa Altman, George's daughter, who is less than thrilled about her new suburban surroundings.
  • Allie Grant as Lisa Shay, Tessa's best friend and neighbor. She is rather awkward and often very embarrassed by her family.
  • Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce, a materialistic, so-called popular girl in school and Tessa's rival. She does not have much of a sense of humor.
  • Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe, the school guidance counselor, who is always in a good mood. He is openly gay, after being inspired by Tessa to come out.
  • Alan Tudyk as Noah Werner, George's best friend. He is a dentist with a charming smile. He often helps George assimilate into suburban culture, having moved out of the city some years earlier.
  • Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay (recurring role, episodes 1–13; main role, episode 14–present), George and Tessa's nosy neighbor who lives directly across the street. She is Fred's domineering wife and Lisa's very controlling mother.
  • Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce, Dalia's mother. Also a friend of George's, she has thrown many signals that indicate she may want to be more than friends.

Recurring cast

  • Chris Parnell as Fred Shay, Sheila's husband and Lisa and Ryan's father.
  • Parker Young as Ryan Shay, football jock and Lisa's often embarrassing older brother. He has had an on-and-off relationship with Tessa.
  • Abbie Cobb as Kimantha, one of Dalia's friends.
  • Kara Pacitto and Katelyn Pacitto as Kenzie and Kaitlin, Dalia's friends, who are also twin sisters.
  • Maestro Harrell as Malik, the so-called token black kid of the school. He became good friends with Tessa, while working with her on the school newspaper. He is dating Lisa.
  • Arden Myrin as Jocelyn, an employee at the local country club who is attracted to George.
  • Jay Mohr as Steven Royce, Dalia's father and Dallas' ex-husband.
  • Gillian Vigman as Jill Werner, Noah's wife
  • Thomas McDonell as Scott Strauss, a college-aged crush of Dalia's who becomes Tessa's love interest for a story arc.
  • Alicia Silverstone as Eden, George's girlfriend and the surrogate mother of Noah and Jill's child. She first appeared in the episode "Entering Eden".
  • Bunnie Rivera as Carmen, Dallas' housekeeper.

Development and production

The series first appeared on ABC's development slate in October 2010.[3] On January 14, 2011, ABC placed a pilot order, written by Emily Kapnek and directed by Michael Fresco, who also serve as executive producers.[4][5] The half-hour comedy is produced by Warner Bros. Television.

Casting announcements began in February 2011, with Jane Levy the first actor cast, playing the role of Tessa Altman, a Manhattan teen who has been raised for the last fifteen years by a single father, George. Tessa dreads the idea of ​​living in the suburbs.[6] Next to join the series was Alan Tudyk in the role of Noah Werner, George's college buddy and a dentist who moved to the suburbs some years earlier.[7] Allie Grant then joined the series as Lisa Shay, a socially awkward girl at school who befriends Tessa.[8] Jeremy Sisto and Carly Chaikin followed with Sisto playing George Altman, Tessa's architect father who moves her from Manhattan to the suburbs, and Chaikin playing Dalia Royce, Tessa's neighbor who quickly becomes her nemesis at school.[9] Cheryl Hines was next cast in the role of Dallas Royce, a well-to-do housewife and the mother of Dalia. She tells George that her absentee husband (Jay Mohr) "travels a lot".[10] Rex Lee was the last actor cast, playing Mr. Wolfe, Tessa's clueless high school guidance counselor. He was originally a guest star but was upped to a series regular after the pilot.[11] Saturday Night Live (SNL) alumna Ana Gasteyer plays the Altmans' domineering neighbor, Sheila Shay, whom they vainly try to avoid. Fellow SNL alum Chris Parnell plays Fred, her husband, who toes the line. The Shays have two children: Lisa, who is Tessa's closest thing to a friend, and Ryan (Parker Young).

On May 13, 2011, ABC ordered the pilot to series, to air in the fall of the 2011–12 United States network television schedule.[12][13] Suburgatory premiered on September 28, 2011 and currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 Central following The Middle.[14] After initially ordering 11 episodes, ABC picked up Suburgatory for a full season on October 13, 2011.[15] On December 16, 2011, it was announced that Alicia Silverstone would have a recurring role as Eden, a potential love interest for single father George. This will mark the second time Silverstone and Jeremy Sisto have worked together, since first working on the 1995 American comedy film, Clueless.[16][17][18]

On March 23, 2012, ABC announced that the series would be renewed for the 2012-2013 television season.[19]

Theme song

The theme song, "Pleasant Nightmare", was written by Jared Faber and Emily Kapnek and is sung by Alih Jey.[20]

Location and setting

The series takes place in the fictional town of Chatswin. [21] According to the onscreen map animation displayed in the opening credits, the true location of the town is in southern Westchester County, an affluent suburban county north of New York City. The 914 area code would also indicate it is in Westchester County. [22] In episode 13, George Altman enters his zip-code as 10805, which is a postal code in New Rochelle, New York. [23]

The series takes its title from Suburgatory: Twisted Tales from Darkest Suburbia, a book by former CNN Senior Producer Linda Keenan, based in part on her experiences after she moved from New York City to three affluent suburbs, the first of which was in Westchester County. The book, released on October 11, 2011, thirteen days after the show premiered, is described on the front cover as "The Title behind the ABC Sitcom".[24]

Critical reception

The show has been met with generally positive reviews, with an initial score of 70 out of 100 from Metacritic.[25] "Kapnek manages to make a show that is both satiric and emotionally engaging", said David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle, "two varieties of comedy [that] don't always work well together."[26] On the other end, Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times blasted the show. "[It] begins with a tenuous premise, uses it to leap to an inaccurate dichotomy and supports that with tired, unfunny stereotypes."[27]

Ratings

The debut episode did well, scoring a 3.3 among the 18–49 demos with 9.81 million viewers tuning in.[28] Later episodes of the show have been performing well, with steady ratings so far during its first season. As of January 12, 2012, the show's viewership has averaged 8.7 million.

Season Timeslot (ET) # Ep. Premiered Ended TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere Viewers
(in millions) 		Date Finale Viewers
(in millions)
1 Wednesday 8:30 pm 22
September 28, 2011
 9.81[29]
May 16, 2012
 5.35[30] 2011–2012 71[31] 7.25[32]
2 22
TBA
 TBA
TBA
 TBA 2012–2013 TBA TBA

Awards

Suburgatory was nominated for a 2012 People's Choice Award for "Favorite New TV Comedy", but lost to 2 Broke Girls.

Year Award Category Recipients and nominees Outcome
2012 People's Choice Award Favorite New TV Comedy Suburgatory Nominated
Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Comedy Supporting Actress Cheryl Hines Pending

International broadcasts

The series has been picked up in Canada by Citytv, where it is simulcast with the ABC broadcasts.[33] In Latin America the series premiered on October 31, 2011 on Warner Channel.[34] In the Republic of Ireland the show began broadcasting on RTÉ Two from March 21, 2012[35] airing Wednesdays at 19:00. In Spain, it premiered on Cosmopolitan TV on January 13, 2012.[36] The series began airing on GO! in Australia on February 5, 2012. Premiere in Serbia will be on Serbian HBO Comedy on 27th of February 2012, Serbian name of show is "Čistilište u predgrađu". [37] It will also premiere in Poland on Polish HBO Comedy, on 27th of February 2012. It will air as 'Podmiejski czyściec' ('Suburban Purgatory'). [38] The show began airing in New Zealand on TV2 on February 14, 2012. In the UK, Suburgatory will air on Channel 4's digital channel E4 from 17 July, 2012[39] For Germany the ProSiebenSat.1 has been picked up the series and will air it in 2012.[40]

References

  1. ^ Seidman, Robert. "ABC Announces Fall Series Premiere Dates: Late Starts for 'Once Upon a Time,' 'Man Up'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  2. ^ Mitovich, Matt (May 10, 2012). "ABC Renews Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Grey's, Castle and Three Wednesday Comedies". TV Line. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  3. ^ "Breaking News – Development Update: Friday, October 8". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "ABC Picks Up Suburban Comedy Pilot". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  5. ^ "Breaking News – Development Update: Friday, January 28". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Newcomer Jane Levy Lands The Lead In ABC's Comedy Pilot 'Suburgatory'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  7. ^ "Breaking News – Development Update: Monday, February 21". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Katie Cassidy Among ABC Pilot Additions". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Jeremy Sisto To Star In ABC Comedy Pilot 'Suburgatory'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  10. ^ "Breaking News – Development Update: Friday, March 11". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "TV CASTINGS: Rex Lee Joins 'Suburgatory'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2011-05-13). "3RD UPDATE: ABC Picks Up 7 New Dramas, 5 Comedies, 'Smothered' Still Alive". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  13. ^ "ABC Pilots: Get the Scoop on the New Shows". Buzzsugar.com. 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  14. ^ "ABC 2011-12 Primetime Schedule Announced". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  15. ^ Nellie Andreeva (Thursday October 13, 2011). "ABC Picks Up Full Seasons Of 'Revenge', 'Suburgatory', Gives Six-Script Order To 'Happy Endings'". Deadline Hollywood. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Alicia Silverstone To Roll With 'Clueless' Homie Jeremy Sisto On 'Suburgatory'?". Hollywoodcrush.mtv.com. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  17. ^ "ABC's Suburgatory Is Staging an Epic Clueless Reunion! – E! Online". Uk.eonline.com. 2011-12-15. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  18. ^ Published Friday, Dec 16 2011, 13:49 GMT (2011-12-16). "'Clueless' Alicia Silverstone, Jeremy Sisto reunite on 'Suburgatory' – US TV News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-12-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Exclusive: ABC Prepping Early Renewals for Grey's, Castle, Revenge, Once and 5 Others" from TV Line (March 23, 2012)
  20. ^ Post To: (2011-12-07). "Alih Jey Sings Theme Song for ABC Show "Suburgatory"". Entertainment Affair. Retrieved 2012-01-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  21. ^ Conroy, Tom (September 27, 2011). "'Suburgatory' suburb to nowhere". medialifemagazine.com.
  22. ^ "914 area code". En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  23. ^ U.S. Census Map - 10805
  24. ^ Keenan, Linda Erin (2011). Suburgatory: Twisted Tales from Darkest Suburbia. ISBN 0-7627-8019-3
  25. ^ "Suburgatory – Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  26. ^ Wiegand, David (September 28, 2011). "'Suburgatory' review: Smart, edgy suburban satire". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  27. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (September 28, 2011). "A Worried City Father Seeks Wholesomeness". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  28. ^ "TV Ratings Wednesday: 'Suburgatory' Gets A Good Start; 'X Factor' Leads Fox Win, As Post-Premiere Declines Vary" from Zap2it (September 29, 2011)
  29. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 29, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: X Factor, Survivor, The Middle, Modern Family, CSI, L&O:SVU Adjusted Up; Happy Endings Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  30. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 17, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings:'American Idol', 'Criminal Minds', 'Off Their Rockers' Adjusted Up; 'Don't Trust the B' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  31. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/24/complete-list-of-2011-12-season-tv-show-viewership-sunday-night-football-tops-followed-by-american-idol-ncis-dancing-with-the-stars/135785/
  32. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/24/complete-list-of-2011-12-season-tv-show-viewership-sunday-night-football-tops-followed-by-american-idol-ncis-dancing-with-the-stars/135785/
  33. ^ All: Fall TV Preview [www.falltvpreview.com]; e-mail: info@falltvpreview.com. "From Channel Canada". Falltvpreview.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "From Warner Channel". Warnerchannel.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  35. ^ "Suburgatory TV Guide". Zingzing. 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
  36. ^ "From Cosmopolitan TV (Spanish)". Cosmopolitantv.cosmohispano.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  37. ^ "Čistilište u predgrađu - O seriji - HBO Srbija". Hbo.rs. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  38. ^ ""Podmiejski czyściec" ("Suburgatory") na HBO Comedy". Hatak.pl. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  39. ^ "E4 Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Suburgatory'". TVwise. 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  40. ^ Krannich, Bernd Michael (March 1, 2012). "2 Broke Girls und mehr: ProSiebenSat.1 kündigt Comedys an". Serienjunkies.de (in German). Retrieved March 1, 2012.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Suburgatory&oldid=501393111"