Damages season 3
| Damages | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
 Region 1 DVD artwork | |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Release | |
| Original network | FX |
| Original release | January 25 – April 19, 2010 |
| Season chronology | |
The third season of the FX legal drama series Damages premiered on January 25, 2010 and concluded on April 19, 2010. It consisted of 13 episodes, bringing the series total to 39. Damages was created by brothers Todd and Glenn Kessler, along with Daniel Zelman, each of whom served as executive producer and contributed four scripts for the season, including the premiere and the finale.
The season picks up one year after the events of season two. Louis Tobin, patriarch of the famously wealthy Tobin family, has just confessed to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in Wall Street history; the U.S. Government has assigned Patty Hewes and Tom Shayes to find the Tobins' hidden money, and uncover any evidence that other Tobin family members (namely Louis' eldest child Joe and long-time attorney Leonard Winstone) had prior knowledge of the fraud. Ellen Parsons has taken a job at the District Attorney's office but, as the story unfolds, she finds herself being pulled further and further back into Patty's orbit. Tom, meanwhile, learns that he unwittingly invested with Louis Tobin and has lost 70% of his net worth and both his parents' and in-laws' savings. He struggles to keep his personal issues from interfering with the case and with keeping this secret from Patty.
Though the season earned mostly positive reviews from television critics, it continued to struggle in the ratings; soon after the season finale, FX announced it had canceled Damages due to low ratings.[1] However, the series was eventually picked up by DirecTV for two additional seasons, which began airing the fourth season on July 13, 2011.[2]
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Glenn Close as Patty Hewes (13 episodes)
- Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons (13 episodes)
- Tate Donovan as Thomas Shayes (13 episodes)
- Campbell Scott as Joe Tobin (12 episodes)
- Martin Short as Leonard Winstone (13 episodes)
- Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher (4 episodes)
Recurring cast
- Ben Shenkman as Curtis Gates (11 episodes)
- Lily Tomlin as Marilyn Tobin (10 episodes)
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Nick Salenger (8 episodes)
- Tom Noonan as Detective Victor Huntley (8 episodes)
- Dominic Chianese as Stuart Zedeck (7 episodes)
- Vanessa Ray as Tessa Marchetti (7 episodes)
- Len Cariou as Louis Tobin (6 episodes)
- Ana Reeder as Carol Tobin (6 episodes)
- Glenn Fleshler as Detective Milton Trammell (6 episodes)
- Mädchen Amick as Danielle Marchetti (5 episodes)
- Reiko Aylesworth as Rachel Tobin (5 episodes)
- Zachary Booth as Michael Hewes (5 episodes)
- Keith Carradine as Julian Decker (5 episodes)
- Darren Goldstein as Chris Sharp (5 episodes)
- Michael Laurence as Homeless Man (5 episodes)
- Jennifer Roszell as Deb Shayes (5 episodes)
- Tara Summers as Alex Benjamin (5 episodes)
- Craig Bierko as Terry Brooke (4 episodes)
- Michael Gaston as Roger Kastle (4 episodes)
- Wendy Moniz as Jill Burnham (4 episodes)
- Michael Pemberton as Malcolm (4 episodes)
- Bill Raymond as Albert Wiggins (4 episodes)
- Miriam Shor as Carrie Parsons (4 episodes)
- Julie Claire as Gail Sturmer (3 episodes)
- Matthew Davis as Josh Reston (3 episodes)
- Debra Monk as Deniece Parsons (3 episodes)
- Tom Aldredge as Uncle Pete (1 episode)
- Noah Bean as David Connor (1 episode)
- Željko Ivanek as Ray Fiske (1 episode)
- Todd A. Kessler as Perry the Doorman (1 episode)
- Michael Nouri as Phil Grey (1 episode)
- Timothy Olyphant as Wes Krulik (1 episode)
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Your Secrets Are Safe" | Todd A. Kessler | Todd A. Kessler & Glenn Kessler & Daniel Zelman | January 25, 2010 | 1.43[3] |
| 28 | 2 | "The Dog is Happier Without Her" | Matthew Penn | Aaron Zelman | February 1, 2010 | 1.02[4] |
| 29 | 3 | "Flight's at 11:08" | Tony Goldwyn | Mark Fish | February 8, 2010 | 1.08[5] |
| 30 | 4 | "Don't Throw That at the Chicken" | Matthew Penn | Jeremy Doner | February 15, 2010 | 0.87[6] |
| 31 | 5 | "It's Not My Birthday" | Daniel Zelman | Adam Stein | February 22, 2010 | 0.81[7] |
| 32 | 6 | "Don't Forget to Thank Mr. Zedeck" | Timothy Busfield | Aaron Zelman & Mark Fish | March 1, 2010 | 0.97[8] |
| 33 | 7 | "You Haven't Replaced Me" | Glenn Kessler | Todd A. Kessler | March 8, 2010 | 0.92[9] |
| 34 | 8 | "I Look Like Frankenstein" | Chris Terrio | Daniel Zelman | March 15, 2010 | 0.97[10] |
| 35 | 9 | "Drive it Through Hardcore" | Tate Donovan | Glenn Kessler | March 22, 2010 | 0.93[11] |
| 36 | 10 | "Tell Me I'm Not Racist" | David Tuttman | Todd A. Kessler | March 29, 2010 | 0.65[12] |
| 37 | 11 | "All That Crap About Your Family" | Matthew Penn | Daniel Zelman | April 5, 2010 | 0.75[13] |
| 38 | 12 | "You Were His Little Monkey" | Timothy Busfield | Glenn Kessler | April 12, 2010 | 0.76[14] |
| 39 | 13 | "The Next One's Gonna Go in Your Throat" | Todd A. Kessler | Todd A. Kessler & Glenn Kessler & Daniel Zelman | April 19, 2010 | 0.91[15] |
Production
After Damages had finished airing its first season in October 2007, FX renewed the series for two additional 13-episode seasons. Production on both seasons was delayed due to the Writer's Guild Strike, which delayed the season two premiere until the beginning of 2009, and season three was consequently delayed until January 2010.[16]
As with the previous two seasons, season three of Damages was executive produced by series creators Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman. Mark A. Baker and Aaron Zelman served as co-executive producers with Mark Fish serving as co-producer.[17] Aaron Zelman and Mark Fish each wrote one episode and co-wrote the sixth episode. Jeremy Doner and Adam Stein also wrote one episode each. The season's main directors were Matthew Penn (three episodes), Todd A. Kessler (two episodes), and Timothy Busfield (two episodes). Co-creators Daniel Zelman and Glenn Kessler each made his directorial debut with episode five and episode seven, respectively, as did series director of photography David Tuttman with episode ten. The remaining three episodes were directed by Tony Goldwyn, Chris Terrio, and series star Tate Donovan.[18]
Reception
Awards and nominations
The third season received five nominations for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards: Glenn Close for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Rose Byrne for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Martin Short for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Ted Danson for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and Lily Tomlin for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[19]
Critical reviews
The third season of Damages was met with mostly high praise, and it earned 81 out of 100 based on 16 reviews on the aggregate review website Metacritic. This qualifies as "universal acclaim".[20] Rotten Tomatoes gave the third season a 100% rating based on 18 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus reads: "This season of Damages grows even more masterful with dazzling performances all around, first-rate writing and savory storylines."[21]
Ratings
Despite positive critical reviews, Damages continued to struggle in the ratings. The premiere episode garnered 1.43 million viewers and a 0.3 ratings share with adults 18–49.[3] This is down from the 1.72 million households that viewed the second-season premiere.[22] Season three reached a ratings low point upon airing its tenth episode, "Tell Me I'm Not Racist," which attracted only 650,000 viewers and a 0.2 ratings share with adults 18–49.[12] Though the ratings went into a slight incline for the remainder of the season, the finale was watched by only 910,000 households compared to the 1.05 million viewers who tuned in for the second-season finale.[23]
References
- ^ Levin, Gary (January 5, 2011). "DirecTV pardon gives FX's canceled 'Damages' new life". USA Today. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
- ^ "Fourth Season of the Award Winning Original Series "Damages" Premieres July 13th on DirecTV's the Audience Network". DirecTV. May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Seidman, Robert (January 26, 2010). "Damages Season 3 Premiere Averages 1.43 million viewers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 16, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (February 3, 2010). "Pawn Stars Shines; Ratings Woes Continue for Damages, Men of a Certain Age". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (February 9, 2010). "Damages Viewership Up 5% But Still Anemic". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 11, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (February 17, 2010). "Damages Crushed by The Kardashians". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (February 23, 2010). "Damages, WWE RAW, Operation Repo, Greek, Secret Life, Make it or Break It ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (March 2, 2010). "Monday Cable Finals: Damages Rises, But Not By Much". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (March 9, 2010). "Monday Cable Finals: Secret Life Beats Gossip Girl; Damages Down Slightly". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (March 16, 2010). "Monday Cable Finals: Secret Life Beats The CW Monday Among Young Women; Damages Up Slightly". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (March 23, 2010). ""Damages" Still Under A Million + Other Monday Cable Finals". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ a b Seidman, Robert (March 31, 2010). ""Damages" Underperforms "Nurse Jackie;" "Pawn Stars" a Cable Beast". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (April 6, 2010). "Monday Cable: Pawning & Picking Good for History; "Damages" & "Nurse Jackie" Damaged". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (April 13, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings: Damages Flat, While Pawn Stars, American Pickers, WWE Raw Shine". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (April 20, 2010). "Cable Ratings Monday: Damages Season Finale Manages Just A 0.2 18-49 Rating". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (November 12, 2007). "Damages Renewed by FX". IGN. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- ^ "Damages: Cast & Details". TV Guide. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- ^ Directing Damages featurette (Damages: The Complete Third Season DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (July 8, 2010). "Emmys 2010: 'Glee, 'Mad Men' lead the nominations". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ "Damages: Season 3". Metacritic. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- ^ "Damages: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (January 13, 2009). "Monk, WWE RAW, Secret Life and iCarly lead weekly cable viewing". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (April 7, 2009). "Damages season finale draws few, WWE RAW, NCIS lead cable viewing". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2011.