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Madman of the People

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Madman of the People
GenreSitcom
Created byChris Cluess
Stu Kreisman
Directed byJames Burrows
Jim Drake
Philip Charles MacKenzie
John Ratzenberger
StarringDabney Coleman
Concetta Tomei
Amy Aquino
Craig Bierko
Cynthia Gibb
John Ales
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes16 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersChris Cluess
Stu Kreisman
E. Duke Vincent
Aaron Spelling
ProducersPenny Adams
Stephen C. Grossman
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesKreiscluesco Industries
Spelling Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 22, 1994 (1994-09-22) –
June 17, 1995 (1995-06-17)

Madman of the People is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1994 to 1995. It was scheduled in the Thursday 9:30 timeslot, part of Must See TV.

Madman of the People was produced by Spelling Television.[1]

Synopsis

The series stars character actor Dabney Coleman as Jack "Madman" Buckner, an outspoken newspaper columnist who had written a popular column, Madman of the People, in Your Times magazine for 30 years. The premise of the show involves Buckner's daughter, Meg (Cynthia Gibb), being brought in by the publisher to bring Buckner's column into the 1990s.

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Pilot"James BurrowsChris Cluess & Stu KreismanSeptember 22, 1994 (1994-09-22)
2"Murder Most Fowl"John RatzenbergerSally Lapiduss & Pamela EellsSeptember 29, 1994 (1994-09-29)
3"All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Mad Boy"James BurrowsSteve PaymerOctober 6, 1994 (1994-10-06)
4"Guys Just Wanna Have Fun"John RatzenbergerBill Fuller & Jim PondOctober 13, 1994 (1994-10-13)
5"'Til Death Do Us Part"Jim DrakeSally Lapiduss & Pamela EellsOctober 20, 1994 (1994-10-20)
6"The Jack Buckner Society"Philip Charles MacKenzieAlison Rosenfeld DesmaraisOctober 27, 1994 (1994-10-27)
7"Birthday in the Big House"Philip Charles MacKenzieBill Fuller & Jim PondNovember 3, 1994 (1994-11-03)
8"Jack Has Left the Building"Philip Charles MacKenzieTom Seeley & Norm GunzenhauserDecember 1, 1994 (1994-12-01)
9"Life Without Father"Jim DrakeSteve PaymerDecember 8, 1994 (1994-12-08)
10"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Christmas"Jim DrakeDeidre Fay & Stuart WolpertDecember 15, 1994 (1994-12-15)
11"What a Big Mouth You Have, Grammy"John RatzenbergerTom Seeley & Norm GunzenhauserDecember 29, 1994 (1994-12-29)
12"Notes from the Underground"Philip Charles MacKenzieDinah KirgoJanuary 5, 1995 (1995-01-05)
13"Truths My Father Told"Philip Charles MacKenzieBill Fuller & Jim PondJanuary 12, 1995 (1995-01-12)
14"The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword"Jim DrakeTom Seeley & Norm GunzenhauserJanuary 26, 1995 (1995-01-26)
15"Anytime, Anywhere"Philip Charles MacKenzieStephen NeigherJune 10, 1995 (1995-06-10)
16"The Madman and the Showgirl"Philip Charles MacKenzieDava SavelJune 17, 1995 (1995-06-17)

Reception

Though the series initially won favorable opinions from critics[citation needed], and was popular with audiences, ranking 12th for the season with a 14.9 average household share, it was still cancelled after only one season, making it one of the highest rated shows ever to get cancelled, according to classictvhits.com. However, while the show did well in the ratings, it lost a considerable portion of its lead-in audience from Seinfeld and was also hindering the then-freshman hit drama ER. NBC noticed the early success of Friends and decided to re-shuffle its lineup to put that show in the 9:30 PM EST spot, leading to one of the most dominant programming blocs in TV history.[2]

When it first aired, Madman of the People was considered by critics as one of "the fall season's least likable new comedies" and not deserving of its comedy label.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Madman of the People". Retrieved 2006-10-01.
  2. ^ Adalian, Josef (September 4, 2014). "The Architects of NBC's Classic Must-See Lineup Reveal How Friends and ER Became Legends". Vulture. Retrieved 23 May 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Rosenberg, Howard (September 22, 1994). "TV Reviews : NBC's Strongest Evening of the Week Has Its Weak Spot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 8, 2018. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)