The Famous Teddy Z
| The Famous Teddy Z | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Hugh Wilson |
| Written by | Richard Dubin Wayne Lemon Sid O. Smith Robert Wilcox Hugh Wilson |
| Directed by | Frank Bonner Richard Dubin Max Tash Hugh Wilson |
| Starring | Jon Cryer Alex Rocco Jane Sibbett Milton Selzer Josh Blake Erica Yohn |
| Theme music composer | Guy Moon Stephanie Tyrell Steve Tyrell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (5 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Hugh Wilson |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Hugh Wilson Productions Columbia Pictures Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 18, 1989 – May 12, 1990 |
The Famous Teddy Z is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the fall of 1989. The series was created by Hugh Wilson and inspired by the true story of Jay Kantor, who was a mailroom clerk at MCA and later became Marlon Brando's agent.[1]
Synopsis
The series starred Jon Cryer as Theodore "Teddy" Zakalokis, a young man working in a Hollywood talent agency in order to avoid being stuck in his Greek-American family's bakery. When Hollywood star Harland Keyvo (a caricature of Marlon Brando) meets Teddy Z, he is so impressed by his honesty that he makes him his new agent. The humor is derived from Teddy's innocent approach to the business, contrasted with the snake-like behavior of his fellow agents. The cast also included Jane Sibbett, Alex Rocco, Milton Selzer, Josh Blake, and Erica Yohn. Rocco's character, Al Floss, also made a crossover appearance on Murphy Brown, as the agent for several of that show's characters.
The series pilot was seen to be far stronger than subsequent episodes, but the series received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one for the pilot, and for Alex Rocco, who won an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series,[2] but low ratings led CBS to drop it with five episodes unaired. It was later run in its entirety on Comedy Central in 1993 with episodes introduced by Rocco, and by Trio under the heading "Brilliant But Canceled."[3]
Cast
- Jon Cryer as Theodore "Teddy" Zakalokis
- Alex Rocco as Albert "Al" T. Floss
- Josh Blake as Aristotle "Ari" Zakalokis
- Tom LaGrua as Richard "Richie" Herby
- Milton Selzer as Abe Werkfinder
- Jane Sibbett as Laurie Parr
- Erica Yohn as Deena Zakalokis
Guest Stars
- Dennis Lipscomb as Harland Keyvo
- Jack Armstrong as Marty Horn
- Barry Corbin as Zed Westhymer
Production notes
The theme song was written by Guy Moon, Stephanie and Steve Tyrell and performed by Bill Champlin of the rock group, Chicago.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Hugh Wilson | Hugh Wilson | September 18, 1989 |
| 2 | "What's an Agent to Do?" | Unknown | Unknown | September 25, 1989 |
| 3 | "Bobby the Chimp" | Unknown | Unknown | October 2, 1989 |
| 4 | "Teddy Goes to Malibu" | Unknown | Unknown | October 16, 1989 |
| 5 | "Teddy Makes $50,000...in One Day" | Unknown | Unknown | October 23, 1989 |
| 6 | "Teddy Gets Fired" | Unknown | Unknown | October 30, 1989 |
| 7 | "Teddy Falls in Love" | Unknown | Unknown | November 13, 1989 |
| 8 | "Teddy Sells His House" | Unknown | Unknown | November 20, 1989 |
| 9 | "A Case of Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | November 27, 1989 |
| 10 | "Teddy Gets a House Guest" | Unknown | Unknown | December 4, 1989 |
| 11 | "Season's Greetings from Al Floss" | Unknown | Unknown | December 11, 1989 |
| 12 | "Grandma Goes to Work" | Unknown | Unknown | December 25, 1989 |
| 13 | "Teddy Meets His Hero" | Unknown | Unknown | January 8, 1990 |
| 14 | "Teddy Gets a Better Offer" | Unknown | Unknown | January 15, 1990 |
| 15 | "Agent of the Year" | Unknown | Unknown | May 12, 1990 |
| 16 | "Teddy Goes to the Awards" | TBD | TBD | Unaired |
| 17 | "How to Make a Television Show" | TBD | TBD | Unaired |
| 18 | "Al Tells the Truth" | TBD | TBD | Unaired |
| 19 | "Teddy's Big Date" | TBD | TBD | Unaired |
| 20 | "Teddy Gets a Guru" | TBD | TBD | Unaired |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Emmy Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Hugh Wilson |
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Liz Torres | |||
| Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series | Hugh Wilson (For pilot episode) | |||
| Won | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Alex Rocco |
References
- ^ "Trio Launches "Brilliant But Canceled" Television Month in December". test.triotv.com. 2002-10-22. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1990/outstanding-supporting-actor-in-a-comedy-series
- ^ "Tuning In Shows The Networks Tuned Out". Cable World. 2002-10-28. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
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