Episodes (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Episodes is a British/American television sitcom serial
created by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik
and produced by Hat Trick Productions
. It premiered on Showtime on January 9, 2011 at 9:30 pm and began airing on BBC Two
on 10 January 2011 at 10 pm. The show is about a British husband-and-wife comedy writing team who travel to Hollywood to remake their successful British TV series, with disastrous results. The series has been renewed by Showtime and the BBC for a second season of nine episodes. The show has been sold to 186 broadcasters across the world.
for their successful British sitcom, Lyman’s Boys, they are persuaded to move to Hollywood and remake their series for an American-based audience. They are forced to cast Matt LeBlanc
, who not only damages their reputation and show, but also their marriage.
announced that seven episodes had been ordered and that filming had begun, with James Griffiths directing. Sean and Beverly Lincoln are played by Stephen Mangan
and Tamsin Greig
, who previously co-starred in the British sitcom Green Wing
(2004–2007). Beverly was originally to be portrayed by Claire Forlani
, but she left the cast in April 2010 when the series was in pre-production. LeBlanc was to play a "larger than life version of himself" as character Matt LeBlanc. Thomas Haden Church
was also to have a role in the series as Merc Lapidus, the American television executive who commissions the remake, but he left due to scheduling conflicts, and was replaced by John Pankow
.
Although the majority of the show was set in Los Angeles, it was mainly filmed in the UK, including the £70 million mansion Updown Court
as the house of Beverley and Sean Lincoln, with inserts shot on location in L.A.
indicating generally positive reviews. Robert Bianco of USA Today
called the show "easily the best new sitcom of the season", while The Boston Globe
s Matthew Gilbert said that "Each of the season’s seven half-hours is a little sliver of pleasure." A Boston Herald
review by Mark A. Perigard was lukewarm; he said he feared that the show would never achieve a broad audience, while David Wiegand from the San Francisco Chronicle
praised the performances of the actors but felt that the series simply wasn't funny. The UK critics response to the airing of the first episode was broadly lukewarm while remaining optimistic. More screentime for Matt LeBlanc was eagerly anticipated by some, with The Independent
s Brian Viner believing that this might improve the series.
In the UK, episode one of the series premiered with an audience of 1.86 million, an audience share of 8.5%. Episode two received 1.53 million viewers (7.4%), and by episode four viewing numbers were down to 1.09 million (5.3%). Episode five saw a slight rise in viewers to 1.33 million (6.6%), but numbers once again fell for episode six to 1.12 million (5.5%), and the season ended with the lowest number of viewers, 1.06 million (5.1%), tuning in for the final episode.
Matt LeBlanc
was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the first time since 2004 for his role on the series. The show has been renewed for a second season of nine episodes.
on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom.
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
created by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik
Jeffrey Klarik
Jeffrey Klarik is an American writer and producer. He was a co-producer of the NBC television sitcom Mad About You. In 2002 he created the UPN series Half & Half...
and produced by Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions is a British independent production company that produces television programmes, mainly specialising in comedy.-History:...
. It premiered on Showtime on January 9, 2011 at 9:30 pm and began airing on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 10 January 2011 at 10 pm. The show is about a British husband-and-wife comedy writing team who travel to Hollywood to remake their successful British TV series, with disastrous results. The series has been renewed by Showtime and the BBC for a second season of nine episodes. The show has been sold to 186 broadcasters across the world.
Premise
After happily married couple Sean and Beverly Lincoln win yet another BAFTA AwardBritish Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
for their successful British sitcom, Lyman’s Boys, they are persuaded to move to Hollywood and remake their series for an American-based audience. They are forced to cast Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Steven "Matt" LeBlanc is an American actor, best known for his role as Joey Tribbiani on the NBC sitcoms Friends and its spin-off Joey....
, who not only damages their reputation and show, but also their marriage.
Main cast
- Matt LeBlancMatt LeBlancMatthew Steven "Matt" LeBlanc is an American actor, best known for his role as Joey Tribbiani on the NBC sitcoms Friends and its spin-off Joey....
as Matt LeBlanc - Stephen ManganStephen ManganStephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his roles as Guy Secretan in the television series Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge and as Holistic Detective Dirk Gently in the 2010 BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams' book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, as well as Sean Lincoln...
as Sean Lincoln - Tamsin GreigTamsin GreigTamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
as Beverly Lincoln - John PankowJohn PankowJohn Pankow is an American film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for a supporting role on the sitcom Mad About You .-Early life:...
as Merc Lapidus - Kathleen Rose PerkinsKathleen Rose PerkinsKathleen Rose Perkins is an American actress. Her career began in 2001 with a role in the television series The Fighting Fitzgeralds. She has made guest appearances in over 20 television series, including recurring roles in Til Death, NCIS: Los Angeles, Trust Me, Gary Unmarried, Tell Me You Love...
as Carol Rance - Mircea MonroeMircea MonroeMircea Monroe is an American actress and model.Monroe's first professional acting job was in the New Line film, Cellular. Since then, Monroe has appeared in various films, and pilots for The WB and Fox, starred in the Fox show Drive, and guest starred on TV shows, including Freddie, Scrubs, and...
as Morning Randolph
Recurring cast
- Richard GriffithsRichard GriffithsRichard Griffiths, OBE is an English actor of stage, film and television. He has received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor...
as Julian Bullard - Daisy HaggardDaisy Haggard-Family:The daughter of film director Piers Haggard and his wife Anna Slovsky, she was raised and educated in Dulwich, South London at the James Allen's Girls' School.-Career:...
as Myra - Lou HirschLou HirschLou Hirsch is an actor, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, United States, and currently based in the United Kingdom. He studied at the University of Miami and The Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, UK, with future Star Trek actress Marina Sirtis...
as Wallace, the security guard
Development and production
In May 2010, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
announced that seven episodes had been ordered and that filming had begun, with James Griffiths directing. Sean and Beverly Lincoln are played by Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his roles as Guy Secretan in the television series Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge and as Holistic Detective Dirk Gently in the 2010 BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams' book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, as well as Sean Lincoln...
and Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
, who previously co-starred in the British sitcom Green Wing
Green Wing
Green Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
(2004–2007). Beverly was originally to be portrayed by Claire Forlani
Claire Forlani
Claire Antonia Forlani is an English actress.-Early life:Claire Forlani was born in Twickenham, London, the daughter of Barbara , who was English, and Pierluigi Forlani, a music manager from Ferrara, Italy. At the age of 11, Forlani entered the Arts Educational School in London, where she began to...
, but she left the cast in April 2010 when the series was in pre-production. LeBlanc was to play a "larger than life version of himself" as character Matt LeBlanc. Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church is an American actor. After co-starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings, Church became well known for his film roles, including his Academy Award-nominated performance in Sideways and his role as the Sandman in Spider-Man 3.-Early life:Church, the fourth of six children, was born...
was also to have a role in the series as Merc Lapidus, the American television executive who commissions the remake, but he left due to scheduling conflicts, and was replaced by John Pankow
John Pankow
John Pankow is an American film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for a supporting role on the sitcom Mad About You .-Early life:...
.
Although the majority of the show was set in Los Angeles, it was mainly filmed in the UK, including the £70 million mansion Updown Court
Updown Court
Updown Court is a Californian style residence situated in the village of Windlesham in Surrey, England. The 103-room mansion has of landscaped gardens and private woodland. It was, in 2006, the most expensive private home on the market anywhere in the world. It was listed with Savills and...
as the house of Beverley and Sean Lincoln, with inserts shot on location in L.A.
Reception
The response of the American critics was mixed. The show received a score of 73 on aggregate review website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
indicating generally positive reviews. Robert Bianco of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
called the show "easily the best new sitcom of the season", while The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
s Matthew Gilbert said that "Each of the season’s seven half-hours is a little sliver of pleasure." A Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
review by Mark A. Perigard was lukewarm; he said he feared that the show would never achieve a broad audience, while David Wiegand from the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
praised the performances of the actors but felt that the series simply wasn't funny. The UK critics response to the airing of the first episode was broadly lukewarm while remaining optimistic. More screentime for Matt LeBlanc was eagerly anticipated by some, with The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
s Brian Viner believing that this might improve the series.
In the UK, episode one of the series premiered with an audience of 1.86 million, an audience share of 8.5%. Episode two received 1.53 million viewers (7.4%), and by episode four viewing numbers were down to 1.09 million (5.3%). Episode five saw a slight rise in viewers to 1.33 million (6.6%), but numbers once again fell for episode six to 1.12 million (5.5%), and the season ended with the lowest number of viewers, 1.06 million (5.1%), tuning in for the final episode.
Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Steven "Matt" LeBlanc is an American actor, best known for his role as Joey Tribbiani on the NBC sitcoms Friends and its spin-off Joey....
was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the first time since 2004 for his role on the series. The show has been renewed for a second season of nine episodes.
Home video releases
The first series of Episodes has been released by 2 entertain2 Entertain
2 Entertain is a British video and music publisher, formed by the merger of BBC Video and Video Collection International in 2004....
on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom.
| Series | Release dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Region 1/A | Region 2/B | |
| Series 1 | n/a | 28 February 2011 |