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Grosse Pointe (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Grosse Pointe is an American
television parody
series which aired on the WB Network
during the 2000-2001 television season. Created by Darren Star
, it was a satire
depicting the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of a television show, and was inspired in large part by Star's experiences as the creator and producer of the nighttime soap
Beverly Hills, 90210
.
wrote that it was "nicely cast and smartly paced, it's a sassy, catty riot.". The New York Daily News
wrote that it was "the funniest, smartest comedy" that the WB has ever had.
Despite this, the series struggled with low ratings. In its Friday night timeslot, it typically lost an average of one million viewers from its lead-in, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
. It was the only WB comedy to receive an "A" grade from Entertainment Weekly
. Though the network tried to find an audience for it by moving it around the schedule, Grosse Pointe ultimately failed to attract enough viewers to sustain it past one season.
for the Grosse Pointe pilot episode, Star explained that the behind-the-scenes antics on the set of 90210 were often more interesting than the show itself, and that the idea of creating a comedy based on this had been kicking around in his head for years.
, on the set of a fictitious WB nighttime soap, also called Grosse Pointe, and several characters were based on real-life actors. The fictitious Grosse Pointe ("a misguided 90210 rip-off", as Star describes it) is set in the wealthy Michigan suburb
, and was very much a parody of teenage nighttime soaps.
Reportedly, Beverly Hills 90210 producer Aaron Spelling
called WB executive Jamie Kellner
to complain about Lindsay Sloane's character Marcy Sternfeld, who in the original pilot was a thinly veiled parody of Spelling's daughter, actress Tori Spelling
.
Darren Star
asked several actors from Spelling Soaps to appear on the series. Jason Priestly and Joe E. Tata
from Beverly Hills, 90210
appeared in separate episodes. Jason Priestly directed the episode that he appeared. Kristin Davis
from Melrose Place and Sex in the City also appeared in an episode. Katie Wagner
who hosted a Beverly Hills, 90210
special in 1993, also appeared on the show as herself for one episode. Former Saved by the Bell
teen star, Elizabeth Berkley
, appeared in the series finale.
In addition, several actors from other WB series appeared as themselves on Grosse Pointe, such as Leslie Bibb
and Carly Pope
of Popular
and Sarah Michelle Gellar
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Grosse Pointe was on the WB's Friday line-up in between Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
and Popular
. The show lost much of the lead-in audience, and was moved to Sundays. It was canceled in March 2001 after 17 episodes.
announced that Grosse Pointe would be released on DVD on March 14, 2006. The DVD was later quietly taken off the schedule, and several months later, it was announced that it would be released as an Amazon.com
exclusive on November 7, 2006. However, it was delayed yet again, but the DVD finally shipped in late November.
On December 4, 2006, Sony announced that the DVD would be widely released on February 13, 2007.
The opening titles and theme song only appear once on each disc of the DVD set, in the pilot episode for disc 1 and in "Puppet Master" for disc 2, because the use of "Sex Bomb" by Tom Jones was deemed too expensive to use in every episode. All other episodes had to be reedited to remove the opening titles. The cast credits, along with episode names, are shown over each episode's opening scene instead. The version of the titles that is used on DVDs is the standard version seen throughout the series not the original pilot version which featured Joely Fisher
or the final version which included Nat Faxon.
DVD extras include an interview with Darren Star and commentary tracks on the following episodes:
The DVD release jacket of disc 2 has a misprint with two of the descriptions. Episode "Star Wars" description says that Marcy gets a restraining order to stop Quentin's harassment, when in reality it's actually Hunter who gets the restraining order. Episode "End Of The Affair" says that Dave looks for the courage to break up with Marcy, when in reality it's actually Hunter that he is trying to break up with.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
series which aired on the WB Network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
during the 2000-2001 television season. Created by Darren Star
Darren Star
Darren Bennett Star is an American producer, director and writer for film and television. He is best known for creating the hit TV shows Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.-Career:...
, it was a satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
depicting the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of a television show, and was inspired in large part by Star's experiences as the creator and producer of the nighttime soap
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
.
Main cast
- Irene MolloyIrene MolloyIrene Molloy is an American actress, singer and songwriter. A 1996 graduate of Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania, she has starred in Broadway musicals and dramas, television series and appeared in one movie.She starred in the TV series Andy Richter Controls the...
- Hunter Fallow / Becky Johnson (a parody of Shannen DohertyShannen DohertyShannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
and her 90210 character Brenda Walsh) - William RagsdaleWilliam RagsdaleRobert William Ragsdale is an American actor.-Life and career:Ragsdale was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. He attended Hendrix College, where he appeared in plays with Sling Blade actress and fellow Arkansan Natalie Canerday....
- Rob Fields (a parody of Darren StarDarren StarDarren Bennett Star is an American producer, director and writer for film and television. He is best known for creating the hit TV shows Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.-Career:...
) - Al Santos - Johnny Bishop / Brad Johnson (a parody of Jason PriestleyJason PriestleyJason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
and 90210s Brandon Walsh) - Lindsay SloaneLindsay SloaneLindsay Sloane is an American actress. She is known for her role as Big Red in the first Bring It On and as Valerie Birkhead on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch .-Personal life:...
- Marcy Sternfeld / Kim Peterson / Lynn (originally a parody of Tori SpellingTori SpellingVictoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
) - Bonnie SomervilleBonnie SomervilleBonnie Somerville is an American actress and singer. As an actress, she has had roles in a number of movies and television series, most notably NYPD Blue, Grosse Pointe, Friends, The O.C. and Cashmere Mafia....
- Courtney Scott / Laura Johnson (Courtney is a parody of Jennie GarthJennie GarthJennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
; her character Laura is a parody of Tiffani-Amber Thiessen's 90210 character Valerie Malone, a replacement character) - Kohl Sudduth - Quentin Barbary King / Stone Anders (a parody of Luke PerryLuke PerryLuke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
and 90210s Dylan McKay) - Kyle HowardKyle HowardKyle Alan Howard is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Kyle Howard grew up in Loveland, Colorado. He has worked in both film and television...
- Dave May ("Dave the Stand-in")
Critical and public reaction
Critics were largely positive towards Grosse Pointe. TIMETime
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
wrote that it was "nicely cast and smartly paced, it's a sassy, catty riot.". The New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
wrote that it was "the funniest, smartest comedy" that the WB has ever had.
Despite this, the series struggled with low ratings. In its Friday night timeslot, it typically lost an average of one million viewers from its lead-in, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
. It was the only WB comedy to receive an "A" grade from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. Though the network tried to find an audience for it by moving it around the schedule, Grosse Pointe ultimately failed to attract enough viewers to sustain it past one season.
DVD
On the DVD audio commentaryAudio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
for the Grosse Pointe pilot episode, Star explained that the behind-the-scenes antics on the set of 90210 were often more interesting than the show itself, and that the idea of creating a comedy based on this had been kicking around in his head for years.
Series overview
The series takes place in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, on the set of a fictitious WB nighttime soap, also called Grosse Pointe, and several characters were based on real-life actors. The fictitious Grosse Pointe ("a misguided 90210 rip-off", as Star describes it) is set in the wealthy Michigan suburb
Grosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe refers to a coastal area in Metro Detroit, Michigan, United States that comprises five adjacent individual communities. From southwest to northeast, they are:*Grosse Pointe Park, city*Grosse Pointe, city*Grosse Pointe Farms, city...
, and was very much a parody of teenage nighttime soaps.
Reportedly, Beverly Hills 90210 producer Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
called WB executive Jamie Kellner
Jamie Kellner
Jamie Kellner is an American television executive. He was chairman and chief executive officer of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a division of Time Warner which includes TBS, TNT, and Cartoon Network. Kellner took over the post in 2001 and handed over the company to Philip Kent in 2003...
to complain about Lindsay Sloane's character Marcy Sternfeld, who in the original pilot was a thinly veiled parody of Spelling's daughter, actress Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
.
Darren Star
Darren Star
Darren Bennett Star is an American producer, director and writer for film and television. He is best known for creating the hit TV shows Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.-Career:...
asked several actors from Spelling Soaps to appear on the series. Jason Priestly and Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata is an American television actor. He is known for his regular role as Nat Busschio, the owner and operator of the Peach Pit diner, in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210...
from Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
appeared in separate episodes. Jason Priestly directed the episode that he appeared. Kristin Davis
Kristin Davis
Kristin Landen Davis is an American actress.She first rose to prominence and achieved fame for playing the role of Charlotte York Goldenblatt on HBO's Sex and the City. She has achieved success appearing in roles in film and television.-Early life and education:Davis was born in Boulder, Colorado...
from Melrose Place and Sex in the City also appeared in an episode. Katie Wagner
Katie Wagner
Katharine "Katie" Wagner is a television personality and Hollywood reporter. She was named after actress and family friend Katharine Hepburn. Her parents are actress Marion Marshall and veteran actor Robert Wagner...
who hosted a Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
special in 1993, also appeared on the show as herself for one episode. Former Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
teen star, Elizabeth Berkley
Elizabeth Berkley
Elizabeth Berkley is an American television, film, and theatre actress. Berkley's most notable roles were in the television series Saved by the Bell, as brainy feminist Jessie Spano, and the 1995 Paul Verhoeven film Showgirls, as exotic dancer Nomi Malone.-Early life:Berkley was born and raised...
, appeared in the series finale.
In addition, several actors from other WB series appeared as themselves on Grosse Pointe, such as Leslie Bibb
Leslie Bibb
Leslie Louise Bibb is an American actress and former fashion model. She transitioned into film and television in late 1990s. She appeared in television shows such as Home Improvement , before she appeared in her first film, the comedy Private Parts , which was followed by her first show The Big Easy...
and Carly Pope
Carly Pope
-Early life:Pope was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an older brother, Kris, also an actor, and a younger brother, Alexander. She began acting during her high school years in Vancouver where she appeared in stage classics such as The Odd Couple, playing Mickey, and A Midsummer...
of Popular
Popular (TV series)
Popular is an American teenage comedy-drama on The WB Television Network in the United States, created by Ryan Murphy and Gina Matthews, starring Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope as two teenage girls that reside on polar opposite sides of the popularity spectrum at their high school, but are forced to...
and Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Grosse Pointe was on the WB's Friday line-up in between Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
and Popular
Popular (TV series)
Popular is an American teenage comedy-drama on The WB Television Network in the United States, created by Ryan Murphy and Gina Matthews, starring Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope as two teenage girls that reside on polar opposite sides of the popularity spectrum at their high school, but are forced to...
. The show lost much of the lead-in audience, and was moved to Sundays. It was canceled in March 2001 after 17 episodes.
DVD release
In January 2006, Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
announced that Grosse Pointe would be released on DVD on March 14, 2006. The DVD was later quietly taken off the schedule, and several months later, it was announced that it would be released as an Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
exclusive on November 7, 2006. However, it was delayed yet again, but the DVD finally shipped in late November.
On December 4, 2006, Sony announced that the DVD would be widely released on February 13, 2007.
The opening titles and theme song only appear once on each disc of the DVD set, in the pilot episode for disc 1 and in "Puppet Master" for disc 2, because the use of "Sex Bomb" by Tom Jones was deemed too expensive to use in every episode. All other episodes had to be reedited to remove the opening titles. The cast credits, along with episode names, are shown over each episode's opening scene instead. The version of the titles that is used on DVDs is the standard version seen throughout the series not the original pilot version which featured Joely Fisher
Joely Fisher
Joely Fisher is an American actress best known for her work on television as Paige Clark on Ellen as well as Joy Stark in the Fox sitcom Til Death, and also on stage and in films.-Background:...
or the final version which included Nat Faxon.
DVD extras include an interview with Darren Star and commentary tracks on the following episodes:
- "Pilot" (with Darren Star)
- "Devil in a Blue Dress" (with Darren Star and co-executive producer Robin Schiff)
- "Satisfaction" (with Darren Star and Robin Schiff)
- "Secrets and Lies" (with Darren Star and Robin Schiff)
The DVD release jacket of disc 2 has a misprint with two of the descriptions. Episode "Star Wars" description says that Marcy gets a restraining order to stop Quentin's harassment, when in reality it's actually Hunter who gets the restraining order. Episode "End Of The Affair" says that Dave looks for the courage to break up with Marcy, when in reality it's actually Hunter that he is trying to break up with.