It's Your Move
Encyclopedia
It's Your Move is an American sitcom
starring Jason Bateman
, Tricia Cast
, Caren Kaye
, Ernie Sabella
, David Garrison
, and Garrett Morris
. The show originally aired on NBC
from 1984
to 1985
.
), such as term paper sales, exam answer keys, and blackmail.
The status quo of Matthew's world changed forever in the series' pilot, when Norman Lamb (Garrison) moved into the apartment across the hall. A quick-witted but impoverished writer from Chicago, Norman struck up a friendship with Eileen and the two were soon dating. Dismayed that his mother had chosen someone so far beneath her, Matt set upon sabotaging their relationship, but soon finds he has met his match—Norman reveals himself to be cut from the same cloth as Matthew, and foils plot after plot.
Matt and Norman's cat and mouse game continued and escalated for thirteen episodes, fighting relentlessly while always shielding the aggressively gullible Eileen from one another's true nature.
The second installment of the two part episode was scheduled to air the following week, but was preempted by a speech by then-President Reagan
.
In second part of the episode, Matthew is scrambling to explain why The Dregs failed to show up to a sold-out concert. To make matters worse, Norman is starting to suspect that the band doesn't exist and Matthew gets sued. He finally has the brilliant idea to send the "band" to a watery grave by concocting a story that the "band" drove off a cliff into the ocean. In a later episode, it is revealed that the fake band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
.
on ABC,
In episode 14, the series was retooled via the plot device of Eileen finally catching Matthew red-handed during an ambitious (and, somewhat unusually for the show, purely illegal) scheme to prove Eileen's value to her boss. In the remaining five episodes of the series, Matthew's scams were almost completely excised from the show, and It's Your Move became a much more conventional sitcom. These changes did little to improve the ratings
, and the series was cancelled in early 1985.
and Ron Leavitt
, who some years later would take the harder tone of the It's Your Move concept and put it in an entirely different context: Fox's
Married...With Children, in which Garrison starred for four seasons (and was also produced by Embassy Television
).
from 1989
to 1992
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
starring Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
, Tricia Cast
Tricia Cast
Tricia Cast is an American actress, best known for her role as Nina Webster on The Young and the Restless.-Personal life:...
, Caren Kaye
Caren Kaye
Caren Kaye is an American television and film actress who is best known for her roles in the 1983 film My Tutor and the short-lived NBC sitcom It's Your Move.- Career :...
, Ernie Sabella
Ernie Sabella
Ernest "Ernie" Sabella is an American actor, who is best known for his role as the official voice of Pumbaa from the The Lion King.-Life and career:...
, David Garrison
David Garrison
David Gene Garrison is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he may be more widely known for his numerous television roles, particularly that of Steve Rhoades on Married... with Children...
, and Garrett Morris
Garrett Morris
Garrett Gonzalez Morris is an American comedian and actor from New Orleans. He was part of the original cast of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980.-Early life and career:...
. The show originally aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1984
1984 in television
This article is a list of television-related events in 1984.-Events:*January 9 – Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" ad first airs, which propels Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase to national prominence....
to 1985
1985 in television
The year 1985 involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1985.For the American TV schedule, see: 1985-86 United States network television schedule.-Events:*January 1 – VH1 launches in the United States....
.
Premise
The show centered on Matthew Burton (Bateman), a teenage scam artist who lived in a Van Nuys, California apartment with his older sister Julie (Cast) and widowed mother Eileen (Kaye). Matt ran various underhanded dealings with his high school friends, especially his sidekick Eli (Adam SadowskyAdam Sadowsky
Adam Sadowsky , is an American entrepreneur and former actor.He is the president of Syyn Labs, the company responsible for building the Rube Goldberg Machine featured in the music video for the OK Go song "This Too Shall Pass"....
), such as term paper sales, exam answer keys, and blackmail.
The status quo of Matthew's world changed forever in the series' pilot, when Norman Lamb (Garrison) moved into the apartment across the hall. A quick-witted but impoverished writer from Chicago, Norman struck up a friendship with Eileen and the two were soon dating. Dismayed that his mother had chosen someone so far beneath her, Matt set upon sabotaging their relationship, but soon finds he has met his match—Norman reveals himself to be cut from the same cloth as Matthew, and foils plot after plot.
Matt and Norman's cat and mouse game continued and escalated for thirteen episodes, fighting relentlessly while always shielding the aggressively gullible Eileen from one another's true nature.
"The Dregs of Humanity" episode
A notable episode was a two-parter entitled "The Dregs of Humanity". In the first half of the episode, Eli loses the school's money that had been trusted to Matt for hiring a band for a school dance. To cover the loss, Matthew crafts the rise and fall of a band—The Dregs of Humanity—and acts as their manager. The fictitious band, which actually consisted of four skeletons stolen from the biology lab (and controlled by strings with a smoke machine to cover them up), is a little too successful and Matthew soon finds himself agreeing to allow Norman an interview with the band for Music Press magazine, figuring that if the truth ever comes out, Norman will be humiliated. The interview only fuels the Dregs' popularity, and this sets up the cliffhanger: the Palladium calls and offers a $20,000 gig for the Dregs. While heretofore willing to let the Dregs retire, the money is too enticing and Matt agrees to the gig.The second installment of the two part episode was scheduled to air the following week, but was preempted by a speech by then-President Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
In second part of the episode, Matthew is scrambling to explain why The Dregs failed to show up to a sold-out concert. To make matters worse, Norman is starting to suspect that the band doesn't exist and Matthew gets sued. He finally has the brilliant idea to send the "band" to a watery grave by concocting a story that the "band" drove off a cliff into the ocean. In a later episode, it is revealed that the fake band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
.
Series changes and cancellation
The series opened with some positive reception from critics, but its time slot competed with TV's #1 show DynastyDynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
on ABC,
In episode 14, the series was retooled via the plot device of Eileen finally catching Matthew red-handed during an ambitious (and, somewhat unusually for the show, purely illegal) scheme to prove Eileen's value to her boss. In the remaining five episodes of the series, Matthew's scams were almost completely excised from the show, and It's Your Move became a much more conventional sitcom. These changes did little to improve the ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, and the series was cancelled in early 1985.
Production notes
The show's creators and executive producers were Michael G. MoyeMichael G. Moye
Michael George Moye is an American photographer and a former television writer and producer. In his television career he has written for shows such as The Jeffersons, Diff'rent Strokes, Good Times, and 227 and produced It's Your Move and The Jeffersons. His best known work is likely the 1987...
and Ron Leavitt
Ron Leavitt
Ron Leavitt was the co-creator of the American television show Married... with Children...
, who some years later would take the harder tone of the It's Your Move concept and put it in an entirely different context: Fox's
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
Married...With Children, in which Garrison starred for four seasons (and was also produced by Embassy Television
Embassy Television
...
).
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | September 26, 1984 |
| 2 | "Put to the Test" | October 3, 1984 |
| 3 | "Dating Games" | October 17, 1984 |
| 4 | "Night Work" | October 24, 1984 |
| 5 | "Pajama Party" | October 31, 1984 |
| 6 | "Love Letters" | November 14, 1984 |
| 7 | "Dad and Me" | November 21, 1984 |
| 8 | "The Rival" | November 28, 1984 |
| 9 | "Top Dog" | December 5, 1984 |
| 10 | "Don't Leave Home Without It" | December 12, 1984 |
| 11 | "The Christmas Show" | December 19, 1984 |
| 12 | "The Dregs of Humanity: Part 1" | January 2, 1985 |
| 13 | "The Dregs of Humanity: Part 2" | January 9, 1985 |
| 14 | "Caught in the Act" | January 26, 1985 |
| 15 | "Eli's Song" | February 2, 1985 |
| 16 | "A Woman Is Just a Woman" | February 9, 1985 |
| 17 | "The Experts" | February 16, 1985 |
| 18 | "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" | February 23, 1985 |
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Young Actor in a Television Comedy Series | Jason Bateman |
| Best New Comedy or Drama Television Series | |
|||
| 1986 | Nominated | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | Tricia Cast |
Syndication
The show was rerun (albeit in edited form) on the USA NetworkUSA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
from 1989
1989 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1989–90 United States network television schedule.The year 1989 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1989.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
to 1992
1992 in television
The year 1992 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1992.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:*Hallmark Hall of Fame .*Guiding Light .*The Today Show ....
.