Lottery!
Encyclopedia
Lottery! is an American drama series
premiered on ABC
on September 9, 1983. The series aired for one season of 17 episodes and starred Ben Murphy
as Patrick Sean Flaherty, and Marshall Colt
as Eric Rush. Lottery! centered around ordinary people who have won the lottery
--all of a sudden becoming millionaires--and how it changes their lives.
Rush was Flaherty's partner, an IRS
agent who oversaw the accounting of the payouts and the arrangement of the winner's tax obligations. Each episode also took place in a different city around the country.
The opening titles for the show featured large banks of computers and tape drives. Above what appeared to be a trading floor (similar to what one would see at a stock exchange) were large electronic toteboards showing the latest prizes, the winners' names, and the countries in which they lived. This flurry of activity was never a part of any of the show's episodes, and Flaherty and Rush themselves were never at the Intersweep offices for any of the plot lines. At the end of every episode, the show displayed the following disclaimer: "The Intersweep Lottery is fictitious. Except where licensed by state governments, lotteries in this country are illegal."
The Intersweep Lottery was more akin to Publishers Clearing House
than any of the popular lottery
games in the U.S. and around the world. Rather than having a drawing consisting of individually numbered ping-pong balls selected by randomly ordered machines, participants in this lottery purchased numbered tickets (the cost per ticket was not indicated by the series). Each ticket carried a unique serial number consisting of two letters followed by six numbers (example: AG 482 979). The drawing of winning numbers was also never featured in any of the episodes in this series.
Lottery! is not the first series to deal with the elation and challenges of sudden wealth. The basic premise is loosely similar to an earlier series, The Millionaire with Marvin Miller
, except the money is given out by a mysterious benefactor to specific named individuals without the organization of a lottery. In 1979, NBC
produced Sweepstakes, an equally short-lived series with a similar premise (it, too, lasted only a single season). In 2006, NBC tried again with Windfall, a series about a group of twenty friends winning a multi-million dollar lottery prize -- that series lasted only three months before cancellation.
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
premiered on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on September 9, 1983. The series aired for one season of 17 episodes and starred Ben Murphy
Ben Murphy
Benjamin E. Murphy is an American actor. He is known for his role in the ABC television series Alias Smith and Jones, co-starring as Kid Curry, first with Pete Duel and later with Roger Davis.-Early life:...
as Patrick Sean Flaherty, and Marshall Colt
Marshall Colt
Marshall N. Colt is a marriage, family, and life enhancement therapist in San Diego, California, who was an actor of film and television from 1976 to 1995...
as Eric Rush. Lottery! centered around ordinary people who have won the lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
--all of a sudden becoming millionaires--and how it changes their lives.
Synopsis
Each week, several guest stars become instant millionaires (in two or three different stories) when their lottery tickets bring them fame, fortune, and usually trouble. Flaherty worked for the "Intersweep Lottery," (a "lottery bank" as stated a winner in one episode) and it was his job to find the winner(s), inform them of their winnings, and give him or her an envelope containing $5,000 in cash, and a check worth millions. In the event of ownership disputes with the winning ticket, Flaherty would also act as an arbitrator responsible for determining the true recipient in what method used to settle the matter.Rush was Flaherty's partner, an IRS
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
agent who oversaw the accounting of the payouts and the arrangement of the winner's tax obligations. Each episode also took place in a different city around the country.
The opening titles for the show featured large banks of computers and tape drives. Above what appeared to be a trading floor (similar to what one would see at a stock exchange) were large electronic toteboards showing the latest prizes, the winners' names, and the countries in which they lived. This flurry of activity was never a part of any of the show's episodes, and Flaherty and Rush themselves were never at the Intersweep offices for any of the plot lines. At the end of every episode, the show displayed the following disclaimer: "The Intersweep Lottery is fictitious. Except where licensed by state governments, lotteries in this country are illegal."
The Intersweep Lottery was more akin to Publishers Clearing House
Publishers Clearing House
Publishers Clearing House is a multi-channel direct marketing company that offers discounted magazine subscriptions and household merchandise to consumers with the chance to enter to win one of many ongoing sweepstakes...
than any of the popular lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
games in the U.S. and around the world. Rather than having a drawing consisting of individually numbered ping-pong balls selected by randomly ordered machines, participants in this lottery purchased numbered tickets (the cost per ticket was not indicated by the series). Each ticket carried a unique serial number consisting of two letters followed by six numbers (example: AG 482 979). The drawing of winning numbers was also never featured in any of the episodes in this series.
Lottery! is not the first series to deal with the elation and challenges of sudden wealth. The basic premise is loosely similar to an earlier series, The Millionaire with Marvin Miller
Marvin Miller
Marvin Julian Miller is a former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association , from 1966 to 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players' union was transformed into one of the strongest unions in the United States...
, except the money is given out by a mysterious benefactor to specific named individuals without the organization of a lottery. In 1979, 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...
produced Sweepstakes, an equally short-lived series with a similar premise (it, too, lasted only a single season). In 2006, NBC tried again with Windfall, a series about a group of twenty friends winning a multi-million dollar lottery prize -- that series lasted only three months before cancellation.
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Being a Winner" | September 9, 1983 |
| 1-2 | "Los Angeles: Bigger Volume" | September 16, 1983 |
| 1-3 | "Denver: Following Through" | September 23, 1983 |
| 1-4 | "Detroit: The Price of Freedom" | September 30, 1983 |
| 1-5 | "Phoenix: Blood Brothers" | October 7, 1983 |
| 1-6 | "Portland: Treasure Hunt" | October 21, 1983 |
| 1-7 | "Kansas City: Protected Winner" | October 28, 1983 |
| 1-8 | "Charleston: The Spenders" | November 4, 1983 |
| 1-9 | "New York: Winning Can Be Murder" | November 18, 1983 |
| 1-10 | "Houston: Duffy's Choice" | November 25, 1983 |
| 1-11 | "Boston: False Illusion" | December 9, 1983 |
| 1-12 | "Chicago: Another Chance" | March 1, 1984 |
| 1-13 | "San Diego: Bingo!" | March 8, 1984 |
| 1-14 | "Miami: Sharing" | March 15, 1984 |
| 1-15 | "St. Louis: Win or Lose" | March 22, 1984 |
| 1-16 | "Honolulu: 3-2=1" | March 29, 1984 |
| 1-17 | "Minneapolis: Six Months Down" | June 14, 1984 |
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Young Actor, Guest in a Television Series | Corey Feldman Corey Feldman Corey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... |