Melissa & Joey
Encyclopedia
Melissa & Joey is an ABC Family
original television series starring Melissa Joan Hart
and Joey Lawrence
. It first aired on ABC Family on August 17, 2010. The series follows local politician Mel Burke (Melissa Joan Hart) and Joe Longo (Joey Lawrence), whom Mel hires to look after her niece and nephew after a Ponzi scheme leaves him broke.
The series has been renewed by ABC Family for a second season.
who is searching for a job. So when Mel finds it hard to handle an instant family and her own life, she hires Joe to become the family's new male nanny, or "manny".
production; their first was the 2009 telefilm, My Fake Fiance
. Melissa & Joey was criticized early on for lacking sufficient chemistry between the leads and a "will they, won't they" theme present in their earlier project, My Fake Fiance.
On October 8, 2010, ABC Family announced their order of an additional 20 episodes for the first season, creating a season of 30 episodes. The mid-season finale for season one aired on October 26, 2010. The second half of the first season began airing on June 29, 2011. On July 11, 2011, ABC Family announced that Melissa & Joey had been picked up for a second season.
released Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part One on DVD in Region 1. Special features include a sneak peek of the remaining season 1 episodes, bloopers, and featurettes with Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. On October 4, 2011, Shout! Factory released Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part Two on DVD in Region 1, collecting the final 18 episodes of season one in a 2-disc set.
.
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
original television series starring Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Catherine Hart is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman...
and Joey Lawrence
Joey Lawrence
Joseph "Joey" Lawrence is an American actor, R&B-singer, and TV-host. He is known for his roles in the TV-series Gimme a Break!, Blossom, and Melissa & Joey.- Early life :...
. It first aired on ABC Family on August 17, 2010. The series follows local politician Mel Burke (Melissa Joan Hart) and Joe Longo (Joey Lawrence), whom Mel hires to look after her niece and nephew after a Ponzi scheme leaves him broke.
The series has been renewed by ABC Family for a second season.
Series overview
Mel is a local politician from a political family. When a family scandal leaves her niece, Lennox, and nephew, Ryder, without their parents, Mel takes them in. Meanwhile, Joe is a former commodities trader left bankrupt after a Ponzi schemePonzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation...
who is searching for a job. So when Mel finds it hard to handle an instant family and her own life, she hires Joe to become the family's new male nanny, or "manny".
Cast
Main characters
- Melissa "Mel" Burke (Melissa Joan HartMelissa Joan HartMelissa Joan Catherine Hart is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman...
) is a councilwomanCity councilA city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
in Toledo, OhioToledo, OhioToledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. Growing up, she was a rebellious, irresponsible party girl, and now she must take care of her niece and nephew after their mother (her sister) was arrested for money laundering and their father disappeared to avoid arrest for running a Ponzi scheme. - Joseph "Joe" Longo (Joey LawrenceJoey LawrenceJoseph "Joey" Lawrence is an American actor, R&B-singer, and TV-host. He is known for his roles in the TV-series Gimme a Break!, Blossom, and Melissa & Joey.- Early life :...
) is a former commodities trader who lost his job, money and marriage in the wake of Mel's brother-in-law's Ponzi scheme and wound up living in his car. Seeing that Mel needed help raising her niece and nephew (and that he needed a job), he has agreed to be the live-in nanny to assist Mel and give advice to the kids. He was born in a U.S. Army hospital in UijeongbuUijeongbuUijeongbu is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.The city is located just north of Seoul with many U.S. and Korean military bases for the defense of the Korean capital. The U.S. Second Infantry Division has established its headquarters in the city with main troops deployed in Dongducheon...
, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and raised in New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. - Lennox Elizabeth Scanlon (Taylor SpreitlerTaylor SpreitlerTaylor Spreitler is an American actress and former model. Taylor portrayed the role of Mia McCormick on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, from January 2009 until June 2010...
) is a free-spirited teenage girl, who is less than thrilled about living with her Aunt Mel. Although they disagree many times, she appreciates Mel for taking her in. - Ryder Scanlon (Nick RobinsonNick Robinson (American actor)Nicholas J. "Nick" Robinson is an American teen actor. He currently co-stars as Ryder Scanlon, the nephew of Mel Burke, in the ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey. The sitcom was his second audition and he got the part. He is set to start in the Disney Channel Original Movie Frenemies in 2012 as Josh...
) is Mel's nephew, and the youngest in the household. He is only a few years younger than Lennox. Like many teenage boys his age, he enjoys watching television and playing sports.
Recurring characters
- Stephanie Krause (Lucy DeVitoLucy DeVitoLucy Chet DeVito is an American actress and daughter of actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. Her first important movie role was in 2009 in the film Leaves of Grass with Ed Norton...
) is Mel's legislative assistant and former intern, beginning with episode 7. Hyperactive and fiercely loyal, Stephanie is keen to schedule interviews, photo opportunities, and media coverage for Mel. She regularly exhibits that she has a crush on Joe. - Rhonda Cheng (Elizabeth HoElizabeth HoElizabeth Ho is an American actress. She is best known for her recurring role as Rhonda Cheng on the ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey.-Early life and career:...
) is Mel's press secretary. She's a giddy yet loyal friend to her and always gives her dating and/or parenting advice. - Tiffany (Megan HiltyMegan HiltyMegan Kathleen Hilty is an American stage and television actress.- Early years :Hilty was born in Bellevue, Washington and is the daughter of Jack and Donna Hilty. She attended Sammamish High School in Bellevue and the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School in Redmond,...
) is Joe's ex-wife, first seen in episode 13. Their on-again, off-again relationship is punctuated by bouts of lovemaking in unusual places. - Holly Rebeck (Rachel G. Fox) is Ryder's extremely aggressive, controlling, girlfriend. She is often manipulative, jealous, conceited, and Ryder is usually submissive to her demands.
- George Karpelos, Jr. (Scott Michael FosterScott Michael FosterScott Michael Foster is an American actor. He is best known for his role of "Cappie" on the ABC Family series Greek.-Biography:...
) is Mel's 24-year-old lover, starting with episode 21. He is an independent business entrepreneur who loves bicycling. Their relationship is put on hold when George moves to Italy for business. - Russell Burke (Christopher Rich) is Mel's senator father, who is very indulgent to his grandchildren and tends to undermine Mel's authority with them.
Production
The series marks the second time Hart and Lawrence have co-starred together in an ABC FamilyABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
production; their first was the 2009 telefilm, My Fake Fiance
My Fake Fiance
My Fake Fiancé is a 2009 TV film starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. It premiered on the ABC Family channel on April 19, 2009.-Plot synopsis:...
. Melissa & Joey was criticized early on for lacking sufficient chemistry between the leads and a "will they, won't they" theme present in their earlier project, My Fake Fiance.
On October 8, 2010, ABC Family announced their order of an additional 20 episodes for the first season, creating a season of 30 episodes. The mid-season finale for season one aired on October 26, 2010. The second half of the first season began airing on June 29, 2011. On July 11, 2011, ABC Family announced that Melissa & Joey had been picked up for a second season.
DVD releases
On May 24, 2011, Shout! FactoryShout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
released Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part One on DVD in Region 1. Special features include a sneak peek of the remaining season 1 episodes, bloopers, and featurettes with Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. On October 4, 2011, Shout! Factory released Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part Two on DVD in Region 1, collecting the final 18 episodes of season one in a 2-disc set.
Ratings
The following is a table with the average estimated number of viewers per episode, each season of Melissa & Joey on ABC FamilyABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
.
| Season | Timeslot (ET Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time... /PT Pacific Time Zone The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States... ) |
# Ep. | Premiered | Ended | TV Season | Viewers (in millions) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Premiere Viewers (in millions) |
Date | Finale Viewers (in millions) |
|||||
| Season 1 | |
30 | 2.15 | |
2010–2011 | 1.36* to date | ||
International air dates
| Country / Region | Channel | Premiere | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony Spin | October 4, 2011 | ||
| FOX Life Fox Life Greece Fox Life Greece is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which launched on 1 December 2008 and is currently available to the subscribers of NOVA Greece, Conn-x TV and On TV.... |
Fall 2011 | ||
| Star World STAR World STAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation... |
October 6, 2011 | ||
| Fox Life Fox Life Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions... |
??? | ||
| FOX Life Fox Life Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions... |
September 2, 2011 | ||
| Comedy Central (Netherlands) | September 5, 2011 | ||
| Sony Entertainment Television (Spain) | November 5, 2010 | ||
| FOX Life Serbia Fox Life Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions... |
September 2, 2011 | ||
| Star World STAR World STAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation... |
October 6, 2011 | ||
| ABC Family ABC Family ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company... |
August 17, 2010 |