My Own Worst Enemy (TV series)
Encyclopedia
My Own Worst Enemy is an American
television drama
that aired on NBC
in 2008. It premiered on October 13 and ended on December 15 after 9 episodes. The series was produced by Universal Media Studios. Jason Smilovic
was the executive producer; David Semel
was the director and executive producer. The final episode ended with a cliff-hanger, and the major plot lines ended without resolution.
The series follows the life of American secret agent
Edward Albright and his cover
, Henry Spivey, who had no knowledge of his double life. Albright, played by Christian Slater
, was implanted with a chip allowing his handlers to physically switch Albright's personality to that of his cover. However, in the pilot episode
, there was a malfunction which caused Albright's personalities to switch at random, revealing his secret life to his alias.
Henry is then thrown into the highly dangerous life of Edward, with no real way for the two to communicate except through short cell phone video messages.
General Motors
was a promotional sponsor of the show, and the new SUV model Chevrolet Traverse
, along with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
, appeared as cars for the program's characters via a product placement
agreement.
The complete series was released to DVD on April 21, 2009.
gave the show a score of 61/100 based on 25 critic reviews.
Internet video services such as Hulu
, IMDb
and NBC's website offer free full episodes to persons within the United States. People in Canada can access free full episodes via Global's website.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
that 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...
in 2008. It premiered on October 13 and ended on December 15 after 9 episodes. The series was produced by Universal Media Studios. Jason Smilovic
Jason Smilovic
Jason Smilovic is a writer, executive producer, and creator of the television series Kidnapped, My Own Worst Enemy, and Karen Sisco. Smilovic was most recently an executive producer on My Own Worst Enemy. He also wrote the movie Lucky Number Slevin. Smilovic graduated from the University of...
was the executive producer; David Semel
David Semel
David Semel is an American director and television producer.- Film Director :* Lone Star State of Mind*Revelations* Campfire Tales - TV filmography Director :*Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip *Heroes...
was the director and executive producer. The final episode ended with a cliff-hanger, and the major plot lines ended without resolution.
The series follows the life of American secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
Edward Albright and his cover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
, Henry Spivey, who had no knowledge of his double life. Albright, played by Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
, was implanted with a chip allowing his handlers to physically switch Albright's personality to that of his cover. However, in the pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
, there was a malfunction which caused Albright's personalities to switch at random, revealing his secret life to his alias.
Henry is then thrown into the highly dangerous life of Edward, with no real way for the two to communicate except through short cell phone video messages.
General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
was a promotional sponsor of the show, and the new SUV model Chevrolet Traverse
Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse is a seven/eight seat full-size crossover SUV built on the GM Lambda platform that underpins the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. It is a successor to both the Uplander minivan and Trailblazer SUV...
, along with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
, appeared as cars for the program's characters via a product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
agreement.
The complete series was released to DVD on April 21, 2009.
Cast and characters
- Henry Spivey/Edward Albright (Both played by Christian SlaterChristian SlaterChristian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
) - Henry is a middle-class efficiency expert living a humdrum life in the suburbs with a wife, two kids, and a dog. Edward is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill. Henry and Edward are polar opposites who share only one thing in common—the same body. When the carefully constructed wall between them breaks down, Henry and Edward are thrust into unfamiliar territory where each man is dangerously out of his element. The first names match those of the two dueling spirits that shared a body in Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
- Angie Spivey (played by Mädchen AmickMädchen AmickMädchen Amick is an American actress best known for playing Shelly Johnson on the cult television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.-Early life:...
) - A housewifeHousewifeHousewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
who lives with her loving husband Henry Spivey and two children, Jack Spivey and Ruthy Spivey.
- Jack Spivey (played by Taylor Lautner) - Son and oldest child of Henry and Angie Spivey.
- Ruthy Spivey (played by Bella ThorneBella ThorneAnnabella Avery "Bella" Thorne is an American teen actress, dancer, singer, and model. She is a child model and actor with appearances in more than 20 films and television series and more than 60 commercials, she is best known for her role as the aspiring young dancer, CeCe Jones on the Disney...
) - Daughter and youngest child of Henry and Angie Spivey.
- Mavis Heller (played by Alfre WoodardAlfre WoodardAlfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...
) - Edward's supervisor in the superspy organization
- Tom Grady/Raymond Carter (played by Mike O'MalleyMike O'MalleyMichael Edward "Mike" O'Malley is an American actor and playwright who has appeared in films and television series. He hosted Nickelodeon GUTS, and he starred in the CBS comedy Yes, Dear...
) - Raymond Carter is a superspy partner with Edward Albright. Tom Grady is Henry Spivey's friend.
- Dr. Nora Skinner (played by Saffron BurrowsSaffron BurrowsSaffron Dominique Burrows is an English actress and former fashion model, who starred as Det. Serena Stevens on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Lorraine Weller on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
) - Dr. Skinner is the company therapist who helps the employees. At the end of the third episode, it is discovered that she knows about Henry/Edward's secret and is currently carrying on an affair with Edward.
- Alistair Trumbull (played by James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
) - Trumbull is the chief of operations for Project Janus. He is both cunning and devious, and places very little faith in Edward's capabilities as he suspects he has broken.
Reception
The first online review of the series said the show was a "snappily written, fast-paced thriller that shows Slater can be a likable TV star." 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,...
gave the show a score of 61/100 based on 25 critic reviews.
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|
Internet video services such as Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
, IMDb
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
and NBC's website offer free full episodes to persons within the United States. People in Canada can access free full episodes via Global's website.
External links
- Official NBC website
- My Own Worst Enemy at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...