Out of Practice
Encyclopedia
Out of Practice is an American situation comedy
that was originally broadcast on CBS
from September 19, 2005 to March 29, 2006. With producer
s Joe Keenan and Christopher Lloyd
(Frasier
s producers) at the helm, the show was about a family of five doctors who had little in common and usually did not get along. CBS officially cancelled it on May 17, 2006, at its upfront
presentation.
) is the youngest son and central character. As a marriage counselor and the only non-physician
, the rest of his family sees him as a lesser doctor. His wife left him in the pilot episode
.
Ben's father, Stewart Barnes (Henry Winkler
), is a gastroenterologist
who is happy to be free
from the influence of his ex-wife, Lydia Barnes (Stockard Channing
in her third sitcom starring role following Stockard Channing in Just Friends
and The Stockard Channing Show
), a status-conscious cardiologist
and mother of their three children.
Ben's brother, Oliver Barnes (Ty Burrell
), is a self-centered plastic surgeon
and committed womanizer. Their sister, Regina Barnes (Paula Marshall
), is a lesbian
E.R.
doctor, who like Oliver, is infatuated with attractive women. She is addicted to the action found inside an ER. Crystal, Stewart's girlfriend and receptionist (Jennifer Tilly
), is a source of frustration and awkwardness for all except Stewart.
The New Adventures of Old Christine
opened in the show's time slot in March 2006. In an interview, however, Burrell asserted that "[w]e're going on hiatus from the air for two months, but we're coming back in March with all-new shows." Two more episodes were shown on Wednesday, March 22, and Wednesday, March 29, at 8 ET/PT.
Until early June, the CBS Website stated that the unseen episodes would be shown at a later date (presumably during summer 2006), but the website now lacks any mention of the show. These episodes may be shown online on CBS' new Innertube website, as interviews with cast members regarding the show are available there.
In early July 2006, it was announced that Channing was nominated for an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy Award
for her work on Out of Practice.
, at 6:30pm Saturdays from October 2006; however the series attracted low audience shares, and was consequently taken off after five weeks. It reappeared in mid-2007 in a late-night timeslot, where it completed its run.
. The show's full 22 episodes are available to view as part of Netflix's and Amazon's streaming service.
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...
that was originally broadcast on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from September 19, 2005 to March 29, 2006. With producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s Joe Keenan and Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd (screenwriter)
Christopher Lloyd is an American TV screenwriter and producer of Wings, Frasier, Out of Practice, Back to You, and Modern Family...
(Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
s producers) at the helm, the show was about a family of five doctors who had little in common and usually did not get along. CBS officially cancelled it on May 17, 2006, at its upfront
Upfront
In the North American television industry, an upfront is a meeting hosted at the start of important advertising sales periods by television network executives, attended by the press and major advertisers...
presentation.
Premise and cast
Ben Barnes (played by Christopher GorhamChristopher Gorham
Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...
) is the youngest son and central character. As a marriage counselor and the only non-physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, the rest of his family sees him as a lesser doctor. His wife left him 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...
.
Ben's father, Stewart Barnes (Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
), is a gastroenterologist
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
who is happy to be free
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
from the influence of his ex-wife, Lydia Barnes (Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
in her third sitcom starring role following Stockard Channing in Just Friends
Stockard Channing in Just Friends
Stockard Channing in Just Friends is an American sitcom starring Stockard Channing, who was already known for her appearances in Grease and a few other films before that. Gerrit Graham, Mimi Kennedy, Lou Crisculo and Sydney Goldsmith co-starred with her on the series.The show premiered on CBS on...
and The Stockard Channing Show
The Stockard Channing Show
The Stockard Channing Show is an American sitcom starring Stockard Channing, Ron Silver, Sydney Goldsmith , Max Showalter and Jack Somack....
), a status-conscious cardiologist
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
and mother of their three children.
Ben's brother, Oliver Barnes (Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
), is a self-centered plastic surgeon
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
and committed womanizer. Their sister, Regina Barnes (Paula Marshall
Paula Marshall
Paula Marshall is an American actress.-Career:In 1992, Marshall had a three-episode guest role on The Wonder Years and later guest-starred on shows such as Seinfeld, Nash Bridges, Grapevine and Diagnosis: Murder. In 1994, she got her first sitcom role on Wild Oats...
), is a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
E.R.
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
doctor, who like Oliver, is infatuated with attractive women. She is addicted to the action found inside an ER. Crystal, Stewart's girlfriend and receptionist (Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
), is a source of frustration and awkwardness for all except Stewart.
Timeslot
Rumors of cancellation circulated after midseason replacementMidseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
opened in the show's time slot in March 2006. In an interview, however, Burrell asserted that "[w]e're going on hiatus from the air for two months, but we're coming back in March with all-new shows." Two more episodes were shown on Wednesday, March 22, and Wednesday, March 29, at 8 ET/PT.
Until early June, the CBS Website stated that the unseen episodes would be shown at a later date (presumably during summer 2006), but the website now lacks any mention of the show. These episodes may be shown online on CBS' new Innertube website, as interviews with cast members regarding the show are available there.
In early July 2006, it was announced that Channing was nominated for an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her work on Out of Practice.
Episodes
| Episode # | Title | Original Airdate | Production Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | September 19, 2005 | 101 |
| 2 | "We Wanna Hold Your Hand" | September 26, 2005 | 102 |
| 3 | "And I'll Cry If I Want To" | October 3, 2005 | 103 |
| 4 | "The Truth About Nerds and Dogs" | October 10, 2005 | 104 |
| 5 | "Brothers Grim" | October 17, 2005 | 105 |
| 6 | "The Heartbreak Kid" | October 24, 2005 | 106 |
| 7 | "Key Ingredients" | November 7, 2005 | 107 |
| 8 | "The Wedding" | November 14, 2005 | 108 |
| 9 | "Thanks" | November 21, 2005 | 109 |
| 10 | "Guilt Trip" | November 28, 2005 | 110 |
| 11 | "New Year's Eve" | December 19, 2005 | 111 |
| 12 | "Yours, Mine or His?" | January 9, 2006 | 112 |
| 13 | "Model Behavior" | March 22, 2006 | 113 |
| 14 | "Hot Water" | March 29, 2006 | 114 |
| 15 | "You Win Some, You Use Some" | Unaired | 115 |
| 16 | "Doctor of the Year" | Unaired | 116 |
| 17 | "Restaurant Row" | Unaired | 117 |
| 18 | "Losing Patients" | Unaired | 118 |
| 19 | "Doctors without Bidders" | Unaired | 119 |
| 20 | "If These Floors Could Talk" | Unaired | 120 |
| 21 | "The Lady Doth Protest Too Much" | Unaired | 121 |
| 22 | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do and Do and Do" | Unaired | 122 |
International airings
On April 2008, the show was broadcast on Comedy Central Poland (3 episodes a week). The series was also shown in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, at 6:30pm Saturdays from October 2006; however the series attracted low audience shares, and was consequently taken off after five weeks. It reappeared in mid-2007 in a late-night timeslot, where it completed its run.
Syndication
As of December 2009, the show is being broadcast on Universal HDUniversal HD
Universal HD is an HDTV cable television network owned by NBCUniversal. The channel was known as Bravo HD+ until December 1, 2004. The network exclusively broadcasts in high definition 1080i...
. The show's full 22 episodes are available to view as part of Netflix's and Amazon's streaming service.