The Famous Teddy Z is an American sitcom

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 aired 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...

 during the fall of 1989. The series was created by Hugh Wilson and inspired by the true story of Jay Kantor, who was a mailroom clerk at MCA and later became Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...

's agent.

Synopsis

The series starred Jon Cryer

Jon Cryer

Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...

 as Theodore "Teddy" Zakalokis, a young man working in a Hollywood talent agency in order to avoid being stuck in his Greek-American family's bakery. When Hollywood star Harland Keyvo (a caricature of Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...

) meets Teddy Z, he is so impressed by his honesty that he makes him his new agent. The humor is derived from Teddy's innocent approach to the business, contrasted with the snake-like behavior of his fellow agents. The cast also included Jane Sibbett

Jane Sibbett

Jane Moore Sibbett is an American actress and producer. Her most notable roles include Heddy on the Fox television series Herman's Head, and as Ross Geller's ex-wife, Carol Willick, on the American TV sitcom Friends....

, Alex Rocco

Alex Rocco

Alex Rocco is an American actor. His roles have ranged from comedy to playing gangsters in Mafia movies.-Early life:...

, Milton Selzer

Milton Selzer

Milton Selzer was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Early life:Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Selzer and his family moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where he was raised. After graduating from Portsmouth High School, he attended the University of New Hampshire before serving in World...

, Josh Blake

Josh Blake

Josh Blake is an American actor best known for his role Jake Ochmonek, in the sitcom ALF.-Credits:*Tony Hawk's American Wasteland...

, and Erica Yohn. Rocco's character, Al Floss, also made a crossover

Fictional crossover

A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...

 appearance on Murphy Brown

Murphy Brown

Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...

, as the agent for several of that show's characters.

The series pilot

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...

 was seen to be far stronger than subsequent episodes, but the series received two Primetime Emmy Award

Primetime Emmy Award

The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...

 nominations, including one for the pilot, and for Alex Rocco, who won an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Comedy Series

This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.-1950s:*1954: Art Carney – The Jackie Gleason Show as Ed Norton*1955: Art Carney – The Jackie Gleason Show as Ed Norton...

, but low ratings led CBS to drop it with five episodes unaired. It was later run in its entirety on Comedy Central

Comedy Central

Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....

 in 1993 with episodes introduced by Rocco, and by Trio

Trio (TV network)

Trio was an American cable and satellite television network.Trio went on the air in 1997, then originally owned and operated jointly by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Power Broadcasting Inc. as a venue for airing the CBC's arts, culture and entertainment programming in the U.S...

 under the heading "Brilliant But Canceled."

Cast

• Jon Cryer.....Theodore "Teddy" Zakalokis
• Alex Rocco.....Albert "Al" T. Floss
• Josh Blake.....Aristotle "Ari" Zakalokis
• Tom LaGrua.....Richard "Richie" Herby
• Milton Selzer.....Abe Werkfinder
• Jane Sibbett.....Laurie Parr
• Erica Yohn.....Deena Zakalokis

Production notes

The theme song was written by Guy Moon

Guy Moon

Guy Moon is an American composer. He has written music for film and animated television series, such as Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy , The Fairly OddParents ,, Danny Phantom, and more recently, Tak and the Power of Juju , Big Time Rush, T.U.F.F...

, Stephanie

Stephanie Tyrell

Stephanie Georgia Manteris Tyrell was an American record producer, television composer, songwriter, and the wife of jazz composer, Steve Tyrell. She produced the soundtrack albums for The Brady Bunch Movie, Mystic Pizza and the 1991 version of Father of the Bride...

 and Steve Tyrell

Steve Tyrell

Steve Tyrell is an American jazz musician.-Early career:Upon moving to New York City at the age of 18, he was made head of A&R and promotion at Scepter Records...

 and performed by Bill Champlin

Bill Champlin

William Bradford "Bill" Champlin is an American singer, guitarist, keyboard player, arranger, producer, and songwriter. His performance work is principally associated with the bands Chicago and the Sons of Champlin...

 of the rock group, Chicago

Chicago (band)

Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...

.

Season 1

Episode #	Episode title	Original airdate
1	Pilot	September 18, 1989
2	"What's an Agent to Do?"	September 25, 1989
3	"Bobby the Chimp"	October 2, 1989
4	"Teddy Goes to Malibu"	October 16, 1989
5	"Teddy Makes $50,000 ... in One Day"	October 23, 1989
6	"Teddy Gets Fired"	October 30, 1989
7	"Teddy Falls in Love"	November 13, 1989
8	"Teddy Sells His House"	November 20, 1989
9	"A Case of Murder"	November 27, 1989
10	"Teddy Gets a House Guest"	December 4, 1989
11	"Season's Greetings from Al Floss"	December 11, 1989
12	"Grandma Goes to Work"	December 25, 1989
13	"Teddy Meets His Hero"	January 8, 1990
14	"Teddy Gets a Better Offer"	January 22, 1990
15	"Agent of the Year"	May 12, 1990
16	"Teddy Goes to the Awards"	Never aired
17	"How to Make a Television Show"	Never aired
18	"Al Tells the Truth"	Never aired
19	"Teddy's Big Date"	Never aired
20	"Teddy Gets a Guru"	Never aired

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
1990	Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...	Nominated	Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series is an annual award presented as part of the Primetime Emmy Awards. It recognizes writing excellence in regular comedic series, most of which can generally be described as situation comedies.Though this category is the dominant one...	Hugh Wilson
			Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.-1970s:Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Series...	Liz Torres Liz Torres Elizabeth "Liz" Torres is an actress, singer, and comedienne of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Torres was born in the Bronx borough of New York City where her parents had settled after moving from Puerto Rico. There she received her primary and secondary education...
			Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is an Emmy presented to the best directing of a television comedy series.-1960s:*1960: Ralph Levy / Bud Yorkin – Jack Benny Hour Specials...	Hugh Wilson (For pilot episode)
		Won	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Alex Rocco