The Paul Reiser Show
Encyclopedia
The Paul Reiser Show is an American television series that aired on NBC
. In May 2010, NBC announced that it had green-lit the series for the 2010–11 television season, with the half-hour comedy expected to premiere as a midseason replacement
. The series premiered on April 14, 2011, at 8:30 pm. Due to extremely low ratings, the program was canceled on April 22, 2011, after airing only two episodes.
for the untitled project, and first pitched the show to HBO, which passed. NBC ordered a pilot
episode in February 2010. In early March, reports were referring to the project as Next. Amy Landecker was the first actor cast in late March, followed by Duane Martin in early April. Brock Waidmann, an actor with spina bifida
was selected to play the role of Reiser's son. Immediately after the audition Reiser said, "I love this kid!". The next day they called him to offer the part.
NBC announced a pick-up of the series in mid May. Also announced were the additions of Andrew Daly, Ben Shenkman, Brock Waidmann, Koby Rouviere and Omid Djalili to the cast.
Seven half-hour episodes were produced, all from scripts already written by Reiser and Jonathan Shapiro.
The series was introduced at the NBC upfront
presentation with the new name The Paul Reiser Show. The show premiered on April 14, 2011, replacing Perfect Couples
.
, the show it had replaced. Reuters
reported that the show's premiere was "NBC's lowest rating ever for an in-season comedy premiere". The second episode's ratings dropped even further and the show was canceled shortly after. Amy Landecker said she first learned of the show's demise by doing an Internet search before getting an email confirming the show's official cancellation hours later.
The show was also panned critically, with Metacritic
reporting a rating of only 38 out of 100. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
gave the show a D+, writing that it was best summarized by the word "complacent" and that "everything about it feels off-putting and weird." He compared it unfavorably to Curb Your Enthusiasm
, calling it a "weird copycat" that "takes most of the trappings of Curb but misses almost all of the soul." Alan Pergament, former TV critic for The Buffalo News
, also drew comparisons to Curb Your Enthusiasm (going so far as to call it a "direct steal") and to the drama Men of a Certain Age
, but noted that Reiser's "good guy" personality was not as good a fit for the format as Larry David
's arrogance was for Curb.
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 May 2010, NBC announced that it had green-lit the series for the 2010–11 television season, with the half-hour comedy expected to premiere as a midseason replacement
Midseason 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 series premiered on April 14, 2011, at 8:30 pm. Due to extremely low ratings, the program was canceled on April 22, 2011, after airing only two episodes.
Premise
The semi-autobiographical sitcom stars Paul Reiser as a former television star who hasn't worked on a television series in several years. While he has enjoyed spending quality time with his family during this break, he feels he needs something more. Deciding to shake up his life a bit, Reiser enlists his friends to help him find the next "big thing" to occupy his time.Cast
- Paul ReiserPaul ReiserPaul Reiser is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television personality, author, screenwriter and musician. He is most widely known for his role on the long-running television sitcom Mad About You.-Early life:...
as Paul Reiser - Ben ShenkmanBen ShenkmanBenjamin Shenkman is an American television, film and stage actor.-Life and career:Shenkman was born in New York City and raised in what he described as "the secular Eastern European Jewish tradition". He graduated from Brown University, and obtained a Masters of Fine Arts in 1993 from New York...
as Jonathan - Omid DjaliliOmid DjaliliOmid Djalili is a British Iranian stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and writer.-Personal life:Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself...
as Habib - Duane MartinDuane MartinDuane Martin is an American film and television actor.-Personal life:Martin was born in Dayton OH, and went to Dunbar High school and failed the 9th grade freshman year.Then met Tisha Campbell at the New York Liberty City Awards for the World records by doing backflips.-Career:Martin had a short...
as Fernando - Andrew DalyAndrew DalyAndrew "Andy" Daly is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for playing Principal Terrence Cutler in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down.-Early life:Daly was born in Mount Kisco, New York and raised in New Jersey...
as Brad - Amy LandeckerAmy Landecker-External links:...
as Claire, Paul's wife - Brock Waidmann as Zeke
- Koby Rouviere as Gabe
- Larry Dorf as Alex Gimple
Development and production
Reiser penned the spec scriptSpec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
for the untitled project, and first pitched the show to HBO, which passed. NBC ordered a 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...
episode in February 2010. In early March, reports were referring to the project as Next. Amy Landecker was the first actor cast in late March, followed by Duane Martin in early April. Brock Waidmann, an actor with spina bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
was selected to play the role of Reiser's son. Immediately after the audition Reiser said, "I love this kid!". The next day they called him to offer the part.
NBC announced a pick-up of the series in mid May. Also announced were the additions of Andrew Daly, Ben Shenkman, Brock Waidmann, Koby Rouviere and Omid Djalili to the cast.
Seven half-hour episodes were produced, all from scripts already written by Reiser and Jonathan Shapiro.
The series was introduced at the NBC 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 with the new name The Paul Reiser Show. The show premiered on April 14, 2011, replacing Perfect Couples
Perfect Couples
Perfect Couples is an American comedy television series that was originally broadcast by NBC. The half-hour romantic comedy was co-created by Jon Pollack and Scott Silveri and produced by Universal Media Studios. A sneak preview of the series aired on December 20, 2010, and officially premiered on...
.
Reception
The show did not get good ratings. The premiere episode received ratings lower than those for the premiere of Perfect CouplesPerfect Couples
Perfect Couples is an American comedy television series that was originally broadcast by NBC. The half-hour romantic comedy was co-created by Jon Pollack and Scott Silveri and produced by Universal Media Studios. A sneak preview of the series aired on December 20, 2010, and officially premiered on...
, the show it had replaced. Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reported that the show's premiere was "NBC's lowest rating ever for an in-season comedy premiere". The second episode's ratings dropped even further and the show was canceled shortly after. Amy Landecker said she first learned of the show's demise by doing an Internet search before getting an email confirming the show's official cancellation hours later.
The show was also panned critically, with Metacritic
Metacritic
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,...
reporting a rating of only 38 out of 100. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the show a D+, writing that it was best summarized by the word "complacent" and that "everything about it feels off-putting and weird." He compared it unfavorably to Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
, calling it a "weird copycat" that "takes most of the trappings of Curb but misses almost all of the soul." Alan Pergament, former TV critic for The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area, and the area's only daily newspaper. It is the only newspaper owned by Berkshire Hathaway.-History:...
, also drew comparisons to Curb Your Enthusiasm (going so far as to call it a "direct steal") and to the drama Men of a Certain Age
Men of a Certain Age
Men of a Certain Age is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on TNT on December 7, 2009. The hour-long program stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula as three best friends in their late forties dealing with the realities of middle age. The show ran for two years,...
, but noted that Reiser's "good guy" personality was not as good a fit for the format as Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
's arrogance was for Curb.
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|