Worst Week
Encyclopedia
Worst Week is an American TV series which originally aired on CBS from September 22, 2008 to June 6, 2009. The series was based on the British sitcom The Worst Week of My Life
. The show was adapted for American audiences by Fox under the title Worst Week of My Life, but a series failed to materialize after the pilot
was filmed.
The series aired on CBS
Mondays at 9:30pm ET/PT, following Two and a Half Men
. The premiere attracted 11 million viewers but lost a third of its lead-in audience. Ratings dropped to a low of 8.4 million viewers with the sixth episode, then began to climb steadily. They reached a high of 12.12 million viewers with the eleventh episode but declined afterwards. The season finale titled "The Epidural" aired on February 16, 2009. The Series is currently being shown in Ireland
on RTÉ Two
, Sundays at 3:40am.
On May 20, 2009, CBS announced its new season schedule and canceled Worst Week. A previously unaired episode entitled "The Party" aired on June 6, 2009.
graded it A and said it "may be the best new comedy on network TV this season."
Less enthusiastic was Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
, who said, "Though there are plenty of hard-earned (some might say forced) laughs here and Bornheimer is a real find, you can't help but wonder how they'll keep up the pace. After all, the British series ran for only two seasons and had a mere seven episodes each season...So how is CBS going to stretch this into 22 episodes without stretching it too thin?...In many ways, Worst Week seems incapable of being made into an American version (there were previous attempts that failed), because not only does the title not make sense, but not having a payoff for all the freaky, not-so-karmic woes Sam endures will be frustrating to the viewing audience . . . [It] is a series that may end up being on a short leash."
Linda Stasi of the New York Post
called it "one of the worst new shows of the week" and added, "Only a man (or a couple of them) could get paid big bucks in Hollywood to come up with such a lame-o rip-off and perpetuate the fantasy that gorgeous women can't help but to love out-of-shape guys who do everything wrong."
The Worst Week of My Life
The Worst Week of My Life is a British comedy television series, first broadcast on BBC One between March and April 2004. A second series was aired between November and December 2005 and a three-part Christmas special, The Worst Christmas of My Life was shown during December 2006...
. The show was adapted for American audiences by Fox under the title Worst Week of My Life, but a series failed to materialize after the 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 filmed.
The series 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...
Mondays at 9:30pm ET/PT, following Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
. The premiere attracted 11 million viewers but lost a third of its lead-in audience. Ratings dropped to a low of 8.4 million viewers with the sixth episode, then began to climb steadily. They reached a high of 12.12 million viewers with the eleventh episode but declined afterwards. The season finale titled "The Epidural" aired on February 16, 2009. The Series is currently being shown in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
, Sundays at 3:40am.
On May 20, 2009, CBS announced its new season schedule and canceled Worst Week. A previously unaired episode entitled "The Party" aired on June 6, 2009.
Cast
- Kyle BornheimerKyle BornheimerKyle Bornheimer is an American actor known for his role on the American sitcom Worst Week on CBS.-Life and career:...
as Sam Briggs - Erinn HayesErinn HayesErinn Hayes is an American actress from San Francisco, California, known for her role as Melanie Clayton on the CBS comedy series Worst Week...
as Melanie Clayton - Nancy LenehanNancy LenehanNancy Lenehan is an American actress who has appeared in film and television since the 1980s. Her most recent starring role was on the short-lived sitcom Worst Week. She also co-starred as Sandy Kelly, the matriarch in the sitcom Married to the Kellys...
as Angela Clayton - Kurtwood SmithKurtwood SmithKurtwood Larson Smith is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop and stern parental characters , and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction...
as Dick Clayton
Critical reception
Verne Gay of NewsdayNewsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
graded it A and said it "may be the best new comedy on network TV this season."
Less enthusiastic was Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, who said, "Though there are plenty of hard-earned (some might say forced) laughs here and Bornheimer is a real find, you can't help but wonder how they'll keep up the pace. After all, the British series ran for only two seasons and had a mere seven episodes each season...So how is CBS going to stretch this into 22 episodes without stretching it too thin?...In many ways, Worst Week seems incapable of being made into an American version (there were previous attempts that failed), because not only does the title not make sense, but not having a payoff for all the freaky, not-so-karmic woes Sam endures will be frustrating to the viewing audience . . . [It] is a series that may end up being on a short leash."
Linda Stasi of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
called it "one of the worst new shows of the week" and added, "Only a man (or a couple of them) could get paid big bucks in Hollywood to come up with such a lame-o rip-off and perpetuate the fantasy that gorgeous women can't help but to love out-of-shape guys who do everything wrong."
External links
- Worst Week at the Internet Movie Database
- CBS Adds To ‘Worst Week’ Order
- http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/worst-week-cbs-pulls-low-rated-sitcom-good-news-for-gary-unmarried/
- http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/worst-week-petition-to-save-cbs-bad-luck-tv-show/