Monday, January 01, 2007
ABC Sitcom Pilot Reviews: The Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency - Premiere January 3rd
Today we profile and review two new ABC sitcoms that premiere this week. Will they be the solid hits that ABC is looking for? Tune in Wednesday to find out!
The Knights of Prosperity - Wednesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres January 3rd at 9:00PM ET/PT
Eugene Gurkin's (Donal Logue) dreams always have exceeded his means. In fact his dead end job on the late, late janitorial shift won't even fund a bottle of premium booze. In a serendipitous moment, he catches an episode of an entertainment news show and his passion is ignited. Soon Eugene excitedly recruits a group of "average joes" into his "gang" - the Knights of Prosperity -- for a heist to finance all of their long-held, heart-felt dreams. The target: Rock icon Mick Jagger's super-luxe Central Park West apartment.
Society might disregard the Knights and give them short shrift, but this group of upstarts refuses to be ignored: Beauty bombshell Esperanza Villalobos (Sofía Vergara), a diner waitress in Queens, is more than just a pretty face. The only female member of the gang, she sees the celebrity heist as an opportunity to control her own fate - something men have normally done for her.
Working as a janitor alongside Eugene on the overnight shift, Francis "Squatch" Squacieri (Lenny Venito) relates to Eugene's desire for more out of life than mopping up after millionaire executives. The one married Knight, his motivation is to provide a better life for his wife and children.
Back home in India, Gourishankar "Gary" Subramaniam (Maz Jobrani) was a superstar lawyer, but here in New York City he drives a cab to make ends meet. Reluctant to join the group at first, Gary has a change in heart when Eugene reminds him that, although he was a winner at home, here he chauffeurs old ladies to Broadway matinees.
Warehouse security guard Rockefeller Butts (Kevin Michael Richardson), a mountainous, cigar-chewing man, has one simple request in order to join the Knights -- cookies.
A college Communications student, ultra-nerdy Louis Plunk (Josh Grisetti) finds himself at rock bottom after being rejected for an internship by the Montel Williams show. A chance ride in Gary's taxi turns into an offer for Louis to serve an "internship" on a movie. When he discovers the truth about his golden opportunity, he still decides to stay.
Working together, this band of affable, new-age Robin Hoods, who have never even shoplifted a candy bar, are soon casing the joint and prepping for their crime. Their scheme is to steal from the rich and give to the poor - namely, themselves. What they don't realize is that there's a much richer target for them... the chance to find hope, self-esteem and self-confidence.
Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman, producers of "Late Show with David Letterman" and creators of "Ed," are the co-creators and executive producers of "The Knights of Prosperity." David Letterman, Mick Jagger -- who will appear in a cameo -- and Victoria Pearman are also executive producers. Merrill Karpf, Steve Tompkins and Eric Horsted are co-executive producers. "The Knights of Prosperity," a single-camera comedy, is a production of Touchstone Television.
Cast: Donal Logue as Eugene Gurkin, Sofía Vergara as Esperanza Villalobos, Lenny Venito as Francis "Squatch" Squacieri, Maz Jobrani as Gourishankar Gary Subramaniam, Kevin Michael Richardson as Rockefeller Butts and Josh Grisetti as Louis Plunk.
Read our review of the pilot and second episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday on our message board.
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In Case of Emergency - Wednesdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres January 3rd at 9:30PM ET/PT
There's a question on every job application, every health questionnaire, every insurance form that we’ve all answered a million times -- whom to contact in case of emergency? Most of the time we all know the answer. But there are times in all of our lives when the answer isn’t so obvious.
Harry (Jonathan Silverman), Jason (David Arquette), Sherman (Greg Germann) and Kelly (Kelly Hu) are old friends from high school who find themselves at that stage where they realize that their lives didn’t turn out exactly the way they’d planned. Unhappily divorced greeting card writer Harry goes for a relaxing “massage” only to discover his scantily clad “therapist” is Kelly, their high school valedictorian, who’s had her own fall from grace. Diet Guru Sherman returns home to discover his wife has left him and taken everything he owns; devastated by the loss, he hijacks a bakery truck and binges on all its contents. Faced with imprisonment for his role in a corporate scandal, financial whiz Jason botches his suicide attempt only to shoot himself in the foot literally. Over the course of one crazy evening, a series of calamities reunites this hapless brood at Los Angeles Westside Hospital, where they all find themselves under the care of a reluctant Dr. Joanna (Lori Loughlin). This band of misfits must now start their lives over with the new realization that they’ve only got each other, “In Case of Emergency.”
Did you know: The concept for “In Case of Emergency” sprang from the real lives of both Howard J. Morris (creator, executive producer) and Emile Levisetti (executive producer) over a lunch in 2005. Morris, a forty-year old newly divorced single father, had just come from the doctor’s office, where for the first time in his life he had not known whose name to write down as his emergency contact. This resonated with Levisetti, a forty-year old life-long bachelor, who volunteered that he had faced the same uncertainty for the last twenty years. The two marveled over the fact that even though they had completely opposite life experiences to date, they both had reached the same common ground. Morris’ vision was to showcase the comedic, high-stakes emotional lives of four friends who reunite and bond in the same way he had done with Levisetti. Through these four characters, the show also explores some universal truths that come with age -- when things get bad, they can always get worse; and that what doesn’t kill you will certainly bring laughter to your friends.
This unique laugh-out-loud comedy proves that any colossal mistake can be overcome with a lot of help from your friends… and pain killers.
Created by Howard J. Morris, “In Case of Emergency” is a production of Touchstone Television, Bushwacker Productions and Howard J. Morris Productions.
Cast: Jonathan Silverman as Harry Kennison, Kelly Hu as Kelly Lee, David Arquette as Jason Ventress, Greg Germann as Sherman Yablonsky, Lori Loughlin as Dr. Joanna and Jackson Bond as Harry’s young son, Dylan.
Read our review of the pilot and second episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday on our message board.
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, July 9
Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.
Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.
Abbott Elementary - "Volunteers" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ava announces the school district is sending a group of volunteers to help out at Abbott; however, when they arrive, things don’t go as planned.
Abbott Elementary - "100th Day of School" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During Abbott’s 100th day of school celebrations, Barbara receives a surprise from her daughter. Melissa, Jacob and Mr. Johnson join forces to conduct a search party.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary" (FXX and FX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Months after the Gang visited, Abbott's Principal Ava walks viewers through some of the unseen footage of the Gang's volunteerism and reveals their true intentions.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank Is in a Coma" (FXX and FX, 9:33PM ET/PT)
The five stages of grief set in for Dee as Frank lies on his deathbed; the Guys plot their new path forward by pitching their business ventures to Philadelphia's elite.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Wednesday, July 9
- Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Salma Hayek Pinault (The Sinbad Show) - Watch Salma on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Cole Escola (Human Resources/Search Party/Mozart in the Jungle/Difficult People) - Cole appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Richie Moriarty (Ghosts), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Richie, Betsy and Punam are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika sits down with the Tam Fam to talk about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Isabela Merced (100 Things to Do Before High School/Growing Up Fisher) - Isabela chats about her film Superman on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Justin Bartha (The New Normal/Teachers) - Anna and Justin discuss their film Nuked on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon talks about Peacock's Poker Face on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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