ABC Sitcom Pilot Reviews: The Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency - Premiere January 3rd

Monday, January 01, 2007

ABC Sitcom Pilot Reviews: The Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency - Premiere January 3rd

Happy New Year! We look forward to bringing you the latest news, schedules, reviews and ratings throughout the year. Thanks to Pavan for doing such a wonderful job!

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.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Knights of Prosperity Photo Gallery

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.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

In Case of Emergency Photo Gallery

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, April 29

St. Denis Medical - "This Place Is Our Everything" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A storm causes chaos in the Emergency Department; Alex is torn between an obligation to her husband and her co-workers' needs; Joyce goes on a spending spree with found money.

Night Court - "Blood Moonstruck" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
On the night of the blood moon, Abby and Gurgs help Julianne with a surprising romantic prospect; Wyatt finds himself in hot water when he fills in as Dan's replacement.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Adjust Your Crown, Sis" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Ella sponsors the membership of the new wife of a longtime dea-con into her social club, Incomparable Crowns, she begins to suspect something may be going on behind closed doors in the new marriage.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Ay-Bay-Bay" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Leah wants to try for another baby, but when Jeremy plays hard to get, Leah hatches a plan to seduce him; Mr. Brown has to babysit Kimberly's grandson who appears to be the perfect angel, until he reveals himself to be a mischievous handful.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 28)

Tuesday, April 29

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Watching Ellie/Seinfeld/Day by Day) - Catch Julia on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Mo Amer (Mo/Ramy) - Mo is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Mary Lynn Rajskub (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/How to Be a Gentleman/Veronica's Closet/The Larry Sanders Show) - Mary appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tina Fey (The Four Seasons/Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) - Tina stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about The Four Seasons on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Tim Bagley (The Great North/Teachers/Grace and Frankie/Web Therapy/Stril Mall) and Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe) - Tim and Andy are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Louie Show/The Jackie Thomas Show/Dirty Dancing) - Paul talks about Another Simple Favor on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda talks about the Wanda Sykes: Please & Thank You Tour on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls/The Office) - Ed talks about SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. He will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Essence Atkins (Poppa's House/Marlon/Mr. Box Office/Are We There Yet?/Half & Half/Smart Guy/Under One Roof) - Essence joins Tamron Hall for a candid conversation on everything from her recent abstinence journey to her career longevity as a working mom, so check your local listings.
Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill will be on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley drops by Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel talks about his CBS game show, Flip Side, and shares stories from his memoir, Growing Up Urkel, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) and Kim Coles (Living Single/The Geena Davis Show) - Erika and Kim join Sherri to discuss their latest projects, so check your local listings.
Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - NBC's Today catches up with Joe in the 9am hour.
Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) and Erika Henningsen (The Four Seasons) - Will and Erika talk about The Four Seasons on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Harry Hamlin (Movie Stars) - Harry appears on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.