| Beggars and Choosers | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Created by | Peter Lefcourt Brandon Tartikoff |
| Written by | Brad Buckner Chris Cluess Wendy Goldman Charlie Hauck Peter Lefcourt Scott Kaufer Eugenie Ross-Leming Julia Sayres Lynn Seifort David Shore |
| Directed by | George Bloomfield Fred Gerber Joanna Kerns Sheldon Larry Richard J. Lewis Stuart Margolin George Mendeluk Ron Oliver Ron Orieux Michael Ritchie Helen Shaver Sandy Smolan Anne Wheeler Charles Winkler |
| Starring | Beau Bridges Justin Carroll Colin Cunningham Kaj-Erik Eriksen Isabella Hofmann Carol Kane Keegan Connor Tracy Brian Kerwin Rudolf Martin William McNamara Bill Morey Paul Provenza Klodyne Rodney Charlotte Ross Tuc Watkins |
| Theme music composer | David Schwartz |
| Composers | Ferocious Fish Terry Frewer David Schwartz Stanley A. Smith Jim Guttridge |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Kim Fleary Peter Lefcourt Scott M. Siegler Lilly Tartikoff |
| Producer | Cal Shumiatcher |
| Cinematography | Ron Orieux |
| Editors | Lee Haxall Kevin Krasny |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Granada Entertainment USA H. Beale Company |
| Release | |
| Original network | Showtime |
| Original release | June 19, 1999 – February 6, 2001 |
Beggars and Choosers is an American comedy-drama series broadcast by Showtime. Developed by Peter Lefcourt and Brandon Tartikoff, the series was a comedic, behind-the-scenes look at network television. Its 42 episodes aired between June 19, 1999, and February 6, 2001.
Synopsis
The tongue-in-cheek series centered on Rob Malone, President of LGT, and his efforts to boost the network's sagging ratings with Lori Volpone, the scheming Vice-President of Development, and Malcolm Laffley, a gay man who came out of the closet to clear himself of sexual harassment charges levied against him by a woman. Each episode provided amusing insight into how a network runs, from how its executives deal with temperamental stars to how they make big budget deals while trying to keep the network financially stable.
Characters
- Rob Malone (Brian Kerwin)
- Lori Volpone (Charlotte Ross): The ambitious Vice President of Development for LGT
- Malcolm Laffley (Tuc Watkins)
- Kelly Kramer (Christina Hendricks)
- Cecile Malone (Isabella Hofmann): Rob's wife
- Brad Advail (William McNamara): An agent who is a thorn in Rob's side
- Parker Meridian (Paul Provenza): The egomaniacal star of the hit LGT show Parker's Pals who is romantically involved with Rob's daughter Audrey
- Audrey Malone (Keegan Connor Tracy): Rob and Cecile's slightly flaky 21-year-old daughter
- Emory "E.L." Luddin (Bill Morey): The frequently comatose founder and former CEO of LGT
- Lydia "L.L." Luddin (Carol Kane): E.L.'s wife, whose plans for an eponymous variety show are thwarted when Dan Falco buys the network
- Casey Lenox (Sherri Saum): A young ambitious new hire at LGT that Lori Volpone fears could threaten her career path
- Dan Falco (Beau Bridges): A Buddhist who acquires ownership of LGT after obtaining 53% of the company's stock during a power struggle between the Luddins
- Wayne (Alex Zahara)
Episodes
Season 1: 1999–2000
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 2 | 1 2 | "The Mountainmen" | Michael Ritchie | Peter Lefcourt | June 19, 1999 |
| 3 | 3 | "Once More Unto the Breach" | George Bloomfield | Peter Lefcourt | June 26, 1999 |
| 4 | 4 | "Hat Trick" | Charles Winkler | Peter Lefcourt | July 3, 1999 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Ethel Merman Story" | Sandy Smolan | Peter Lefcourt | July 10, 1999 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Deal" | Stuart Margolin | David Shore | July 17, 1999 |
| 7 | 7 | "Sex, Drugs & Videotape" | Fred Gerber | Charlie Hauck | July 24, 1999 |
| 8 | 8 | "Unsafe Sex" | Stuart Margolin | Peter Lefcourt | July 31, 1999 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Velvet Curtain" | TBA | David Shore | August 7, 1999 |
| 10 | 10 | "Touched by an Angel" | Rick Wallace | Story by : Lynn Siefert & David Shore & Charlie Hauck Teleplay by : David Shore & Charlie Hauck | August 14, 1999 |
| 11 | 11 | "Is It Good or Bad for the Jews?" | Sandy Smolan | Charlie Hauck | August 21, 1999 |
| 12 | 12 | "White Woman's Burden" | Charles Winkler | Julie Sayres and Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | August 28, 1999 |
| 13 | 13 | "Shakedown in Puerto Vallarta" | Sandy Smolan | Peter Lefcourt | September 4, 1999 |
| 14 | 14 | "Don't Try This at Home" | Charles Winkler | David Shore | September 11, 1999 |
| 15 | 15 | "Star Whores" | Richard Martin | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | November 27, 1999 |
| 16 | 16 | "Always Leave 'Em Laughing" | TBA | Peter Lefcourt | December 4, 1999 |
| 17 | 17 | "Faith, Hope & Chastity" | TBA | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | December 11, 1999 |
| 18 | 18 | "Russian Roulette" | Fred Gerber | TBA | February 19, 2000 |
| 19 | 19 | "Death in Malibu" | TBA | Peter Lefcourt | February 26, 2000 |
| 20 | 20 | "Fasten Your Seatbelts" | TBA | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | March 4, 2000 |
| 21 | 21 | "Disinformed Sources" | Joanna Kerns | Peter Lefcourt | March 11, 2000 |
| 22 | 22 | "The Cherry Orchard" | TBA | Peter Lefcourt | March 18, 2000 |
Season 2: 2000–01
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "PMS.com" | Joanna Kerns | Peter Lefcourt | June 27, 2000 |
| 24 | 2 | "Fifty Three Percent Solution" | Anne Wheeler | Scott Kaufer | July 4, 2000 |
| 25 | 3 | "Sex and Violence" | Richard J. Lewis | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | July 11, 2000 |
| 26 | 4 | "Dog Day Afternoon" | Sheldon Larry | Peter Lefcourt | July 18, 2000 |
| 27 | 5 | "The Naked Truth" | Richard J. Lewis | Scott Kaufer | July 25, 2000 |
| 28 | 6 | "An Asian in the Sun" | Ron Oliver | Chris Cluess | August 1, 2000 |
| 29 | 7 | "The Leak" | Fred Gerber | Wendy Goldman | August 8, 2000 |
| 30 | 8 | "Hello Dalai" | Stuart Margolin | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | August 15, 2000 |
| 31 | 9 | "Zero Tolerance" | George Mendeluk | Peter Lefcourt | August 22, 2000 |
| 32 | 10 | "The Wartime Consigliere" | Stuart Margolin | Scott Kaufer | August 29, 2000 |
| 33 | 11 | "Be Careful What You Wish For" | Helen Shaver | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | September 5, 2000 |
| 34 | 12 | "Killer Sushi" | George Bloomfield | Peter Lefcourt | September 12, 2000 |
| 35 | 13 | "The Woodhouse Conundrum" | Ron Oliver | Scott Kaufer | December 5, 2000 |
| 36 | 14 | "Moles, Meatloaf & Myrna Loy" | David Warry-Smith | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | December 12, 2000 |
| 37 | 15 | "Fathers & Sons" | Helen Shaver | Peter Lefcourt | January 2, 2001 |
| 38 | 16 | "Hitting the Bottle" | Charles Winkler | Scott Kaufer | January 9, 2001 |
| 39 | 17 | "Golf War Syndrome" | Cal Shumiatcher | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | January 16, 2001 |
| 40 | 18 | "We'll Always Have Burbank" | Charles Winkler | Scott Kaufer | January 23, 2001 |
| 41 | 19 | "From Russia with Love" | Stuart Margolin | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | January 30, 2001 |
| 42 | 20 | "The Long Goodbye" | Richard J. Lewis | Peter Lefcourt | February 6, 2001 |
Production notes
The series was created by former NBC television executive Brandon Tartikoff who based the series on his own experiences. Tartikoff, whose wife Lily served as a producer on the series, died of Hodgkin's Disease two years before the series debuted.[1]
Filmed in Vancouver, Beggars and Choosers was produced for Showtime by Granada Entertainment USA and distributor by Buena Vista Television.[2]
Reception and cancellation
Beggars and Choosers garnered very positive reviews from critics and, according to Showtime executive vice president of original programming Gary Levine, had a loyal audience,[1] but ratings for the series remained low. Showtime canceled the series after two seasons in December 2000.[2]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Casting Society of America | Best Casting for TV, Comedy Pilot | Marc Hirschfeld, Meg Liberman, and Joel Thurm | Nominated | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | Carl Reiner | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Canadian Comedy Awards | Television – Pretty Funny Direction – Series | Charles Winkler | Nominated | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding TV Comedy Series | Beggars and Choosers | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b De Vries, Hilary (2000-07-02). "The Makers of TV Are Happy to Mine Their Own Business". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ^ a b Steven J., Stark (2000-12-18). "'Beggars' Signs Off At Showtime". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-04-15.