The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – CBS

• 001. Pilot – 9/21/1998
  • Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) is an overweight IPS driver living in small house in Queens, New York with his wife Carrie (Leah Remini). Carrie surprises Doug by having his big screen TV delivered early to complete his man-den in the basement, so Doug invites his friends Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams), Spencer “Spence” Olchin (Patton Oswalt), and Richard “Richie” Ianucchi (Larry Romano) over to see it. Life couldn’t be better for the Heffernans, until Carrie’s stepmother dies. At the funeral wake, Carrie agrees to let her sister Sara (Lisa Rieffel) stay with them. Her father Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller) refuses to live in a retirement home, but then accidentally burns down his house. He too is then taken in by the Heffernans. Both Sara and Arthur start to drive them crazy, as Sara distracts Doug by taking a shower while he is in the bathroom, and Arthur hires a pair of prostitutes. Despite the inconveniences, Doug is willing to give up his basement paradise and move the giant TV into his small bedroom, and continue life with Carrie with the two new additions. 5/12/13 Read the rest of this entry »

SEASON 1 – CBS

Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady

Theme music: “Big Bang Theory Theme” by Barenaked Ladies

• 000. Unaired Pilot – 5/2006
  • After donating sperm to a High-IQ bank, scientists Leonard and Sheldon take their earnings and head out for an Italian dinner, running across an attractive girl named Katie (Amanda Walsh) crying in the street. Katie’s boyfriend has dumped her when he revealed that he is married, and Katie’s mother will not let her stay with her because Katie had slept with the man that her mother is now married to. Much to Sheldon’s irritation, Leonard invites her out to eat with them and then to stay with them for a while until she gets on her feet. Leonard’s research partner Gilda (Iris Bahr) has designs on Leonard and is clearly jealous of Katie. Katie goes out for drinks and stops at home when a guy spill beer on her, only to be questioned by Leonard as to how she can partying given her situation. Katie tries to break it down into a scientific equation citing several external forces contributing to her condition. Leonard corrects her in that she is the constant in the equation, deducing that is her own stupid choices that got her to where she is. She gets angry and moves out. Leonard visits her at her job where she is working as a cosmetician and apologizes. She doesn’t seem receptive, but later shows up and moves back in with them, then takes the guys and Gilda out for a night on the town. Vernee Watson is Althea, the sperm bank secretary. 1/24/16 (online)

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SEASON 1 – CBS

Theme music by Henry Mancini

NOTE: Although not technically a spin-off, the final episode of the series indicated that the entire series was a continuation of “The Bob Newhart Show”

• 001. In the Beginning – 10/25/1982
  • Dick Loudon (Bob Newhart), a how-to author from New York, and his wife Joanna (Mary Frann) are being introduced to the Stratford Inn, a 1774 inn in Vermont, on which they have placed a down payment. Despite the fact that the place needs quite a bit of work, the caretaker George Utley (Tom Poston) seems inept, and their neighbor Kirk Devane (Steven Kampmann) is a habitual liar, the Loudons decide to go for it. After hiring a maid, the filthy rich Leslie Vanderkellen (Jennifer Holmes), they begin to take guests. One of the first groups that comes to the inn is a group of women from the Daughters of the War of Independence whose ancestors had stayed there. Dick must deliver a speech and deliver the unsettling news that he just found out that the Stratford had been a cathouse during the Civil War. Jack Dodson appears as Mr. Shaver, the real estate agent.  5/8/13 Read the rest of this entry »

SEASON 1 – CBS

Developed by Bob Brunner and Arthur Silver based on characters created by Bill Lancaster

This series is based on the 1975 film of the same name, and its sequels “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training” and “The Bad News Bears Go to Japan“

Theme Song: “March of the Toreadors (Carmen Overture)” by Georges Bizet, arranged by David Michael Frank

• 001. Here Comes the Coach – 3/24/1979
  • Pool cleaner Morris Buttermaker (Jack Warden) is arrested after driving the Cadillac of a customer who stiffed him into the customer’s pool, and is sentenced to either go to prison or volunteer to coach at the local W. Wendel Weever School where kids with discipline problems are sent. The baseball team he is given consists of Rudi Stein (Billy Jacoby), Regi Tower (Corey Feldman), Timmy Lupus (Shane Butterworth), Ahmad Abdul Rahim (Kristoff St. John), Mike Engelberg (J. Brennan Smith), Leslie Ogilve (Sparky Marcus), and Tanner Boyle (Meeno Peluce). After seeing how terrible the team is on the practice field, Buttermaker quits, but when the school principal Emily Rappant (Catherine Hicks) shows up at his house with the police, he recants and resumes coaching. Their first game against the Lions with their obnoxious coach Roy Turner (Phillip Richard Allen), ends with the Bears forfeiting after they are losing by 39 runs in the first inning. The Bears want to quit the team, but Buttermaker gives them a speech about quitting and they take to the practice field once again. 5/5/13 Read the rest of this entry »

SEASON 1 – NBC

Created by Tina Fey

Theme music composed by Jeff Richmond

• 001. Pilot – 10/10/2006
  • New Vice President of Development Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) arrives on the scene at NBC and calls for a meeting with the head writers of The Girlie Show, a comedy variety show starring Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski). Jack hopes to re-tool the show to achieve higher ratings, so the writers Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit) are told to hire wild card comedian Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan). They are both resistant, but Liz arranges a meeting with Tracy, who shows up with his entourage of friends. Eventually they wind up at a strip club, and although she tries to talk him out of it, Tracy accepts the job. Liz finds out via phone that Pete has been fired. Liz, now drunk and disheveled, shows back up at NBC in time for the evening’s Girlie Show performance. Tracy makes a surprise appearance during the show’s ‘cat lady’ skit – much to Jenna’s surprise. Liz demands that Jack give Pete his job back and Jack gives in. Jack McBrayer plays page Kenneth Parcell. Judah Friedlander, John Lutz, Lonny Ross, and Keith Powell are writers Frank Rossitano, J.D. Lutz, Josh Girard, and James “Toofer” Spurlock. Grizz Chapman is Grizz and Kevin Brown is Dot Com, both members of Tracy’s entourage. Rachel Dratch appears as cat wrangler Greta Johanssen. Maulik Pancholy is Jonathan, Jack’s secretary. Teddy Coluca is the stage manager. Tom Broecker is Lee. 5/4/13

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