| The Single Guy | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Brad Hall |
| Starring | Jonathan Silverman Joey Slotnick Ernest Borgnine Ming-Na Wen Mark Moses (Season 1) Jessica Hecht (Season 1) Shawn Michael Howard (Season 2) Olivia d'Abo (Season 2) |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multiple camera |
| Running time | 22 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | September 21, 1995 – April 14, 1997 |
The Single Guy is an American television sitcom that ran for two seasons on NBC, from September 1995 to April 1997. It starred Jonathan Silverman as struggling New York City writer Jonathan Eliot, and followed several of his close friends (some of whom came and left as the show was re-tooled between seasons.) The series also starred Joey Slotnick as Eliot's best friend Sam Sloan, and Ernest Borgnine as doorman Manny, throughout its entire run.
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As with the Brooke Shields series Suddenly Susan, Silverman's sitcom deal was likely the result of a guest role he had on Friends a year earlier. The concept of The Single Guy was that of writer, producer and Saturday Night Live-alumnus Brad Hall.
While the series was favored enough by NBC to earn a timeslot in its coveted "Must-See-TV" Thursday night line-up, it ultimately failed to generate enthusiasm with critics and viewers. It was largely written-off as one in a long line of "singles in the city" sitcoms that emerged in the mid-1990s, following the success of Seinfeld. Many of that hit show's calling cards were emulated in The Single Guy, from the neurotic best friend who occasionally does reprehensible things, to its main character's rotating cast of flawed girlfriends. Jonathan and friends would also regularly hang out at a local coffee shop, The Bagel Cafe.
Perhaps aware of its impending cancellation, the series ended its second and final season with Jonathan Eliot married in Las Vegas, thus ending his single status.
Ultimately, it was one of the highest rated shows to ever get canceled, consistently attaining 4th or 5th place in the Nielsen ratings.[1] Most attribute this to the fact that it was in the coveted 8:30pm EST slot, between Friends and Seinfeld.[2] According to Entertainment Weekly, when the show was moved to a different time slot, its position in the ratings went into the low 60s.
Ross Geller (played by David Schwimmer), a character from the sitcom Friends, appeared on the show.
1. "ER" 2. "Seinfeld" 3. "Suddenly Susan" 4. "Friends" 5. "The Single Guy" 6. Pandora's Clock (Part 2) 7. "Home Improvement" 8. "Frasier" 8. "Mad About You" 10. "Touched by an Angel" (Data: weekly ratings, Nielsen Media Research)
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