| The War at Home | |
|---|---|
Season 2 intertitle |
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Rob Lotterstein |
| Directed by | Andy Cadiff |
| Starring | Michael Rapaport Anita Barone Kyle Sullivan Kaylee DeFer Dean Collins |
| Composer(s) | W.G. Snuffy Walden Joseph Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Cadiff Michael Hanel Rob Lotterstein Mindy Schultheis |
| Producer(s) | Suzan Bymel Al Lowenstein |
| Editor(s) | Andrew Chulack |
| Cinematography | Mike Berlin Donald A. Morgan |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Acme Productions Rob Lotterstein Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 720p (HDTV) |
| Original run | September 11, 2005 – April 22, 2007 |
The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family. It ran for two full years but was not picked up for a third season.
Contents |
The show depicts the lives of Dave and Vicky and their three children as they live their lives in Long Island, New York, dealing with normal family issues. Dave is a middle class Jewish insurance salesman. He is often portrayed as insensitive and cynical, and sometimes as a paranoid, overprotective and hypocritical bigot. His family (especially Larry) find it difficult to accept his behaviour. Dave is constantly scolded and insulted (and even punched once) by Larry for always picking on him. It is established toward the end of season one that Dave is the way he is because he had a father who constantly badgered him. Dave's wife Vicky is an attractive Italian Catholic part-time receptionist at a Doctors' office. Generally levelheaded, she usually spends her time dealing with Dave's unreasonable behavior, but can be quite obnoxious herself.
Of their three children, the oldest is Hillary (Kaylee DeFer), a typical 17-year old who frequently misbehaves, trying to get away with bad behavior behind the backs of her parents, who often regard her with suspicion. Second oldest is 16-year-old Larry (Kyle Sullivan), an odd misfit given to emotional outbursts (such as when Vicky denies him permission to see Brian Boitano star as Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings On Ice). Larry is often seen with his best friend Kenny. Initially Dave believes that the boys are both gay, but it is later revealed to the audience that while Larry is not gay, Kenny has a secret crush on Larry. Dave, and to a lesser extent Vicky, often treat Larry's flamboyancy with wary eyes. The youngest child, the pubescent 14-year-old Mike (Dean Collins), must deal with issues such as masturbation, dating and underage gambling. His character is portrayed as tougher and more cynical than Larry's.
The series frequently breaks the fourth wall between segments of an episode, during which Dave or other characters deliver a rant or other comment directly relating to the scene.
The phrase 'The War at Home' was originally used to describe the conflict between the US authorities and anti-Vietnam protesters and draft-avoiders within the US during the 1960s. Thus the series title is a metaphor for domestic conflict.
The show was originally panned by critics, scoring a 28/100 on Metacritic, but received critical acclaim during its 2nd season for its handling of Kenny's "coming out" story arc, including a Humanitas Prize nomination for Lotterstein, as well as a GLAAD Award nomination for "Outstanding Comedy Series".[1][2][3][4][5]
| Season | Episodes | Premiere | Season finale | Viewers (in millions) |
Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005–06 | 22 | September 11, 2005 | April 30, 2006 | 7.2[6] | #82[6] |
| 2 | 2006–07 | 22 | September 10, 2006 | April 22, 2007 | 4.9[7] | #118[7] |
| Year | Award | Category/Recipient(s) | Episode | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Art Directors Guild | TV - Multi-Camera Television Series
John Shaffner (production designer) |
Pilot | Nominated | [8] |
| Teen Choice Awards | TV - Choice Comedy/Musical Show | — | Nominated | [9] | |
| TV - Choice Actor: Comedy | — | Nominated | [9] | ||
| TV - Choice Parental Unit | — | Nominated | [9] | ||
| 2007 | Humanitas Prize | TV - 30-Minute Category | "Kenny Doesn't Live Here Anymore" | Nominated | [4] |
| Young Artist Award | TV Series - Best Supporting Young Actor | — | Nominated | [10] | |
| 2008 | GLAAD Media Award | TV - Outstanding Comedy Series | — | Nominated | [5] |
| Young Artist Award | TV Series - Best Supporting Young Actor | — | Nominated | [11] |
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | May 15, 2007[12] | 22 |
|