The George Carlin Show
| The George Carlin Show | |
|---|---|
|
Promotional image of the cast members from The George Carlin Show. | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by |
George Carlin (uncredited) Sam Simon |
| Written by | Sam Simon |
| Directed by |
Jeffrey Melman Rob Schiller Sam Simon |
| Starring |
George Carlin Alex Rocco Paige French Anthony Starke Christopher Rich Susan Sullivan Mike Hagerty |
| Theme music composer | Chandler Travis |
| Composer(s) | Roger Boyce |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 27 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
George Carlin Sam Simon Jerry Hamza |
| Producer(s) | Michael Stanislavsky |
| Editor(s) | Brian K. Roberts |
| Cinematography | Gregg Heschong |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Sweet Freedom Productions Main Sequence Warner Bros. Television |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Original run | January 16, 1994 – July 16, 1995 |
The George Carlin Show is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from January 1994 to July 1995. It was created jointly by veteran TV producer Sam Simon and the show's namesake, comedian George Carlin.
Synopsis
The series centers on George O'Grady (George Carlin), a taxi cab driver living in New York City. The show, for the most part, took place in The Moylan Bar, run by bartender Jack Donahue (Anthony Starke). The setting's real-life basis was the now-defunct Moylan Tavern, a younger Carlin's neighborhood bar on Broadway between La Salle Street and Tiemann Place in the Morningside Heights neighborhood, and owned by the grandparents of film critic and author Maitland McDonagh.[1] As Carlin recalled in 1994, "The Moylan Tavern. It was where I saw Oswald shot. It was where I headed during the [1965] blackout. The Moylan is where I came of age."[2] The name of the show's bartender character, Jack Donahue, was taken from that of real-life owner Jimmy Donahue, who bought the bar from the original owners.[2] The set itself, however, resembled another upper-Broadway bar, Carlin said: "Cannon's — where my father used to drink."[2]
Criticism
As Carlin noted on his website:
January, 1994 - "The George Carlin Show" premieres on Fox Television. Lasts 27 episodes. Lesson learned: always check mental health of creative partner beforehand. Loved the actors, loved the crew. Had a great time. Couldn't wait to get the fuck out of there. Canceled December, 1995.[3]
He later elaborated in his posthumously published autobiography Last Words:
I had a great time. I never laughed so much, so often, so hard as I did with cast members Alex Rocco, Chris Rich, Tony Starke. There was a very strange, very good sense of humor on that stage...The biggest problem, though, was that Sam Simon was a fucking horrible person to be around. Very, very funny, extremely bright and brilliant, but an unhappy person who treated other people poorly...I was incredibly happy when the show was canceled. I was frustrated that it had taken me away from my true work.[4]
He went on to speak in the book of not enjoying the committee-style writer's room, which he felt alienated anyone who was not a professional television writer.
Simon in 2013 addressed Carlin's comments, saying:
I think the cancellation [of the show] affected George's attitude towards the work in retrospect, because he was always just a complete doll [to work with], and I know that he had some bitterness... that I heard later on. Which made me feel really bad, because we got along really well, I loved him, and I consider it a very special period of my life... He was just fantastic.[5]
Cast
Regular characters
- George Carlin as George O'Grady, a New York city cabdriver and regular patron of The Moylan Bar
- Alex Rocco as Harry Rossetti, George's best friend, an ex-con bookie
- Paige French as Sydney Paris, waitress at The Moylan, and aspiring actress/model
- Anthony Starke as Jack Donahue, owner/bartender of The Moylan
- Christopher Rich as Dr. Neil Beck, a yuppie plastic surgeon who is very unlike the other Moylan regulars
- Mike Hagerty as Frank MacNamara, a working-class Moylan's regular
Recurring characters
The following characters appeared in at least 5 episodes:
- Susan Sullivan as Kathleen Rachowski, a pet store owner and George's season 1 girlfriend
- Phil LaMarr as Bob Brown, a friend of George's during season 1
- Matt Landers as Larry Pinkerton, who lives in George's building and hangs out with George there and at The Moylan
- Iqbal Theba as Inzamamulhaq Siddiqui, a fellow cabdriver of George's
Note that while Sullivan appeared in publicity photos as a cast member, she only appeared in 7 episodes (all in the first season), and was not billed as a regular on the show itself.
Episode list
Season 1
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "When Unexpected Things Happen to George" | George Carlin & Sam Simon | Sam Simon | January 16, 1994 |
| A newcomer to George O'Grady's local bar, the upper-class Dr. Neil Beck, loses a bet to George. Unable to come up with the cash on-the-spot, he gives George his dog, who he takes an immediate dislike to. | ||||
| 2 | "George Sees an Airplane" | Sam Simon | Sam Simon | January 23, 1994 |
| Driving Dr. Beck to his house in Connecticut, George sees what looks like a U.F.O. in the sky. He tries to convince the customers of his local bar that he saw it, only to have his sanity questioned. | ||||
| 3 | "George Goes on a Date (Part 1)" | Sam Simon | Sam Simon | February 6, 1994 |
| George decides to ask out pet-shop owner Kathleen Rachowski out on a date, despite the fact that he's never been in a relationship in over 8 years. To be continued... | ||||
| 4 | "George Goes on a Date (Part 2)" | Sam Simon | Sam Simon | February 13, 1994 |
| Continuing on from the events from the previous episode, George's date with the pet store owner Kathleen is interrupted when he discovers his dog, Miles, has run away. | ||||
| 5 | "George Helps Sidney" | Heide Perlman & Sam Simon | Steve Zuckerman | February 20, 1994 |
| The bar gets a new pool table and Sydney gets an opportunity to audition for a modeling agency. The day before her audition, George accidentally hits her in the nose with a billiard ball. | ||||
| 6 | "George Expresses Himself" | George Carlin & Sam Simon | Rob Schiller | February 27, 1994 |
| George gets a chance to appear on a talk show, to respond to the stereotypes of cab drivers he feels is hurting all cabbies' careers. | ||||
| 7 | "George Gets Some Money" | Maria Semple & Sam Simon | Sam Simon | March 6, 1994 |
| 8 | "George destroys a Way of Life" | Brian Pollack, Mert Rich & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | March 20, 1994 |
| 9 | "George Loses His Thermos" | Jim McCoulf & Sam Simon | Rob Schiller | March 27, 1994 |
| George can't find his thermos, and to their dismay accuses his friends at the bar of stealing it from him. | ||||
| 10 | "George Digs Rock ‘n’ Roll Music" | Brian Pollack & Mert Rich | Rob Schiller | April 10, 1994 |
| George helps out a musician named Tommy Rawlins to get back on his feet. | ||||
| 11 | "George Speaks His Mind" | Jim McCoulf & Sam Simon | Rob Schiller | April 24, 1994 |
| 12 | "George Looks Down the Wrong End of a .38" | Sam Simon, Robert Rabinowitz & Ronald Winter | Jeff Melman | May 1, 1994 |
| A criminal hijacks George's taxi as he and Dr. Beck are driving to the Moylan bar. | ||||
| 13 | "George Plays a Mean Pinball" | Dennis Carlin, Patrick Carlin & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | May 8, 1994 |
| After beating his girlfriend Kathleen at multiple games of pinball, George begins insisting to her that women are inferior to men. | ||||
| 14 | "George Lifts the Holy Spirit" | Andrew Nicholls, Darrell Vickers & Sam Simon | Sam Simon | May 15, 1994 |
| Harry steals a truck which has a statue of Jesus in the cargo bed. George tries to help him return it to the church. | ||||
Season 2
| # | Title | Writers | Director | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "George Gets a Big Surprise" | Andrew Nicholls, Darrell Vickers & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | October 16, 1994 |
| 2 | "George Runs Into an Old Friend" | Jonathan Aibel, Glen Berger & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | October 23, 1994 |
| 3 | "George Goes Too Far" | Spike Feresten & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | October 30, 1994 |
| 4 | "George Gets Hoist by His Own Petard" | Jeff Lowell, Jim McCoulf & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | November 6, 1994 |
| 5 | "George Pulls the Plug" | Kelly Carlin-McCall & Bob McCall | Jeff Melman | November 13, 1994 |
| 6 | "George Gets Caught in the Middle" | Jeff Lowell, Jim McCoulf & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | November 27, 1994 |
| 7 | "George Really Does It This Time" | Robert Borden & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | December 6, 1994 |
| 8 | "George Shoots Himself in the Foot" | Jeff Lowell & Jim McCoulf | Brian K. Roberts | December 11, 1994 |
| 9 | "George Does a Bad Thing" | Roger Garrett , Jeff Lowell, Jim McCoulf & Sam Simon | Rob Schiller | December 18, 1994 |
| 10 | "George Puts On a Happy Face" | Rick Cunningham & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | December 25, 1994 |
| 11 | "George Helps a Friend" | Patrick Carlin | Rob Schiller | January 1, 1995 |
| 12 | "George Tells the Truth" | Jeff Lowell & Sam Simon | Jeff Melman | July 9, 1995 |
| 13 | "George Likes a Good War" | Jim McCoulf | Jeff Melman | July 16, 1995 |
References
- ↑ Pollak, Michael. "F.Y.I." (Sunday "The City" section), The New York Times, December 30, 2007
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lovece, Frank (February 16, 1994). "Going, Going, Gone? Carlin goes for home run with comedy series that resembles his real life". Newspaper Enterprise Association via the Reading Eagle.
- ↑ "1990-1999". GeorgeCarlin.com.
- ↑ Carlin, George, with Tony Hendra (2009). Last Words. Free Press / Simon & Schuster. p. ??.
- ↑ Simon in Herman, Karen (April 13, 2013). "Sam Simon: Writer, Producer". Archive of American Television. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
External links
- The George Carlin Show at the Internet Movie Database
- The George Carlin Show at TV.com
- The George Carlin Show at epguides.com
- The George Carlin Show streaming episodes on TheWB
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