Roadies (TV series)

Roadies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Cameron Crowe. The series premiered on Showtime on June 26, 2016.[1][2]

Not to be confused with MTV Roadies.
Roadies
GenreComedy-drama
Created byCameron Crowe
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Iain Paterson
  • Peter Schindler
  • Kelly Curtis
  • Tamara Isaac
Cinematography
Editors
  • Joe Hutshing
  • Jon Dudkowski
  • David Bilow
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkShowtime
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseJune 26 (2016-06-26) –
August 28, 2016 (2016-08-28)
External links
Website

On September 16, 2016, Showtime announced that the series would not be renewed for a second season.[3][4]

Cast

Main
  • Luke Wilson as Bill Hanson, the tour manager of The Staton-House Band, a fictional arena-level group from Denver.[5] A recovering alcoholic, Hanson has a reputation for dating much younger women.
  • Carla Gugino as Shelli Anderson, the tour's production manager. Though married, her relationship with Hanson is more than professional.
  • Imogen Poots as Kelly Ann Mason, a recently hired lighting rigger with the Staton-House road crew. She is torn between attending film school and staying on with the band.
  • Rafe Spall as Reg Whitehead, financial advisor from England; he is nicknamed "Double D" (D-bag Dawson) by the crew. He soon realizes, much to his horror, that he has been brought on board to break up the band.
  • Keisha Castle-Hughes as Donna Mancini, soundboard operator.
  • Peter Cambor as Milo, bass guitar tech.
  • Colson Baker as Wesley "Wes" Mason, a recently fired Pearl Jam roadie and twin brother of Kelly Ann; his sunny disposition and dependability soon earn him a spot with the Staton-House crew. Wes also serves as nanny to the troubled son of The Staton-House Band lead singer Tom Staton
  • Ron White as Phil, King of the Road. Fired by Whitehead, Phil soon returns to the Staton-House organization at the band's request.

Recurring
  • Catero Alain Colbert as Tom Staton, lead singer of The Staton-House Band[6]
  • Tanc Sade as Christopher House, guitarist and songwriter of The Staton-House Band. The relationship between him and vocalist Staton is strained, and the two barely speak to each other.
  • Christopher Backus as Rick, hard-partying bassist with The Staton-House Band.
  • Jacqueline Byers as Natalie Shayne, a fanatical groupie banned from the band's performances. She eventually marries bassist Rick and helps him curb his heavy drinking.
  • Brian Benben as Preston, Staton-House Band manager. It is Preston who brings Reg Whitehead to America with the secret (even to Whitehead) plan of breaking up the band, as he surmises Tom Staton will be more profitable as a solo act.
  • Luis Guzmán as Gooch the crew tour bus driver.
  • Finesse Mitchell as Harvey, an accountant with the Staton House Band road crew.
  • Ethan Michael Mora as Winston, the ill-behaved son of Tom Staton, lead singer of The Staton-House Band
  • Joy Williams as Janine Beckwith, former girlfriend of Christopher House and subject of Staton-House's most beloved song "Janine".
  • David Spade as himself, star of recurring show-within-the-show Dead Sex, also MC for the band in episode "Corporate Gig".

Production

The soundtrack consists of indie music songs, featuring on screen performances and cameo interactions by: The Head and the Heart, Reignwolf, Lindsey Buckingham, Lucius, Halsey, Jim James, Phantogram, John Mellencamp, Eddie Vedder, Robyn Hitchcock, Jackson Browne, Greg Leisz, Gary Clark Jr. and Nicole Atkins.[7]

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Life is a Carnival"Cameron CroweCameron CroweJune 13, 2016 (2016-06-13) (online)
June 26, 2016 (2016-06-26) (Showtime)		0.348[8]
A long day awaits Bill Hanson, the tour manager of Staton-House Band, and Shelli Anderson, the tour's production manager as they gather with the band’s crew to start preparing for the concert. Kelly Ann Mason (a lighting rigger) decides to leave work and join a film school. As preparations get underway, the band arrives for rehearsals but the stage is not ready yet. Reg Whitehead, a British financial advisor, arrives on set. He informs Phil, a member of the band’s organization who has caused legal troubles, that the manager Preston wants to ditch him. As she’s set to leave, Kelly Ann receives a warm goodbye from Bill and the crew. She overhears Natalie Shayne, a fanatical groupie banned from the band's performances, is in the building and decides to take her down once and for all. She finds her in the band’s dressing room. There, Natalie snatches the microphone that Bruce Springsteen used in Dancing in the Dark video. Kelly chases her on a skateboard and gets it back. At the end of an emotional day, Kelly remembers the film she made that features movie characters experiencing a detour moment in their lives and running back to save it. She runs back to the building and decides to stay on tour.
2"What Would Phil Do?"Cameron CroweWinnie HolzmanJune 27, 2016 (2016-06-27) (online)
July 3, 2016 (2016-07-03) (Showtime)		0.353[9]
After a disastrous opening show in New Orleans, the band crew heads to Memphis. Shelli and Bill argue over the fire cracker and whether it was intentional or accidental. Reg informs both managers about his decision to cut one member off and that he needs to interview each crew-member to decide. Bill gathers up with the roadies for the ritual morning circle that’s traditionally run by Phil. Wearing “What Would Phil Do?” T-shirts, the crew suffers after Phil’s firing. Despite Bill’s attempt to fill Phil’s shoes, he proves unsuccessful. Shelli assigns Kelly Ann with running the teleprompter. She meets the songwriter and guitarist Christopher House for the set-list, but ends up ranting about raisins, which somehow inspires him to fire Reg. Kelly Ann realizes that Reg is benefactor of “WWPD” T-shirts, as he confronts her assuming she is the one who tries to get him fired. Bill asks Christopher to stop doing the fingertip kiss gesture because that annoys the lead singer Tom Staton. Once on stage, the fans start doing the fingertip kiss, forcing Christopher to change his mind and do it in return.
3"The Bryce Newman Letter"Cameron CroweCameron CroweJuly 10, 2016 (2016-07-10)0.329[10]
The tour arrives in Atlanta. Bill, who is known for dating young women, lies in bed with a beautiful young Cassie. The roadies are outrageous as music critic Bryce Newman writes a negative review about the band, calling it “relentlessly irrelevant”. Reg decides to neutralize Newman and invites him to the show. He informs the crew and asks Wes Mason, a useless member of the crew, to make Newman a “memorable espresso”. Upon his arrival, Newman is treated like a king and he’s escorted by Natalie. The crew agrees to let her backstage if she collaborates with them in this mission. The memorable coffee soon starts to kick in and Newman begins acting crazy. While Bill and Reg fight backstage about the disastrous state of the crew, drugged-out Newman gets onstage and strips himself naked; he’s taken to the hospital. Cassie breaks up with Bill and Reg decides to ditch Wes. He soon changes his mind when Newman writes a heartwarming review about the band and the crew, specifically thanking Reg and Wes (for the coffee).
4"The City Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken"Jeffrey ReinerHannah FriedmanJuly 17, 2016 (2016-07-17)0.262[11]
En route to Louisville, the crew discusses plans for a day-off. Reg soon disrupts that when he says the "C" word, “Cincinnati”, that the crew believes would curse their whole tour. To break the curse, Gooch drives the bus 100 miles in the wrong direction, where the crew has to find 11 eggs and balloons on foot, smash the eggs and release the balloons then play one of The Who songs. Meanwhile, Shelli can’t get the bassist Rick on phone and suspects he went missing after an emotional concert. The two managers drive to look for him, putting their day off plan on hold. Once they cross 100 miles, Kelly Ann and Reg go hunting for eggs. They barge into a farmhouse and steal eggs from the fridge. On their way back, they confess to each other that they are not looking for attachment. Wes and Milo, the guitar tech, find balloons attached to a "House For Sale" sign. The crew-members break the eggs and release the balloons while singing together "They Are All in Love". Right after breaking the curse, Milo gets a revelation about Rick’s location. He is in a strip club sleeping with Natalie.
5"Friends and Family"Allison Liddi-BrownDavid J. RosenJuly 24, 2016 (2016-07-24)0.291[12]
The first day in Denver sees Shelli going through a dry spell, where no amount of phone sex with her husband will fix. The crew believes Kelly Ann and Reg are hooking up, but she gets so angry as she keeps rejecting the idea of relationship or attachment. Reg learns that Janine, the woman who broke the singer Christopher's heart, is attending the concert with no backstage access. He decides to meet her and see if there’s a way to get the band’s recordings and journals back for the box set. He finds Janine in the crowd; they spend time together and ultimately click. Chris asks Bill to go get the magic jacket. It is in his storage unit, which now belongs to his ex. At the end of a very long day, Bill finds Shelli backstage looking disconnected and upset. She gets angry at him for not answering any of her voicemails or calls. Her anger soon dissipates once he hugs her. They finally make love, in a supermoon night.
6"Longest Days"Jonathan KasdanCameron Crowe & Tom KapinosJuly 31, 2016 (2016-07-31)0.242[13]
The second day in Denver sees the crew discussing their least favorite phrases. Shelli and Bill face the repercussions of that super moon night and agree to not repeat it again. Kelly Ann awkwardly invites Reg to watch a movie, but he’s on cloud nine hanging out with Janine. He invites her to meet Christopher backstage and put their “ancient story” to bed. Janine tells Chris he used her love to sell records, but never reached out to the real person, her. She stirs things up when she confesses making love to Bill while dating Chris. Adding to his long day, Reg fails to get Jack White to open for the band, but comedian Marc Maron, who flies from LA to help Rick stay sober, offers to do a 15 minutes stand up show instead. Winston, Tom’s son, wants to learn guitar, so his nanny Wes takes him to meet John Mellencamp. Reg risks losing his job after being used by Janine to get the closure she always wanted.
7"Carpet Season"Julie Anne RobinsonDavid J. RosenAugust 7, 2016 (2016-08-07)0.310[14]
In Seattle, Bill attends an AA meeting and describes himself as a carpet salesman. He admits that being with Shelli brings out the best in him and wonders if that is his only opportunity in life. Back to the venue where Reg and Bill discuss Chris’ missing Ipad and Janine’s missing yearbook, They decide, alongside the newly returned Phil, to track down the band’s archivist, Mike Finger, and retrieve all the tour items he’s been secretly collecting. On her birthday, Shelli is trying to keep busy and get over cheating on her husband. Wes is invited to join the musical guest star, Halsey, on tour, but he later turns the offer down. Abby Van Ness arrives backstage for a scheduled photo session. Kelly Ann is a big fan of her work, but that admiration soon vanishes after close interaction. Abby soon earns everyone’s disdain and the whole session turns into mayhem.
8"The All Night Bus Ride"Sam JonesCameron CroweAugust 14, 2016 (2016-08-14)0.286[15]
The tour bus heads to California on a 12 hour road trip. Phil regales the crew with the story behind his glorious career as a roadie, when his job accidentally shifted from a cigar smuggler to an assistant road manager for Lynyrd skynyrd. Everyone is moved as Phil speaks about his strong bond with Ronnie Van Zant that lasted until the star's death. Reg tells Kelly Ann that all the crew are going to the European tour, but he later discovers that he has to cut some members off due to budget restrictions. As he is navigating through the numbers, he arrives at a surprising conclusion that he has been hired to destroy the band, and that Tom Staton could go solo. Bill and Shelli’s affair grows blurrier as she leaves the bus to attend her father-in-law’s funeral. At the end of a long ride, full of heartfelt tales and tears, the crew commemorates Van Zant and Phil, singing Simple Man.
9"The Corporate Gig"Jon KasdanCameron Crowe & Winnie HolzmanAugust 21, 2016 (2016-08-21)0.345[16]
“Time to sell out”, says Phil as the band lands in San Diego to do a corporate gig. Puna, an intuitive head of security, warns Bill about something happening that night. Kelly Ann is not yet ready to sell out, having read a letter she wrote to herself at 16. Meanwhile Reg cannot cope with the cancellation of the tour to Europe and his trip back to England. He gets drunk, wanders around and meets Kelly Ann, drunk too, fetching her hard drive. Vulnerable, wasted and open, they kiss and agree to have sex in Europe. Tom Staton asks Shelli to manage the band, but she rejects the offer unless Bill joins her as co-manager. Shortly before he dies, Phil reassures Reg that what breaks the band is the conflict between Chris and Tom. When he collapses, Phil whispers to Kelly Ann’s ear.
10"The Load Out"Cameron CroweCameron Crowe & Winnie HolzmanAugust 28, 2016 (2016-08-28)0.308[17]
In Los Angeles, the band and crew bid goodbye to Phil. They organize a star-studded funeral, featuring Eddie Vedder, Robyn Hitchcock, Jim James, Gary Clark Jr, Jackson Browne, Nicole Atkins, and Lucius. Shelli’s husband Sean attends too. Eager to rekindle their relationship, he offers her a trip to the Maldives. Shelli however has other dreams and is not ready to give them up. Bill asks Kelly Ann to share a word on stage and reveal Phil’s last word to her. She goes on stage and says “Pistachio”. Later, she discovers that pistachio is the nickname Phil picked for her. Chris shows up at the wake with Janine and hugs Tom. Reg asks Kelly Ann to go to England with him, but Kelly Ann cannot leave the band, nor can Reg.

Reception

On Metacritic, season one of Roadies holds a score of 47, indicating "mixed or average reviews" based on 30 critics.[18]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 36% of critics gave the first season a positive review, saying "Roadies' condescending tone, boring and underdeveloped characters, and lack of dramatic intrigue lead to a failure to rock."[19]

References
  1. Littleton, Cynthia (October 14, 2015). "Showtime Gives Series Pickup to Cameron Crowe-J.J. Abrams Comedy 'Roadies'". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  2. Schwartz, Ryan (February 12, 2016). "Cameron Crowe's Roadies Gets Showtime Premiere Date, First Trailer". TVLine. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  3. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (September 16, 2016). "'Roadies' Cancelled After One Season at Showtime". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  4. Roots, Kimberly (September 16, 2016). "Roadies Cancelled at Showtime". TV Line. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  5. Goldberg, Lesley (August 3, 2015). "Carla Gugino Replaces Christina Hendricks in Showtime's Cameron Crowe Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  6. Pedersen, Erik (31 March 2016). "Catero Alain Colbert Sings For Showtime's 'Roadies'; Todd Williams Joins TNT's 'Good Behavior'".
  7. https://www.theuncool.com/roadies/roadies-soundtrack-season-1/
  8. Metcalf, Mitch (June 28, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.26.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  9. Metcalf, Mitch (July 6, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.3.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  10. Metcalf, Mitch (July 12, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.10.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  11. Metcalf, Mitch (July 19, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.17.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  12. Metcalf, Mitch (July 26, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.24.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  13. Metcalf, Mitch (August 2, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.31.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  14. Metcalf, Mitch (August 9, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.7.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  15. Metcalf, Mitch (August 16, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.14.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  16. Metcalf, Mitch (August 23, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.21.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  17. Metcalf, Mitch (August 30, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.28.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  18. "Roadies". Metacritic.
  19. "Roadies". Rotten Tomatoes.
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