Shasta McNasty
Shasta McNasty (later retitled Shasta) is an American sitcom that aired on UPN during the 1999–2000 season. The show was created by Jeff Eastin and produced by Eastin and Neal H. Moritz. The show starred Carmine Giovinazzo, Jake Busey, Dale Godboldo, and Jolie Jenkins.
| Shasta McNasty | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Shasta |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Jeff Eastin |
| Written by | Maral Adams Chris Brown George Doty IV Jeff Eastin Jim Keily Caryn Lucas Travis Romero Dave Rygalski |
| Directed by | Alan Cohn Dennis Dugan Savage Steve Holland Neal Israel Scott Kalvert Tim O'Donnell Danny Silverberg Craig Zisk |
| Starring | Jake Busey Carmine Giovinazzo Dale Godboldo Jolie Jenkins |
| Composers | Dale Godboldo Rick Ziegler |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Jeff Eastin Richard Gurman Neal H. Moritz |
| Producers | Jimmy Aleck Bill Canterbury Jim Keily Tracey Ormandy |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Neal H. Moritz Productions Columbia TriStar Television |
| Distributor | Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001) Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | UPN |
| Original release | October 5, 1999 – August 1, 2000 |
Although Shasta McNasty premiered with less-than-favorable reviews from critics,[1] the program was nominated for a People's Choice Award for best new comedy.[2] However, the series was cancelled after just 1 season, joining many other shows to be cancelled during UPN's troubled run as a network.
Plotline
Shasta McNasty focused on three friends—Scott, Dennis and Randy—who are part of the rap rock band Shasta McNasty. After signing to Da Funk Records, the three friends relocate from Chicago to LA where they find out that the label has become defunct. Keeping their advance money that they'd been given, they rent an apartment in Venice Beach where they share a kitchen with their next door neighbor Diana. The first half of the series focused on the band, their landlord, odd jobbing to make rent and generally getting up to mischief, while the second half of the season focused on them working at the local bar for their friend Vern, hoping to get signed by a label again and the developing relationship between Scott and Diana.
The series' concluding episode is set ten years later, and is presented as an episode of "Behind the Band 2010" (a parody of Behind the Music). It is revealed that Shasta McNasty did become a famous, highly successful band; nevertheless, ego, addiction, in-fighting, and creative differences took their toll.
The series was retooled mid-season, including a month-long break two months after the debut and being renamed Shasta: the characters abandon the hip hop premise and remove narrative devices like breaking the fourth wall.[3]
Cast
Main
- Jake Busey as Dennis
- Carmine Giovinazzo as Scott
- Dale Godboldo as Randy
- Jolie Jenkins as Diana
Guest stars
- Verne Troyer as Verne Valentine
- Nicole Forester as Michelle/Karen
- Erik Estrada as Eduado, Himself, Police Chief
- Wajid as Farook
- Gary Busey as Jack
- April Mills as Ren
- Kristen Winnicki as Trina
- Peter Brost as Young Dennis
- Scott Caudill as Bully
Episodes
| No. | Title [4] | Directed by [4] | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" "Brothers Out Land" | Dennis Dugan | Jeff Eastin | October 5, 1999 | 100 |
|
Via Scott talking to the Fourth Wall, we discover how the guys ended up in L.A. and discover that since they lost their record contract, they've spent a lot of time scoping out the babes. Scott catches Randy and Dennis spying on the girl in the apartment opposite. When they discover that her boyfriend is cheating on her, Scott asks the others to help him plant a pair of Diana's panties to ensure that she breaks up with him. With Dennis and Diana on the look out, Randy helps Scott get inside her apartment, where he ends up having a fight with her parrot, Buster. Guest stars: Mary Lynn Rajskub as Diana; Mark Daniel Cade, Lionel D. Carson, Cindy Margolis, Paul Wight Note: Episode directed by Dennis Dugan. | |||||
| 2 | "Little Dude" | Dennis Dugan | Jeff Eastin | October 5, 1999 | 001 |
|
During dinner with Scott's girlfriend Karen, the boys get caught up in a brawl with Vern a 'little person' employed by the restaurant. When the boys discover that he's been fired, Scott tries to find him another job while Dennis, Randy and Vern spend the days goofing off. Elsewhere, Randy is offered the important job of arranging a fundraiser with special guest speaker Gary Coleman which ultimately results in heartbreak for one of the boys. Guest stars: Gary Coleman, Richard Kline, Heather Kozar | |||||
| 3 | "Adult Education" | Dennis Dugan | George Doty IV | October 12, 1999 | 002 |
|
After discovering that the 'Squidmato' stand is closing down, Randy blends his own and gets Dennis to endorse it with the locals before appearing as a guest on Win Ben Stein's Money. Meanwhile, Diana who finds herself strangely attracted to Dennis' genius is eager to seek out the truth and Scott enrolls in night school only to develop a crush on his married teacher. Guest star: Ben Stein | |||||
| 4 | "Chubby Chick" | Neal Israel | Caryn Lucas | October 19, 1999 | 003 |
| Dennis thinks that his chubby girlfriend will dump him when she loses weight. Elsewhere, after not being able to watch the Notre Dame game in Captain Bob's or any other bar local to them, Randy convinces Scott to steal their neighbours cable so that they can watch the game. Unfortunately, their neighbor has a love of Spanish soap operas. | |||||
| 5 | "The Return of Buster" | Craig Zisk | Jeff Eastin | November 2, 1999 | 107 |
|
Scott convinces Dennis and Randy to spend Halloween watching scary movies with him, but he soon finds himself in the middle of his very own mashup of popular horror flicks when he has a nightmare about Buster the Parrot. Guest star: Cindy Margolis | |||||
| 6 | "Angels in Lingerie Are Devils in Disguise" | Savage Steve Holland | Dave Rygalski | November 9, 1999 | 108 |
| With the help of Randy and Diana, Scott attempts to transform Tina, a clumsy waitress, into a sexy lingerie model. She has trouble finding a job when they realize that she looks exactly the same as Victoria's Secret model Suzanne Lanza. Dennis tries to help out, and lands himself a job in the process. | |||||
| 7 | "Viva Las Vegas" | Neal Israel | Jeff Eastin | November 16, 1999 | 009 |
|
Dennis convinces Randy and Scott to come on his road trip to Las Vegas following the sequence of his free coupon book. The trip turns into a disaster when Scott's former high school girlfriend sics her new boyfriend, a hitman, onto the boys. Guest stars: Lisa Boyle, Diana Uribe | |||||
| 8 | "The Thanksgiving Show" | Tim O'Donnell | Caryn Lucas & Richard Gurman | November 23, 1999 | 010 |
|
When the boys take a trip to the homeless shelter on Thanksgiving, Dennis is reunited with his deadbeat father, Jack. Jack moves in with the boys, but soon they are all sick of him, and try to get him and his stripper girlfriend back together, so he will move back out. Guest star: Gary Busey | |||||
| 9 | "The Menace from Venice" | Dennis Dugan | Richard Gurman & Caryn Lucas | December 7, 1999 | 005 |
| The boys decide to turn Vern into a professional boxer after he gets into a fight with another little person in a club, with disastrous results until Scott steps in to train him and things get a bit sticky when a local fight promoter wants in on his terms. | |||||
| 10 | "Bed Worthy" | Alan Cohn | Bill Canterbury | January 18, 2000 | TBA |
| Unable to pay his share of the rent, Dennis agrees to babysit the landlord's grandchildren – he entertains them with a story involving the boys, Diana, and a bed. | |||||
| 11 | "Big Brother" | Savage Steve Holland | Richard Gurman | January 25, 2000 | 004 |
|
When the boys return from Tijuana, they learn that Eduardo, a bullfighter, has stowed away in their trunk in order to find his long-lost fiancée. Meanwhile, Dennis joins a big brother program, but his little brother soon begins copying his every move. Guest stars: Erik Estrada and Idalis DeLeón | |||||
| 12 | "Leo Is a Pain in My..." | Neal Israel | Jeff Eastin | February 1, 2000 | 006 |
|
After a brief stint dressed as a cow, Dennis sells people looks at the Leonardo DiCaprio shaped rash it left on his behind in order to collect money to pay the rent. Elsewhere Scott tries his hand at working a skate shop before Mexican wrestling. Guest stars: Jaime Bergman, Michael Burger | |||||
| 13 | "The Crush" | Alan Cohn | George Doty IV | February 8, 2000 | 013 |
| The band brainstorms new ideas for names, when they discover they can not use the 'McNasty' in Shasta McNasty. Meanwhile, Diana tries to sabotage Scott's latest relationship after she reveals she has romantic feelings for him. | |||||
| 14 | "The F Word" | Alan Cohn | Richard Gurman | February 15, 2000 | 014 |
| Diana accidentally draws Scott's ex-girlfriend to him, when she attempts to find out more about his past. Meanwhile, Dennis encounters 'perfume withdrawal', as he searches to find his girlfriend the perfect gift for Valentine's Day and Randy tries to encourage Diana to talk to Scott about her feelings before he reaches out to his ex. | |||||
| 15 | "True Size" | Dennis Dugan | Jeff Eastin | February 22, 2000 | TBA |
|
Verne enlists the help of Michelle and Diana when a scam leaves his bank account empty. Guest star: Jeff Ross | |||||
| 16 | "The Shortest Yard" | Savage Steve Holland | Chris Brown | May 30, 2000 | TBA |
| Verne bets his arch rival that his less than great Pee-Wee League football team will win a game. Meanwhile, Scott and Randy bribe a cheerleading team to appear, by telling them that an L.A. Lakers cheerleading scout will be in the crowd. | |||||
| 17 | "Bachelorette Party" | Craig Zisk | Jim Keily & Jimmy Aleck | June 6, 2000 | TBA |
|
When Diana's boss makes her throw a bachelorette for his fiancée, she is convinced by the boys to have it at Captain Verne's Bar, with the boys doing the catering. The boys, however, have other plans as Verne installs a secret two-way mirror and begins charging people to watch the party. The bride-to-be convinces Dennis to bring out the kinky lingerie and the stripper, making it a night none of them will soon forget. Guest star: Erik Estrada | |||||
| 18 | "The Sugar Pill" | Alan Cohn | Bill Canterbury | June 13, 2000 | TBA |
| Shasta get the chance to perform for a record executive at Captain Verne's Bar, although the run up to it doesn't go smoothly when Dennis ingests a vast amount of psychotropic pills believing them to be sugar, Verne blackmails Scott into having a double date with his date's sister, Michelle and Diana's early arrival at the bar and Randy trying to deal with both of his friends problems. | |||||
| 19 | "The Quiz" | Daniel Silverberg | Jim Keily & Jimmy Aleck | July 7, 2000 | TBA |
|
After another one of Dennis' ideas for theme nights at Verne's goes awry, they come up with an idea for "Underwear night" and trick Scott into being the poster boy. Meanwhile, Diana claims she's over Scott and thanks Randy for his help by hooking him up with one of her workmates who turns out to be perfect for him, until Dennis gets involved. Guest star: Brian Lawler | |||||
| 20 | "Blue Flu" | Alan Cohn | Chris Brown | July 18, 2000 | TBA |
| When Diana gets offered a job in New York, Scott is faced with a difficult decision regarding his feelings for her and his relationship with Michelle. Elsewhere, Dennis temporarily moves into Verne's crash pad while he awaits the arrival of the model he met while skiing and Randy tries to convince Verne that the speakers he's bought are not the right ones for the bar. | |||||
| 21 | "Play Dead, Clown" | Neal Israel | Richard Gurman & Jeff Eastin | July 25, 2000 | TBA |
|
Scott's current girlfriend asks him to babysit her eight-year-old daughter, who, according to Diana can make or break their relationship. When Randy and Dennis have the bright idea of inviting the Jager girls up to the apartments for a party, Scott and Diana take it upon themselves to hire a clown for the little girl, with hilarious consequences. Note: Written by Logan Ansell. | |||||
| 22 | "Behind the Band: 2010" | Savage Steve Holland | Travis Romero | August 1, 2000 | TBA |
|
In this final episode, we get an insight into what happened to the band after the series ended. Set in 2010, the episode flash forwards to where the band are now and discusses their fame since being signed after the gig featured in 'The Sugar Pill'. Note: Written by Travis Romero. | |||||
Reception
A sneak preview of the series after UPN's highly rated WWF SmackDown! drew 4.52 million viewers.[5] However, when the series was moved to its scheduled 8 p.m. timeslot, ratings dropped.[6] Halfway through the first season, UPN shortened the show's title to Shasta, and the series was canceled after its first season.[7][8]
References
- "The Ratings: Ray of Light". ew.com. October 15, 1999. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- "26th Annual People's Choice Awards Names Favorites; First Awards Show of the New Millennium to Be Presented Live on CBS Jan. 9, 2000". Business Wire. December 1, 1999. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- Colburn, Randall (September 9, 2020). "Shasta McNasty Was Every Bit as Bad as Its Title". The A. V. Club. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search 'Title': "Shasta McNasty"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- Wallenstein, Andrew. "'Shasta McNasty': One dreadful show from UPN". medialifemagazine.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- Carman, John (October 28, 1999). "Fall Fallout: `Judging Amy,' `WWF Smackdown!' among season's early hits – `Action,' `Wasteland' top list of losers". sfgate.com. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- Fretts, Bruce (December 16, 1999). "Laugh Off-Track". ew.com. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- Childs, T. Mike (2004). The Rocklopedia Fakebandica. Macmillan. p. 196. ISBN 0-312-32944-X.