The Paul Reiser Show

The Paul Reiser Show is an American sitcom television series that originally aired on NBC. In May 2010, NBC announced that it had approved the series for the 2010–11 television season, with the half-hour comedy expected to premiere as a midseason replacement.[1] The series premiered on April 14, 2011, at 8:30 pm.[2] Due to extremely low ratings, the program was canceled on April 22, 2011, after only two episodes.[3] It is a spin-off of Mad About You. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Television.

The Paul Reiser Show
GenreSitcom
Created byPaul Reiser
Developed by
  • Paul Reiser
  • Jonathan Shapiro
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7 (5 unaired)
Production
Executive producers
  • Paul Reiser
  • Jonathan Shapiro
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseApril 14 (2011-04-14) –
April 21, 2011 (2011-04-21)
Chronology
Related showsMad About You

Premise

The semi-autobiographical sitcom stars Paul Reiser as a former television star who has not worked on a television series in several years. While he has enjoyed spending quality time with his family during this break, he feels he needs something more. Deciding to shake up his life a bit, Reiser enlists his friends to help him find the next "big thing" to occupy his time.[1]

Cast

Development and production

Reiser wrote the spec script for the untitled project, and first pitched the show to HBO, which turned it down.[4] NBC ordered a pilot episode in February 2010.[5][6] In early March, reports were referring to the project as Next.[7] Amy Landecker was the first actor cast in late March,[8] followed by Duane Martin in early April.[9] Brock Waidmann, an actor with spina bifida, was selected to play the role of Reiser's son. Immediately after the audition Reiser said, "I love this kid!" The next day they called him to offer the part.[10]

NBC announced a pick-up of the series in mid-May.[11] Also announced were the additions of Andrew Daly, Ben Shenkman, Brock Waidmann, Koby Rouviere and Omid Djalili to the cast.[12]

Seven half-hour episodes were produced,[13][14] all from scripts already written by Reiser and Jonathan Shapiro.[15][16]

The series was introduced at the NBC upfront presentation with the new name The Paul Reiser Show.[17] The show premiered on April 14, 2011, replacing Perfect Couples.[18]

Reception

The show did not receive good ratings. The premiere episode received ratings lower than those for the premiere of Perfect Couples, the show it had replaced.[19] Reuters reported that the show's premiere was "NBC's lowest rating ever for an in-season comedy premiere".[20] The second episode's ratings dropped even further and the show was canceled shortly after.[21] Amy Landecker said she first learned of the show's demise by doing an Internet search before getting an email confirming the show's official cancellation hours later.[22]

The show was also negatively reviewed, with Metacritic reporting a rating of only 38 out of 100.[23] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the show a D+, writing that it was best summarized by the word "complacent" and that "everything about it feels off-putting and weird". She compared it unfavorably to Curb Your Enthusiasm, calling it a "weird copycat" that "takes most of the trappings of Curb but misses almost all of the soul".[24] Alan Pergament, the TV critic for The Buffalo News, also drew comparisons to Curb Your Enthusiasm (going so far as to call it a "direct steal") and to the drama Men of a Certain Age, but noted that Reiser's "good guy" personality was not as good a fit for the format as Larry David's arrogance was for Curb.[25]

Episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code		 U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Bryan GordonPaul Reiser & Jonathan ShapiroApril 14, 2011 (2011-04-14)2J56043.372[26]
Paul is asked to host a new game show produced by Mark Burnett, but his friend Larry David is given the same offer. Meanwhile, Brad is upset that Fernando may have tricked him to get a better school project for their children's class.
2"The Playdate"Daniel SternPaul Reiser & Jonathan ShapiroApril 21, 2011 (2011-04-21)2J56062.377[27]
Paul is asked to look after his son's playdate. Henry Rollins holds a grudge against Paul feeling he is responsible for him not getting a film role. Habib helps Paul get a screaming cat from under his backyard.
3"The Generator"[28]Helen HuntPaul Reiser & Jonathan ShapiroNever AiredNoneNone
4"The Batting Cage"[2]Peter LauerPaul Reiser & Jonathan ShapiroNever AiredNoneNone
5"The Old Guy"Don ScardinoPaul Reiser & Jonathan ShapiroNever AiredNoneNone
6"The Genrator"Beth McCarthy MillerPaul Reiser & Jonathan ShapiroNever AiredNoneNone
7"The Shave"Dennie GordonPaul Reiser & Jonathan ShapiroNever AiredNoneNone

References
  1. "NBC Unveils 2010-11 Primetime Schedule Accented by Five New Comedies, Seven New Dramas and New Alternative Program". The Futon Critic. May 16, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  2. "The Paul Reiser Show". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  3. Seidman, Robert (April 22, 2011). "NBC Cancels 'The Paul Reiser' Show". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  4. WTF with Marc Maron episode: "Episode 192: Paul Reiser."
  5. Littleton, Cynthia (February 9, 2010). "NBC eyes Paul Reiser pilot". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  6. Andreeva, Nellie (February 9, 2010). "NBC eyeing Paul Reiser pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  7. "Development Update: Friday, March 5". The Futon Critic. March 5, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (March 22, 2010). "Several broadcast pilots beef up casts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  9. "Development Update: Monday, April 5". The Futon Critic. April 5, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  10. "Interview With Brock Waidmann". NewDisability.com. June 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  11. Hibberd, James (May 15, 2010). "NBC picks up Paul Reiser's 'Next'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  12. "Development Update: Saturday, May 15". The Futon Critic. May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  13. "Paul Reiser Blames Lack of Promotion for Sitcom Failure". StarPulse. April 27, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  14. Caro, Mark (April 27, 2011). "Landecker Stays in Focus". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  15. Littleton, Cynthia (May 1, 2010). "Networks flock to fully formed ideas". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  16. City News Service (March 23, 2011). "'The Paul Reiser Show' To Premiere April 14 on NBC". Beverly Hills Courier. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  17. Hibberd, James (May 16, 2010). "NBC unveils fall primetime schedule". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  18. "NBC Schedule Scoop: The Paul Reiser Show In, Perfect Couples Out!". TVLine. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  19. "The Paul Reiser Show Already in Trouble". IsMyShowCancelled.com. April 15, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  20. Rose, Lacey (April 15, 2011). "Paul Reiser Upbeat about Show Despite Poor Ratings". Reuters. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  21. Lang, Brent (April 23, 2011). "NBC Pulls Plug on Paul Reiser After Two Episodes". MSN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  22. Conversations with Ross — Episode 36: Featuring Amy Landecker, rosscarey.com
  23. The Paul Reiser Show – Season 1 at Metacritic. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  24. VanDerWerff, Emily (April 14, 2011), The Paul Reiser Show, The A.V. Club, retrieved April 25, 2011.
  25. Pergament, Alan (April 14, 2011). "Not mad about Reiser's new show". stilltalkintv.com. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  26. Gorman, Bill (April 15, 2011). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Office' Adjusted Up; 'Bones,' 'Parks & Recreation' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  27. Seidman, Robert (April 22, 2011). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Vampire Diaries,' 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Community,' 'Parks & Recreation' Down". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  28. "The Paul Reiser Show : The Generator". Zap 2 It. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
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