The Single Guy
| The Single Guy | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Brad Hall |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Hall of Production (1995–1996) (season 1) NBC Productions (1995–1996) (season 1) NBC Studios (1996–1997) (season 2) Castle Rock Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 21, 1995 – April 14, 1997 |
The Single Guy is an American television sitcom that ran for two seasons on NBC, from September 1995 to April 1997. It starred Jonathan Silverman as struggling New York City writer Jonathan Eliot and followed several of his close friends (some of whom came and left as the show was re-tooled between seasons). The series also starred Joey Slotnick as Eliot's best friend Sam Sloan, Ming-Na Wen as Sam's wife Trudy and Ernest Borgnine as doorman Manny, throughout its entire run. The Single Guy was created by Brad Hall.
Cast
Main
- Jonathan Silverman as Jonathan Eliot
- Joey Slotnick as Sam Sloan
- Ernest Borgnine as Manny Cordoba
- Ming-Na Wen as Trudy
- Mark Moses as Matt Parker (season 1)
- Jessica Hecht as Janeane Percy-Parker (season 1)
- Shawn Michael Howard as Russell (season 2)
- Olivia d'Abo as Marie Blake (season 2)
Recurring
- Jensen Daggett as Charlie McCarthy (season 2)
- Dan Cortese as Dan Montgomery (season 2)
Episodes
Season 1 (1995–96)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Sam Weisman | Brad Hall | September 21, 1995 |
| 2 | 2 | "Tennis" | Sam Weisman | Brad Hall | September 28, 1995 |
| 3 | 3 | "Gift" | Sam Weisman | Richard Doctorow | October 5, 1995 |
| 4 | 4 | "Babysitting" | TBA | John Masius | October 12, 1995 |
| 5 | 5 | "Charity" | TBA | Andrew Gottlieb & Jay Kogen & Steve Paymer | October 19, 1995 |
| 6 | 6 | "Neighbors" | TBA | David Kohan & Max Mutchnik | November 2, 1995 |
| 7 | 7 | "Mugging" | Sam Weisman | David Kohan & Max Mutchnik & Richard Doctorow | November 9, 1995 |
| 8 | 8 | "Sister" | TBA | Steve Paymer | November 16, 1995 |
| 9 | 9 | "Attraction" | TBA | Jay Kogen | December 7, 1995 |
| 10 | 10 | "Midnight" | TBA | Jay Kogen | December 14, 1995 |
| 11 | 11 | "Communication" | Sam Weisman | Richard Doctorow | January 4, 1996 |
| 12 | 12 | "Nineteen" | TBA | Jim McCoulf | January 11, 1996 |
| 13 | 13 | "Distance" | TBA | Steve Paymer | January 18, 1996 |
| 14 | 14 | "Rival" | TBA | Richard Doctorow | February 1, 1996 |
| 15 | 15 | "Pudding" | Sam Weisman | David Kohan & Max Mutchnik | February 8, 1996 |
| 16 | 16 | "Affair" | TBA | Andrew Gottlieb | February 15, 1996 |
| 17 | 17 | "Wedding" | TBA | Brad Hall | February 22, 1996 |
| 18 | 18 | "Poetry" | Craig Zisk | Paul Barrose | March 7, 1996 |
| 19 | 19 | "Lovenest" | Craig Zisk | Brad Hall & Richard Doctorow | March 14, 1996 |
| 20 | 20 | "Kids" | Craig Zisk | Andrew Gottlieb & John Masius | May 2, 1996 |
| 21 | 21 | "Pop" | Craig Zisk | Andrew Gottlieb | May 9, 1996 |
| 22 | 22 | "Moving" | David Trainer | Richard Doctorow & Jay Kogen | May 16, 1996 |
Season 2 (1996–97)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "Mounted Cop" | TBA | TBA | September 19, 1996 |
| 24 | 2 | "Best Man" | TBA | TBA | September 26, 1996 |
| 25 | 3 | "Good God" | TBA | TBA | October 3, 1996 |
| 26 | 4 | "Kept Man" | TBA | TBA | October 10, 1996 |
| 27 | 5 | "Strip Club" | TBA | TBA | October 17, 1996 |
| 28 | 6 | "Love Train" | Craig Zisk | TBA | October 31, 1996 |
| 29 | 7 | "The Virgin" | TBA | TBA | November 7, 1996 |
| 30 | 8 | "Double Date" | TBA | TBA | November 14, 1996 |
| 31 | 9 | "Davy Jones" | TBA | TBA | November 21, 1996 |
| 32 | 10 | "Deepest Cut" | TBA | TBA | December 12, 1996 |
| 33 | 11 | "New Year" | TBA | TBA | January 9, 1997 |
| 34 | 12 | "Like Father..." | Max Tash | Stephen Godchaux & Rachel Sweet | January 16, 1997 |
Beginning and reception
While the series was favored enough by NBC to earn a timeslot in its coveted "Must-See-TV" Thursday night line-up, it ultimately failed to generate enthusiasm with critics and viewers. It was largely written-off as one in a long line of "singles in the city" sitcoms that emerged in the mid-1990s, following the success of Seinfeld. Many of that hit show's calling cards were emulated in The Single Guy, from the neurotic best friend who occasionally does reprehensible things, to its main character's rotating cast of flawed girlfriends. Jonathan and friends would also regularly hang out at a local coffee shop, The Bagel Cafe.
Ending
Perhaps aware of its impending cancellation, the series ended its second and final season with Jonathan Eliot married in Las Vegas, thus ending his single status.
Ultimately, it was one of the highest rated shows to ever get canceled, consistently attaining 4th or 5th place in the Nielsen ratings.[1] Most attribute this to the fact that it was hammocked in the coveted 8:30pm EST slot, between Friends and Seinfeld.[2] According to Entertainment Weekly, when the show was moved to a different time slot, its position in the ratings went into the low 60s.
Ross Geller (played by David Schwimmer), a character from the sitcom Friends, appeared on the show.
References
- ↑ "TrivialTV's Nielsen Ratings archive". TrivialTV.
Ratings for the week of November 11–17, 1996 (data: weekly ratings, Nielsen Media Research):
- ER
- Seinfeld
- Suddenly Susan
- Friends
- The Single Guy
- Pandora's Clock (Part 2)
- Home Improvement
- Frasier
- Mad About You
- Touched by an Angel
- ↑ Ken Tucker (October 6, 1995). "The Single Guy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
External links