The Associates (American TV series)
The Associates is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1979–1980. The series starred Martin Short and was cancelled after nine of its thirteen episodes aired, but was nominated for two Golden Globes and one Emmy after its cancellation. The series was produced by Paramount Television. "The Associates," from the producers of "Taxi," was critically acclaimed in the fall of 1979. But, ABC-TV fell from its ratings perch that fall when they moved their schedule around. "Mork & Mindy" was moved to Sunday night to challenge CBS's most established night of the week. "The Associates" was scheduled to follow "Mork" as a promising new comedy series. Surprisingly, "Mork" was crushed by CBS's "Archie Bunker's Place." ABC moved "Mork" back to Thursday, but it would never recover its ratings glory. "One Day at a Time" was the direct competition to "The Associates." Meanwhile, "The Associates" was not given another chance and was canned by the network. The press heavily criticized ABC for not giving the show a chance in another time slot. Despite its short run, Stan Daniels and Ed. Weinberger were nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
| The Associates | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | James L. Brooks Stan Daniels Charlie Hauck Ed. Weinberger |
| Developed by | Michael Leeson |
| Starring | Martin Short Joe Regalbuto Alley Mills Shelley Smith Tim Thomerson Wilfrid Hyde-White |
| Theme music composer | Albert Brooks |
| Opening theme | "Wall Street Blues" performed by B.B King |
| Composer(s) | Craig Safan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (4 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Stan Daniels James L. Brooks Ed. Weinberger |
| Cinematography | Leonard J. South |
| Editor(s) | C. Cory M. McCrum-Abdo |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | John-Charles-Walters Productions |
| Distributor | Paramount Domestic Television (until 2006) CBS Paramount Domestic Television (2006-2007) CBS Television Distribution (current) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 23, 1979 – April 17, 1980 |
Synopsis
The show was the first bonafide starring vehicle for Short and centered on a small group of young novice lawyers who worked at a Wall Street law firm. One of the creators of the series was John Jay Osborn, Jr., author of The Paper Chase. Episode seven featured guest star John Houseman reprising his role as Professor Kingsfield.
Cast
- Martin Short as Tucker Kerwin
- Joe Regalbuto as Eliot Streeter
- Tim Thomerson as Johnny Danko
- Alley Mills as Leslie Dunn
- Shelley Smith as Sara James
- Wilfrid Hyde-White as Emerson Marshall
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The First Day" | James Burrows | Story by : Charlie Hauck Teleplay by : Michael Leeson | September 23, 1979 | |
| The associates learn the ropes on their first day at the firm while the founder decides between two attorneys seeking partnership. | |||||
| 2 | "Is Romance Dead?" | Tony Mordente | David Lloyd | September 30, 1979 | |
| Tucker uses tips from a book on romance to try and impress Sara. | |||||
| 3 | "Tucker's Courtroom Coup" | Tony Mordente | David Lloyd | October 7, 1979 | |
| Marshall asks Eliot to defend a client whose ex-lover is suing him. | |||||
| 4 | "Mr. Marshall's Love Affair" | Tony Mordente | David Lloyd | October 14, 1979 | |
| Marshall's intended helpmate flirts with Eliot. | |||||
| 5 | "The Deadly Serve" | Tony Mordente | John Steven Owen | October 28, 1979 | |
| Eliot accidentally kills a partner in a game of squash. | |||||
| 6 | "Eliot's Revenge" | James Burrows | Story by : Rich Reinhart Teleplay by : David Lloyd | March 27, 1980 | |
| Eliot argues with his former professor about a case. | |||||
| 7 | "Danko's a Daddy" | James Burrows | David Lloyd | April 3, 1980 | |
| Johnny tries to see his illegitimate son over the mother's objections. | |||||
| 8 | "The Censors" | Tony Mordente | Stan Daniels & Ed. Weinberger | April 10, 1980 | |
| Tucker defends a network censor being sued by a producer. | |||||
| 9 | "The Party" | James Burrows | Earl Pomerantz | April 17, 1980 | |
| Leslie falls for a teacher who despises conservative lawyers. | |||||
| 10 | "A Date with Johnny" | Tony Mordente | Earl Pomerantz | N/A | |
| Johnny goes on a date with a married co-worker. | |||||
| 11 | "Tucker's Co-Op" | Charlotte Brown | David Lloyd | N/A | |
| Tucker moves into the apartment below Marshall, who shows up unexpectedly. | |||||
| 12 | "Inferno" | Charlotte Brown | David Lloyd | N/A | |
| The lawyers try to find escape routes when a fire starts in the building. | |||||
| 13 | "The Out of Town Trip" | Tom Trbovich | Rich Reinhart | N/A | |
| The associates defend the head of a tire company accused of misusing funds, while Leslie quits the firm thinking it represents criminals. | |||||
Syndication
The series had a complete run on BBC Two in the UK in 1982. The series was rerun on A&E in 1988, followed by runs on Comedy Central and TV Land in the 1990s.
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Stan Daniels and Ed. Weinberger (for episode "The Censors") |
| Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Michael Leeson and Charlie Hauck (for episode "The First Day") | |||
| Golden Globe Award | Best TV-Series - Musical/Comedy | |||
| Best TV Actor - Musical/Comedy | Wilfrid Hyde-White |