Memphis Beat

Memphis Beat is an American crime comedy-drama television series created by Joshua Harto and Liz W. Garcia that aired on TNT from June 22, 2010 to August 16, 2011, with a total of 20 episodes spanning two seasons. It was produced by Smokehouse Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Television.

For the Jerry Lee Lewis album, see Memphis Beat (album).
Memphis Beat
Genre
Created by
Starring
Opening theme"Memphis Beat" by Keb' Mo'
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsNew Orleans, Louisiana
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkTNT
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseJune 22, 2010 (2010-06-22) –
August 16, 2011 (2011-08-16)
External links
Website

On October 14, 2011 TNT canceled the series of Memphis Beat after two seasons.[1]

Overview

The show follows Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), a police detective assigned to the General Assignment division of the MPD, who loves his mother, the blues, his city, and Elvis Presley and calls himself "the keeper of Memphis". His passionate devotion to his hometown is offset by his relaxed approach to his job, an attitude that frustrates by-the-book Lt. Tanya Rice (Alfre Woodard), his new boss.

Cast and characters

Development and production

Jason Lee said he was drawn to the show because the concept was original and the protagonist was fun to play. Lee said, "The whole package was unique and once I came to found the character and the material and the scenarios and his relationships and he's such a great guy and is so multi-layered and cares such a great deal for his city and his family and the people that he's protecting." Lee listened to hundreds of Presley songs in preparation for the role, and said his respect for the artist grew as a result.[2] The vocals for Lee's character are sung by Mark Arnell.[3]

The title Delta Blues was originally considered, but it was eventually changed to Memphis Beat.[4] The show was created by married couple Joshua Harto and Liz W. Garcia, with actor George Clooney and his production partner writer/actor/director Grant Heslov serving as executive producers. Harto and Garcia wrote the first two episodes of the series.[5] Liz Garcia said of the show, "Broadcast TV is being influenced by cable in so many ways in terms of reinventing genres and taking chances, and this is part of it. ... The forefront of creativity is on cable TV."[6]

Despite the show's setting, the first season was primarily filmed in Laplace, LA and New Orleans, LA with only some key locations and exteriors filmed in Memphis.[7] This has largely been attributed to the better tax incentives by filming in a state other than Tennessee.

On September 16, 2010, TNT announced that Memphis Beat was renewed for a second season, the first episode of which was broadcast June 14, 2011.

On October 17, 2011, TNT decided not to pick up a third season of Memphis Beat.

Episodes

Series overview
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 10 June 22, 2010 (2010-06-22) August 24, 2010 (2010-08-24)
2 10 June 14, 2011 (2011-06-14) August 16, 2011 (2011-08-16)

Season 1 (2010)
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. Viewers
(in millions)
1"It's Alright Mama"Clark JohnsonLiz W. Garcia & Joshua HartoJune 22, 2010 (2010-06-22)4.30[8]
Detective Dwight Hendricks investigates the abuse of an elderly woman who is also a legendary Memphis disc jockey known as the "First Lady of the Airwaves". But his new boss, Lt. Tanya Rice, starts cramping his investigative style when she brings a den mother approach to her job. Meanwhile, Dwight's mother starts dating her new neighbor.
2"Baby, Let's Play House"Kevin DowlingSean WhitesellJune 29, 2010 (2010-06-29)4.00[9]
Dwight and Whitehead search for a missing truck driver, when his son tells his classmates he was kidnapped. Meanwhile, Dwight has to try to get used to his mother dating a guy he doesn't trust and his ex-wife, Alex, keeps sending him mixed signals.
3"Love Her Tender"John FortenberryLiz W. Garcia & Joshua HartoJuly 6, 2010 (2010-07-06)3.56[10]
While the squad tries to find a missing teenage beauty queen, Dwight tries to help Alex get her catering business off the ground.
4"Polk Salad Annie"David Von AnckenTom Smuts & Meredith StiehmJuly 13, 2010 (2010-07-13)2.95[11]
A BBQ king is almost killed which makes all the members of his inner circle suspects. And to find the killer, Officer Sutton must go undercover as a ladies man. Meanwhile, Lt Rice must deal with her own problems when her son has a run in with the law.
5"One Night of Sin"Alex ZakrzewskiAngelina BurnettJuly 20, 2010 (2010-07-20)3.12[12]
A lead singer of a country western family and the group's manager dies suddenly. The manager's death is ruled as a suicide but Dwight suspect there might have been foul play when the family's problems come to light and an obsessed fan begins to act stranger than normal.
6"Run On"Randy ZiskSean WhitesellJuly 27, 2010 (2010-07-27)3.18[13]
Dwight tries to find put who would have benefited more from a vicious assault on a local boxer or lost more from his upcoming retirement. Meanwhile, Sutton tries to make up for a lost opportunity from his past.
7"Suspicious Minds"Michelle MacLarenScott KauferAugust 3, 2010 (2010-08-03)3.51[14]
A plane safely lands with absolutely nobody onboard, so Hendrick decides to investigate it, which leads to a failed lottery winning inventor who could have had something to do with it.
8"I Shall Not Be Moved"Kevin BrayScott KauferAugust 10, 2010 (2010-08-10)3.81[15]
Dwight gets involved in a hostage situation and decides to become a second hostage to aid the situation and while he tries to defuse the situation he uncovers things from the captors past that goes way back to a cold case that has been unsolved for decades. Meanwhile, Lt. Rice find herself in trouble involving her ex-husband.
9"Don't Be So Cruel"John FortenberryJoshua Harto, Liz W. Garcia & Angelina BurnettAugust 17, 2010 (2010-08-17)3.94[16]
Dwight and the rest of the squad search for a missing city councilman who disappeared on his wedding day. While his disappearance threatens to expose the underbelly of Memphis politics.
10"I Want to Be Free"John FortenberryLiz W. Garcia & Joshua HartoAugust 24, 2010 (2010-08-24)3.86[17]
Dwight is haunted by an unsolved murder from 2007 while dealing with an amnesiac shooting victim in 2010. Meanwhile, Lt. Rice decides it might be time to change her career. Abe Benrubi makes his final appearance as Sgt. Lightfoot plus Memphis Mafia member Jerry Schilling makes a cameo appearance.[7]

Season 2 (2011)
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. Viewers
(in millions)
11"At the River"Michael KatlemanJan NashJune 14, 2011 (2011-06-14)3.02[18]
Dwight teams up with an Internal Affairs detective (Beau Garrett) to investigate the murder of a police officer who may have had a connection to a gun smuggling ring.
12"Inside Man"Elodie KeeneBill ChaisJune 21, 2011 (2011-06-21)2.89[19]
Dwight and Whitehead attempt to catch some infamous burglars who attempt to beat the system by claiming statute of limitations on their previous crimes. They receive reluctant help from a pesky insurance agent (Thomas Lennon) with extensive knowledge of the initial robberies.
13"Lost"Aaron LipstadtJim AdlerJune 28, 2011 (2011-06-28)2.88[20]
Dwight agrees to a father's plea for help in finding his missing daughter.
14"Flesh and Blood"Mike ListoLiz W. Garcia & Joshua HartoJuly 5, 2011 (2011-07-05)3.33[21]
Dwight and Whitehead investigate a Missing Persons case involving a nun; Sutton finds an abandoned baby in his car that turns out to have a connection to the case.
15"Things We Carry"Randy ZiskBlair SingerJuly 12, 2011 (2011-07-12)2.94[22]
Dwight and Paula-Ann travel to New Orleans to speak at the early-release hearing for Dwight's father's killer (who is dying of cancer). Meanwhile, Whitehead and Lt. Rice investigate the burning of a beloved and historic Memphis movie theater.
16"Troubled Waters"Greg BeemanMatt PayneJuly 19, 2011 (2011-07-19)2.87[23]
Dwight re-encounters three old friends: one is arrested in a houseboat robbery case, another is an old flame, and the third is a band member from his high school days, with whom he performs.
17"Body of Evidence"John ShowalterJonathan I. Kidd and Sonya WintonJuly 26, 2011 (2011-07-26)3.25[24]
Dwight and Whitehead investigate when the body of a man known for helping at risk children goes missing during his funeral, and discover that the man might not have been the saint he seemed to be.
18"Identity Crisis"Aaron LipstadtJim AdlerAugust 2, 2011 (2011-08-02)3.22[25]
Dwight looks into the claims of a man who attacked his bank's employees, when the man accuses the bank of stealing his identity and draining his account. The investigation leads to a large web of identity theft and fraud committed by a small team of con-artists.
19"Ten Little Memphians"Anton CropperBill Chais & Blair SingerAugust 9, 2011 (2011-08-09)3.02[26]
Dwight and Whitehead's visit to the latter's childhood home for a will reading is hampered by a thunderstorm and the murder of the will's executor.
20"The Feud"[27]Michael KatlemanJan NashAugust 16, 2011 (2011-08-16)4.05[28]
The shooting of a girl in the business district of Memphis uncovers a long-standing feud between two powerful families, which the squad tries to quell while working the case before anyone else gets hurt.

Reception

Critical reception

On Metacritic season 1 has a score of 56% based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[29] On Rotten Tomatoes season 1 has an approval rating of 38% based on reviews from 24 critics.[30] The New York Times said of the pilot episode "This series is to Memphis what the HBO series 'Treme' is to New Orleans and 'Justified' on FX is to Harlan County in Kentucky—timeless indigenous music is set against the exoticism of temporal subcultures".[31] The New York Daily News gave another positive review saying that "TNT's new 'Memphis Beat' has a great soundtrack and a pretty good cop drama in between".[32] The Hollywood Reporter also gave the pilot a positive review:

But even as the cop genre seems beyond saturation, along comes TNT's Memphis Beat, a series with a fresh character in a fresh environment with a fresh look and sound that proves, against all odds, that good actors and agile execution trump format every time.[33]

Awards and nominations
Awards and nominations for Memphis Beat
YearAwardCategoryActorResult
2011 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Alfre Woodard Nominated
2011 NAMIC Vision Awards Best Performance - Drama Alfre Woodard Nominated
2011 Gracie Allen Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series Alfre Woodard Won

International broadcasting
Country Network Series Premiere
 Canada Super Channel[34] September 9, 2010
 Turkey CNBC-e September 23, 2010
 Portugal AXN November 25, 2010
 Norway Viasat 4 April 11, 2011
 South Africa Mnet Series April 27, 2011
 Spain AXN June 23, 2011
 Poland TV Puls September 5, 2011
 Latvia LTV 7 September 30, 2011
 Israel HOT3 2011
 Finland MTV3 October 6, 2011
 Australia Nine Network December 29, 2011
 South Korea OCN Series 2010
 Italy Premium Crime March 1, 2012
 Germany TNT Serie[35] May 7, 2012
 Sweden TNT (Sweden) April 5, 2013
 Brazil SBT August 7, 2013
 Estonia Kanal 2 May 22, 2014

References
  1. Andreeva, Nellie (October 14, 2011). "TNT Cancels 'Memphis Beat' After 2 Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  2. Raub, Matt (June 4, 2010). "Exclusive: Jason Lee Talks 'Memphis Beat', 'My Name is Earl'". The Flick Cast. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  3. Keveney, Bill (June 20, 2010). "Jason Lee moves to 'Memphis Beat' as a singing detective". USAToday.com. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  4. Villarreal, Yvonne (April 5, 2010). "Jason Lee is keeping busy with TNT's 'Memphis Beat' [Updated]". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  5. "About the Show". tnt.tv. Memphis Beat (Official site). Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  6. Kronke, David (June 6, 2010). "Summer is now the time for broadcast networks to get serious". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  7. Donahue, Michael (August 24, 2010). "Schilling plays 'spiritual' role in season finale of 'Memphis Beat'". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  8. Gorman, Bill (June 23, 2010). "Memphis Beat & HawthoRNe Continue TNT's Original Series Success with Strong Tuesday Night Deliveries". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  9. Gorman, Bill (June 30, 2010). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: Deadliest Catch, Pretty Little Liars, Law & Order:CI, The Hills, Memphis Beat & Lots More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  10. Gorman, Bill (July 8, 2010). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: Deadliest Catch, Pretty Little Liars, Memphis Beat, Law & Order:CI Finale & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  11. Gorman, Bill (July 14, 2010). "Tuesday Cable: Deadliest Catch Soars, Plus White Collar, Covert Affairs, Memphis Beat, The Hills Finale Ratings & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  12. Seidman, Robert (July 21, 2010). "Tuesday Cable: Deadliest Catch, Plus White Collar, Pretty Little Liars, Warehouse 13, Teen Mom & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  13. Seidman, Robert (July 28, 2010). "Tuesday Cable: Deadliest Catch, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Pretty Little Liars, Teen Mom & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  14. Seidman, Robert (August 4, 2010). "Tuesday Cable: Warehouse 13, Pretty Little Liars, Memphis Beat, Teen Mom & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  15. Seidman, Robert (August 11, 2010). "Tuesday Cable: Pretty Little Liars Goes Over 3 Million in Finale + Covert Affairs, Warehouse 13, Teen Mom & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  16. Seidman, Robert (August 18, 2010). "More Tuesday Cable: Warehouse 13 Drops, Teen Mom, & Hawthorne Get Bigger & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  17. Seidman, Robert (August 25, 2010). "More Tuesday Cable Ratings: Warehouse 13 Stabilizes, Melissa & Joey Holds Most of Premiere #s & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  18. Gorman, Bill (June 15, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Deadliest Catch' Tops; Premieres Of 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Memphis Beat,' 'Hawthorne,' 'Gene Simmons' & Lots More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 18, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  19. Seidman, Robert (June 22, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Tosh.0,' 'Deadliest Catch,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs,' 'Memphis Beat,' 'Hawthorne' & Lots More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  20. Seidman, Robert (June 29, 2011). "Updated Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Tosh.0,' 'Deadliest Catch,' 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Memphis Beat,' 'Hawthorne' & Lots More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  21. Seidman, Robert (July 7, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom,' 'Tosh.0,' 'Deadliest Catch,' 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Hawthorne' & Lots More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  22. Seidman, Robert (July 13, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom,' 'Tosh.0,' 'Deadliest Catch,' 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Hawthorne' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  23. Seidman, Robert (July 20, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom,' 'Tosh.0,' 'Deadliest Catch,' 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Hawthorne' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  24. Seidman, Robert (July 27, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom' Still on Top + 'Tosh.0,' 'Deadliest Catch,' 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Gene Simmons' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  25. Seidman, Robert (August 3, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom' Still on Top; 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs' Rise + 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Billy the Exterminator' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  26. Seidman, Robert (August 10, 2011). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom' on Top but; 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs' Rise in Summer Finales + 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Billy the Exterminator' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  27. "Memphis Beat: Episode Guide". Zap 2 It. Tribune Media Services, Inc. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  28. Seidman, Robert (August 17, 2011). "Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom' Up, Wins Another Tuesday; Absent USA Originals, TNT's Originals Rise; 'Pretty Little Liars' Dips". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  29. "Memphis Beat : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  30. "Memphis Beat: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes.
  31. Stanley, Allesandra (21 June 2010). "Memphis Beat. Take Your Time, Crime Will Wait". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  32. Hinckley, David (22 June 2010). "TNT cop drama 'Memphis Beat', starring Jason Lee, wins with Southern flavor and great soundtrack". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  33. Garron, Barry (October 14, 2010). "Memphis Beat: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  34. "Memphis Beat on Super Channel". superchannel.ca. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  35. Bernd Michael Krannich (2012-03-14). "TNT Serie zeigt Jason Lees Memphis Beat ab Mai". Serienjunkies.de. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
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