Oh, Grow Up

Oh, Grow Up is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22 to December 28, 1999.[1][2] Created by Alan Ball, the show was based on his 1991 one-act stage play Bachelor Holiday, written before he found success as a television writer.[3] The series starred Stephen Dunham, David Alan Basche, and John Ducey as three former college roommates who share an apartment in Brooklyn.

Oh, Grow Up
GenreSitcom
Created byAlan Ball
StarringStephen Dunham
David Alan Basche
John Ducey
Rena Sofer
Niesha Trout
ComposerJonathan Wolff
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producersBob Greenblatt
David Janollari
Alan Ball
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesThe Greenblatt/Janollari Studio
Fox Television Studios
Distributor20th Television
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 22 (1999-09-22) 
December 28, 1999 (1999-12-28)

Plot

Construction company owner Hunter Franklin and artist Norris Michelsky are old college roommates, who share an apartment in Brooklyn, but are nothing alike. When their other college roommate, attorney Ford Lowell, splits from his wife Suzanne after coming out, Hunter and Norris invite him to move in with them. In addition, ladies man Hunter discovers that an affair from years ago has produced a child, when 18-year-old art student Chloe makes contact with him. In addition, one of the more unique aspects of the show was a dog named Mom, whose barks were subtitled with captions.[4]

Cast

Recurring

Notable guest stars

Production

The series was based on Ball's experiences in New York City in the early 1990s, before he had found success as a writer on other series such as Grace Under Fire and Cybill.[4] ABC promoted the series as "a comedy for immature audiences", and initially scheduled Oh, Grow Up on Wednesday nights after Top 20 series The Drew Carey Show. The series, which debuted the same week as Ball's critically acclaimed film American Beauty was released, suffered from mixed reviews.[4]

In November 1999, ABC announced that the series would move to Tuesday nights, between hits Spin City and Dharma & Greg. However, just after airing only three episodes in its new time slot, ABC cancelled the series on December 22, 1999, reportedly to make room for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on the same night.[2] Only one more episode aired before ABC pulled the series, leaving two of the 13 episodes produced unaired.[5] Despite the cancellation, the series placed at #61 for the overall season, with an average of 10.7 million viewers per week.

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Pilot"Andy CadiffAlan BallSeptember 22, 1999 (1999-09-22)
2"Good Pop, Bad Pop"Tom CheronesAlan BallSeptember 29, 1999 (1999-09-29)
Hunter is shocked to discover he has previously had a one-night stand with Chloe's roommate. Meanwhile, Ford's attempts to save Suzanne's job see him cross-dressing, and Norris deals with a client who refuses to pay him.
3"Love Stinks"Mark CendrowskiMaria BrownOctober 6, 1999 (1999-10-06)
Hunter and Norris try to set up Ford on a date, but come to find that guys they believe to be gay are actually straight.
4"President of the House"Tom CheronesSteve Joe & Greg SchafferOctober 13, 1999 (1999-10-13)
Ford and Norris fight to be the head of the household.
5"Marathon Men"Ted WassChris DowneyOctober 20, 1999 (1999-10-20)
6"Clods and Monsters"Ted WassKirk J. RudellOctober 27, 1999 (1999-10-27)
7"Hunter's Metamorphosis"Tom CheronesChuck TathamNovember 3, 1999 (1999-11-03)
8"Himbo"Brian K. RobertsRick NyholmDecember 7, 1999 (1999-12-07)
9"The Parent Trap: Part I"Tom CheronesTBADecember 14, 1999 (1999-12-14)
10"The Parent Trap: Part II"Steve ZuckermanRick Nyholm & Paul RuehlDecember 21, 1999 (1999-12-21)
11"Duckboy Flies Again"Craig ZiskJill Condon & Amy ToominDecember 28, 1999 (1999-12-28)
12"Goodwill Hunter"Steve ZuckermanPaul RuehlUnaired (Unaired)
13"Baby It's Cold Outside"Andrew TsaoChuck Tatham & Chris DowneyUnaired (Unaired)

References

  1. Wallenstein, Andrew (September 1, 1999). "'Oh Grow Up': Sharp writing won't save this dud from ABC". Medialife Magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  2. Keller, Julie (December 22, 1999). "ABC, Like, Cancels Two More Shows". E!Online. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  3. "TV.com: Alan Ball". Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  4. Miller, Daryl H. (September 22, 1999). "TV: Reviewing the New Season : A Dreamy Case of Double Exposure : Alan Ball captures the big screen ('American Beauty'), then shoots for the small screen ('Oh Grow Up')". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  5. Keith Fenimore, Mark Scherzer. "Excerpt from "Hire Me Hollywood!" - David Janollari, Head of Programming - MTV". Writers Store. Retrieved September 19, 2012.


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