The Naked Truth (TV series)

The Naked Truth is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995, to February 28, 1996, and on NBC from January 16, 1997, to May 25, 1998. The series stars Téa Leoni and Holland Taylor. The show took place at the office of a tabloid news publication.

The Naked Truth
GenreSitcom
Created byChris Thompson
Directed byRobby Benson
Peter Bonerz
Matthew Diamond
Art Dielhenn
Dennis Erdman
Michael Lessac
Gail Mancuso
Rob Schiller
StarringTéa Leoni
Darryl Sivad
Holland Taylor
Tom Verica
Jake Sullivan
Mark Roberts
Dave Fontaine
Jonathan Penner
Jack Blessing
Amy Ryan
ComposersDan Foliart (season 1)
Alan Elliott (season 2)
Jonathan Wolff (season 3}
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes55 (7 unaired)
Production
Executive producersBernie Brillstein
Brad Grey (both; entire run)
Chris Thompson (1995-96, season 1)
Jay Daniel
Maya Forbes
Erin Braun
Michael Saltzman (both; 1997-98, season 3)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesBrillstein-Grey Entertainment
Christopher Thompson Productions
(1995-1996)
(season 1)
Columbia Pictures Television
DistributorSony Pictures Television
Release
Original networkABC (19951996)
NBC (19971998)
Original releaseSeptember 13, 1995 (1995-09-13) 
May 25, 1998 (1998-05-25)

Plot

Pulitzer Prize nominated photographer Nora Wilde (Téa Leoni) divorces her rich, philandering husband Leland Banks, asking for nothing in the settlement except the use of her maiden name. Broke and without prospects for employment, after Leland blackballs her from respectable mainstream work, Nora seeks work at The Comet, a sleazy celebrity tabloid owned by Sir Rudolph Halley (Tim Curry) and run by ruthless Camilla Dane (Holland Taylor). Initially, Nora is repulsed by the depths to which she has to sink for her new job – she finds herself in demeaning situations such as stealing Anna Nicole Smith's urine to run a pregnancy test, and staking out the sewer for mutant alligators – but before long, she begins to feel at home. Nora's coworkers include egotistical Nicky Columbus (Jonathan Penner), a potential love interest; T.J. (Darryl Sivad), a humorless African-American man always clad in dark sunglasses; and Stupid Dave (Mark Roberts) who is mentally handicapped. At home, Nora deals with deranged building manager Mr. Donner (Jack Blessing) and Chloe Banks (Amy Ryan), her best friend and former step-daughter.

In the second season, the show switched networks and was retooled. Meat-mogul Les Polanski (George Wendt) buys The Comet, intending to make it a respectable publication. Gone were the outlandishly zany antics from the first season, and Stupid Dave was now merely referred to as Dave. Chloe disappears without explanation, as does Mr. Donner (since Nora has a new apartment). Mary Tyler Moore (replacing Dyan Cannon from season one) and George Segal both make frequent guest appearances as Nora's parents in season two, eventually moving into the apartment across the hall. Most episodes centered on Nora's romantic life and how her job could intrude on that.

Season three saw enormous changes. Camilla quits The Comet and moves on to rival tabloid The National Inquisitor, leaving most of the staff behind. By this point, she and Nora had become close, so she asks Nora to join her at the Inquisitor. Also moving to The Inquisitor was Dave, who was no longer mentally handicapped. Their new coworkers include smug reporter Jake Sullivan (Tom Verica), photographer Suji (Amy Hill), studious fact checker Harris (Jim Rash), and Bradley Crosby (Chris Elliott), the self-proclaimed illegitimate son of Bing Crosby.

History

The series began on ABC and was canceled after a single season despite ranking at #25 with an 11.4 rating. For its second season, the series moved to NBC[1] with new cast members and a general retooling of the show away from its tabloid settings. The second season ranked at #4 with a 16.8 rating. Its third and final season plummeted to #74 and was canceled at the end of the season.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRatingTied with
First airedLast airedNetwork
120September 13, 1995 (1995-09-13)February 28, 1996 (1996-02-28)ABC2411.4Law & Order
The CBS Sunday Movie
Can't Hurry Love
213January 16, 1997 (1997-01-16)May 14, 1997 (1997-05-14)NBC416.8Friends
322[lower-alpha 1]September 22, 1997 (1997-09-22)May 25, 1998 (1998-05-25)N/AN/AN/A
  1. Episodes 16-22 never aired.

References

  1. Nick Sebek and Russell Wodell. "The Naked Truth" - Epguides.com
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.