The Return of Jezebel James

The Return of Jezebel James is an American sitcom television series, starring Parker Posey as a successful children's book editor who, unable to have children herself, asks her estranged younger sister (Lauren Ambrose) to carry her baby.[1] The series was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino of Gilmore Girls fame, who also directed the pilot, and executive produced the show with her husband, Daniel Palladino. The show was produced by Regency Television and Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions.

The Return of Jezebel James
Promotional poster
Created byAmy Sherman-Palladino
StarringParker Posey
Lauren Ambrose
Ron McLarty
ComposerGrant-Lee Phillips
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7 (4 unaired)
Production
Executive producersAmy Sherman-Palladino
Daniel Palladino
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesDorothy Parker Drank Here Productions
Regency Television
Fox Television Studios
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseMarch 14 –
March 21, 2008 (2008-03-21)

The show premiered on the Fox television network on March 14, 2008, as a mid-season replacement. After airing only three episodes, it was cancelled due to what Fox called unacceptably low ratings.[2]

The remaining four unaired episodes were released on Apple iTunes on May 6, 2008.

Cast

Principal characters

Recurring characters

Episodes
#TitleOriginal airdateCode
1"Pilot"March 14, 2008 (2008-03-14)101
In the pilot, bright, optimistic, successful children's book editor Sarah turns to her estranged and free-spirited younger sister, Coco, when she learns she cannot conceive a child herself. Coco decides to give it a try and relocates from a friend's couch to her sister's enormous loft, but gets less than she bargained for when she discovers she is relegated to a dismal unfinished bedroom.
2"Frankenstein Baby"March 14, 2008 (2008-03-14)102
Coco is surprised once again when Sarah gives her an emergency Hello Kitty cellphone and then her parents arrive for a surprise visit that turns for the worse.
3"Needles & Schlag"March 21, 2008 (2008-03-21)103
Sarah is determined to sign a 15-year-old child prodigy and get the publishing rights to his new book, and she goes to great lengths to impress the eccentric kid. When great seats at a Knicks game don't interest him, she discovers that bed and bath items are what really get him going. Meanwhile, Sarah accompanies Coco to her first visit in a long time to the gynecologist's office and discovers what fears have been gnawing at Coco.
4"The Return of the Crazy Jackal Shillelagh Lady"Unaired104
When Talia drops in on Coco unexpectedly one too many times at the loft, Coco decides it's time to get out of the house and get a job. She quickly lines up a job walking a neighbor's dog and her plans to build a dog-walking empire quickly fall apart when Sarah reports the neighbor to their co-op board as pets are not allowed in the building. Later that evening, Sarah feels guilty for her actions and takes solace in Marcus's arms and accidentally spends the night at his place, breaking one of their cardinal rules.
5"I'm With Blank"Unaired105
Sarah is planning a party to celebrate the new book of one her most successful authors. However, when the author decides to read the latest draft of his book's sequel at the party, both Sarah and the young listeners discover that their favorite character may not live happily ever after. Meanwhile, an old friend of Coco's comes to town for a quick fling, but upon discovering his stay will be short-lived, Coco realizes she may not be okay with his plans.
6"Sarah Takes a Bullet"Unaired106
Sarah convinces Coco to make the dreaded trip home by promising to defend her against their parents' harsh criticisms. As expected, however, the family gathering soon becomes a Coco-bashing session. Is Sarah willing to taint her parents' perfect image of her to take the attention away from Coco?
7"Paragraph Two, Section Three"Unaired107
Sarah and Coco try to hammer out an agreement through a surrogacy lawyer but each has trouble agreeing to the other’s terms.

U.S. Nielsen Ratings
Weekly ratings
# Episode Air Date Timeslot Rating Share 18-49 (Rating/Share) Viewers (m) Rank (Timeslot) Rank (Overall)
1 "Pilot" March 14, 2008 8:00 P.M. 2.2 4 1.0/4 3.17 5 86
2 "Frankenstein Baby" March 14, 2008 8:30 P.M. 2.3 4 1.0/4 3.25 5 85
3 "Needles & Schlag" March 21, 2008 8:30 P.M. 2.1 4 1.1/4 3.11 5 76

Production

The series came into fruition when Fox gave it a put pilot commitment in July 2006.[3] It entered production and was named The Return of Jezebel James in December 2006[4] before casting began in January 2007 when Scott Cohen was the first to be cast in the regular role of Marcus Sonti.[5] In February 2007, Parker Posey was cast in the lead role.[6] Casting continued throughout March 2007 with Emmy Award-nominee Lauren Ambrose, Michael Arden, Ron McLarty and Tony Award-nominee Dana Ivey all landing roles in the series.[7][8][9] The series was greenlit and given a 13-episode order on May 11, 2007.[10]

The show was given 13 episodes in May 2007, but, in October 2007, the show was cut to seven episodes in anticipation of the pending writers strike.[11]

The show was officially canceled after the third episode aired.[12]

References
  1. The Return of Jezebel James at The Futon Critic
  2. Ausiello, Michael (2008-03-24). "Exclusive: Fox Cuts Short Sherman-Palladino's Return". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2008-03-29.
  3. "Development Update: July 31-August 4 (Weekly Round-Up)". The Futon Critic.
  4. "Development Update: December 11–15 (Weekly Round-Up)". The Futon Critic.
  5. "Development Update: Tuesday, January 23". The Futon Critic. 2007-01-23.
  6. Olsen, Mark (2007-06-17). "Parker Posey's secret? 'It's all hair and shoes'". Archived from the original on 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  7. "Development Update, Tuesday, March 6". The Futon Critic. 2007-03-06.
  8. "Development Update: Monday, March 19". The Futon Critic. 2007-03-19.
  9. "Development Update: Tuesday, March 20". The Futon Critic. 2007-03-20.
  10. "Fox Renews 'Death' Vows, Picks up Sextet". The Futon Critic.
  11. Ausiello, Michael (2007-10-12). "The Ausiello Report: Setback for AS-P's Jezebel James?". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2008-03-07.
  12. Dahl, Oscar (March 24, 2008). "FOX Cancels 'The Return of Jezebel James' After Three Episodes". BuddyTV. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
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