Wild Card (TV series)
Wild Card (also known as Zoe Busiek: Wild Card) is a Canadian-American coproduced comedy-drama series starring Joely Fisher. It was broadcast in the United States on Lifetime, and on the Global Television Network in Canada from August 2003 to July 2005.
| Wild Card | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Zoe Busiek: Wild Card |
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Created by | Lynn Marie Latham Bernard Lechowick |
| Starring | Joely Fisher Chris Potter Vikki Krinsky Aislinn Paul Jamie Johnston |
| Country of origin | Canada United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Lynn Marie Latham Bernard Lechowick Douglas Steinberg |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production companies | Fireworks Entertainment Lifetime Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Lifetime (United States) Global Television Network (Canada) |
| Original release | August 1, 2003 – July 16, 2005 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Synopsis
Zoe Busiek is a former Las Vegas blackjack dealer whose life takes an unexpected turn when her sister dies in a car accident and she has to take care of her sister's three children, teenaged Taylor, preteen Cliff, and little kid Hannah. When the insurance company denies the family a financial settlement Zoe takes matters into her own hands, which leads her to a new career as an insurance fraud investigator with handsome former criminal Dan Lennox and serious but sweet Sophia Mason becoming her partners.
Each episode is centered on a particular case as well as Zoe's family life.
Sophia later becomes the boss. She leaves the show in the second season, along with Marcos, and is replaced by M. Pearl McGuire, who becomes Zoe's and Dan's new boss.
Cast
Main
- Joely Fisher as Zoe Busiek
- Chris Potter as Dan Lennox
- Rae Dawn Chong as Sophia Mason (season 1)
- Bronson Picket as Marcos Morales (season 1)
- Jamie Johnston as Clifford "Cliff" Woodall
- Vikki Krinsky as Taylor Woodall
- Aislinn Paul as Hannah Woodall
- Loretta Devine as M. (Matilda) Pearl McGuire (season 2)
Recurring
- Corey Sevier as Julian
- Yani Gellman as Ryder
- Joe Pingue as Leo Lombardi
Production notes
The series, which is set in Chicago, Illinois (filmed in Toronto), was created and executive produced by Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick. The theme song for the first season is performed by Amy Sky, while the theme song for the second season, "I Believe In Me," is performed by Cherie.
Main crew
Lynn Marie Latham, Bernard Lechowick, Linda Gase, and Thania St. John. Latham and Lechowick were fired as showrunners by the end of the first season, replaced by Doug Steinberg (formerly a consultant on Dawson's Creek).
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 18 | August 2, 2003 | January 24, 2004 | ||
| 2 | 18 | July 11, 2004 | July 16, 2005 | ||
Season 1 (2003–04)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Stephen Surjik | Lynn Marie Latham & Bernard Lechowick | August 2, 2003 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Learning Curve" | TBA | TBA | August 9, 2003 |
| 3 | 3 | "Con Artistry" | TBA | TBA | August 16, 2003 |
| 4 | 4 | "Hell Week" | TBA | TBA | August 23, 2003 |
| 5 | 5 | "Dearly Beloved" | TBA | TBA | September 6, 2003 |
| 6 | 6 | "Dead Again" | TBA | TBA | September 13, 2003 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Cheese Stands Alone" | TBA | TBA | September 27, 2003 |
| 8 | 8 | "No Bull" | TBA | TBA | October 4, 2003 |
| 9 | 9 | "Mimi's Assetts" | TBA | TBA | October 18, 2003 |
| 10 | 10 | "Spooked" | TBA | TBA | October 25, 2003 |
| 11 | 11 | "Sand Trap" | TBA | TBA | November 8, 2003 |
| 12 | 12 | "Black Sheep" | TBA | TBA | November 15, 2003 |
| 13 | 13 | "Bullet Proof" | TBA | TBA | December 6, 2003 |
| 14 | 14 | "Backstabbed" | TBA | TBA | December 13, 2003 |
| 15 | 15 | "Auntie Venom" | TBA | TBA | January 3, 2004 |
| 16 | 16 | "Block Party" | TBA | TBA | January 10, 2004 |
| 17 | 17 | "Candy Land" | TBA | TBA | January 17, 2004 |
| 18 | 18 | "Queen Bea" | TBA | TBA | January 24, 2004 |
Season 2 (2004–05)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | "A Felony for Melanie" | July 11, 2004 |
| 20 | 2 | "Dr. Sidney Loses a Kidney" | July 18, 2004 |
| 21 | 3 | "Sniper Shot, Intern Hot" | July 25, 2004 |
| 22 | 4 | "Roses Are Red, Violets Are Busiek" | August 1, 2004 |
| 23 | 5 | "Bound and Gagged, Your Husband Was Snagged" | August 8, 2004 |
| 24 | 6 | "Wham Bam, Thank You Dan" | August 15, 2004 |
| 25 | 7 | "Slam Dunk Funk" | August 22, 2004 |
| 26 | 8 | "Die, Die, Who Am I?" | September 26, 2004 |
| 27 | 9 | "Premonition Mission" | October 3, 2004 |
| 28 | 10 | "Bada Bing, Bada Busiek" | October 10, 2004 |
| 29 | 11 | "Tick Tock, Writer's Block" | October 17, 2004 |
| 30 | 12 | "Blind in a Bind" | October 24, 2004 |
| 31 | 13 | "Russian Missus Gets No Kisses" | June 11, 2005 |
| 32 | 14 | "See Ya Later, Investigator!" | June 18, 2005 |
| 33 | 15 | "A Whisper from Zoe's Sister" | June 25, 2005 |
| 34 | 16 | "Multiple Personality Fatality" | July 2, 2005 |
| 35 | 17 | "My Boyfriend Is an Axe Murderer" | July 9, 2005 |
| 36 | 18 | "Zoe's Phony Matrimony" | July 16, 2005 |
Syndication
The series was aired in syndication on the Lifetime Real Women network.
References
- Jeffrey Stepakoff, "Billion-Dollar Kiss" (Gotham/Penguin), p. 297. Stepakoff was briefly a co-executive producer of the series in its early episodes.