Happily Divorced
| Happily Divorced | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | |
| Starring | |
| Composer(s) |
Gavin Lurssen Ran Pink |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 34 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor | Endemol |
| Release | |
| Original network | TV Land |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | June 15, 2011 – February 13, 2013 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Happily Divorced is an American sitcom created by Fran Drescher and her ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson. Inspired by their experiences, the series, which became TV Land's third original scripted series following Hot in Cleveland and Retired at 35, ran from June 15, 2011, to February 13, 2013, and revolves around a Los Angeles florist who finds out her husband of 18 years is gay. The series was canceled after two seasons on August 23, 2013.[1]
Premise
Drescher plays Fran Lovett, a Los Angeles florist who is shocked when Peter, her husband of 18 years, comes out of the closet as gay. They divorce, but because of the poor economy, they cannot afford to live separately. She struggles with navigating the new parameters of their relationship while re-entering the dating pool.[2]
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Fran Drescher as Fran Lovett (née Newman), an L.A. florist
- John Michael Higgins as Peter Lovett, a real estate agent and Fran's gay ex-husband
- Tichina Arnold as Judi Mann, Fran's best friend
- Valente Rodriguez as Cesar, Fran's Mexican-American flower shop employee
- Rita Moreno as Dori Newman, Fran's mother
- Robert Walden as Glenn Newman, Fran's father
Recurring cast
- D. W. Moffett as Elliot, Fran's first love after divorcing Peter, later an on-off relationship interest, and Fran's ex-fiancee
- Renée Taylor as Marilyn Kappelmaster, Dori's neighbor and frenemy
- Joan Collins as herself,[5] Peter's boss when he takes a second job as her personal assistant
- Harry Van Gorkum as Neil, Fran's new neighbor who is at first an adversary, but later complicates her relationship with Elliot
- Colin Ferguson as Chris, Peter's boyfriend
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| 1 | 10 | June 15, 2011 | August 17, 2011 | March 6, 2012[6] | N/A | N/A | |
| 2 | 24[7] | March 7, 2012 | February 13, 2013 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
Development and production
Happily Divorced is inspired by the real lives of series creators Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson, who had been high school sweethearts and then married in 1978. They divorced in 1999. Jacobson later came out as gay to Drescher and the two remained friends.[8] In 2010 the pair, who had previously created Drescher's earlier series The Nanny,[9] began developing the series based on their life experiences. Initially Drescher planned only to write and produce Happily Divorced but eventually decided to star as well. Set in Los Angeles, Fran's gay ex-husband still lives with her for economic reasons, with "a very traditional family. Everyone's very accepting that he's gay. They're both dating; he's new at it, she's new at it."[10] TV Land gave the green light to a pilot episode in November 2010.[11] The network announced on March 21, 2011, that the series had been picked up with a ten-episode order.[2] The show is shot in front of a live studio audience at CBS Radford in Studio City.,[12][13] which provides Happily Divorced the typical style of the 1990s' sitcoms. There are still more parallels to The Nanny: the opener is an animation, underlaid with specially composed music and also, Drescher refuses a role name and is just called 'Fran'.[14] The Nanny regulars, Renée Taylor and Charles Shaughnessy, have made guest appearances; the latter having also co-starred on Living With Fran. The show premiered on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, in the 10:30 time slot after the television show Hot in Cleveland.[14]
The show was renewed on July 20, 2011, for a second season of 12 episodes, which started airing weekly on March 7, 2012. The new season is advertised by the slogan "The Laugh is Back".[15] Beginning of February 2012 TV Land made the guest stars for season 2 public. There are again some famous The Nanny faces : Renée Taylor (alias Sylvia Fine) returns from season 1 as Dori's neighbor "Marilyn", and Ann Guilbert (alias Yetta) appears as Marilyn's mother, "Mrs. Kapelmaster". Furthermore, Hollywood beauties Morgan Fairchild and Joan Collins will be on view as well.[16]
On April 29, 2012, the day of the TV Land Awards 2012, the cable broadcaster extended the second season, picking up an additional 12 episodes, bringing the total count of season 2 to 24 episodes. The initial 12 episode order concluded June 6. The 12 additional episodes began airing November 28, 2012, at 10:30 PM EST, following the Season 4 premiere of Hot in Cleveland at 10 PM.[17]
The show was officially cancelled on August 23, 2013.[18]
Ratings
| Season | Timeslot (ET/PT) | # Ep. | Premiered | Ended | TV Season | Viewers (in millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Premiere Viewers (in millions) |
Date | Finale Viewers (in millions) | |||||
| 1 | 10 | 2.41[19] | 1.64[20] | 2011 | 1.69 | |||
| 2 | 24 | 1.44[21] | 1.06[22] | 2012–13 | 1.09 | |||
Critical reception
Early reviews of the series were mixed. David Hinckley, writing for The New York Daily News, noted that it "may be that all this will develop an interesting story. On opening night, though, it feels like the show's primary goal is to set up one-liners – which is not how the great shows got to be great."[23] Brian Lowry of Variety called it "so painfully broad and filled with gay stereotypes all but Drescher's most faithful fans will yearn to be separated from their TVs,"[24] while Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe summed it as "the kind of throwback you just might want to throw back."[25] Mark A. Perigard's review for The Boston Herald was very emphatic; he noted that "in Happily Divorced, TV Land, the cable channel for baby boomers, finally may have found the perfect companion to its smash Hot in Cleveland."[26]
DVD release
Paramount Home Video released the first season of Happily Divorced on Region 1 DVD on March 6, 2012.[27]
| DVD Name | Region 1 Release Date | Region 2 Release Date | Region 4 Release Date | Ep # | Discs | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 6, 2012 | TBA | TBA | 10 | 2 | Cast Interviews, a "Cancer Schmancer" PSA. |
Broadcast
Endemol has sold Happily Divorced into multiple territories. The show has been bought by SBS in the Netherlands, SABC in South Africa, Global in Canada, Comedy Central in India, Italy, Mexico and Brazil, MTV in Latin America and TVNZ in New Zealand.[28] Similar deals with a German company for Happily Divorced will be announced soon. In Bulgaria the show has been bought by Fox Life.[29] Advanced negotiations are underway in Poland and Sweden.[28] In Greece, the sitcom premiered on October 15, 2012, at the prime-time slot of Makedonia TV. In Belgium the show premiered April 8, 2013, and airs daily on VIJF after reruns of The Nanny at 6.30pm. In the United Kingdom, the series made its debut on May 12, 2013, on TLC UK.[30]
References
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 23, 2013). "TV Land's 'Happily Divorced' Cancelled". Deadline Hollywood.
- 1 2 "Happily Divorced renewed for 3rd season". April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
- ↑ AfterElton Briefs: Daniel Radcliffe is a Hero, Chord Overstreet's Tight End, Introducing Fran Drescher's Gay TV Ex, and More!, AfterElton, March 11, 2011
- ↑ TV Land Orders 10 Episodes Of Fran Drescher's 'Happily Divorced', OnTopMagazine, March 22, 2011
- ↑ Keck's Exclusives First Look: Dynasty Diva Gets Happily Divorced, TVguide, November 5, 2012
- ↑ Lambert, David (December 19, 2011). "Happily Divorced – TV Land's New Fran Drescher Series Announced for DVD in the U.S.". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie/ (April 26, 2012). "TV Land Orders 12 More Episodes Of Fran Drescher Sitcom 'Happily Divorced'". Deadline. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
- ↑ Zakarin, Jordan (March 15, 2011). "Fran Drescher's 'Happily Divorced' Close To TV Land Pickup". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ↑ Fran Drescher Outs Ex Hubby, Says They're Still Great Friends
- ↑ "Modern Family: Peter Marc Jacobson on Success, Sexuality, and Being in Love with Fran Drescher – GuySpy". guyspy.com.
- ↑ "TV Land greenlights two scripted pilots". UPI.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ↑ . "Happily Divorced". On-camera-audiences.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (February 10, 2011). "Producers double down for TV Land – Entertainment News, Headline Newsletter Top Stories, Media". Variety. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- 1 2 ""Happily Divorced" Starring Fran Drescher Starts Production « TV Land Prime". Blogs.tvland.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Hot in Cleveland and Happily Divorced Are Back". TVland.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Morgan Fairchild to guest star on Fran Drescher's 'Happily Divorced'". Reality TV World. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ↑ Archived July 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Fran Drescher Comedy 'Happily Divorced' Canceled at TV Land". Hollywoodreporter.com. 2013-08-23. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (December 1, 2011). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'American Horror Story' Tops Night + Captain Kirk Boosts 'Psych'; 'Hot In Cleveland,' 'Full Throttle Saloon' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ↑ Gorman, Bill (February 2, 2012). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Challenge: Battle of the Exes' Tops Original Cable + 'Dog the Bounty Hunter,' 'Royal Pains,' 'Hot In Cleveland,' 'Face Off' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ↑ "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Dallas', + 'Royal Pains', 'Storage Wars', 'Barter Kings', 'Necessary Roughness' & More – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. June 21, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ↑ "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' Wins Night, DNC Coverage, 'Royal Pains', 'Ghost Hunters', 'Storage Wars Texas', 'Real World', & More – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. September 6, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ↑ Hinckley, David (June 14, 2011). "Fran Drescher's New TV Land Series Uses One-liners, Gay-friendly Jokes". The New York Daily News. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ↑ Lowry, Brian (June 15, 2011). "TV Review > Happily Divorced". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ↑ Gilbert, Matthew (June 15, 2011). "Drescher's New Sitcom Sounds Familiar In Several Ways". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ↑ Perigard, Mark A. (June 15, 2011). "Fran Drescher Borrows From Life For Divorced Comedy". Boston Herald. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ↑ "Happily Divorced DVD news: Announcement for Happily Divorced – Season 1". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- 1 2 http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?article=63069&area=1. Retrieved October 14, 2011. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Endemol's Happily Divorced, The Exes to Land in Latin America – Distribución – Mercados – 03_Endemol_Distribution_The_Exes_Happily_Divorced_MIPCOM". ttvMediaNews. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ↑ Munn, Patrick (2013-04-26). "TLC Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Happily Divorced'". TVWise. Retrieved 2014-01-20.