Platypus Man
| Platypus Man | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Barry Fanaro Mort Nathan |
| Directed by | Dick Brown Andy Cadiff |
| Starring | Richard Jeni Ron Orbach Denise Miller David Dundara |
| Composers | Rich Eames Scott Gale |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Barry Fanaro Mort Nathan |
| Producers | Michael Davidoff Marica Govons Bill Rosenthal Michael Rotenberg |
| Cinematography | Frank Raymond |
| Editors | Robert Bramwell Richard Rodono |
| Running time | 30 mins. (approx) |
| Production companies | Fanaro-Nathan Productions Paramount Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | UPN |
| Release | January 23 (1995年01月23日) – May 15, 1995 (1995年05月15日) |
Platypus Man is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23 to May 15, 1995, during the network's first season.[1] [2] Starring comedian Richard Jeni, the television series was based on an hour-long HBO special of Jeni's filmed in 1992. The series lasted one season, with a total of thirteen episodes.
Platypus Man premiered January 23, 1995. The concept of a "Platypus Man" (a solitary male, like the male platypus), the concept of a "cooking show for guys" and the scenes involving the main character's social life were drawn from Jeni's stand-up routines.[3]
The show, paired with Pig Sty , followed Star Trek: Voyager on UPN's Monday schedule. Both Pig Sty and Platypus Man were canceled in July 1995.[4]
Origin
[edit ]In the early 1990s, Jeni developed a comedy routine where he watched a National Geographic special on the platypus. In the routine, Jeni went on to describe how he found himself relating to the TV show, and the concept of a "platypus man" was expanded to become the theme behind Jeni's 1992 HBO comedy special.
The HBO special was taped in 1992 at the Park West Theater in Chicago, Illinois and covered topics such as news ("the bad news"), sports (including Jeni's "NFL Football Referee" routine), politics, music and sex. Executive producers on the project were Richard Jeni and Michael Rotenberg, it was produced by Tom Bull and Sandy Chandley, and post-production was handled by Steve Sharp and Juniper Recording Studios.
The set design for the special was created by Norm Dodge and included a checkered tile floor, a backdrop with painted-on palm trees, a refrigerator and microwave at one end of the stage (provided by Aronson Furniture, for a comedic bit entitled "Bill the Belching Gourmet"), and a black sofa at the other end of the stage. This design was reproduced in clay for the opening sequence of Platypus Man, in which art director Rick Toone of D&K Group/Claymagic used the process of claymation to introduce the show with the help of a duck-billed clay version of Richard Jeni and footage from the platypus exhibit at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
The live-action portions of the opening sequence were shot inside and outside of Jeni's house in the Hollywood Hills (in the bedroom, bathroom, hallway, driveway, balcony and pool area) and on the streets of West Hollywood, California. The song "Platypus Man" that opened and closed the special was created with the combined efforts of Scott May, Richard Jeni, and fellow comedian Rondell Sheridan and sung in a blues-like voice by Jeni.
Synopsis
[edit ]In the series, Jeni played a fictitious version of himself and was host of a cooking show called Cooking with the Platypus Man. Ron Orbach played Lou, executive producer of his cooking show and his best friend since childhood. Denise Miller played Paige, his sportswriter neighbor. David Dundara played Tommy, his bartending younger brother.
Cast
[edit ]- Richard Jeni as himself
- David Dundara as Tommy Jeni
- Denise Miller as Paige McAllister
- Ron Orbach as Lou Golembiewski
Episodes
[edit ]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Andy Cadiff | Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan | January 23, 1995 (1995年01月23日) |
| 2 | "91⁄2 Days" | Gary Brown | Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal | January 30, 1995 (1995年01月30日) |
| 3 | "The Apartment Show" | Gary Brown | Marc Sotkin | February 6, 1995 (1995年02月06日) |
| 4 | "NYPD Nude" | Andy Cadiff | Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan | February 13, 1995 (1995年02月13日) |
| 5 | "Sweet Denial" | Gary Brown | Gail Parent | February 20, 1995 (1995年02月20日) |
| 6 | "New York on 2,000ドル a Day" | Gary Brown | Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal | February 27, 1995 (1995年02月27日) |
| 7 | "Lou's the Boss" | Gary Brown | Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger | March 6, 1995 (1995年03月06日) |
| 8 | "The Crush" | Gary Brown | Mary Ann Barnes & Sheila Barnes | March 13, 1995 (1995年03月13日) |
| 9 | "Both Sides Now" | Gary Brown | Danny Smith | March 20, 1995 (1995年03月20日) |
| 10 | "Without a Hitch" | Gary Brown | Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger | April 10, 1995 (1995年04月10日) |
| 11 | "Lower East Side Story" | Gary Brown | Bill Prady | May 1, 1995 (1995年05月01日) |
| 12 | "Out of the Mouths of Babes" | Gary Brown | Billiam Coronel & Robert Bruce | May 8, 1995 (1995年05月08日) |
| 13 | "Dying to Live" | Gary Brown | Marc Sotkin & Gail Parent | May 15, 1995 (1995年05月15日) |
References
[edit ]- ^ "Tuned In: UPN announces name change, celebrates ratings". old.post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2017年10月31日.
- ^ Carter, Bill (October 6, 1994). A New Network Hopes To Lure Fox Viewers. New York Times
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (January 30, 1995). Television Review; 2 New Sitcoms, 1 New Network. New York Times
- ^ Roberts, Johnnie L. (1995年07月03日). "Kids Will Be Kids". newsweek.com. Retrieved 2009年03月23日.
External links
[edit ]- 1990s American sitcoms
- 1995 American television series debuts
- 1995 American television series endings
- American English-language television shows
- Fictional monotremes
- Television series about mammals
- Television series by CBS Studios
- Television shows set in New York City
- Hispanic and Latino American sitcoms
- UPN sitcoms