The Associates (American TV series)
| The Associates | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | |
| Developed by | Michael Leeson |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | B.B. King |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (4 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producer | Michael Leeson |
| Production location | Paramount Studios |
| Cinematography | Leonard J. South |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 23, 1979 – April 17, 1980 |
The Associates is an American
The Associates, from the producers of Taxi, was critically acclaimed in the fall of 1979. But, ABC-TV fell from its ratings perch that fall when they moved their schedule around. Mork & Mindy was moved to Sunday night to challenge CBS's most established night of the week. The Associates was scheduled to follow Mork as a promising new comedy series. Mork, however, was crushed by CBS's Archie Bunker's Place. ABC moved Mork back to Thursday, but it would never recover its ratings glory. One Day at a Time was the direct competition to The Associates. Meanwhile, The Associates was later moved in 1980 to Thursdays at 9:30 but pulled after four weeks. The press heavily criticized ABC for not giving the show a chance.
Synopsis
The show was the first bonafide starring vehicle for Short and centered on a small group of young novice lawyers who worked at a
Cast
- Martin Short as Tucker Kerwin
- Joe Regalbuto as Eliot Streeter
- Tim Thomerson as Johnny Danko
- Alley Mills as Leslie Dunn
- Shelley Smith as Sara James
- Wilfrid Hyde-White as Emerson Marshall
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The First Day" | James Burrows | Story by : Charlie Hauck Teleplay by : Michael Leeson | September 23, 1979 | |
| The associates learn the ropes on their first day at the firm while the founder decides between two attorneys seeking partnership. | |||||
| 2 | "Is Romance Dead?" | Tony Mordente | David Lloyd | September 30, 1979 | |
| Tucker uses tips from a book on romance to try and impress Sara. | |||||
| 3 | "Tucker's Courtroom Coup" | Tony Mordente | David Lloyd | October 7, 1979 | |
| Marshall asks Eliot to defend a client whose ex-lover is suing him. | |||||
| 4 | "Mr. Marshall's Love Affair" | Tony Mordente | David Lloyd | October 14, 1979 | |
| Marshall's intended helpmate flirts with Eliot. | |||||
| 5 | "The Deadly Serve" | Tony Mordente | John Steven Owen | October 28, 1979 | |
| Eliot accidentally kills a partner in a game of squash. | |||||
| 6 | "Eliot's Revenge" | James Burrows | Story by : Rich Reinhart Teleplay by : David Lloyd | March 27, 1980 | |
| Eliot argues with his former professor about a case. | |||||
| 7 | "Danko's a Daddy" | James Burrows | David Lloyd | April 3, 1980 | |
| Johnny tries to see his illegitimate son over the mother's objections. | |||||
| 8 | "The Censors" | Tony Mordente | Stan Daniels & Ed. Weinberger | April 10, 1980 | |
| Tucker defends a network censor being sued by a producer. | |||||
| 9 | "The Party" | James Burrows | Earl Pomerantz | April 17, 1980 | |
| Leslie falls for a teacher who despises conservative lawyers. | |||||
| 10 | "A Date with Johnny" | Tony Mordente | Earl Pomerantz | N/A | |
| Johnny goes on a date with a married co-worker. | |||||
| 11 | "Tucker's Co-Op" | Charlotte Brown | David Lloyd | N/A | |
| Tucker moves into the apartment below Marshall, who shows up unexpectedly. | |||||
| 12 | "Inferno" | Charlotte Brown | David Lloyd | N/A | |
| The lawyers try to find escape routes when a fire starts in the building. | |||||
| 13 | "The Out of Town Trip" | Tom Trbovich | Rich Reinhart | N/A | |
| The associates defend the head of a tire company accused of misusing funds, while Leslie quits the firm thinking it represents criminals. | |||||
Syndication
The series had a complete run on BBC Two in the UK in 1982. The series was rerun on A&E in 1988, followed by runs on Comedy Central and TV Land in the 1990s.
In Italy, the series aired on Rete 4 as I novellini (Newbies) in 1982.
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Emmy Award |
Nominated | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Stan Daniels and Ed. Weinberger (for episode "The Censors") |
| Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Michael Leeson and Charlie Hauck (for episode "The First Day") | |||
| Golden Globe Award | Best TV-Series - Musical/Comedy | -
| ||
| Best TV Actor - Musical/Comedy | Wilfrid Hyde-White |
External links
- The Associates at IMDb
- The Associates at epguides.com
