Wikipedia

The Odd Couple (2015 TV series)

The Odd Couple is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from February 19, 2015, to January 30, 2017.[1][2] It was the seventh screen production based on the 1965 play written by Neil Simon, following the 1968 film, the original 1970s television series, a 1975 Saturday morning cartoon, a 1982 reboot of the 1970 series, The Odd Couple: Together Again (a TV film reunion of the 1970 series) and The Odd Couple II (a 1998 sequel to the 1968 film).

The Odd Couple
GenreSitcom
Created byMatthew Perry
Based onThe Odd Couple
by Neil Simon
Developed by
Starring
Theme music composerNeal Hefti
Composers
  • Bruce Miller
  • Jason Miller
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes38 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Matthew Perry
  • Eric Tannenbaum
  • Kim Tannenbaum
  • Sarah Timberman
  • Carl Beverly
  • Garry Marshall
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time21–22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseFebruary 19, 2015 (2015-02-19) –
January 30, 2017 (2017-01-30)
Related

The show stars Matthew Perry, who also developed and executive produced the series, as the slovenly Oscar Madison and Thomas Lennon as the obsessively-tidy Felix Unger. Perry and Lennon had previously worked together on the film 17 Again. The show was announced in December 2013 and was picked up by CBS as a midseason offering for the 2014–15 season.[3]

On May 16, 2016, CBS renewed the show for a third season of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 17, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2017.[4][5][6][7] The series was canceled on May 15, 2017, after three seasons and 38 episodes.[8][9]

Plot

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Felix Unger and Oscar Madison meet at college in the late 1980s, and fate puts them together as roommates: while Felix is extremely neurotic and fussy in contrast to the slovenly and easy-going Oscar, they become friends quickly. They eventually marry two women very different from themselves (Felix gets hitched to the calm but feisty Ashley, and Oscar settles down with the insecure Gaby).

Years later, Felix, now a neat-freak news writer and photographer, is kicked out by Ashley after twenty years of marriage (having spent eight of them in marriage counseling, with Felix going alone for the last two years) and moves in with Oscar, now a sports talk show host, whose ex-wife Gaby has left him because he was a thoughtless slob.

Felix and Oscar attempt to date Casey and Emily, two sisters who are roommates in the same building, and who both have recently exited their own unhealthy relationships. Felix is pretty insecure as he still has feelings for Ashley, which contrasts with Oscar who claims to be better off away from his ex. However, Oscar later confesses to Felix that he is not over Gaby.

Oscar holds poker games regularly, with two of the players being Teddy, his agent, and Roy, one of his best friends.

Episodes

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Main article: List of The Odd Couple (2015 TV series) episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
112February 19, 2015 (2015-02-19)May 14, 2015 (2015-05-14)
213April 7, 2016 (2016-04-07)May 23, 2016 (2016-05-23)
313October 17, 2016 (2016-10-17)January 30, 2017 (2017-01-30)

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Matthew Perry as Oscar Madison: a sportswriter and sports talk radio personality. He is somewhat lazy and his apartment is usually a mess. Oscar and Felix clash immediately when Felix moves in and insists they keep the apartment clean and organized. Oscar runs a sports radio show from his apartment with his assistant Dani. He is initially a womanizer, having many one night stands until meeting Charlotte in Season 2.
  • Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger: a professional photographer, Felix is a clean freak. He and Oscar clash with their different personalities. Felix also teaches yoga part-time. Felix and his wife Ashley begin a separation but later Ashley files for divorce. It is not until he starts a relationship with Emily that Felix can truly move on from Ashley.
  • Yvette Nicole Brown as Danielle "Dani" Duncan: Oscar's assistant on his radio show who later becomes the series' producer. She has a very strong personality and often speaks her mind. Dani and Emily begin to hang out and she encourages Emily to show the true feelings she has for Felix. Despite her useful knowledge of dating, Dani is chronically unsuccessful in her own dating life, and even seeks help from Oscar and Felix to find her the perfect date.
  • Lindsay Sloane as Emily: the upstairs neighbor who is attracted to Felix. Emily works at the local bar but has a jewelry business that is her true passion. She is often down on herself and has low self-esteem when it comes to dating and her career.
  • Wendell Pierce as Teddy: Oscar's agent and friend. Teddy continually finds Oscar work, often encouraging Oscar to do jobs he does not want to do for the sake of publicity. Teddy has a successful marriage, but also mentions that his wife can be domineering.

Recurring

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  • Leslie Bibb as Casey: Emily's sister who is a professional model. She has a brief fling with Oscar but later tells him that she wants to stay friends. Casey also sets up Emily on a date with Felix following his separation.
  • Dave Foley as Roy: Oscar's friend who hangs out in the apartment and plays softball with Oscar. Seen only in the first season. He is often overlooked by Murph, even though they play next to each other in the outfield. Murph also can't remember Roy's name, which is a running gag during his appearances.
  • Lauren Graham as Gaby: Oscar's ex-wife. She makes an appearance during the first-season finale when she and Oscar are audited by the IRS because of a comment Felix made during a meeting with an IRS agent. Oscar and Gaby get back together for a one-night stand, but Oscar wants to take things slow.
  • Geoff Stults as Marcus "Murph" Murphy: Oscar's friend who is a former New York Mets player. He is a womanizer and amateur poet who appears to be absent-minded and often cannot remember people's names. Emily thinks he has a crush on her, but it turned out that Murph only wanted to buy Emily's jewelry for another woman.
  • Christine Woods as Ashley: Felix's estranged wife. She announced that she was separating from Felix, and later on in the first season she files for divorce. She begins dating guys which makes Felix jealous.
  • Teri Hatcher as Charlotte: a smart, successful single mother who lives in the building. Although she and Oscar initially clash when he dates her young nanny, she becomes Oscar's new love interest beginning in the second season.[10] She is divorced and has one child.
  • Sheryl Underwood as Diane: Teddy's wife. She is mentioned throughout the first season but makes her first appearance in the second season. She has a sarcastic sense of humor.

Production

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Development and filming

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Matthew Perry was a fan of The Odd Couple, particularly the 1968 film version, which served as the main source of inspiration for the revived series.[11][non-primary source needed] Perry had been pitching the idea to the networks since the late 2000s, expecting the show for 2010. However, executives passed on it, and Perry turned into another production, NBC's Go On which was canceled after one season. Thereafter, Perry began concentrating on his pet project once again, being finally picked up by CBS in late 2013.

Perry and Danny Jacobson began developing the updated take on Neil Simon's classic as a multi-camera comedy at the network. Perry and Jacobson co-wrote the CBS Television Studios-based half-hour, with Perry attached to play the Oscar role. Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman of Timberman-Beverly Productions and Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum of The Tannenbaum Co. served as executive producers on the project, which had a penalty attached.[12] On February 25, 2014, CBS ordered a pilot co-written by Perry and Joe Keenan.[13] On May 9, 2014, CBS ordered the pilot to series for a 13-episode season scheduled for a mid-season premiere.[14][15]

On May 11, 2015, the series was renewed for a second season of 13 episodes which premiered on April 7, 2016, and concluded on May 23, 2016.[16][17][18]

On October 31, 2016, CBS announced that the fourth episode of the third season would pay tribute to the late Garry Marshall, creator of the original TV version in 1970. Marshall previously guest starred in the second season of the current series as Oscar's father, Walter.[19] The series' third season concluded on January 30, 2017, with no additional episodes ordered.[20]

On April 10, 2017, Matthew Perry tweeted, "My face on the Odd Couple stage door has been painted over with green paint. I think it's safe to assume that we have been cancelled. #subtle".[21][non-primary source needed] On May 15, 2017, CBS officially canceled the show after three seasons.[8][9]

Casting

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On February 28, 2014, Sarah Baker who previously worked with Perry on Go On was cast for a role for the pilot playing Oscar's assistant.[22] On March 13, 2014, Thomas Lennon was cast opposite Perry as Felix.[23] The Michael J. Fox Show star Wendell Pierce was cast as Teddy, a buddy partner for Oscar for the pilot on March 14, 2014.[24] Georgia King was cast as a female lead on March 17, 2014.[25] Lindsay Sloane was cast for the pilot on March 21, 2014.[26] Following the series order, both Baker and King dropped out and subsequently the network was recasting the roles as of May 13, 2014.[27] On August 8, 2014, it was announced that Yvette Nicole Brown was cast to succeed Baker as Oscar's assistant Dani[28] – though the role had been downgraded to recurring[29] to allow for her role on the upcoming season of Community. However shortly after announcing on August 30, 2014, that she was leaving Community due to a family emergency,[30] she was upgraded to a series regular role on October 6, 2014.[31] On September 10, 2015, it was announced that Teri Hatcher was cast as a recurring character named Charlotte, who's a new love interest for Oscar.[10]

Broadcast

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The series debuted simultaneously in Canada on CTV.[32] In Australia, Network Ten acquired the rights to air the series[33] and premiered it at 7:30 pm on March 23, 2015.[34]

Home media

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The first season of The Odd Couple was released on DVD on April 5, 2016. The second and third seasons were individually released on October 24, 2018, via Amazon.

Release Date Ep # DVD Name
August 2, 2016 12 The Odd Couple Season One
October 14, 2018 13 The Odd Couple Season Two
The Odd Couple Season Three

Reception

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Critical reception

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The Odd Couple has received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, season one has a score of 42 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[35] On Rotten Tomatoes, the season 1 received 24% "rotten" ratings with consensus, "Stars Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon make a fine Oscar and Felix, but The Odd Couple's flat jokes and canned laughter are pretty old hat."[36]

Controversy

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The third episode of the second season, "From Here to Maturity", was criticized by many Bosniak communities in Europe and North America.[37] In the episode, Felix (Thomas Lennon) asks Emily (Lindsay Sloane) on a date by saying, "Let's go visit that new Serbian restaurant, The Taste of Srebrenica." The line seemed to reference the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which 8,000 young Bosniak men and boys were systematically rounded up and killed by the Bosnian Serb Army.[37][38]

In an open letter, Eldin Elezovic, president of the Congress of North American Bosniaks stated that the Congress felt "very disturbed and disappointed" by the joke.[38] He further said the show's line was analogous to saying something as horrendous as 'Let's go visit that new German restaurant, The taste of Auschwitz'."[38] Almir Seckanovic of Faktor said the joke was "the most primitive way" to insult Srebrenica victims;[39] Branka Antic Stauber, who runs a non-governmental organization that works with Bosniak women who were raped during the war, called the joke "inhumane"; and the Ontario-based research organization The Institute of Research of Genocide Canada, called the joke a "terrible humiliation of the victims of Srebrenica".[40][non-primary source needed]

On May 10, 2016, the show's executive producer, Bob Daily, apologized for the line, saying, "We were unaware of any connection to the terrible tragedy in Srebrenica. We would never intentionally disrespect or make light of such an event and sincerely apologize to anyone we may have offended."[41]

Ratings

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Season Time slot (ET) No. of
episodes 		Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Date Viewers
(in millions) 		Date Viewers
(in millions)
1 Thursday 8:30 pm 12 February 19, 2015 13.57[42] May 14, 2015 8.17[43] 2014–15 32 11.28[44]
2 Thursday 8:30 pm
Monday 9:30 pm 		13 April 7, 2016 7.63[45] May 23, 2016 4.47[46] 2015–16 49 8.57[47]
3 Monday 9:30 pm 13 October 17, 2016 4.58[48] January 30, 2017 5.30[49] 2016–17 72 6.00[50]

Accolades

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Year Association Category Nominee(s) Result Refs
2016 42nd People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedic TV Actor Matthew Perry Nominated [51]
2017 43rd People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedic TV Actor Matthew Perry Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2014). "CBS 2014 Schedule: Monday Comedy Block Trimmed, 'NCIS: New Orleans' Gets Post-'NCIS' Slot, 'NCIS: LA' To Monday, 'CSI' To Sunday, 'The Amazing Race' To Friday". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  2. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 5, 2014). "'Two and a Half Men' to End Thursday, February 19th Following 'The Odd Couple' + 'Mom' Shifts to 9:30". TVbytheNumbers.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  3. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 1, 2015). "CBS Announces Season Finale Dates for 'The Big Bang Theory', 'NCIS' & More; 'Stalker' Returns May 4". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 16, 2016). "'Code Black', 'Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders', 'The Odd Couple' & 'Undercover Boss' Renewed By CBS". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 21, 2016). "CBS Sets Fall 2016 Premiere Dates, Slates JonBenet Ramsey Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. ^ "Shows A-Z – odd couple, the on cbs". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 30, 2016). "'The Odd Couple' Season 3 To Consist Of 13 Episodes; CBS Not Ordering More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Holloway, Daniel (May 15, 2017). "'The Odd Couple' Canceled by CBS". Variety. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (May 15, 2017). "'The Odd Couple' Canceled By CBS After 3 Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Ausiello, Michael (September 10, 2015). "Teri Hatcher Joins 'The Odd Couple' Cast Season Two". TVLine.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  11. ^ Perry, Matthew (March 6, 2015). "The movie like 50 times RT @CaskettOlitz: @MatthewPerry did you watch the original #TheOddCouple to prepare for your role as Oscar Madison?". Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  12. ^ "Development Update: Friday, December 13". The Futon Critic. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  13. ^ "Development Update: Tuesday, February 25". The Futon Critic. February 25, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  14. ^ "Development Update: Friday, May 9 Five Dramas, Two Comedies Kick Off Series Orders at CBS". The Futon Critic. May 9, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  15. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 14, 2014). "CBS 2014–15 Primetime Schedule: 'Big Bang Theory' & 'Mom' Lead Monday; 'The Mentalist' & 'CSI: Cyber' Held for Midseason + 'NCIS: New Orleans' Takes Post-NCIS Spot & 'Amazing Race' Goes to Friday". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  16. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 11, 2015). "'The Good Wife', 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Person of Interest' & Many More Renewed by CBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "CBS Studios Shows – 2015/16 Season – Episodes Orders Revealed". SpoilerTV. August 17, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  18. ^ Hibberd, James (November 30, 2015). "CBS midseason dates: Here's when Survivor returns". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  19. ^ Hill, Libby (October 31, 2016). "'The Odd Couple' to pay tribute to Garry Marshall with appearances by Ron Howard and more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 31, 2017). "'The Odd Couple' Wraps Ho-Hum Season 3 With Average Ratings; Will It Be Back?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  21. ^ perry, matthew (April 10, 2017). "My face on the Odd Couple stage door has been painted over with green paint.I think it's safe to assume that we have been cancelled.#subtle". Twitter.
  22. ^ "Development Update: Friday, February 28". The Futon Critic. February 28, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  23. ^ "Development Update: Thursday, March 13". The Futon Critic. March 13, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  24. ^ "Development Update: Friday, March 14". The Futon Critic. March 14, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  25. ^ "Development Update: Monday, March 17". The Futon Critic. March 17, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  26. ^ "Development Update: Friday, March 21". The Futon Critic. March 17, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  27. ^ "Development Update: Tuesday, May 13". The Futon Critic. May 13, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  28. ^ "Development Update: Friday, August 8". The Futon Critic. August 8, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  29. ^ Michael Ausiello (October 4, 2014). "Yvette Nicole Brown on CBS' 'The Odd Couple' — Promoted to Series Regular – TVLine". TVLine. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  30. ^ Michael Schneider (September 30, 2014). "Exclusive: Yvette Nicole Brown Departs Community". TV Guide. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  31. ^ "Breaking News – Development Update: Monday, October 6". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  32. ^ "Matthew Perry set to play slob in Odd Couple remake". canada.com. November 17, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  33. ^ Knox, David (November 14, 2014). "TEN 2015 highlights: Celebrity, Drama, Sport". TV Tonight. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  34. ^ Knox, David (March 7, 2015). "Airdate: The Odd Couple, Melb. Comedy Festival Gala. Returning: Modern Family". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  35. ^ "The Odd Couple (2015): Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  36. ^ "The Odd Couple: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  37. ^ a b "A Taste Of Srebrenica? Bosnians Outraged By U.S. Sitcom's Balkan Massacre Joke". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. May 9, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  38. ^ a b c Elezović, Eldin; Ramić, Emir (2016). "Open letter to Mr. Perry and other co-producers of the show "The Odd Couple"". Congress of North American Bosniaks. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  39. ^ "Srpski restoran 'Ukus Srebrenice': Popularna američka serija vrijeđa žrtve genocida". Faktor. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  40. ^ "Open letter to TV CBS and "The Odd Couple" executive producers". Institute For Research Of Genocide Canada. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  41. ^ "U.S. TV Producer Apologizes For Srebrenica Quip in Comedy Show". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  42. ^ Bibel, Sara (February 20, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'Scandal', 'Two and a Half Men' & 'How To Get Away With Murder' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  43. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 15, 2015). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Blacklist' Adjusted Up; 'Reign' Adjusted Down; No Adjustment to 'Scandal'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 17, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  44. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 22, 2015). "Full 2014–15 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  45. ^ Porter, Rick (April 8, 2016). "Thursday final ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' adjusts up, 'Odd Couple' and 'The 100' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  46. ^ Porter, Rick (May 24, 2016). "Monday final ratings: 'The Bachelorette' premiere, all others hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  47. ^ "Full 2015–16 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  48. ^ Porter, Rick (October 18, 2016). "'Gotham,' 'The Voice,' 'Big Bang,' 'DWTS' adjust up, 'Conviction' and '2 Broke Girls' adjust down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  49. ^ Porter, Rick (January 31, 2017). "'Quantico' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  50. ^ "Final 2016–17 TV Rankings: 'Sunday Night Football' Winning Streak Continues". Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  51. ^ "42nd People's Choice Awards Winners and Nominees". People's Choice Awards. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
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