1990 American crime drama musical television series
Cop Rock
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Genre
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Created by
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Starring
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Theme music composer
| Randy Newman
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Opening theme
| "Under the Gun" performed by Randy Newman
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Composers
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Country of origin
| United States
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Original language
| English
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No.
of seasons
| 1
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No.
of episodes
| 11
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Executive producer
| Steven Bochco
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Producers
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Cinematography
| |
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Editors
|
- Joe Ann Fogle
- Chuck Weiss
- Stephen Mark
- Michael B. Hoggan
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Camera setup
| Multi-camera
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Running time
| 48?49 minutes
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Production companies
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Budget
| $13.2?22
million
[2]
[1]
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Network
| ABC
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Release
| September 26
(
1990-09-26
)
?
December 26, 1990
(
1990-12-26
)
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Cop Rock
is an American
police procedural
musical television series created by
Steven Bochco
and
William M. Finkelstein
for the
American Broadcasting Company
. It premiered on September 26, 1990, and broadcast eleven episodes before concluding on December 26. It was both a critical and commercial failure when it originally aired.
Premise
[
edit
]
Following the
Los Angeles Police Department
,
Cop Rock
features an ensemble cast of police officers and detectives as they solve crimes across the city, with the series mixing musical and choreography throughout storylines and to introduce new characters. In its main storyline, Captain John Hollander (Larry Joshua) investigates the involvement of Detective Vincent LaRusso (
Peter Onorati
) in the execution of murder suspect Tyrone Weeks (Art Kimbro).
Subplots
include Detective Ralph Ruskin's (
Ron McLarty
) growing jealousy of his wife Officer Vicki Quinn (
Anne Bobby
), and her friendship with Officer Andy Campo (David Gianopoulos); Quinn helping drug addict Patricia Spence (
Kathleen Wilhoite
) recover her baby which Spence had sold for $200; and the relationship between corrupt Mayor Louise Plank (
Barbara Bosson
) and Chief Roger Kendrick (
Ronny Cox
).
Cast
[
edit
]
Main
[
edit
]
Recurring
[
edit
]
Episodes
[
edit
]
Production
[
edit
]
| This section
needs expansion
. You can help by
adding to it
.
(
October 2021
)
|
Development
[
edit
]
In the early 1980s, a
Broadway
producer offered
Steven Bochco
a proposal to convert his series
Hill Street Blues
into a musical. As the plan was not practical, the proposal was declined, but Bochco kept the idea in mind and thought about doing the opposite instead, converting a Broadway show into a
police procedural
television series. In 1987, the
American Broadcasting Company
(ABC) gave Bochco a production commitment for ten of his future shows, and wanting to experiment, he developed
Cop Rock
as a "bold and adventurous" idea.
[1]
The head of ABC Entertainment at the time,
Bob Iger
, was one of the only people willing to give him a chance, allowing the creation of the series.
[1]
On the opportunity,
James McDaniel
stated that, "the media said it was impossible and that it was ridiculous, but nothing's impossible and ridiculous if you have the right pieces in place."
[1]
Casting
[
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]
Over 200 people auditioned for
Cop Rock
;
Peter Onorati
, who portrays Detective Vincent LaRusso, was introduced to the series by his wife after she talked with
Howard McGillin
, who had also auditioned. Jokingly stating that he had experience singing at weddings, Onorati's agent, Kay Liberman, set up an audition, where Onorati performed
Fats Domino
's "
Blue Monday
".
[1]
One of the only actors with singing experience,
Teri Austin
graduated with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
and performed "Lover Man" and "
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
" at her audition.
Kathleen Wilhoite
, who portrays Patricia Spence, had a
record deal
at the time, and decided to audition with "
Easy to Be Hard
", finding her casting as a "good gig for me, because singing is kind of my thing".
[1]
McDaniel, on the other hand, turned down an offer to join the series but changed his mind after finding out it was created by Bochco, who he had worked with on the last season of
Hill Street Blues
.
[1]
Mick Murray was searching for an acting job in
New York
and was going through multiple pilots from ABC before hearing about
Cop Rock
and Bochco's involvement. At his audition, the
casting director
was Alexa Fogel, who was not of fan of his following a failed audition for the film
Young Guns
. As a result, Murray decided to perform
a cappella
by
Terence Trent D'Arby
, which Fogel responded to with "the warmest smile". At night, Murray received a phone call from his agent and was told that the production crew had expanded a small role for him so he could join as a series regular.
[1]
Larry Joshua brought his own guitar to his audition and performed "When She Wants Good Lovin'" and "
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
". During this time, David Gianopoulos heard about the series after running into Joshua near
42nd Street
. Revealing to his agent that he had been secretly singing in several bands for over six years, Gianopoulos auditioned with
Ben E. King
's "
Stand by Me
" at
Lincoln Center
, where several other cast members also had their auditions. Originally, Gianopoulos had auditioned for the role of LaRusso before being told by Bochco to audition for the role of Officer Andy Campo. The following day, he performed
Bruce Springsteen
's "
Hungry Heart
" and received the part.
[1]
Ronny Cox
was told by pilot director
Gregory Hoblit
that he would get the role of Chief Roger Kendrick whether or not he could sing. Broadway performer
Anne Bobby
, however, had to audition, doing so on a Saturday where she said she saw her friend
Jane Krakowski
. Furthermore,
Paul McCrane
was told by Hoblit and Bochco that they did not have a part for him at the moment and reassured him that they would write a new character once the show entered production; McCrane was later cast as Detective Bob McIntire.
[1]
Reception
[
edit
]
On
review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
, the series holds an approval rating of 53% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 5.33/10. The website's critical consensus states, "
Cop Rock'
s ambition to innovate the police procedural is admirable, but the contrast of grit and glam proves too jarring with unmemorable music throwing the series' more promising dramatic beats askew."
[23]
On
Metacritic
, it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
[24]
The show was a critical and commercial failure and was canceled by ABC after 11 episodes.
[25]
The combination of a fusion of musical performances with serious police drama and dark humor with its high-powered production talent, made it infamous as one of the biggest television failures of the 1990s.
[26]
[27]
TV Guide Magazine
ranked it #8 on its List of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time list in 2002
[28]
and dubbed it "the single most bizarre TV musical of all time".
[29]
Despite an overwhelmingly negative reception
[30]
and short run, the series has been rebroadcast in later years, with
VH1
and
A&E Network
airing it on separate occasions later in the 1990s, and
Trio
in the 2000s.
Home media
[
edit
]
On May 17, 2016,
Shout! Factory
released the complete series on DVD in Region 1.
[31]
Awards and nominations
[
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]
Year
|
Award
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Category
|
Recipient
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Episode
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Result
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1991
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Emmy Award
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Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series
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Robert Appere, Gary D. Rogers, Ron Estes, and Mark Server
|
"Oil Of Ol'Lay"
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Nominated
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Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
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Gregory Hoblit
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Pilot
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Nominated
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Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics
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Ron Boustead and Greg Edmonson
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"Oil Of Ol'Lay"
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Nominated
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Outstanding Editing for a Series ? Single Camera Production
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Joe Ann Fogle
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Pilot
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Won
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Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics
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Randy Newman
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Pilot
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Won
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International broadcasts
[
edit
]
In the
United Kingdom
,
Cop Rock
was televised on
BBC1
and premiered on Monday 30 September 1991. The show premiered on Australian television via the
Ten Network
on Thursday 23 January 1992 at 11:00 PM.
[
citation needed
]
See also
[
edit
]
- That's Life
- An hour-long 1968 musical comedy series with Broadway-style staging and musical numbers.
- Hull High
? A teen comedy television series with musical segments that debuted (and was canceled) in 1990.
- Viva Laughlin
? A 2007 television drama with musical segments. The show was canceled after just two airings due to poor ratings.
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
? A romantic musical comedy-drama series that premiered on October 12, 2015, and ran for four seasons.
- Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
? A romantic musical comedy drama that premiered on January 7, 2020, and ran for two seasons and a holiday movie.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
Harris, Will (May 26, 2016).
"An oral history of
Cop Rock
, TV's first and last musical police drama"
.
The A.V. Club
.
Archived
from the original on April 23, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Harris, Mark (September 21, 1990).
"
'Cop Rock'
'
s shot at survival"
.
Entertainment Weekly
.
Archived
from the original on April 23, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (October 3, 1990). "NIELSENS; NBC wins; CBS still surprises".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306363789
.
- ^
"Familiar comedies garner peak interest"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. October 3, 1990. p. 36.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Sloan, Eugene (October 10, 1990). "NIELSENS; NBC tops in ratings, barely".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306378149
.
- ^
Hanauer, Joan (October 11, 1990).
"Playoffs ground out in first three at-bats"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. p. 76.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (October 17, 1990). "NIELSENS; For CBS, baseball's a grounder".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306359921
.
- ^
Hanauer, Joan (October 18, 1990).
"Bart almost won in head-to-head combat"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. p. 51.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (October 24, 1990). "NIELSENS; CBS slides easily into first place".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306386800
.
- ^
Hastings, Deborah (October 25, 1990).
"World Series for CBS is both a hit and a miss"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. p. 52.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (October 31, 1990). "NIELSENS; CBS, no longer the long shot".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306392850
.
- ^
"Rushdie takes minute to give CBS a boost"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. October 31, 1990. p. 57.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (November 7, 1990). "NIELSENS; NBC wins with fewer viewers".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306372652
.
- ^
Sharbutt, Jay (November 8, 1990).
"CBS rises from ashes to compete with NBC"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. p. 48.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (November 14, 1990). "NIELSENS; 'Cheers' sweeps up for NBC".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306382672
.
- ^
Williams, Scott (November 15, 1990).
"200th 'Cheers' show's rating tops this season"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. p. 72.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (November 28, 1990). "NIELSENS; ABC's 'It' confirms competitors' fears".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306389941
.
- ^
"ABC finishes first for the first time this fall"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. November 28, 1990. p. 60.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
Donlon, Brian (December 12, 1990). "NIELSENS; ABC wins a sub-par week".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306398832
.
- ^
a
b
Donlon, Brian (December 19, 1990). "NIELSENS; St. Nick can't lick TV lull".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306371476
.
- ^
Donlon, Brian (January 3, 1991). "NIELSENS; NBC wins as networks end 1990 on a low note".
USA Today
. p. 3D.
ProQuest
306388476
.
- ^
Du Brow, Rick (January 3, 1991).
"
'60 Minutes' No.1; Viewers Opt Out"
.
Los Angeles Times
. p. 247.
Archived
from the original on April 3, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"
Cop Rock
: Season 1"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
.
Fandango Media
.
Archived
from the original on April 5, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
.
- ^
"
Cop Rock
"
.
Metacritic
.
Fandom, Inc.
Archived
from the original on April 5, 2021
. Retrieved
October 17,
2021
.
- ^
"ABC Cancels 'Cop Rock'
"
.
The New York Times
. November 13, 1990
. Retrieved
August 28,
2008
.
- ^
Weinraub, Bernard (November 11, 1991).
"A Series Makes the Starting Gate"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
August 28,
2008
.
- ^
Tucker, Ken (June 4, 2004).
"Flops 101: Lessons From The Biz"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
August 28,
2008
.
- ^
Cosgrove-Mather, Bootie (July 12, 2002).
"The Worst TV Shows Ever"
.
CBS News
. Archived from
the original
on April 2, 2019
. Retrieved
August 28,
2008
.
- ^
"TV Musicals: The Highs and Lows"
.
TV Guide
. Archived from
the original
on January 20, 2019
. Retrieved
April 13,
2013
.
- ^
Recent examples include a
2009 review on the site Bad TV Shows
and a
2004 review on the site Television Heaven
.
- ^
Lambert, David (February 4, 2016).
"Cop Rock ? Shout! Factory Surprises Us with 'The Complete Series' on DVD!"
.
TVShowsOnDVD.com
.
TV Guide Online
. Archived from
the original
on March 29, 2016
. Retrieved
April 1,
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Studio albums
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Live albums
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Compilations
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Musicals
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Soundtracks
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Songs
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Related
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