From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American TV series or program
Listen Up
|
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Genre
| Sitcom
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Based on
| The books of Tony Kornheiser
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Developed by
| Jeff Martin
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Starring
| |
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Composer
| Brian Kirk
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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
| 22
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Camera setup
| Multi-camera
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Production companies
| |
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Network
| CBS
|
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Release
| September 20, 2004
(
2004-09-20
)
?
April 25, 2005
(
2005-04-25
)
|
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Listen Up
is an American
sitcom
television series created by
Jeff Martin
, that aired on
CBS
from September 20, 2004, until April 25, 2005. The sitcom was based loosely on the life and exploits of the popular sportswriter and sports-media personality
Tony Kornheiser
. Its principal
executive producer
was
Jason Alexander
, who was also the lead actor. Despite decent-to-good ratings, the show was canceled by CBS on May 18, 2005; "rising production costs" was the major reason officially given for the cancellation.
Premise
[
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]
Tony Kleinman is a
Philadelphia
based sports show host whose sidekick is Bernie Widmer, a former
NFL
player; together they host the TV show
Listen Up
. While Tony does talk about sports on the show and in his newspaper column, he strays away occasionally to talk about the daily exploits of his family: his wife, Dana, a fund-raiser coordinator; his son, Mickey, a 15-year-old golf prodigy, and Megan, his 14-year-old, know-it-all, smart-mouthed, soccer-playing daughter.
Cast and characters
[
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]
Episodes
[
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Reception
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Critical response
[
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Critical reaction was largely negative.
USA Today
'
s Robert Bianco wrote that the show makes the "mistake of trying to build a star vehicle around a
second banana
".
[1]
A
New York Times
review called it "a rickety vehicle for Jason Alexander".
[2]
Critics disagreed on the supporting cast ? while
USA Today
noted, "When 'Listen Up' focuses on its supporting cast, the show works",
The New York Times
referred to a "stiff supporting cast".
[3]
Matt Rouse of
TV Guide
wrote, "Forget about the 'Seinfeld' curse, this is just mediocre material and bad casting."
[4]
Ratings
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The premiere episode drew 11.8 million viewers, while the final episode drew 8.9 million viewers.
[5]
References
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]
- ^
Bianco, Robert (September 19, 2004).
"Witless 'Listen Up' has a tin ear for comedy"
.
USA Today
.
- ^
Heffernan, Virginia (September 20, 2004).
"A Celebrity on TV, a Schlemiel at Home"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
Goodman, Tim (September 20, 2004).
"Jason Alexander sitcom chalks one up for the 'Seinfeld' curse"
.
San Francisco Chronicle
.
- ^
"Listen Up!".
TV Guide
. September 12?18, 2004. p. 41.
- ^
Haber, Matt (March 26, 2006).
"Sorry, Newman: There May Not Be a Seinfeld Curse"
.
The New York Times
.
External links
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]