Free Agents (U.S. TV series)
| Free Agents | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by |
Chris Niel John Enbom |
| Starring |
Hank Azaria Kathryn Hahn Mo Mandel Natasha Leggero Joe Lo Truglio Anthony Head Al Madrigal |
| Theme music composer | Eli "Paperboy" Reed |
| Composer(s) | Kurt Farquhar |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 (4 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Chris Niel John Enbom Karey Burke Todd Holland Kenton Allen |
| Camera setup | Film; Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Very Small Realm Dark Toy Entertainment Big Talk Productions Universal Media Studios (pilot) Universal Television (since episode 2) |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | September 14 – October 5, 2011 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Free Agents (UK Original) |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Free Agents is an American re-make of a British workplace sitcom that premiered on NBC September 14, 2011, in the 10:30 pm Eastern/9:30 pm Central time slot, before assuming its regular time slot on September 21, 2011, where it aired at 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central on Wednesday nights.[1] It is based on the British comedy series of the same name that was created by Chris Niel, who also serves as co-creator and producer on this version with John Enbom, Karey Burke, Todd Holland, and Kenton Allen for Big Talk Productions, Dark Toy Productions and Universal Television.[2] This show was the last series to be produced by Universal Media Studios during the revival of Universal Television.
NBC canceled Free Agents on October 6, 2011 after four episodes were broadcast.[3] The remaining four episodes produced were later released via Hulu on January 16, 2012.
Synopsis
The series followed the lives of two public relations executives at an advertising firm in Portland, Oregon: Alex Taylor (Hank Azaria), who is recently divorced, and Helen Ryan (Kathryn Hahn), a woman trying to move on after the death of her fiancé. They discover that they seem to have an attraction for each other, and have a drunken one-night stand, but try to stay professional at work, where their friends will do anything to get them to re-enter the dating scene.
Cast and characters
- Hank Azaria as Alex Taylor
- Kathryn Hahn as Helen Ryan
- Mo Mandel as Dan Mackey
- Natasha Leggero as Emma Parker
- Al Madrigal as Gregg
- Joe Lo Truglio as Walter
- Anthony Head as Stephen Yates
Development and production
NBC took interest in this project after Executive Producer Todd Holland began developing the American adaptation with the UK's original writer Chris Niel and producers Nira Park, Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice in September 2010.[4] They also made changes to the workplace setting from talent agents in the British version to PR executives for American viewers, after NBC greenlit the pilot in February 2011.[5]
Actor Anthony Head was the only cast member who had ties to both shows, in which he played Stephen, the boss in the UK and US adaptations.[6]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Todd Holland | John Enbom | September 14, 2011 | 101 | 6.12[7] |
| 2 | "What I Did for Work" | Peter Lauer | Ira Ungerleider | September 21, 2011 | 103 | 3.86[8] |
| 3 | "Dr. Hu" | Todd Holland | Diane Ruggiero | September 28, 2011 | 102 | 3.07[9] |
| 4 | "Rebranding" | Millicent Shelton | John Enbom | October 5, 2011 | 104 | 3.25 |
| 5 | "Nice Guys Finish...At Some Point" | Michael Engler | Emily Cutler | January 16, 2012 (on Hulu) | 105 | TBA |
| 6 | "Are You There, Helen? It's Me, God" | Bryan Gordon | Alexa Junge | January 16, 2012 (on Hulu) | 106 | TBA |
| 7 | "The Kids Are Probably All Right" | Todd Holland | Jill Cargerman | January 16, 2012 (on Hulu) | 107 | TBA |
| 8 | "Sexin' the Raisin" | Kevin Dowling | Jon Silberman & Josh Silberman | January 16, 2012 (on Hulu) | 108 | TBA |
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | 18-49 rating | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 14, 2011 | 2.1 | 6.12 |
| 2 | "What I Did For Work" | September 21, 2011 | 1.3 | 3.86 |
| 3 | "Dr. Hu" | September 28, 2011 | 1.0 | 3.07 |
| 4 | "Rebranding" | October 5, 2011 | 1.0 | 3.25 |
International broadcasts
The series was simulcast in Canada by CTV2.[10]
Broadcast by TV Séries in Portugal 4 weeks after the US air date.
References
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (July 6, 2011). "NBC Announces Fall Premiere Dates - 'Chuck,' 'Grimm' Premiere October 21; Early Premiere for 'Parenthood'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ↑ Updated: NBC Picks Up "Smash", "Prime Suspects" and Two More Sitcoms to Series, TV By the Numbers, May 11, 2011
- ↑ NBC Cancels 'Free Agents', Hollywood Reporter, October 6, 2011
- ↑ Development Update from The Futon Critic (September 2, 2011)
- ↑ NBC Picks Up 4 More Pilots: Drama From 'Lone Star' Creator, 3 Comedies from Deadline.com (February 3, 2011)
- ↑ Ben Rappaport To Star In CBS Half-Hour Pilot, Anthony Head Cast In NBC Comedy, Deadline Hollywood, March 23, 2011
- ↑ Gorman, Bill (September 15, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Finale Adjusted Up; Plus 'Up All Night,' 'Free Agents' 15 Min. Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ↑ TV Ratings Wednesday: 'X Factor' No Idol; 'Modern Family' Premieres Big; 'Revenge' Gets Nice Start; 'CSI' > 'SVU', TV By the Numbers, September 22, 2011
- ↑ TV Ratings Wednesday: 'Suburgatory' Gets A Good Start; 'X Factor' Leads Fox Win, As Post-Premiere Declines Vary, TV By the Numbers, September 29, 2011
- ↑ From Channel Canada
External links
- Official website
- Official Facebook page
- Official Twitter page
- Free Agents at the Internet Movie Database
- Free Agents at TV.com