Oh, Grow Up
{{short description|American sitcom}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| genre = Sitcom
| creator = Alan Ball
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Stephen Dunham
- David Alan Basche
- John Ducey
- Rena Sofer
- Niesha Trout
}}
| composer = Jonathan Wolff
| country = United States
| language = English
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
- Robert Greenblatt
- David Janollari
- Alan Ball
}}
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 13 (2 unaired)
| camera = Multi-camera
| runtime = 30 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
- The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio
- Fox Television Studios
}}
| channel = ABC
| first_aired = {{Start date|1999|9|22}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1999|12|28}}
}}
Oh, Grow Up is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22 to December 28, 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com:8080/news1999/sept99/news3922.html |title='Oh Grow Up': Sharp writing won't save this dud from ABC |access-date=2012-09-19 |last=Wallenstein |first=Andrew |date=September 1, 1999 |publisher=Medialife Magazine}}{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/39167/abc-like-cancels-two-more-shows |title=ABC, Like, Cancels Two More Shows |access-date=2012-09-19 |last=Keller |first=Julie |date=December 22, 1999 |publisher=E!Online }} Created by Alan Ball, the show was based on his 1991 one-act stage play Bachelor Holiday, written before he found success as a television writer.{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/people/alan-ball/ |title=TV.com: Alan Ball |access-date=2012-07-19}} The series starred Stephen Dunham, David Alan Basche, and John Ducey as three former college roommates who share an apartment in Brooklyn.
Plot
Construction company owner Hunter Franklin and artist Norris Michelsky are old college roommates, who share an apartment in Brooklyn, but are nothing alike. When their other college roommate, attorney Ford Lowell, splits from his wife Suzanne after coming out, Hunter and Norris invite him to move in with them. In addition, ladies man Hunter discovers that an affair from years ago has produced a child, when 18-year-old art student Chloe makes contact with him. In addition, one of the more unique aspects of the show was a dog named Mom, whose barks were subtitled with captions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-22-ca-12765-story.html|title=TV: Reviewing the New Season : A Dreamy Case of Double Exposure : Alan Ball captures the big screen ('American Beauty'), then shoots for the small screen ('Oh Grow Up').|last=Miller|first=Daryl H.|date=September 22, 1999|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 30, 2019}}
Cast
- Stephen Dunham as Hunter Franklin
- David Alan Basche as Norris Michelsky
- John Ducey as Ford Lowell
- Rena Sofer as Suzanne Vandermeer
- Niesha Trout as Chloe Sheffield
=Recurring=
- Ed Marinaro as Sal, Hunter's boss
- Freddy Rodriguez as Deke, Chloe's friends with unrequited feelings for her
=Notable guest stars=
- Tom Cavanagh as Bruce ("Love Stinks")
- Wally Kurth as Lewis Morris Jr. ("Clods and Monsters")
- Dan Castellaneta as Sven Jorgensen ("Hunter's Metamorphosis")
- Jack Riley as Harry Tatham ("Himbo")
- Julia Campbell as Julie Sheffield, Chloe's mother ("The Parent Trap: Part I")
Production
The series was based on Ball's experiences in New York City in the early 1990s, before he had found success as a writer on other series such as Grace Under Fire and Cybill. ABC promoted the series as "a comedy for immature audiences", and initially scheduled Oh, Grow Up on Wednesday nights after Top 20 series The Drew Carey Show. The series, which debuted the same week as Ball's critically acclaimed film American Beauty was released, suffered from mixed reviews.
In November 1999, ABC announced that the series would move to Tuesday nights, between hits Spin City and Dharma & Greg. However, just after airing only three episodes in its new time slot, ABC cancelled the series on December 20, 1999, reportedly to make room for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on the same night.{{Cite web|last=Adalian|first=Josef|date=December 20, 1999|title=ABC pulls plug on 'It's Like,' 'Grow Up'|url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/abc-pulls-plug-on-it-s-like-grow-up-1117760192/|access-date=February 28, 2021|website=Variety}} Only one more episode aired before ABC pulled the series, leaving two of the 13 episodes produced unaired.{{cite web|url=http://www.writersstore.com/excerpt-from-hire-me-hollywood-david-janollari-head-of-programming-mtv/ |title=Excerpt from "Hire Me Hollywood!" - David Janollari, Head of Programming - MTV |access-date=2012-09-19 |last=Keith Fenimore |first=Mark Scherzer |date=September 22, 2011 |publisher=Writers Store }} Despite the cancellation, the series placed at #61 for the overall season, with an average of 10.7 million viewers per week.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#FFFACD |overall=5 |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |prodcode= |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=1
|Title=Pilot
|DirectedBy=Andy Cadiff
|WrittenBy=Alan Ball
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|9|22}}
|ProdCode = 10011-99-179
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=2
|Title=Good Pop, Bad Pop
|DirectedBy=Tom Cherones
|WrittenBy=Alan Ball
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|9|29}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-101
|ShortSummary= Hunter is shocked to discover he has previously had a one-night stand with Chloe's roommate. Meanwhile, Ford's attempts to save Suzanne's job see him cross-dressing, and Norris deals with a client who refuses to pay him.
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=3
|Title=Love Stinks
|DirectedBy=Mark Cendrowski
|WrittenBy=Maria Brown
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|10|6}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-103
|ShortSummary= Hunter and Norris try to set up Ford on a date, but come to find that guys they believe to be gay are actually straight.
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=4
|Title=President of the House
|DirectedBy=Tom Cherones
|WrittenBy=Steve Joe & Greg Schaffer
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|10|13}}
|ProdCode = 04-09-102
|ShortSummary= Tiring of Norris' uptight rules, Ford challenges him to run for "President of the House". However, Norris tires of Ford's equally uptight style and becomes jealous when he showcases better leadership than Norris. Hunter is bummed as he struggles to bond with Chloe.
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=5
|Title=Marathon Men
|DirectedBy=Ted Wass
|WrittenBy=Chris Downey
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|10|20}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-106
|ShortSummary= Norris and Ford become jealous of Hunter's constant good luck. The two convince slothly Hunter to compete against Ford in an upcoming marathon to finally beat him at something. After cleaning some of Ford's things from their house, Suzanne becomes upset that Ford is seemingly unsentimental. She enlists Chloe to help her break into Ford's room and search.
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=6
|Title=Clods and Monsters
|DirectedBy=Ted Wass
|WrittenBy=Kirk J. Rudell
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|10|27}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-105
|ShortSummary= Hunter is bummed to discover that everyone finds his annual Halloween party to be terrible. He drags Ford out to a gay bar for him to practice his flirting, where discovers his boss Sal is gay. Sal comforts Ford on his lack of charisma. Norris worries when Chloe reveals her plans to attend a wild party. He goes on a wild goose chase to find her with a candy-addicted Suzanne, who dislikes the childish holiday.
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=7
|Title=Hunter's Metamorphosis
|DirectedBy=Tom Cherones
|WrittenBy=Chuck Tatham
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|11|3}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-107
|ShortSummary= Hunter plans a big party for Chloe to try and make up for all the past birthdays he has missed. However, she becomes very annoyed since it brings up unhappy childhood memories, resulting in a fight between the two. Looking to make some money, Norris agrees to babysit one of Suzanne's clients (Dan Castellaneta), an artist whom he idolizes. However, the artist's eccentricities make the task much more difficult and grueling than he anticipated.
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=8
|Title=Himbo
|DirectedBy=Brian K. Roberts
|WrittenBy=Rick Nyholm
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|12|7}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-111
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=9
|Title=The Parent Trap: Part 1
|DirectedBy=Tom Cherones
|WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|t=Kirk J. Rudell & Maria Brown|s=Steve Joe & Greg Schaffer}}
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|12|14}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-108
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=10
|Title=The Parent Trap: Part 2
|DirectedBy=Steve Zuckerman
|WrittenBy= Rick Nyholm & Paul Ruehl
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|12|21}}
|ProdCode =
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=11
|Title=Duckboy Flies Again
|DirectedBy=Craig Zisk
|WrittenBy=Jill Condon & Amy Toomin
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1999|12|28}}
|ProdCode = 04-99-104
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=12
|Title=Goodwill Hunter
|DirectedBy=Steve Zuckerman
|WrittenBy= Paul Ruehl
|OriginalAirDate=Unaired
|ProdCode =
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=13
|Title=Baby It's Cold Outside
|DirectedBy=Andrew Tsao
|WrittenBy= Chuck Tatham & Chris Downey
|OriginalAirDate=Unaired
|ProdCode =
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=FFFACD
}}
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0202746|title=Oh, Grow Up}}
{{Alan Ball}}
Category:1990s American multi-camera sitcoms
Category:1999 American television series debuts
Category:1999 American television series endings
Category:1990s American LGBTQ-related sitcoms
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Gay-related television shows
Category:Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
Category:Television shows set in New York City
Category:American Broadcasting Company sitcoms
{{US-comedy-tv-prog-stub}}