Buddies (TV series)

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Buddies
GenreSitcom
Created byCarmen Finestra
David McFadzean
Matt Williams
Directed byPaul Lazarus
John Pasquin
Andrew Tsao
StarringDave Chappelle
Christopher Gartin
Tanya Wright
Richard Roundtree
Theme music composerDerrick Perkins
ComposerBrian Bennett
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (8 unaired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersCarmen Finestra
David McFadzean
Matt Williams
ProducerGayle S. Maffeo
Production locationsBurbank, California
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesWind Dancer Productions
Touchstone Television
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatNTSC (480i)
Original releaseMarch 5 (1996-03-05) –
April 3, 1996 (1996-04-03)
Chronology
Related showsHome Improvement

Buddies is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from March 5 to April 3, 1996.[1] It was created by Carmen Finestra, David McFadzean, and Matt Williams and starred Dave Chappelle, Christopher Gartin, Tanya Wright, and Richard Roundtree.

History[]

Home Improvement connection[]

Comedians Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer attracted the attention of TV network executives with their guest appearance on the (4th season) March 14, 1995 episode of ABC's highly rated sitcom Home Improvement.[2] The storyline had Chappelle and Breuer play friends who appear together on Tool Time to ask Tim Taylor advice on their girlfriends. The characters' single outing on the episode proved so popular that ABC decided to give Chappelle and Breuer their own half-hour sitcom.

Cast changes[]

After subsequent rehearsals, Jim Breuer was replaced with Christopher Gartin as Dave Chappelle's "buddy". The unique comic timing and chemistry that Chappelle had with Breuer, his real-life friend, was not present with Gartin, and Breuer's abrupt firing exacerbated ill will. This prevented Chappelle and Gartin from developing the rapport and chemistry necessary for the characters' believability and likeability.[3]

Cancellation[]

Buddies premiered on Tuesday, March 5, 1996. The show garnered disappointing ratings. Buddies cancelled on April 3 after airing only five episodes out of the 13 that were produced.[4][5] Dave Chappelle himself was not proud of his involvement with Buddies in retrospect:

It was a bad show. It was bad. I mean when we were doing it, I could tell this was not gonna work.[6]

Cast[]

Episode list[]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Pilot"Andrew TsaoCarmen Finestra & David McFadzean & Matt WilliamsMarch 5, 1996 (1996-03-05)
2"A Room with a Pyew"John PasquinTrish BakerMarch 13, 1996 (1996-03-13)
3"Regarding Henry"Andrew TsaoSharon D. JohnsonMarch 20, 1996 (1996-03-20)
4"Famous Last Words"John PasquinMark St. GermainMarch 27, 1996 (1996-03-27)
5"Marry Me...Sort Of"Paul LazarusDaphne PollonApril 3, 1996 (1996-04-03)
6"Lights, Camera...Yuck!"Paul LazarusPeter TolanUnaired
7"Pet Peeves"John PasquinRobert ZappiaUnaired
8"The Content of Their Character"John PasquinLisa DeBenedictis & Daryl RowlandUnaired
9"There Goes the Groom"John PasquinRichey Jones & Todd JonesUnaired
10"The PSA Story"John PasquinBob Burris & Michael WareUnaired
11"John, I've Been Thinking"John PasquinArt EverettUnaired
12"Engagement Hell"Andrew TsaoSteve GabrielUnaired
13"Whack and Blight"Andrew TsaoPeter TolanUnaired

DVD release[]

DVD cover

For a limited time in 2005, Best Buy had an exclusive DVD available that contained 10 episodes of Buddies, including all 8 unaired episodes.[7] The DVD was originally released on May 15, 2005[8] but seems to have been discontinued.

References[]

  1. ^ Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 477–478. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.
  2. ^ Home Improvement episode listing for "Talk to Me." IMDB.com.
  3. ^ "Spin Off: Buddies and Home Improvement. Poobala.com. Last accessed November 10, 2007.
  4. ^ Buddies page at TV.com. Last accessed November 14, 2007
  5. ^ Arnold, Thomas (August 26, 2005). "Disney Gifts Wal-Mart Holiday DVD Exclusive". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2005. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  6. ^ "Chappelle: An Act Of Freedom." CBSNews.com. December 29, 2004.
  7. ^ "Best Buy to get exclusive release of Dave Chappelle's 1996 series." Archived 2007-12-05 at the Wayback Machine TvShowsOnDVD.com. April 25, 2005.
  8. ^ Best Buy ad for DVD release. Archived 2007-11-23 at the Wayback Machine BestBuy.com. Last accessed November 10, 2007.

External links[]

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