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Shannen Says

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Shannen Says
A man is wrappng his arm around a woman. The words "Shannen Says." are shown against a pale background.
Title card
GenreReality television
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Kathleen Farrell
  • Tom Forman
  • Russell Heldt
  • Shannen Doherty
  • Kurt Iswarienko
Running time42–43 minutes[1]
Production companies
  • No Apologies Productions
  • RelativityREAL
Release
Original networkWE tv
Original releaseApril 10 (2012-04-10) –
May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13)
External links
Official website

Shannen Says is an eight-episode American reality television series broadcast on WE tv from April 10 to May 13, 2012. It focuses on the preparations for the wedding of actress Shannen Doherty and photographer Kurt Iswarienko, with help from celebrity-wedding planner David Tutera. Doherty and Iswarienko developed the show as a way to document the stress on a couple while planning their wedding.

Filmed in Malibu, California over a seven-week period, Shannen Says was produced by RelativityREAL and Doherty's production company No Apologies Productions. To prepare for filming, Doherty watched reality shows by Tori Spelling and Kim Kardashian. The series was released on the iTunes Store and Amazon Video under the title Shannen Says, Season 1, but it was not made available on DVD or Blu-ray.

Shannen Says had low ratings, ranking below most other programs on its broadcast night. However, the series was popular among women between the ages of 25 and 54. Doherty said that it was intended as a one-off, with no plans for a second season. Reviews for Shannen Says and Doherty were mixed. Some critics likened her to other actresses who starred in reality television.

Production[]

Concept and development[]

A woman with shoulder-length black hair wearing a black dress with a plunging neckline speaks to a reporter.
Shannen Says is about the wedding of Shannen Doherty (pictured in 2008) and Kurt Iswarienko.

Shannen Says tracks the events leading up to Shannen Doherty's wedding to Kurt Iswarienko.[2][3] It was Doherty's third wedding since she had previously been married to actor Ashley Hamilton and poker player Rick Salomon that ended in 1994 and 2003, respectively.[2] Doherty previously worked on reality television as a host for Scare Tactics and Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty and a contestant on the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars.[4][5] Developed under the working title The Shannen Doherty Project, Shannen Says was first announced by WE tv on July 20, 2011.[6][7] According to the network, the show was intended to portray Doherty from a more intimate perspective.[7]

WE tv senior vice president John Miller identified the series as part of the network's strategy to "present stories that showcase the wild ride of modern-day life from a woman's perspective".[6] Prior to Shannen Says, WE tv was already associated with wedding-themed shows, such as Bridezillas and My Fair Wedding with David Tutera.[8][9] Variety's Jill Goldsmith cited it, alongside Braxton Family Values, Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?, and Mary Mary, to discuss WE tv's focus on celebrity-based reality shows.[10]

Shannen Says was initially going to be developed by Doherty's production company, No Apologies Production, to air on an unidentified television network. The series was instead picked up by WE tv after Doherty rejected the previous network for making the material too sensational.[11] Miller approved the show's pitch because he believed Doherty would be an appealing candidate for reality television.[3] Doherty referred to Shannen Says as her agreement with Iswarienko to "chronicle this time in our lives and let future brides and future grooms know that [it's] not just you and that goes through the stress".[4] Likening the show to a wedding video, she described it as a documentary rather than a reality show, and saw herself as an actor not a reality personality.[12] In 2011, Barry Walsh of Realscrean.com described Shannen Says as a docuseries.[13]

Filming and cast[]

For Shannen Says, Doherty and Iswarienko were inspired by the filming and production styles in Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Deadliest Catch. Doherty questioned if a show could be "brutally honest, that completely raw, but with the quality of those two shows where you do use different cameras and you do want it to look spectacular". They purchased a RED camera to film the series since they wanted it to be "a cut above the rest as far as our crew and how it looks".[11] Doherty intended for Shannen Says to provide a more authentic look into her life, in contrast to her public persona and acting roles.[14][15] This idea was carried over into the show's opening ("Everyone thinks they know you"), which she wrote.[16] She viewed the filming techniques as an important part of this goal, saying: "It had to be honest, it had to be truthful, and it had to look fantastic".[11]

A woman with long blond hair and a red dress cinched at the waisted with a black band.
A woman with black hair that is tied back and wearing a white top.
Doherty watched reality shows by Tori Spelling and Kim Kardashian (pictured left to right, both in 2009) in preparation for Shannen Says.

The series was produced by No Apologies Production and RelativityREAL.[16][17] Episodes were filmed over a seven-week period at the couple's home in Malibu, California and nearby locations.[18][19] Production began in August 2011, and the wedding took place and was filmed on October 15, 2011.[20][21] Pictures from the wedding were published in the November 2, 2011 issue of Us Weekly.[22] Doherty and Iswarienko were executive producers for the series, along with Kathleen Iswarienko, Russell Heldt, and Tom Forman.[17] Despite her initial hesitations about the lack of privacy during filming, Doherty felt more comfortable when the bedroom was set as off-limits for the show.[11][14]

To prepare for filming, Doherty watched former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Tori Spelling's reality show about her relationship with husband Dean McDermott as well as Keeping Up with the Kardashians.[18] Despite this, she resisted comparisons to Kim Kardashian's publicized wedding and divorce from basketball player Kris Humphries.[23]

David Tutera, a wedding planner and host of My Fair Wedding with David Tutera, acted as Doherty's event planner.[24] The series also featured Doherty's friends, Roxana Zal, Tim Bitici, and Roger Castillo and her mother, Rosa.[18][25][26] Professional dancer Louis Van Amstel and real estate agent Chris Cortazzo guest-starred in one episode.[27] Doherty said Twitter users enjoyed how her mother chose to appear more natural rather than being styled by the show's crew.[18]

Episodes[]

No.TitleOriginal air date [28]US viewers
(millions)
1"Rules of Engagement"April 10, 2012 (2012-04-10)0.172[29]
Doherty and Iswarienko hire celebrity-event planner David Tutera for their wedding.
2"Location, Location, Location"April 17, 2012 (2012-04-17)—
Doherty and Tutera disagree over where to hold the wedding. With Iswarienko's help, Doherty agrees to baby-sit her manager's son to determine if she is ready to have children.
3"Shannen's Ready, Is Kurt?"April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29)0.142[30]
Doherty and Tutera agree on a venue for the wedding. While searching for a wedding dress, Doherty decides to wear three dresses over the course of the ceremony.
4"When It Comes to Kurt's Career, He's Single"April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29)0.123[30]
Iswarienko accepts two jobs overseas, and leaves without consulting Doherty. She wonders if the wedding will still take place, since he never informs her about his career choices.
5"A Wedding in Prague-ress"May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)0.162[31]
Tutera attempts to further arrange the wedding, but Doherty refuses to proceed without Iswarienko's presence and input.
6"Dress Mess"May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)0.146[31]
After returning from a trip to Prague to discuss her future with Iswarienko, Doherty searches for vendors for the wedding. When her wedding dresses are delivered, she is disappointed and angry that they do not meet her expectations.
7"The Wedding Gift"May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13)—
Iswarienko attempts to find the perfect wedding present for Doherty, as final preparations are made for the wedding.
8"The Wedding"May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13)—
Doherty and Iswarienko are married after exchanging handwritten vows.

Broadcast history and release[]

A sneak peek was released prior to the show's debut, and Doherty promoted it through a Television Critics Association panel presentation at Pasadena, California.[1][32] Promotional materials emphasized her conflict with Iswarienko.[17] Shannen Says received additional publicity when Tori Spelling jokingly offered to plan Doherty's wedding during a 2011 interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada: "I'll do the wedding, I could probably comment on the wedding she'd want 20 years ago, but that wouldn't make any sense."[33][34]

Shannen Says premiered on April 10, 2012 in the United States on WE tv at 10:00-11:00 pm Eastern and Pacific.[35] The original release date was scheduled for January 2012 and later April 3, 2012.[20][35] The second episode aired on Tuesday night in the same time slot, and two episodes were aired every Sunday night in the same time slot until the end of the season.[35] The show was broadcast internationally on WE tv Asia.[13][36] AMC and Sundance Channel Global also acquired rights for Shannen Says, along with The Slap, Hell on Wheels, and Breaking Bad, in October 2011.[37]

The series was commercially unsuccessful,[38][39] but it was popular among women between the ages of 25 and 54.[39] 172,000 people watched the premiere, which ranked below the debut of Dance Moms: Miami.[29] The rest of the episodes also had low ratings, scoring below most of the programs in its time slot.[30][31] Doherty described Shannen Says as a one-off created and denied interest in a second season. She rejected a suggestion for a second-season storyline about a pregnancy and child.[18]

Shannen Says ended on May 12, 2012,[1] and a writer from the Futon Critic reported that it was canceled after being "on hiatus for longer than 12 months – without any news about its future".[17] The series was released on the iTunes Store on April 10, 2012, as Shannen Says, Season 1.[1] All of the episodes have been made available from Amazon Video since 2012,[25] although it has not been released on Blu-ray or DVD.[40]

Critical reception[]

Shannen Says received mixed reviews from critics. A Life & Style contributor praised the show as "very entertaining".[41] In HitFix, Geoff Berkshire wrote that it "looks great and moves swiftly from one drama to the next", and believed the episodes would satisfy fans of reality television.[19] On the other hand, Kevin McDonough, writing for SouthCoastToday.com, criticized Shannen Says for attempting "compensate for the lack of drama in Doherty's life with the manic production of a reality TV-sized wedding".[42] As part of an article for The Washington Post, Emily Yahr, Caitlin Moore and Emily Chow cited Shannen Says, along with Hey Paula and Kirstie Alley's Big Life, as unsuccessful examples of the "autobiographical" reality show.[43]

Critics had mixed reactions to Doherty. A reviewer for The Huffington Post said she was an ideal fit for reality television, describing her as "every bit the bad girl fans have been loving to hate to love for the past twenty-odd years".[44] Geoff Berkshire found Doherty to be "equal doses crazy and amusing". However, he thought her attitude, like requesting wedding guests to wear black or be kicked out, could alienate some viewers.[19] McDonough questioned if audiences would be disappointed that Doherty acts as a "reformed monster who just wants to have a normal life".[42]

Doherty received comparisons to other actresses who starred in reality television. In MTV News, Maisy Fernandez said her personality resulted in a better reality show than Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country, which starred her former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Jennie Garth. However, Fernandez criticized Doherty's choice of television network, believing it was unlikely a casual viewer would find the series while channel surfing.[45] Mark Perigard, writing for the Boston Herald, jokingly said that Doherty does not "sob for an hour" like Tori Spelling did on her reality shows.[46]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Shannen Says, Season 1". iTunes. April 10, 2012. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Stanhope, Kate (July 20, 2011). "Shannen Doherty to Star in New Reality Series for WEtv". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Kozupsky, Jordana (July 22, 2011). "Shannen Doherty gets her own reality TV show about her own wedding". IrishCentral. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Nunn, Jerry (April 25, 2012). "Shannen Doherty: On her reality show and gay BFFs". Windy City Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016.
  5. ^ Corneau, Allison (July 21, 2011). "Shannen Doherty's New WeTV Reality Series: All the Details!". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Shannen Doherty Returns to Television in New, One-Hour Original WE tv Series". The Futon Critic. July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Hibberd, James (July 20, 2011). "Shannen Doherty weds new reality series". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 20, 2011). "WE tv Says 'I Do' to Shannen Doherty Reality Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Wilkerson, David B. (July 21, 2011). "We TV to launch Shannen Doherty reality series". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (April 21, 2012). "AMC woos public coin, teases suitors". Variety. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d Michelson, Noah (May 4, 2012). "Shannen Doherty Talks Reality TV, Gay Marriage, And Being Scarred By 80-Year-Old Penises". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016.
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  21. ^ "Shannen Doherty marries in Malibu". The Times of India. October 17, 2011. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016.
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  23. ^ O'Connell, Michael (January 14, 2012). "TCA: Shannen Doherty Dismisses Comparisons to Kim Kardashian". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018.
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  28. ^ "Season 1 Episode Guide". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015.
  29. ^ a b Levin, Gary (April 18, 2012). "Not many visit 'NYC', 'Apt. 23'". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018.
  30. ^ a b c "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Rises, Ties NBA Playoffs + 'Real Housewives,' 'The Client List,' 'Army Wives,' 'Mad Men' & More". TV by the Numbers. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016.
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  32. ^ Alocada, Vincent (October 21, 2017). "Shannen Doherty News: Former 'Charmed' Star Recalls Battle with Breast Cancer through A Photo". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018.
  33. ^ Sitt, Pamela (August 8, 2011). "Tori Spelling Offers to Plan Shannen Doherty's Wedding". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2016.
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  35. ^ a b c "Showatch". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016.
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External links[]

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