The John Larroquette Show

The John Larroquette Show
Series intertitle from the first season.
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Don Reo
Starring	John Larroquette Liz Torres Gigi Rice Daryl Mitchell Chi McBride Lenny Clarke Elizabeth Berridge John F. O'Donohue Bill Morey Alison LaPlaca Jazzmun
Opening theme	"Skrewy St. Louis Blues" by David Cassidy (1993–1995)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	84 (6 unaired during original run)
Production
Executive producers	Paul Junger Witt Don Reo Tony Thomas John Larroquette
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Impact Zone Productions Witt/Thomas Productions Warner Bros. Television
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 2, 1993 (1993-09-02) – October 30, 1996 (1996-10-30)

The John Larroquette Show is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 2, 1993, until October 30, 1996. Created by Don Reo, the show was a star vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series takes place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri, and originally focused on the somewhat broken people who worked the night shift, and in particular, the lead character's battle with alcoholism. The series was produced by Reo's Impact Zone Productions and Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Plot[]

John Hemingway, recovering alcoholic, has been appointed to the role of night shift manager of the St. Louis bus depot. He must deal not only with the intricacies of keeping the station running smoothly, but also the employees and other personalities who frequent the station, all while dealing with his own demons. This was highlighted in the first episode, with a running gag of every character offering to buy him a drink upon his meeting them.

Much of the first season dealt with John's attempts to stay sober, with episodes representing each of the AA program's Twelve Steps. John constantly struggled to maintain control of the station, with regular conflicts with his secretary, Mahalia, the janitor, Heavy Gene, and most strongly with sandwich bar attendant Dexter, who had been turned down for the position to which John was appointed. Adding sexual tension to John's life was high class escort Carly, who was a friend of Dexter's.

Beginning with the second season, Hemingway (and the entire cast) changed from the night shift to the daytime hours, and the alcoholism sub-plot was de-emphasized.^[1]

Cast[]

The show was unusual for occasionally addressing issues of race through a multiracial cast, unlike most American sitcoms in the 1990s.^[2]

• John Larroquette as John Hemingway
• Liz Torres as Mahalia Sanchez, John's secretary
• Gigi Rice as Carly Watkins, a high class escort and friend of Dexter's
• Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as Dexter Walker, the depot's sandwich bar attendant and John's rival
• Chi McBride as Heavy Gene, a janitor at the depot
• Lenny Clarke as Officer Adam Hampton
• Elizabeth Berridge as Officer Eve Eggers
• Alison LaPlaca as Catherine Merrick (1994–1996)
• John F. O'Donohue as Max Dumas (1993–1994)
• Bill Morey as Oscar (1994–1996)
• Jazzmun as Pat (occasional, 1993–1995)

Recurring role[]

• David Crosby as Chester, John's AA sponsor.
• Omri Katz as Tony Hemingway, John's son. Katz would be replaced in an unaired fourth-season episode with Ryan Reynolds.
• Mayim Bialik as Rachel, John's daughter
• Ted McGinley as Karl Reese, Carly's boyfriend and future ex-husband
• Charlie Robinson as Norm on the episode titled: "John's Lucky Day."

Over the course of its run, the show also featured cameos from a number of celebrities. Bobcat Goldthwait guested for one episode, playing an assistant to John who was constantly a mess but became suddenly efficient and 'normal' as soon as he became drunk. Boyz II Men appeared in a 1994 episode that saw their tour bus break down at John's station. In one episode Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman appeared as himself in a jail cell. Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty played themselves for one episode while referencing their Golden Girls characters.

Episodes[]

Season 1 (1993–94)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Pilot"	John Whitesell	Don Reo	September 2, 1993 (1993-09-02)
2	2	"Thirty Day Chip"	John Whitesell	Judith D. Allison & Don Reo	September 7, 1993 (1993-09-07)
3	3	"Celibate!"	John Whitesell	James Vallely	September 14, 1993 (1993-09-14)
4	4	"This Is Not a Step"	John Whitesell	Mitchell Hurwitz	September 21, 1993 (1993-09-21)
5	5	"The Unforgiven"	John Whitesell	Eva Needleman	September 28, 1993 (1993-09-28)
6	6	"Pros and Cons"	John Whitesell	Bill Richmond	October 5, 1993 (1993-10-05)
7	7	"Jumping Off the Wagon"	John Whitesell	Brenda Hampton	October 12, 1993 (1993-10-12)
8	8	"The Past Comes Back"	John Whitesell	Judith D. Allison & Don Reo	October 26, 1993 (1993-10-26)
9	9	"There's a Mister Hitler Here to See You"	John Whitesell	J.J. Wall	November 2, 1993 (1993-11-02)
10	10	"Amends"	John Whitesell	Judith D. Allison & Don Reo	November 23, 1993 (1993-11-23)
11	11	"Newcomer"	John Whitesell	Judith D. Allison & Don Reo	December 7, 1993 (1993-12-07)
12	12	"My Hero"	John Whitesell	Bill Richmond	December 14, 1993 (1993-12-14)
13	13	"God"	TBA	TBA	December 21, 1993 (1993-12-21)
14	14	"The Big Slip"	TBA	TBA	January 4, 1994 (1994-01-04)
15	15	"Death and Dishonor"	TBA	TBA	January 11, 1994 (1994-01-11)
16	16	"Don't Drink and Drive Nuclear Waste"	TBA	TBA	January 18, 1994 (1994-01-18)
17	17	"Eggs"	John Whitesell	Eve Needleman	January 30, 1994 (1994-01-30)
18	18	"Dirty Deeds"	TBA	TBA	February 1, 1994 (1994-02-01)
19	19	"Another Average Night"	TBA	TBA	February 1, 1994 (1994-02-01)
20	20	"John and Carol"	TBA	TBA	February 8, 1994 (1994-02-08)
21	21	"Grit"	TBA	TBA	March 15, 1994 (1994-03-15)
22	22	"Date Night"	TBA	TBA	March 22, 1994 (1994-03-22)
23	23	"Wasted Lives"	TBA	TBA	March 29, 1994 (1994-03-29)
24	24	"A Dark and Stormy Night"	TBA	TBA	April 12, 1994 (1994-04-12)

Season 2 (1994–95)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
25	1	"Changes"	John Whitesell	TBA	September 20, 1994 (1994-09-20)
26	2	"Hiding Out"	John Whitesell	TBA	September 27, 1994 (1994-09-27)
27	3	"A Bird in the Hand"	John Whitesell	TBA	October 4, 1994 (1994-10-04)
28	4	"Good News/Bad News"	John Whitesell	TBA	October 18, 1994 (1994-10-18)
29	5	"The Tutor"	John Whitesell	TBA	October 25, 1994 (1994-10-25)
30	6	"Acting Alone"	John Whitesell	TBA	November 1, 1994 (1994-11-01)
31	7	"Vacation"	John Whitesell	TBA	November 8, 1994 (1994-11-08)
32	8	"The Book of Rachel"	John Whitesell	TBA	November 15, 1994 (1994-11-15)
33	9	"Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose, But Then So's Desperate"	John Whitesell	TBA	November 22, 1994 (1994-11-22)
34	10	"Just Like a Woman"	John Whitesell	TBA	November 29, 1994 (1994-11-29)
35	11	"A Cult to the System"	John Whitesell	TBA	December 6, 1994 (1994-12-06)
36	12	"The Job"	John Whitesell	TBA	December 13, 1994 (1994-12-13)
37	13	"Faith"	Gil Junger	TBA	January 10, 1995 (1995-01-10)
38	14	"The Defiant One"	John Whitesell	TBA	January 17, 1995 (1995-01-17)
39	15	"Wrestling Matches"	Gil Junger	TBA	January 31, 1995 (1995-01-31)
40	16	"Whipping Post"	John Whitesell	TBA	February 7, 1995 (1995-02-07)
41	17	"Bad Pennies"	John Whitesell	TBA	February 14, 1995 (1995-02-14)
42	18	"Time Out"	John Whitesell	TBA	February 28, 1995 (1995-02-28)
43	19	"In the Pink"	John Whitesell	TBA	March 7, 1995 (1995-03-07)
44	20	"You Bet Your Life"	John Whitesell	TBA	March 14, 1995 (1995-03-14)
45	21	"Rachel Redux"	John Whitesell	Don Reo & Judith D. Allison	May 9, 1995 (1995-05-09)
46	22	"Several Unusual Love Stories"	John Whitesell	Dorothy Reo	May 23, 1995 (1995-05-23)
47	23	"The Wedding"	TBA	TBA	August 22, 1995 (1995-08-22)
48	24	"And the Heat Goes On"	Gil Junger	TBA	August 29, 1995 (1995-08-29)

Season 3 (1995–96)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
49	1	"More Changes"	John Whitesell	Mitchell Hurwitz	September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)
50	2	"Even More Changes"	John Whitesell	Mitchell Hurwitz	October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)
51	3	"Rachel and Tony"	John Whitesell	Don Reo & Judith D. Allison	October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21)
52	4	"A Moveable Feast"	John Whitesell	Martin Weiss	November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)
53	5	"Johns"	John Whitesell	Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal	November 14, 1995 (1995-11-14)
54	6	"Night Moves"	John Whitesell	Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal	December 12, 1995 (1995-12-12)
55	7	"An Odd Cup of Tea"	John Whitesell	John Ridley	December 19, 1995 (1995-12-19)
56	8	"Love on the Line"	John Whitesell	John Ridley	December 26, 1995 (1995-12-26)
57	9	"Master Class"	John Whitesell	Pam Brady	January 2, 1996 (1996-01-02)
58	10	"Ring of Fire"	John Whitesell	Martin Weiss	January 9, 1996 (1996-01-09)
59	11	"John's Lucky Day"	John Whitesell	Don Reo & Judith D. Allison	January 16, 1996 (1996-01-16)
60	12	"Black and White and Red All Over"	John Whitesell	Ursula Ziegler & Steve Sullivan	January 30, 1996 (1996-01-30)
61	13	"The Housewarming"	John Whitesell	Pam Brady	February 6, 1996 (1996-02-06)
62	14	"Cosmetic Perjury"	John Whitesell	Les Eberhard	February 13, 1996 (1996-02-13)
63	15	"The Train Wreck"	John Whitesell	Donald Siegel	February 20, 1996 (1996-02-20)
64	16	"Some Call Them Beasts"	John Whitesell	Martin Weiss	February 27, 1996 (1996-02-27)
65	17	"Here We Go Again"	John Whitesell	Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal & Jim Vallely & Mitchell Hurwitz	March 12, 1996 (1996-03-12)
66	18	"The Dance"	John Whitesell	David Landsberg	March 26, 1996 (1996-03-26)
67	19	"A Night to Remember"	John Whitesell	Jim Vallely & Mitchell Hurwitz	April 9, 1996 (1996-04-09)
68	20	"Independence Day"	John Whitesell	Pam Brady	April 23, 1996 (1996-04-23)
69	21	"Hello, Baby, Hello"	John Whitesell	Jim Vallely & Mitchell Hurwitz	April 30, 1996 (1996-04-30)
70	22	"Intern Writer"	John Whitesell	Will Gluck	May 7, 1996 (1996-05-07)
71	23	"Running for Carly"	John Whitesell	John Levenstein	May 14, 1996 (1996-05-14)
72	24	"Happy Endings"	John Whitesell	Catherine LePard	May 21, 1996 (1996-05-21)

Season 4 (1996)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
73	1	"Untying the Knot"	David Trainer	Mitchell Hurwitz	September 18, 1996 (1996-09-18)
74	2	"Mother of the Year"	David Trainer	Pam Brady	September 25, 1996 (1996-09-25)
75	3	"Bathing with Ernest Hemingway"	David Trainer	Donald Seigal	October 2, 1996 (1996-10-02)
76	4	"The Blues Traveler"	David Trainer	Paul Perlove	October 9, 1996 (1996-10-09)
77	5	"Copies"	David Trainer	Tom Saunders & Kell Cahoon	October 16, 1996 (1996-10-16)
78	6	"Isosceles Love Triangle"	David Trainer	Will Gluck	October 30, 1996 (1996-10-30)
79	7	"Napping to Success"	David Trainer	John Levenstein	UNAIRED
80	8	"Cheeses H. Taste"	David Trainer	Pam Brady	UNAIRED
81	9	"When Yussel Learned to Yodel"	David Trainer	Tom Saunders & Kell Cahoon	UNAIRED
82	10	"Humble Pi"	David Trainer	Will Gluck	UNAIRED
83	11	"Friends"	David Trainer	Donald Seigal	UNAIRED
84	12	"Pandora's Box"	David Trainer	John Levenstein	UNAIRED

History[]

Season	TV Season	Episodes	Time slot (ET)
1	1993–94	24	Thursday at 9:30 pm (Episode 1) Tuesday at 9:00 pm (Episodes 2-16, 18) Sunday at 10:00 pm (Episode 17) Tuesday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 19–24)
2	1994–95	24	Tuesday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 1-23) Tuesday at 8:30 pm (Episode 24)
3	1995–96	24	Saturday at 9:00 pm (Episodes 1–4) Tuesday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 5-24)
4	1996–97	12 (6 unaired)	Wednesday at 8:30 pm

Despite receiving early favorable critical reviews,^[3][4][5] the first season finished 96th overall, in part due to its time slot opposing Roseanne (which was fourth overall during the same season).^[6] By Larroquette's own admission, though, the show's first season wasn't prime-time material due to its dark nature^[7] – at least not for network television.

The show faced cancellation,^[8] until Larroquette requested the chance to retool the series, which NBC granted. Much of the dark humor was removed, for a more "toned-down" feel. The sets were brighter, and the cast were transferred from the night shift to day. John's dingy bed-sit was traded for a nice apartment. Oscar, the old bum who lived in one of the bus station phone booths, was cleaned up and became a shoeshine, and the prostitute character Carly (Gigi Rice) went "straight" – buying the bar and becoming a model citizen. The producers also gave John a wholesome romantic interest in the form of nurse Catherine Merrick, played by Alison LaPlaca. The series continued in this more prime-time-friendly format for two more years.

TV Ratings[]

Season 1^{[citation needed]}

• Ep 1: 14.3 rating [series high]
• Ep 2: 12.5 rating
• Ep 3: 10 rating
• Ep 4: 9.6 rating
• Ep 6: 13.3 million viewers; 9.3 rating
• Ep 10: 10.9 rating
• Ep 17: 12.3 rating
• Ep 24: 8.9 rating

Season 2^{[citation needed]}

• Ep 1: 16.4 million viewers; 11.4 rating
• Ep 2: 11.2 rating
• Ep 3: 12.5 rating
• Ep 4: 10.9 rating
• Ep 21: 11.5 rating
• Ep 24: 9.8 rating

Season 3^{[citation needed]}

• Ep 1: 7.4 rating
• Ep 4: 5.8 rating [series low]
• Ep 10: 13.1 rating
• Ep 11: 12.4 rating
• Ep 21: 11.2 rating
• Ep 24: 10.3 rating

Season 4

• Ep 1: 8.3 rating
• Ep 2: 6.6 rating
• Ep 6: 7 rating

Decline and cancellation[]

In an attempt to boost the third season opener, but without increasing the budget, it featured a faux guest appearance by Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, whom John calls for advice (not knowing he is on Frasier's live radio program). Ratings did not improve, however. John and Carly got married in the third-season finale while Catherine was seemingly pregnant with John's child. It was revealed that Catherine was experiencing a phantom pregnancy and left the show. The John Larroquette Show was cancelled abruptly one month into its fourth season, the last episode airing on October 30, 1996 showing John and Officer Eggers on a date at a Halloween party. Six episodes remained unaired until being shown on the USA Network years later.^{[citation needed]}

Production[]

The series was originally to be called Crossroads; however, NBC wished to make the most of John Larroquette's popularity from his previous role on Night Court, and insisted on naming the show after him.^[9]

The show was videotaped, but processed by NBC to make it look like it was recorded on film.^[10] Reruns on other networks had the show in its original videotaped format.

Theme song[]

The series' theme song, "The Skrewy St. Louis Blues", is a bluesy tune performed by David Cassidy on acoustic guitar with a scat vocal. A version of the performance lasting approximately one minute was used in the opening and closing sequences of the show during its first season. A much shorter edit of the song (lasting less than ten seconds) was heard only during the opening logo during the later seasons. An upbeat, jazzy instrumental tune was occasionally used for the closing theme in seasons three and four.

Steve Cochran, a former radio host on WGN_(AM) in Chicago, used the Cassidy song as the theme music for his own radio program up until he was fired.

Critical reception[]

The Los Angeles Times once referred to the series as "sitcom noir".^[11]

The show was nominated and won several technical awards over its four-year run,^[12] and Larroquette was nominated in 1994 for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Guest star Betty White won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 1996 for her appearance in the Season 3 episode "Here We Go Again".

Liz Torres, also nominated in 1994 for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, won the NCLR/ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series in 1996 for her role in the series. She would also win a Nosotros Golden Eagle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Series in 1997.

Thomas Pynchon[]

After the series made several references to reclusive novelist Thomas Pynchon's work and reputation, Pynchon (through his agent) reportedly contacted the series' producers to offer suggestions and corrections. When a local Pynchon sighting became a major plot point in a 1994 episode of the series, Pynchon was sent the script for his approval; as well as providing the title of a fictitious work to be used in one episode ("Pandemonium of the Sun"), the novelist apparently vetoed a final scene that called for an extra playing him to be filmed from behind, walking away from the shot.^[13][14] Pynchon also insisted that it should be specifically mentioned in the episode that Pynchon was seen wearing a T-shirt showing psychedelic-rock musician Roky Erickson.^[15] According to the Los Angeles Times, this spurred an increase in sales of Erickson's albums.^[16]

References[]

External links[]

• The John Larroquette Show at IMDb