Cold Feet (U.S. TV series)
Encyclopedia
Cold Feet is an American television series produced by Kerry Ehrin
Productions and Granada Entertainment USA for NBC
. Based on the British TV series of the same name
, the series follows three Seattle couples, each at different stages of their romantic relationships. It premiered on September 24, 1999 to mixed reviews and was canceled a month later because of falling ratings. Eight episodes were produced, of which four aired.
in 1997. Despite low ratings and few critical reviews, it won the prestigious Rose d'Or
at that year's Montreux Television Festival, and British broadcaster ITV commissioned a six-episode series of the show. Granada Entertainment USA, the American arm of the series producer Granada, tendered the series to U.S. networks and cable channels from late 1997, with the format eventually being sold to NBC, which commissioned 13 x 60-minute episodes in May 1999 for the Fall season. The series was broadcast at 10 p.m. on Friday nights, in the timeslot occupied by Homicide: Life on the Street
in previous seasons. Most episodes were written by Kerry Ehrin, who strived to make the series similar to the original. The series was shot at NBC's studios in Vancouver
, British Columbia
.
, Ray Richmond described the pilot as "more or less a primer on selfishness" and "breezy and entertaining", predicting the series would retain viewers in the following weeks. Entertainment Weekly
called the scene in which Adam stands with a rose clenched in his buttocks the peak of the episode, but was not impressed by the series replacing Homicide. Humor website TeeVee.org echoed this sentiment, but the rose scene had the opposite effect on the reviewer, who described it as giving her "mental hypothermia". Fay Ripley
, who played Jenny Gifford in the original British series, did not enjoy it, calling it "utterly shit" and criticizing the characterization of her character's American counterpart. Months after the cancellation, David Bondelvitch was nominated for a Golden Reel Award at the MPSE
awards for his music from the pilot.
The series averaged 4.9/9 for the four weeks it was on air, with "How Much is that Sex Act in the Window" bringing NBC its worst-ever homes rating for an original Friday night show. Following the broadcast of "The Strange Loves of Shelley Bumstead", NBC announced the series was cancelled. Granada cited the two-week hiatus between episodes two and three as the main reason for the loss of viewers.
Kerry Ehrin
Kerry Ehrin is a television writer. She has worked on the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights. She was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best New Series at the February 2007 ceremony for her work on the first season of Friday Night Lights...
Productions and Granada Entertainment USA for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Based on the British TV series of the same name
Cold Feet
Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
, the series follows three Seattle couples, each at different stages of their romantic relationships. It premiered on September 24, 1999 to mixed reviews and was canceled a month later because of falling ratings. Eight episodes were produced, of which four aired.
Production
The British production of Cold Feet first aired as a one-off television pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
in 1997. Despite low ratings and few critical reviews, it won the prestigious Rose d'Or
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
at that year's Montreux Television Festival, and British broadcaster ITV commissioned a six-episode series of the show. Granada Entertainment USA, the American arm of the series producer Granada, tendered the series to U.S. networks and cable channels from late 1997, with the format eventually being sold to NBC, which commissioned 13 x 60-minute episodes in May 1999 for the Fall season. The series was broadcast at 10 p.m. on Friday nights, in the timeslot occupied by Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
in previous seasons. Most episodes were written by Kerry Ehrin, who strived to make the series similar to the original. The series was shot at NBC's studios in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Characters
- Adam Williams – (played by David SutcliffeDavid SutcliffeDavid Sutcliffe is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Christopher Hayden, Rory Gilmore's father and Lorelai Gilmore's on-and-off boyfriend, on the CW show Gilmore Girls....
) - Shelley Sullivan – (played by Jean Louisa KellyJean Louisa KellyJean Louisa Kelly is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her long-running role as Kim Warner on the television sitcom Yes, Dear.-Career:...
) - Pete Lombardi – (played by William Keane)
- Jenny Lombardi – (played by Dina SpybeyDina SpybeyDina Spybey is an American actress, known as Dina Waters since her 2000 wedding to director Mark Waters. She has appeared in more than 20 films, including John Q., subUrbia and The Haunted Mansion. She is perhaps best known for her role as Tracy Montrose Blair on the first season of Six Feet Under...
) - David Chandler – (played by Anthony StarkeAnthony StarkeAnthony Starke is an American actor. Starke is well known for his one episode role in Seinfeld, playing the 3rd person-speaking character Jimmy in "The Jimmy", as well as playing Jack on The George Carlin Show, on Fox.-Biography:...
) - Karen Chandler – (played by Alicia CoppolaAlicia CoppolaAlicia Coppola is an American television actress.-Career:Coppola started her TV career as a hostess on the MTV game show Remote Control. In 1991, she was hired to play vixen Lorna Devon on the soap opera Another World; she played the role until 1994...
) - Ramona – (played by Maria J. Cruz)
Episodes
| # | Title | |Director | |Prod. code |
|---|
Reception
Writing in VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, Ray Richmond described the pilot as "more or less a primer on selfishness" and "breezy and entertaining", predicting the series would retain viewers in the following weeks. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called the scene in which Adam stands with a rose clenched in his buttocks the peak of the episode, but was not impressed by the series replacing Homicide. Humor website TeeVee.org echoed this sentiment, but the rose scene had the opposite effect on the reviewer, who described it as giving her "mental hypothermia". Fay Ripley
Fay Ripley
Fay Ripley is an English actress and recipe author. Born in Wimbledon, London, Ripley is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama . Her first professional role was in the chorus of a pantomime version of Around the World in 80 Days...
, who played Jenny Gifford in the original British series, did not enjoy it, calling it "utterly shit" and criticizing the characterization of her character's American counterpart. Months after the cancellation, David Bondelvitch was nominated for a Golden Reel Award at the MPSE
Motion Picture Sound Editors
Founded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its...
awards for his music from the pilot.
Ratings
The ratings for the first four episodes are:| # | Episode | Airdate | Rating | Share | 18–49 | Viewers | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 24, 1999 | – | – | – | 8.8 | 68 |
| 2 | "A Thong, a Potty and a Napoleon" | October 1, 1999 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | "How Much is that Sex Act in the Window" | October 22, 1999 | 2.5 | 8 | – | 5.69 | – |
| 4 | "The Strange Loves of Shelley Bumstead" | October 29, 1999 | 3.4 | 6 | – | – | – |
The series averaged 4.9/9 for the four weeks it was on air, with "How Much is that Sex Act in the Window" bringing NBC its worst-ever homes rating for an original Friday night show. Following the broadcast of "The Strange Loves of Shelley Bumstead", NBC announced the series was cancelled. Granada cited the two-week hiatus between episodes two and three as the main reason for the loss of viewers.