EZ Streets
Encyclopedia
EZ Streets is an American television drama series
created by Paul Haggis
. It premiered on CBS
on October 27, 1996 with a two hour pilot telefilm
. The series stars Ken Olin
, Joe Pantoliano
, and Jason Gedrick
.
promising that the show would be "relaunched" at a later date.
The series was relaunched that spring from March 1, 1997 to April 2, 1997, but failed to garner a substantial audience. CBS canceled EZ Streets in April 1997 due to low ratings. The last episode, "Neither Have I Wings to Fly", never aired on CBS. Critics criticized Moonves for not reairing the pilot and first series episode before the relaunch.
On May 23, 2006, Universal Studios released the two part pilot and the episodes "Every Dog Has Its Day" and "One Acquainted with the Night" on a single DVD as part of its Brilliant But Cancelled
series. It remains to be seen if future episodes will be forthcoming.
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
created by Paul Haggis
Paul Haggis
Paul Edward Haggis is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, and director. He spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Early life and education:...
. It premiered on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on October 27, 1996 with a two hour pilot telefilm
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
. The series stars Ken Olin
Ken Olin
Kenneth Edward "Ken" Olin is an American actor, director and producer. He is known for his starring role on the television series Thirtysomething, and most recently as Executive Producer, director, and recurring guest star of the television series Brothers & Sisters .-Career:As an actor, Olin...
, Joe Pantoliano
Joe Pantoliano
Joseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He played the character of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, Bob Keane in La Bamba, Cypher in The Matrix, Teddy in Memento, Francis Fratelli in The Goonies, Guido "the Killer Pimp" in Risky Business, and Jennifer Tilly's...
, and Jason Gedrick
Jason Gedrick
Jason Gedrick is an American actor best known for his work on the television series Murder One and Boomtown and the motion picture Iron Eagle....
.
Synopsis
The series is set in a decaying American city located near the Canadian border, and deals with the interconnected lives of the city's criminals, politicians, and police officers.Characters
- Ken OlinKen OlinKenneth Edward "Ken" Olin is an American actor, director and producer. He is known for his starring role on the television series Thirtysomething, and most recently as Executive Producer, director, and recurring guest star of the television series Brothers & Sisters .-Career:As an actor, Olin...
as Detective Cameron Quinn - Joe PantolianoJoe PantolianoJoseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He played the character of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, Bob Keane in La Bamba, Cypher in The Matrix, Teddy in Memento, Francis Fratelli in The Goonies, Guido "the Killer Pimp" in Risky Business, and Jennifer Tilly's...
as Jimmy Murtha - Jason GedrickJason GedrickJason Gedrick is an American actor best known for his work on the television series Murder One and Boomtown and the motion picture Iron Eagle....
as Danny Rooney - R.D. Call as Michael "Fivers" Dugan
- John FinnJohn FinnJohn Finn is an American actor known as one of the leads of the television programs Cold Case and EZ Streets. Finn has also had supporting roles in the films The Hunted , Catch Me If You Can , True Crime , Turbulence , Blown Away , The Pelican Brief , and Glory .TV series that Finn has...
as Captain Geary - Debrah FarentinoDebrah FarentinoDebrah Farentino is an American model and actress.-Early life:Farentino was born Deborah Mullowney in Lucas Valley, California. She attended Miller Creek Junior High School, and Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, California...
as Theresa Conners - Richard PortnowRichard PortnowRichard Portnow is an American actor known for such films and television shows as Barton Fink, Se7en, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, The Spirit, Law Abiding Citizen, Private Parts, Fallen Arches, Double Down, Spring Break '83, The Sopranos, Hannah Montana and Boston Legal.-Life and career:A...
as Detective Frank Collero - Carl Lumbly as Mayor Christian Davidson
- Sarah Trigger as Elli Rooney
- Andrew DivoffAndrew DivoffAndrew Daniel Divoff is a Venezuelan film and television actor, best known for playing the evil Djinn in the two first Wishmaster films and the villains Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hrs., Boris Bazylev in Air Force One, Ivan Sarnoff in CSI: Miami and Mikhail Bakunin in Lost.- Early life :Divoff was...
as Andre "Frenchie" Desormeaux - Mike StarrMike Starr (actor)Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....
as Mickey Kinnear - Robert SpillaneRobert SpillaneRobert "Bobby" Spillane was a small role actor and the son of Irish-American mobster, Mickey Spillane.-Biography:...
as Bobby
Reception and cancellation
After its first episode in its regular timeslot on Wednesday, October 30, 1996 it was canceled with CBS president Leslie MoonvesLeslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves is President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation.Moonves served as co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom, Inc., the predecessor to CBS Corporation, from 2004 until the company split on December 31, 2005...
promising that the show would be "relaunched" at a later date.
The series was relaunched that spring from March 1, 1997 to April 2, 1997, but failed to garner a substantial audience. CBS canceled EZ Streets in April 1997 due to low ratings. The last episode, "Neither Have I Wings to Fly", never aired on CBS. Critics criticized Moonves for not reairing the pilot and first series episode before the relaunch.
Episodes
- "Pilot" (October 27, 1996)
- "Every Picture Tells a Story" (October 30, 1996)
- "A Terrible Beauty" (March 3, 1997)
- "St. Jude Took a Bullet" (March 5, 1997)
- "Every Dog Has Its Day" (March 12, 1997)
- "One Acquainted with the Night" (March 19, 1997)
- "On the Left Side of the Angel" (March 26, 1997)
- "A Ceremony of Innocence" (April 2, 1997)
- "Neither Have I Wings to Fly" (scheduled for April 9, 1997, but never aired)
Syndication and DVD release
In 2006, repeats of the series began airing on the new U.S. cable channel, Sleuth. All episodes, including the one not shown on CBS, were aired.On May 23, 2006, Universal Studios released the two part pilot and the episodes "Every Dog Has Its Day" and "One Acquainted with the Night" on a single DVD as part of its Brilliant But Cancelled
Trio (TV network)
Trio was an American cable and satellite television network.Trio went on the air in 1997, then originally owned and operated jointly by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Power Broadcasting Inc. as a venue for airing the CBC's arts, culture and entertainment programming in the U.S...
series. It remains to be seen if future episodes will be forthcoming.
External links
- The Wild The Not So Innocence and the EZ Streets: Why Did CBS Cancel the Year's Best Show? on Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...