Glory Daze (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Glory Daze is an American
comedy-drama
television series. The one-hour series revolves around a group of college freshmen who pledge a fraternity in 1986. The series aired from November 16, 2010 to January 18, 2011 on TBS
.
On February 24, 2011, TBS announced that the series would not be renewed for a second season due to poor ratings.
, the series revolves around a group of friends entering their freshman year of college at Hayes University. The young men must deal with being on their own for the first time and preparing for what is to come in their college years.
was written by Walt Becker
and Michael LeSieur, who received a cast-contingent pilot commitment from TBS in late January, 2010. On May 14, 2010, TBS
announced it had picked up the series with an eight episode order. The order was increased to ten episodes in early November 2010, a week before the series premiere.
When speaking of the series, Michael Wright, the executive vice president and head of programming for TBS, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies
said: "Glory Daze is a sharply written, laugh-out-loud comedy with a talented ensemble cast, including comic veteran Tim Meadows. The time is right for this feel-good, funny, and fresh take on college life in the '80s."
Glory Daze was filmed at USC's Mudd Hall of Philosophy and on both the UCLA campus and the former Ambassador College
campus in Pasadena
, CA.
The show's theme song, "Police on My Back
", is performed by The Clash
.
Television in the United States
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
television series. The one-hour series revolves around a group of college freshmen who pledge a fraternity in 1986. The series aired from November 16, 2010 to January 18, 2011 on TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
.
On February 24, 2011, TBS announced that the series would not be renewed for a second season due to poor ratings.
Premise
Set in 1986 in the state of IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, the series revolves around a group of friends entering their freshman year of college at Hayes University. The young men must deal with being on their own for the first time and preparing for what is to come in their college years.
Main cast
- Kelly BlatzKelly BlatzKelly Steven Blatz is an American actor and singer.Blatz made his acting debut in The Oakley Seven . He had a brief role in the horror film Simon Says and appears in the 2008 remake of Prom Night. Blatz played a role in the independent feature film April Showers...
as Joel Harrington - Joel is the main character of the series. He is a pre-med student and is very dedicated to his studies. In the beginning of the series he has second thoughts on joining the Omega Sigma fraternity knowing it would disappoint his father. He later decides to join after being encouraged by his friends. He has strong feelings for Christie, Damon's girlfriend. He is a devout CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
.
- Matt BushMatt Bush (actor)Matt Bush is an American actor, best known for the film Adventureland and his AT&T Rollover Minutes commercials. He starred in the TBS comedy Glory Daze as Eli, a freshman who rushes the wildest fraternity on a 1980s college campus....
as Eli Feldman - Eli is the most troubled of the group. He enters college as a virgin and desperately wants to lose his innocence, despite his frequent bad luck with women. He is very impulsive when the right situation drives him to be. He is Jewish.
- Hartley Sawyer as Brian Sommers - Brian is the jock of the group. He is accepted to Hayes University on a baseball scholarship. He is willing to do anything to help his friends and is also quite intelligent, having a great knowledge of seemingly random information.
- Drew Seeley as Jason Wilson - Jason is the rich kid of the group. He is a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and has strong future aspirations to enter politics. He originally wanted to join the Zheta Rho fraternity due to their strong history of housing future politicians, but reconsiders to join his friends at Omega Sigma fraternity.
- Callard Harris as Mike Reno - Reno is one of the upperclassmen at the Omega Sigma fraternity. He has a very laid-back attitude and is always ready to guide the freshmen on the craziness of college life.
- Julianna GuillJulianna GuillJulianna Guill is an American actress. She best known for role as Bree in Friday the 13th and Scarlet Haukkson in the webisode series My Alibi. She also co-starred in the TBS series Glory Daze as Christie.-Early life:...
as Christie DeWitt - Christie is a student at Hayes University and is Damon's girlfriend. She is always very sweet and kind especially towards Joel, which is why Joel has romantic feelings for her. In the episode "Hit Me with Your Test Shot", she learns about Joel's feelings after seeing drawings of herself in Joel's notes. Even after Joel finds out about Christie knowing about the drawings, they still decide to stay friends.
- Tim Jo as Alex Chang - Alex is Eli's dorm roommate. He is AsianAsianAsian refers to an inhabitant of Asia, or someone of Asian descent.In the Americas, the term refers almost exclusively to those from the Asia pacific region, such as China, Japan, South Korea or Vietnam....
and decides to join the fraternity for Asian students but then quits due to the hard partying.
- James Earl as Tom "Turbo" Turley - Turbo is another upperclassman at the Omega Sigma fraternity and the pledgemaster. He is African-American and enjoys hip hop music. He is very kind to the freshmen but always ready to whip them into shape due to his strong dedication to the fraternity.
- Josh Brener as Zack Miller - Zack is Joel's dorm roommate. He is very awkward and makes people around him very uncomfortable.
- Chris D'EliaChris D'EliaChris D'Elia is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comic, actor, and writer.D'Elia has been featured on Showtime's Live Nude Comedy and Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and Comedy Central Presents. He was introduced to a broader audience as a regular on the series Glory Daze, which ran for one season on...
as Stankowski - William Xavier Stankowski is an upperclassman at the Omega Sigma fraternity. He is known for being very wise and helpful. Not much is known about his personal life other than he has lived in the Omega Sigma house since 1976 and inhales a lot of cannabisCannabisCannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
.
- Tim Meadows as Professor Aloysius Haines - Professor Haines is Joel and Christie's Political sciencePolitical sciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
professor. He went through a difficult divorce with his wife and frequently expresses his personal problems and political opinions in front of his class. Joel always seems to get on his bad side, although there are times when Haines does accept that Joel tries his best to please him. He also serves as the Omega Sigma faculty advisor.
Minor cast
- Eric NenningerEric NenningerEric John Nenninger is an American actor, best known for playing Scott Braddock in the 2003 horror film, Jeepers Creepers II and for his recurring role as Cadet Eric Hanson on Malcolm in the Middle.-Biography:...
as Damon Smythe - Damon is the leader of the Omega Sigma fraternity. He is the most responsible person in the house and has no idea about Joel's feelings for his girlfriend Christie.
- David GuzmanDavid GuzmánDavid Guzmán is a Costa Rican football player, currently playing for Deportivo Saprissa in Primera División de Costa Rica as Midfielder...
as Hector - Hector is a Mexican dwarf living in the fraternity house.
- Natalie DreyfussNatalie DreyfussNatalie Rachel Dreyfuss is a television actress, who has had guest starring roles in shows such as Burn Notice and The Shield. Most recently, she had a recurring role on the television series Glory Daze....
as Julie - Julie is Jason's girlfriend. She was accepted to Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, but chooses to attend Hayes to be with Jason. She sometimes questions her decision due to Jason messing up on a number of occasions.
- Teri PoloTeri PoloTheresa Elizabeth "Teri" Polo is an American actress known for her role of Pam Focker in the movie Meet the Parents and its two sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers...
as Professor Larsen - Professor Larsen is an English professor at the university. After meeting Mike Reno at the grocery store, Reno appears to have the impression that Larsen's strict behavior is just a front to her actual witty and attractive personality.
- Alexandra ChandoAlexandra ChandoAlexandra Chando is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Maddie Coleman on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns, which she began in 2005, and currently stars in 2011 in the ABC Family original series The Lying Game along with a few other popular stars such as Blair...
as Annabelle - Annabelle is Brian's girlfriend. They meet at a mixer with Kappa Theta sorority. At first she does not like jocks being that Brian is one, but quickly changes her mind after seeing his physique. It is later revealed that Annabelle and Brian break up after she joins a cult.
- Kim ShawKim ShawKim Shaw is a Canadian-born American actress, best known for her role in the 2007 independent film Greetings from the Shore.Shaw was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, but moved to Miami, Florida and became an American citizen in 1998. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New...
as Tammy - Tammy is the daughter of one of Joel's mother's friends. Since being set up with Joel, she is very infatuated with him.
Guest stars
- Brad GarrettBrad GarrettBradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles....
as Jerry Harrington, Joel's father - Cheri OteriCheri OteriCheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...
as Joel's mother - John Michael HigginsJohn Michael HigginsJohn Michael Higgins is an American actor whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's The Late Shift, and a starring role in the American version of Kath & Kim....
as Brother Jerrold, the Omega Sig chapter master - David KoechnerDavid KoechnerDavid Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
as Brian's baseball coach - D. L. HughleyD. L. HughleyDarryl Lynn "D. L." Hughley is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as the star of the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy. Additionally, he has been the host of CNN's D. L...
as Coach Franklin, Brian's other baseball coach - Justin Chon as Asian fraternity brother
- Kevin NealonKevin NealonKevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
as Marcus, fake ID maker - Andy RichterAndy RichterPaul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...
as Hayes University priest - Curtis ArmstrongCurtis ArmstrongCurtis Armstrong is an American actor best known for his portrayal as Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds movies, as Herbert Viola on Moonlighting, and as famed record producer Ahmet Ertegün in the film Ray.-Early life:...
as Morty Feldman, Eli's father - Reginald VelJohnsonReginald VelJohnsonReginald VelJohnson is an American actor of film, stage and television, well known for his role as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, where he was the only cast member to appear in every single episode. He also portrayed LAPD Sgt...
as Stan Turley, Turbo's father - Geoff PiersonGeoff PiersonGeoff Pierson is an American actor known for his role on The WB series Unhappily Ever After as Jack Malloy, the father of a dysfunctional family whose best friend is a stuffed animal rabbit named Mr. Floppy...
as Col. Smythe, Damon's father - Barry BostwickBarry BostwickBarry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Brad Majors in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, and playing mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City...
as Mr. Wilson, Jason's father - Ken LernerKen LernerKen Lerner is an American television, stage and film actor who is perhaps most famous for playing "Principal Flutie" in the first episodes of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:...
as Rabbi Shapiro - Michael McKeanMichael McKeanMichael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
as Stu, Hayes University gardener - Fred WillardFred WillardFred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
as University Hospital doctor - Mindy SterlingMindy SterlingMindy Lee Sterling is an American actress. Although she had worked in film for over 30 years, she only began to garner attention after playing Frau Farbissina, the diminutive and domineering Germanic cohort of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, and has a recurring role as Ms...
as Movie ticket lady - Gina GershonGina GershonGina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
as Lt. Lang, teacher of R.O.T.CReserve Officers' Training CorpsThe Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
course - Tasha SmithTasha SmithTasha Smith is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous movies and plays.-Career:Smith is known for her role in Daddy's Little Girls, a Tyler Perry-directed movie, where she played the villain Jennifer...
as Lea, Professor Haines's ex-wife - Kathryn FioreKathryn FioreKathryn Fiore is an American comic actress.Fiore was born in New York City, New York. She studied Latin at Columbia University, then left to pursue a career in acting. Fiore began her career in a Broadway production of Picnic in 1994, where she played Millie and Madge Owens, alongside Ashley Judd...
as Janie, a woman Eli nearly loses his virginity to
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|
Development and production
The 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...
was written by Walt Becker
Walt Becker
-External links:...
and Michael LeSieur, who received a cast-contingent pilot commitment from TBS in late January, 2010. On May 14, 2010, TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
announced it had picked up the series with an eight episode order. The order was increased to ten episodes in early November 2010, a week before the series premiere.
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
said: "Glory Daze is a sharply written, laugh-out-loud comedy with a talented ensemble cast, including comic veteran Tim Meadows. The time is right for this feel-good, funny, and fresh take on college life in the '80s."
Glory Daze was filmed at USC's Mudd Hall of Philosophy and on both the UCLA campus and the former Ambassador College
Ambassador College
Ambassador College was a four-year, liberal arts college run by the Worldwide Church of God. The college was established in 1947 in Pasadena, California by radio evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong, leader of what was then the Radio Church of God, later renamed the Worldwide Church of God...
campus in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, CA.
The show's theme song, "Police on My Back
Sandinista!
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side...
", is performed by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
.