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Kath & Kim (U.S. TV series)
Encyclopedia
Kath & Kim is an American
version of the Australian television comedy series of the same name
starring Selma Blair
and Molly Shannon
. The series premiered on NBC
on October 9, 2008. The Australian version was created by its original stars, Jane Turner
and Gina Riley
, who also serve as executive producers and consultants on this version as well, which is co-produced through Reveille Productions
and Universal Media Studios.
Its first episode premiered in Australia on Sunday October 12 on the Seven Network
and its Australian broadcast was cancelled after the second episode the following week. The series was then pushed to a graveyard slot of 11pm Mondays, and then pre-empted for the 2009 Australian Open
after the first-run airing of episode 9, "Friends". Although the show initially garnered unremarkable ratings and mixed reviews from critics, NBC picked up Kath & Kim for a full season order of 22 episodes on October 31, 2008. On January 15, 2009, NBC cut the episode order from 22 to 17 episodes. The show's season finale aired on March 12, 2009. On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, NBC announced there would not be a second season.
in 2004. After Trio folded it moved over to the Sundance Channel in early 2006.
On November 9, 2006, NBC announced a U.S. version of Kath & Kim. A pilot episode was produced by Reveille (the same studio that adapted Ugly Betty
and The Office
into U.S. hits) and NBC Universal, with Riley and Turner serving as executive producers and consultants. Paul Feig
was picked to direct the pilot episode.
Originally, NBC wanted the series to air in the 2007-2008 fall television season, but decided against it. The series was greenlighted after the network named Reveille founder Ben Silverman
its new entertainment head. Silverman had been trying to bring this adaptation to American screens since 2004. The show was ordered to series in early 2008. The series aired in Australia on channel 7 in mid 2008, but only aired the pilot and first episode until it was taken off and replaced by repeats of the original series due to popular demand. The full series was later aired in Australia.
was cast as Kath, and Selma Blair
as Kim. Even though they are playing mother and daughter, Shannon is actually only eight years older than Blair: Shannon was born in 1964, Blair in 1972. Similarly, in the Australian version, Jane Turner (Kath) is only five months older than Gina Riley (Kim).
Several names have been changed for the US version. While Kath has retained her full name from the Australian series (in which she was known as Kath Day until her marriage to Kel at the end of Season 1) and Kim has retained her first name, Kim is known as Kim Day (rather than Kim Craig née Day) although in one episode Kath calls her by her full name in which Kim's original middle name of Diane was replaced with Crystal. The two other characters have different first names: Craig Baker (replacing Brett Craig) and Phil Knight (replacing Kel Knight), while the character of Sharon is entirely absent from the series.
Maya Rudolph
made the show's first guest appearance as Athena Scooberman in episode 8, "Sacrifice". Pamela Anderson
made the show's second guest appearance in episode 9, "Friends".
. There were suggestions of using the San Fernando Valley
portion of Los Angeles, California
, as the setting, after they started shooting episodes on June 13, 2008 in Los Angeles' West Hills
neighborhood. Throughout the series there were references to geographical setting as Central Florida; Characters sometimes referenced short, sunny, afternoon rain downpours as are typical of Central Florida's climate.
calling it "a contender for worst remake ever."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
version of the Australian television comedy series of the same name
Kath & Kim
Kath & Kim is a Logie Award-winning character-driven Australian television situation comedy series. The series was created by, and is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play the title characters: a suburban mother and daughter with a dysfunctional relationship...
starring Selma Blair
Selma Blair
Selma Blair is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets and Hellboy II: The Golden Army...
and Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
. The series premiered on 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...
on October 9, 2008. The Australian version was created by its original stars, Jane Turner
Jane Turner
Jane Turner is an Australian actress, comedian and Logie Award winning comedy writer.Turner has appeared in many popular Australian TV programs, namely Prisoner in a straight dramatic role, with comedy roles in sketch comedy programs The D-Generation, Fast Forward, Full Frontal, Big Girl's Blouse...
and Gina Riley
Gina Riley
Gina Riley is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian.Riley became a popular television performer in the sketch shows Fast Forward, its successor Full Frontal, Big Girl's Blouse and Something Stupid. In the latter she was also a producer and writer...
, who also serve as executive producers and consultants on this version as well, which is co-produced through Reveille Productions
Reveille Productions
Reveille Productions is an independently-owned television and motion picture studio and production company based in Los Angeles. The studio was founded by Ben Silverman in March 2002....
and Universal Media Studios.
Its first episode premiered in Australia on Sunday October 12 on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and its Australian broadcast was cancelled after the second episode the following week. The series was then pushed to a graveyard slot of 11pm Mondays, and then pre-empted for the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
after the first-run airing of episode 9, "Friends". Although the show initially garnered unremarkable ratings and mixed reviews from critics, NBC picked up Kath & Kim for a full season order of 22 episodes on October 31, 2008. On January 15, 2009, NBC cut the episode order from 22 to 17 episodes. The show's season finale aired on March 12, 2009. On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, NBC announced there would not be a second season.
Cast
- Molly ShannonMolly ShannonMolly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
as Kathleen "Kath" Day - Selma BlairSelma BlairSelma Blair is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets and Hellboy II: The Golden Army...
as Kimberly Crystal "Kim" Day Baker - 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 Phillip "Phil" Lesley Knight - Mikey DayMikey DayMichael William "Mikey" Day is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and improvisational performer.Day was born in Orange County, California. He graduated from El Modena High School in Orange, California as an honors student in 1998, where he was involved in the drama program...
as Craig Baker - Justina MachadoJustina MachadoJustina Machado is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.-Early life:...
as Angel - Melissa RauchMelissa RauchMelissa Ivy Rauch is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her role as Bernadette Rostenkowski on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.-Early life and education:...
as Tina
Production
Prior to being adapted to an American version, the first two seasons of the original version aired in the United States on TrioTrio (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...
in 2004. After Trio folded it moved over to the Sundance Channel in early 2006.
On November 9, 2006, NBC announced a U.S. version of Kath & Kim. A pilot episode was produced by Reveille (the same studio that adapted Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
and The Office
The Office (US TV series)
The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...
into U.S. hits) and NBC Universal, with Riley and Turner serving as executive producers and consultants. Paul Feig
Paul Feig
Paul S. Feig is an American director, actor and author. Feig is known for playing Mr. Eugene Pool, Sabrina's science teacher, on the first season of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as well as Tim a camp counselor on the hit kids movie Heavyweights...
was picked to direct the pilot episode.
Originally, NBC wanted the series to air in the 2007-2008 fall television season, but decided against it. The series was greenlighted after the network named Reveille founder Ben Silverman
Ben Silverman
Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and CEO of Electus, a next generation entertainment studio staked by IAC's Barry Diller....
its new entertainment head. Silverman had been trying to bring this adaptation to American screens since 2004. The show was ordered to series in early 2008. The series aired in Australia on channel 7 in mid 2008, but only aired the pilot and first episode until it was taken off and replaced by repeats of the original series due to popular demand. The full series was later aired in Australia.
Casting
Molly ShannonMolly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
was cast as Kath, and Selma Blair
Selma Blair
Selma Blair is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets and Hellboy II: The Golden Army...
as Kim. Even though they are playing mother and daughter, Shannon is actually only eight years older than Blair: Shannon was born in 1964, Blair in 1972. Similarly, in the Australian version, Jane Turner (Kath) is only five months older than Gina Riley (Kim).
Several names have been changed for the US version. While Kath has retained her full name from the Australian series (in which she was known as Kath Day until her marriage to Kel at the end of Season 1) and Kim has retained her first name, Kim is known as Kim Day (rather than Kim Craig née Day) although in one episode Kath calls her by her full name in which Kim's original middle name of Diane was replaced with Crystal. The two other characters have different first names: Craig Baker (replacing Brett Craig) and Phil Knight (replacing Kel Knight), while the character of Sharon is entirely absent from the series.
Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
made the show's first guest appearance as Athena Scooberman in episode 8, "Sacrifice". Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
made the show's second guest appearance in episode 9, "Friends".
Location settings
Originally, the series setting was supposed to be set in Fountain Valley, Arizona, a fictitious suburb of Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. There were suggestions of using the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
portion of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, as the setting, after they started shooting episodes on June 13, 2008 in Los Angeles' West Hills
West Hills, Los Angeles, California
West Hills is an affluent community and district in the western San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States.West Hills is bordered by Chatsworth and the Chatsworth Reservoir to the north, Canoga Park to the east, Woodland Hills to the south, Hidden Hills to the southwest,...
neighborhood. Throughout the series there were references to geographical setting as Central Florida; Characters sometimes referenced short, sunny, afternoon rain downpours as are typical of Central Florida's climate.
Reception
The show has generated criticism from fans and television critics, especially in the casting, adjusting of the tone of the show and even the show's costume design, which has led to Blair firing back over the claims that it ruins the creativity of the original. Early reviews of the pilot were poor, with the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
calling it "a contender for worst remake ever."
Ratings
Despite negative reviews, the series debut's ratings were strong. The show finished third overall with a total of 7.5 million viewers. In the 18-49 and 18-34 year-old demographics it placed second and first respectively.By its third episode, viewers had dropped to 4.99 million viewers, two thirds of its viewers from the pilot.| Episode | Viewers (in millions) |
Household Rating/ Share |
|---|---|---|
| "Love" | 7.46 | 4.9/7 |
| "Respect" | 6.01 | TBA |
| "Old" | 4.98 | TBA |
| "Money" | 5.46 | TBA |
| "Dating" | 5.57 | TBA |
| "Jealousy" | 5.08 | TBA |
| "Gay" | 5.47 | TBA |
| "Sacrifice" | 4.88 | TBA |
| "Friends" | 5.33 | TBA |