Shit My Dad Says (TV series)
Encyclopedia
$#*! My Dad Says is an American
television sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Television
that aired on CBS
. It was based on the Twitter
feed Shit My Dad Says
, created by Justin Halpern
and consisting of quotes from his father, Sam.
The show originally ran from September 23, 2010 to February 17, 2011, and aired on Thursdays at 8:30 pm/7:30 pm Central. After 18 episodes aired, the series was replaced in mid-season by Rules of Engagement
which had moved to Thursdays from Mondays.
On May 15, 2011, CBS announced that it had canceled $#*! My Dad Says.
rants. When Henry, a struggling writer and blog
ger, can no longer afford his rent, he is forced to move back in with Ed, which creates new issues in their tricky father-son relationship.
As weeks go by Henry is unable to find a job as a writer, mostly due to the lack of good material. He finally lands a job, when during his interview Ed interrupts with an irrational phone call that sparks the interest of the eccentric editor conducting the interview. Henry is ultimately hired, but is forced to continue living with Ed in order to be able to continue to write about his father's unsolicited rants, hence the title "$#*! My Dad Says".
based on the Twitter feed, which would be written by Halpern and Patrick Schumacker. William Shatner
landed the lead role in late February 2010, which triggered a green-light to produce the pilot. Nicole Sullivan
and Ryan Devlin
came on board in early March. Casting was completed with the addition of Will Sasso
as Vince and Stephanie Lemelin
as Sam later that month.
The series was picked up by CBS in May 2010, with reports saying that the role of Henry (played by Ryan Devlin in the pilot) would be recast. In July, Jonathan Sadowski
was cast in the role. The character Sam (Stephanie Lemelin) was eliminated, never appearing in the broadcast pilot or subsequent episodes.
regulations on the use of profane language during prime time
. The profanity was also toned down and modified from Halpern's Twitter feeds.
On May 19, 2010, CBS announced the show's official name and 8:30 pm time slot at its upfront presentation
of the fall 2010 schedule. Addressing reporters' concerns regarding the title, the network assured them that the expletive would not be used in promos. Soon thereafter, the Parents Television Council
announced that it was protesting the title because it alluded to an obscenity. The PTC threatened CBS with broadcast license challenges for any affiliate airing the show or its promos before 10 pm.
Responding to the controversy, CBS stated, "[The show] will in no way be indecent and will adhere to all CBS standards. Parents who choose to do so will find the show can be easily blocked using their V Chip
." Show star Shatner commented on the show's title, saying "We say spit; why can't we say shit?" In addition, Bill Gorman from TVbytheNumbers wrote that the PTC protest was just giving the show more publicity, which he expected would boost ratings.
At the July 2010 Television Critics Association
press tour, Shatner further commented on the title saying, "The word 'shit' is around us. It isn't a terrible term. It's a natural function. Why are we pussyfooting?"
on January 5, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
that aired 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...
. It was based on the Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed Shit My Dad Says
Shit My Dad Says
Shit My Dad Says is a Twitter feed started by Justin Halpern, who, at the time, was a semi-employed comedy writer. It consists of quotes made by Halpern's father, Sam, regarding various subjects. Halpern started the account on August 3, 2009, soon after moving from Los Angeles back to his...
, created by Justin Halpern
Justin Halpern
Justin Samuel Halpern is the American author of the Twitter feed Shit My Dad Says and the best-selling book of the same name. He was also the co-writer and co-executive producer of a CBS television situation comedy series based on the book.-Life and career:Halpern grew up in the Point Loma...
and consisting of quotes from his father, Sam.
The show originally ran from September 23, 2010 to February 17, 2011, and aired on Thursdays at 8:30 pm/7:30 pm Central. After 18 episodes aired, the series was replaced in mid-season by Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
which had moved to Thursdays from Mondays.
On May 15, 2011, CBS announced that it had canceled $#*! My Dad Says.
Plot
Ed is a very opinionated 72-year-old who has been divorced three times. His two adult sons, Henry and Vince, are accustomed to his unsolicited and often politically incorrectPolitically incorrect
The phrase "politically incorrect" may refer to:* Someone or something which does not meet a standard of political correctness* Politically Incorrect, a late-night U.S. political talk show* Politically Incorrect, a German political blog...
rants. When Henry, a struggling writer and blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger, can no longer afford his rent, he is forced to move back in with Ed, which creates new issues in their tricky father-son relationship.
As weeks go by Henry is unable to find a job as a writer, mostly due to the lack of good material. He finally lands a job, when during his interview Ed interrupts with an irrational phone call that sparks the interest of the eccentric editor conducting the interview. Henry is ultimately hired, but is forced to continue living with Ed in order to be able to continue to write about his father's unsolicited rants, hence the title "$#*! My Dad Says".
Cast
- William ShatnerWilliam ShatnerWilliam Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
as Dr. Edison Milford "Ed" Goodson III - Jonathan SadowskiJonathan SadowskiJonathan Sadowski is an American actor. He is best known for playing Viola Hasting's best friend Paul Antonio in the movie She's The Man, Trey in Live Free or Die Hard, and Blake in the 2009 film The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. In July 2010, he joined the cast of the CBS comedy $#*! My Dad...
as Henry Goodson - Will SassoWill SassoWilliam "Will" Sasso is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the American sketch comedy series MADtv, spending five seasons on the show.-Early life:...
as Vince Goodson - Nicole SullivanNicole SullivanNicole Julianne Sullivan is an American actress, comedian and voice artist. Sullivan is best known for her six seasons on the sketch comedy series MADtv and five seasons on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.She has played a recurring character on Scrubs and voices the villainous Shego in...
as Bonnie Goodson - Tim BagleyTim BagleyTimothy Hugh "Tim" Bagley is an American character actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles on the TV series Will & Grace, Monk and $h*! My Dad Says.-Early life:...
as Tim
Development and production
In November 2009, CBS announced that it was developing a 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...
based on the Twitter feed, which would be written by Halpern and Patrick Schumacker. William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
landed the lead role in late February 2010, which triggered a green-light to produce the pilot. Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Julianne Sullivan is an American actress, comedian and voice artist. Sullivan is best known for her six seasons on the sketch comedy series MADtv and five seasons on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.She has played a recurring character on Scrubs and voices the villainous Shego in...
and Ryan Devlin
Ryan Devlin
Ryan Patrick Devlin is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role opposite Calista Flockhart on the ABC show Brothers & Sisters where he played her younger boyfriend Seth. In addition, he recurs in the role of Smith in the ABC-TV comedy Cougar Town...
came on board in early March. Casting was completed with the addition of Will Sasso
Will Sasso
William "Will" Sasso is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the American sketch comedy series MADtv, spending five seasons on the show.-Early life:...
as Vince and Stephanie Lemelin
Stephanie Lemelin
Stephanie Lemelin is a Canadian actress. She appeared in the American TV series Cavemen. Other past credits include The 40-Year-Old Virgin, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Me, Myself and Irene, the last in which she appears with her mother, Rona. Her father is former NHL goalie Reggie Lemelin...
as Sam later that month.
The series was picked up by CBS in May 2010, with reports saying that the role of Henry (played by Ryan Devlin in the pilot) would be recast. In July, Jonathan Sadowski
Jonathan Sadowski
Jonathan Sadowski is an American actor. He is best known for playing Viola Hasting's best friend Paul Antonio in the movie She's The Man, Trey in Live Free or Die Hard, and Blake in the 2009 film The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. In July 2010, he joined the cast of the CBS comedy $#*! My Dad...
was cast in the role. The character Sam (Stephanie Lemelin) was eliminated, never appearing in the broadcast pilot or subsequent episodes.
Controversy
The title of the broadcast series was modified from the source material in order to comply with Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
regulations on the use of profane language during prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
. The profanity was also toned down and modified from Halpern's Twitter feeds.
On May 19, 2010, CBS announced the show's official name and 8:30 pm time slot at its upfront presentation
Upfront
In the North American television industry, an upfront is a meeting hosted at the start of important advertising sales periods by television network executives, attended by the press and major advertisers...
of the fall 2010 schedule. Addressing reporters' concerns regarding the title, the network assured them that the expletive would not be used in promos. Soon thereafter, the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
announced that it was protesting the title because it alluded to an obscenity. The PTC threatened CBS with broadcast license challenges for any affiliate airing the show or its promos before 10 pm.
Responding to the controversy, CBS stated, "[The show] will in no way be indecent and will adhere to all CBS standards. Parents who choose to do so will find the show can be easily blocked using their V Chip
V-chip
V-chip is a generic term for technology used in television set receivers in the USA, Canada, and Brazil which allows the blocking of programs based on their ratings category. It is intended for use by parents to manage their children's television viewing...
." Show star Shatner commented on the show's title, saying "We say spit; why can't we say shit?" In addition, Bill Gorman from TVbytheNumbers wrote that the PTC protest was just giving the show more publicity, which he expected would boost ratings.
At the July 2010 Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
press tour, Shatner further commented on the title saying, "The word 'shit' is around us. It isn't a terrible term. It's a natural function. Why are we pussyfooting?"
Critical reception
Critical reception to the pilot was very poor, with Metacritic assigning it a score of 28/100.Ratings
Despite poor reception by critics, over 12 million viewers watched the premiere, although the next two episodes lost nearly 25% of that audience. The fourth and fifth episodes improved in ratings, being 10.16 million and 10.91 million respectively.Awards
The show won the award for Favorite New TV Comedy at the 37th People's Choice Awards37th People's Choice Awards
The 37th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2010, were held on January 5, 2011 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET...
on January 5, 2011.