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Still Standing (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Still Standing is an American sitcom television series. It debuted on CBS
on September 30, 2002, and ended March 8, 2006. Lifetime
obtained the United States syndication rights to the show in February 2005 and aired it until 2009. In September 2010, ABC Family
acquired the series and now reruns it at 12 pm, 12:30 pm, 6:00 pm, & 6:30 pm ET.
couple in Chicago
try to instill good values in their three kids, Brian (Taylor Ball
), Lauren (Renee Olstead
), and Tina (Soleil Borda
), but their own past experiences often conflict with the lessons they try to teach to their children. Judy Miller (Jami Gertz
) is the attractive wife who was wooed by Bill (Mark Addy
) when he duplicitously dated Judy's less attractive friend. Judy started dating Bill when she noticed him to be sensitive. Bill noticed Judy in front of the lockers located by the principal's office, wearing a tight red Aerosmith t-shirt and jeans with her right pocket ripped.
Judy and Bill were both popular in high school and they never outgrew that teenage mentality. Neither one has the level of maturity to teach their kids right and wrong, often causing a role reversal between the parents and the children. Judy's sister, Linda (Jennifer Irwin
), continuously butts heads with Bill.
review gave Still Standing a "D" grade, calling it an "apathetic" show that "does zip to freshen the Fatty-Gets-a-Family formula."
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 September 30, 2002, and ended March 8, 2006. Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
obtained the United States syndication rights to the show in February 2005 and aired it until 2009. In September 2010, ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
acquired the series and now reruns it at 12 pm, 12:30 pm, 6:00 pm, & 6:30 pm ET.
Plot
A working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
couple in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
try to instill good values in their three kids, Brian (Taylor Ball
Taylor Ball
Taylor Ball is an American television and film actor known for his portrayal of Brian Miller in the television sitcom Still Standing. Ball has also appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger.-Filmography:-External links:...
), Lauren (Renee Olstead
Renee Olstead
Rebecca Renee Olstead is an American actress and singer. Active since childhood as an actress, she is best known for her roles in the TV sitcoms Still Standing as Lauren Miller and The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Madison Cooperstein...
), and Tina (Soleil Borda
Soleil Borda
Soleil Borda is an American actress.Borda is known for her role as Tina Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing from 2002 to 2006. She also has appeared as Emma in the ABC sitcom According to Jim.- Filmography :-External links:...
), but their own past experiences often conflict with the lessons they try to teach to their children. Judy Miller (Jami Gertz
Jami Gertz
Jami Beth Gertz is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Sixteen Candles, Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero, the 1980s TV series Square Pegs with Sarah Jessica Parker, and 1996's Twister, as well as for her role as Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing...
) is the attractive wife who was wooed by Bill (Mark Addy
Mark Addy
Mark Addy Johnson is an English actor, best known for his roles as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the UK sitcom The Thin Blue Line, Dave in the British film The Full Monty, father Bill Miller in the U.S...
) when he duplicitously dated Judy's less attractive friend. Judy started dating Bill when she noticed him to be sensitive. Bill noticed Judy in front of the lockers located by the principal's office, wearing a tight red Aerosmith t-shirt and jeans with her right pocket ripped.
Judy and Bill were both popular in high school and they never outgrew that teenage mentality. Neither one has the level of maturity to teach their kids right and wrong, often causing a role reversal between the parents and the children. Judy's sister, Linda (Jennifer Irwin
Jennifer Irwin
Jennifer Irwin is a Canadian actress best known for her roles as Linda on Still Standing and as Maria Ganitisis in the Molly Shannon comedy Superstar....
), continuously butts heads with Bill.
Main characters
- William "Bill" Miller (Mark AddyMark AddyMark Addy Johnson is an English actor, best known for his roles as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the UK sitcom The Thin Blue Line, Dave in the British film The Full Monty, father Bill Miller in the U.S...
): The want-to-be cool father of the Miller family, he is often perceived as an overweight, lazy, Homer SimpsonHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
-like character. Bill has a tendency to take part in "macho" activities such as watching sports, drinking beer, and working on carpentry projects. Bill is not the most intelligent person in the bunch and only spent six weeks in college, but he does well working at a SearsSears, Roebuck and CompanySears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
-like department store's toilet department. He tends to play the "good cop" when parenting his kids. However, he can sometimes be overprotective with his eldest daughter, Lauren, when he gave the captain of the football team player advice and then he asked Lauren out, he ruined the date. He also ruined Lauren's thirteenth birthday by telling the boy Lauren liked that she liked him. He often calls her Pumpkin.
- Judith Michaels "Judy" Miller (born as Judy Michaels) (Jami GertzJami GertzJami Beth Gertz is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Sixteen Candles, Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero, the 1980s TV series Square Pegs with Sarah Jessica Parker, and 1996's Twister, as well as for her role as Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing...
): The mother of the Miller family, she is a good-looking woman in her late 30s, trying not to lose touch with her younger self and trying to be the "cool mom." She often goes to a hair dresser who Bill also went to for a period of time. Judy works as a dental assistant. She is more intelligent than Bill (marginally) and often joins in his schemes after seemingly having foiled them. She tries to be loose with her daughters, but Lauren loves to break the rules, so she often finds herself being the one person she does not want to be like: her mother. She can often be overprotective with her son, Brian, whom she calls Bri Bri. She never realized he was growing up until he did. When Brian begins to not want to hang out with her, she gets him sick by giving him the sippy cup of juice that her youngest daughter, Tina, who had just gotten over a cold, drank. In the Miller household, this cup is referred to as a "Sicky Cup." Normally she is happy when Brian gets a girl (something she thought he would never do) but when she sees his girlfriend, Bonnie, is taking over his life, she becomes overprotective causing Bonnie to break up with Brian.
- Brian Hops Miller (Taylor BallTaylor BallTaylor Ball is an American television and film actor known for his portrayal of Brian Miller in the television sitcom Still Standing. Ball has also appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger.-Filmography:-External links:...
): Eldest offspring and only son of the Miller family, Brian is a gifted (he is the valedictorian) but relatively unpopular high-school student; widely regarded as a geek, nerd, or lame (usually by his parents). Although he is straight, Brian's sexual orientation has been questioned several times by his parents because he reads Vogue magazine (he justifies this by saying that "sometimes those models wear see-through clothes, and it gets cold in those studios"), twirls a baton, and quits his brief tenure as a high school football place kicker to join the cheerleading squad (ultimately revealed as his way to interact with cute girls). He was also asked out on a "Boy on Boy Gay Date" from an all-star athlete at school. It is also mentioned in one episode, when Bill and Judy come to Brian for help, that he is afraid of clowns. In later seasons, he is neglected and even ignored by his parents. This is ironic when one considers the amount of times the two parents mention their future reliance on Brian's success due to his intelligence. He loses his virginity during his junior-senior summer while on an exchange programme in Italy; he and his father are both glad that Brian lost his before Lauren did. At the end of the series, Brian is admitted to University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, his top choice. He is called "Bri-Bri" by his mother, much to his dismay. His excuse for not being called Bri Bri was that he filed his own tax return that year. Although, when Judy got him sick, he wanted to hang out with his mom all day. He tries to be cool, but he is not, which disappoints his father.
- Lauren Barley Miller (Renee OlsteadRenee OlsteadRebecca Renee Olstead is an American actress and singer. Active since childhood as an actress, she is best known for her roles in the TV sitcoms Still Standing as Lauren Miller and The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Madison Cooperstein...
): The hormonal, spoiled teenage older daughter of the Miller family, Lauren is one of the popular girls at school. She gets in trouble for breaking her parents' and the school's rules. She is not smart, nor does she apply herself as much as her brother does. Her parents expect she will amount to little more than a cocktail waitress. Lauren is shown to have a talent for the arts; in one episode she is found to be a gifted singer, and in another she stars in the school play (although she does not seem to be any good at clarinet, making her parents hide it from her). She is called "Pumpkin" by her dad, she's embarrassed by it. She is also a huge Blink-182Blink-182Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
fan.
- Tina Kathleen Miller (Soleil BordaSoleil BordaSoleil Borda is an American actress.Borda is known for her role as Tina Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing from 2002 to 2006. She also has appeared as Emma in the ABC sitcom According to Jim.- Filmography :-External links:...
): The youngest child and mismatched daughter of the Miller family, Tina could be described as an obnoxious second grader. Tina's family sees her as clueless, but viewers see that she is one of the most clever in her family. In a few episodes, Tina is also portrayed being unafraid to take a practical joke to the next level. Sometimes she tends to be the "creepy child" of the family.
- Linda Michaels (Jennifer IrwinJennifer IrwinJennifer Irwin is a Canadian actress best known for her roles as Linda on Still Standing and as Maria Ganitisis in the Molly Shannon comedy Superstar....
): Judy's younger sister, Linda spends much of her time hanging around the Miller house, much to Bill's dismay, although at the end of the episode "Still Helping Out," Bill, viewing Linda from behind as she is exercising mistakes Linda for the shapely Rose Grundy, an attractive ex-Schultze Beer girl, only to learn of this awkward case of mistaken identity when Linda turns around, much to Bill's chagrin, as Bill appears sick to his stomach after the ordeal. She suffers from low self-esteem and high self-pity. Eventually she marries Perry, a singer in a FoghatFoghatFoghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
cover band. Though she has a guestroom for when her mother comes to town, Helen prefers to sleep on the couch at Judy's, much to Linda's dismay.
- Daniel "Fitz" Fitzsimmons (Joel MurrayJoel MurrayJoel Murray is an American actor who has starred in film and on television.-Early life:Murray, one of nine children, was born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois , the son of Lucille , a mail room clerk, and Edward J. Murray II, a lumber salesman. Murray, along with his siblings, grew up in an Irish...
): Bill's best friend, credited as so for seasons 3 and 4. He works with Bill as a salesman and has a gay son, Scotty, who hit on Brian and is team captain of the high school baseball team.
Guest and recurring roles
- Perry (James Patrick StuartJames Patrick StuartJames Patrick Stuart is an English-American stage, film and television actor.-Theater:His early career began on stage, where his work received recognition.-Television:...
): Linda's husband, a musician who performs in RenoReno, NevadaReno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, NVNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. He intentionally uses a fake English accent which was useful when he first appears on the show as the singer in a FoghatFoghatFoghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
cover band. In Reno he becomes the "Captain" as one half of a Captain and Tennille cover group. - Marion Fitzsimmons (Kerri Kenney): Fitz's wife. She is considered controlling by Fitz. She is very much portrayed as not on the same page humor wise with Fitz, Bill and Judy, which is one of the factors behind her and Judy not always getting along. In one episode, Kenney also portrays Mary Simms, a volunteer at Tina's school.
- Gene Michaels (Steven GilbornSteven GilbornSteven Neil Gilborn was an American television and film actor.Gilborn was born in New Rochelle, New York. He attended Swarthmore College, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in English and earned a Ph.D...
): Judy and Linda's father. He is an avid collector and connoisseur of model trains. - Helen Michaels (Janet Carroll seasons 1 and 2; Swoosie KurtzSwoosie KurtzSwoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
seasons 3 and 4): Judy and Linda's mother. She favors Judy over Linda. Her character portrayal differs based on the actress; she is more motherly when portrayed by Caroll, but outgoing and fun when portrayed by Kurtz, thus, changing the mentality of the character during the seasons. - Hakim (Daniel Murillo) Hakim is Brian's good friend who also attends Jefferson High School and is in the Engineering Club with Brian. It is revealed in the episode Still Changing (Season 1, Ep. 19) that Hakim plays oboe in the band and a has runny eye, and after Lauren decides to resume her clarinet playing in the band, salacious gossip soon flies alleging that Hakim would show Lauren the closet where the school band stores its supply of rusty trombones. In the episode Still Parading (Season 2, ep. 17) Hakim lets loose a blood curdling scream when a cat runs across his path as Hakim is using a nail gun. As Brian excitedly explains, "He's horribly allergic!" Hakim also utters a D-bomb and says, "Safety be damned," as he hastily departs on a tandem bicycle, sans helmet, with Donald, one of Brian's other friends. In the episode Still Avoiding Christmas (Season 4, ep. 9) Brian and Hakim were planning on having a "Jam Session," not a musical encounter, but rather a session where they make fruit preservatives. Hakim must cancel the "jam session," as it is revealed that Hakim is related to famous boxer Naseem Hamed a.k.a. Prince Naseem, and must participate in an elaborate ring walk entrance for Prince Naseem where Hakim, dressed in close fitting two piece purple blouse, must carry Prince Naseem on his shoulders and dance to the ring as Prince's song Delerious plays over the arena loud speakers.
- Al Miller (Paul SorvinoPaul SorvinoPaul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the police procedural and legal drama television series Law...
): Bill's father, a retired steelworker. When Bill was younger, Al left Bill and his mother (Louise) with little or no money, creating the main dynamic between Bill and Al. Later in the series, when Al is set to get remarried, his fiance reveals that Al is in reality a multi-millionaire who has been lying to Bill for years. - Louise Miller (Sally StruthersSally StruthersSally Ann Struthers is an American actress and spokeswoman, best-known for her roles as Gloria Stivic on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy awards, and as Babette on Gilmore Girls.-Personal life:...
): Bill's manipulative mother who moved to ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
after her divorce. She manipulates those around her by guilt-tripping them. Her controlling nature with Bill sets her constantly at odds with Judy. On numerous occasions Louise and Judy vie, usually as a result of Judy finally snapping at Louise for her manipulativeness and Louise's subsequent hurt feelings. Many times they fight, to make up and then fight again. She eventually dates and marries Johnny. - Johnny (Clyde KusatsuClyde KusatsuClyde Kusatsu is a U.S. actor.Kusatsu was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he attended ʻIolani School. Kusatsu began acting in Honolulu summer stock, and after studying theatre at Northwestern University, started to make his mark on the small screen in the mid-1970s...
): Louise Miller's new love interest and eventual husband. He is very wealthy, having bought Louise an expensive car. He is JapaneseJapanese peopleThe are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, which is addressed when he first meets Bill and Judy at a ChineseChinese cuisineChinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
restaurant and Bill mistakes Johnny for a waiter. - Bonnie (Ashley TisdaleAshley TisdaleAshley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series...
): Brian's girlfriend. - Becca (Lauren Schaffel): Lauren's best friend. She is also very afraid of Judy. In one episode, Lauren reveals that Becca's parents went to a marriage counselor, but unfortunately the counseling soon lead to group therapy, which soon turned into a cult that partook in perverted sexual acts of group orgies and wife-swapping.
- Ted Halverson (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,...
): The Millers' religious neighbor. He and his wife tend to be "overachievers" who often compete against Bill and Judy, though often before Bill or Judy know there is a competition. Mrs. Halverson is usually the voice of reason and dampens Ted's competition after he has gone too far. The Halversons also believe that a mother should be at home and not working as evidenced by numerous allusions to Judy "doing what she can" considering she is a working mother. - Matt Halverson (Shawn PyfromShawn PyfromShawn Caminiti Pyfrom is an American actor who has appeared in several television series and movies, and is best known for his portrayal of Andrew Van de Kamp on ABC's Desperate Housewives-Life and career:...
): Ted's son and one of Lauren's boyfriends. - Shelly (Julia CampbellJulia CampbellJulia Campbell , is an American actress, who is best known for her role as the "mean girl," Christie Masters-Christianson in the feature film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.-Career:...
) and Terry (Justine BatemanJustine BatemanJustine Tanya Bateman is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is best known for her regular role as Mallory Keaton on the sitcom Family Ties...
): The Millers' lesbian neighbors, and mothers of Chris. Adding fuel to Bill's fantasies, Shelly is a flight attendant and Terry is a nurse. On more than one occasion it is shown that Terry finds Judy attractive, prompting Shelly's jealousy. - Chris (Sean MarquetteSean MarquetteSean Anthony Marquette is an American actor and voice actor.-Life and career:Marquette was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Patricia Helen "Tisha" and Jorge Luis "George" Rodriguez, a nuclear engineer...
/Jared Hillman): Lauren's love interest in several episodes; Shelly and Terry's son. He has extraordinary handyman skills which his overprotective mothers rarely allow him to utilise. - Kyle Polsky (Todd StashwickTodd StashwickTodd Stashwick is an American film and TV actor. He played the role of Dale Malloy on The Riches until its cancellation. Stashwick actually preempted the official announcement that the show was canceled when he announced the cancellation on his MySpace blog on September 25, 2008...
): Bill's irresponsible, immature neighbor who has a large collection of toys and is related to the (fictional) famous and wealthy Polsky beer family. - Carl (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...
): Bill's best friend during seasons 1 and 2. Works with Bill at the department store. - Maxwell "Mack" McDaniel (John Marshall JonesJohn Marshall JonesJohn Marshall Jones is an American actor and director. He is originally from Detroit, Michigan. He is perhaps best known as Floyd Henderson from the TV series Smart Guy...
): Bill and Fitz's friend during seasons 2 and 3 (6 episodes). Mack works with Bill and Fitz at the department store. - Jeff Hackman (Chris ElliottChris ElliottChristopher Nash "Chris" Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond...
): Also works with Bill. Sometimes called Jeff Hackman "Never-Pay-Ya-Backman".
Episodes
Each of the episode titles begins with the word "Still", with the exception of the pilot.Nielsen Ratings
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monday 9:30 P.M. | September 30, 2002 | May 12, 2003 | 2002–2003 | #17 | 14.41 |
| 2 | Monday 8:30 P.M. | September 22, 2003 | May 24, 2004 | 2003–2004 | #28 | 11.82 |
| 3 | Monday 8:00 P.M. | September 20, 2004 | May 23, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #48 | 9.95 |
| 4 | Wednesday 8:00 P.M. | September 21, 2005 | March 8, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #87 | 7.0 |
Critical reception
A 2002 Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment 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...
review gave Still Standing a "D" grade, calling it an "apathetic" show that "does zip to freshen the Fatty-Gets-a-Family formula."