The Wedding Bells
Encyclopedia
The Wedding Bells is an American
television
comedy-drama
that debuted on Fox
on March 7, 2007. The series was greenlighted after the network became interested in a series centered on wedding planners. The network approached David E. Kelley
to create the show, and he essentially remade a rejected pilot he created for ABC
in 2004 entitled DeMarco Affairs which starred Selma Blair
, Lindsay Sloane
and Sabrina Lloyd
as three sisters who inherit a wedding planner service. Though the show had a moderately strong premiere, it faded in the ratings
and was cancelled after seven episodes had been produced and five episodes were aired.
), Jane (Teri Polo
) and Sammy Bell (Sarah Jones
), inherited "The Wedding Palace" after their parents' divorce. David Conlon (Michael Landes
), photographer for the wedding palace and ex-boyfriend of Annie's whose tension-filled dealings with her are clearly the result of pent-up sexual chemistry; and Russell Hawkins (Benjamin King), Jane's husband and the company COO
; round off the cast.
Then there's wedding singer Ralph Snow (Chris Williams
), who always aspired to be the next Lenny Kravitz
, but instead is stuck crooning endless cover songs and retro medleys for unappreciative wedding guests. Amanda Pontell (Missi Pyle
) adds to the frenzied scene as a former bridezilla client who becomes a board member of The Wedding Palace.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
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...
that debuted on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on March 7, 2007. The series was greenlighted after the network became interested in a series centered on wedding planners. The network approached David E. Kelley
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley is an American television writer and producer, known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Harry's Law, as well as several films. Kelley is one of the only screenwriters to have had a show created by him run on...
to create the show, and he essentially remade a rejected pilot he created for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in 2004 entitled DeMarco Affairs which starred 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...
, Lindsay Sloane
Lindsay Sloane
Lindsay Sloane is an American actress. She is known for her role as Big Red in the first Bring It On and as Valerie Birkhead on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch .-Personal life:...
and Sabrina Lloyd
Sabrina Lloyd
Sabrina Lloyd is an American film and television actress.She has played the roles of Wade Welles in the science fiction series Sliders, and Natalie Hurley in the ABC sitcom Sports Night.-Early life:...
as three sisters who inherit a wedding planner service. Though the show had a moderately strong premiere, it faded in the ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and was cancelled after seven episodes had been produced and five episodes were aired.
Plot
The Bell sisters, Annie (KaDee StricklandKaDee Strickland
Katherine Dee "KaDee" Strickland is an American actress currently known for her role as Charlotte King on the ABC drama Private Practice....
), Jane (Teri Polo
Teri Polo
Theresa 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...
) and Sammy Bell (Sarah Jones
Sarah Jones (screen actor)
Sarah Jones is an American actress.Jones has played roles in Huff, Ugly Betty and Big Love. She played the youngest of three sisters who run a wedding planner business in Fox's short-lived dramedy series The Wedding Bells. She will be seen in two upcoming movies, Still Green and The Blue Hour...
), inherited "The Wedding Palace" after their parents' divorce. David Conlon (Michael Landes
Michael Landes
Michael Christopher Landes is an American actor. He is known for his roles of Jimmy Olsen in the first season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Detective Nicholas O'Malley in Special Unit 2, Officer Thomas Burke in Final Destination 2, and David Conlon in The Wedding Bells.-Lois...
), photographer for the wedding palace and ex-boyfriend of Annie's whose tension-filled dealings with her are clearly the result of pent-up sexual chemistry; and Russell Hawkins (Benjamin King), Jane's husband and the company COO
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
; round off the cast.
Then there's wedding singer Ralph Snow (Chris Williams
Chris Williams (actor)
-Career:Williams, a graduate of Georgetown University, has made appearances on numerous television shows such as CSI, JAG, The Shield, Weeds, Reno 911!, Californication, and popularly as fictional rap artist Krazee-Eyez Killa on Curb Your Enthusiasm...
), who always aspired to be the next Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
, but instead is stuck crooning endless cover songs and retro medleys for unappreciative wedding guests. Amanda Pontell (Missi Pyle
Missi Pyle
Andrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
) adds to the frenzied scene as a former bridezilla client who becomes a board member of The Wedding Palace.
B-plots through the brief run of the series
- The relationship between Wedding Palace assistant Debbie (Sherri ShepherdSherri ShepherdSherri Evonne Shepherd is an American comedienne, actress, and television personality. She is one of five co-hosts on the ABC daytime talkshow, The View, as well as being the current host of the Newlywed Game and having a recurring role as Angie Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock...
) and another wedding singer (Cleavant DerricksCleavant Derricks (actor)Cleavant Derricks, Jr. is an American actor and singer-songwriter, who is best known for his role of Rembrandt Brown on Sliders.-Biography:...
in a recurring role). Her biological clock is ticking and he is cautious about getting married again, as his first marriage ended badly. - The very rich (but socially awkward) Amanda Pontell's efforts to fit in with the three Bell sisters.
- Sammy Bell's (Sarah JonesSarah Jones (screen actor)Sarah Jones is an American actress.Jones has played roles in Huff, Ugly Betty and Big Love. She played the youngest of three sisters who run a wedding planner business in Fox's short-lived dramedy series The Wedding Bells. She will be seen in two upcoming movies, Still Green and The Blue Hour...
) efforts to be seen as a whole woman, not just as a sexy woman. - Sibling rivalry between Jane (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...
) and Annie (KaDee StricklandKaDee StricklandKatherine Dee "KaDee" Strickland is an American actress currently known for her role as Charlotte King on the ABC drama Private Practice....
) -- there is a history of Jane's boyfriends becoming attracted to Annie—and Jane and Sammy—Sammy has read in Jane's diary that Jane is jealous of Sammy's breasts. - Had the series gone on, another secondary plot might have been about Russell's efforts to franchise the Wedding Palace. Christopher Rich played a potential investor with Las Vegas connections in the last aired episode.
- A couple of episodes had Heather TomHeather TomHeather Marie Tom is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless, Kelly Cramer on One Life to Live and currently Katie Logan Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful....
and Nicholle TomNicholle TomNicholle Tom is an American actress, best known for her role as Maggie Sheffield on The Nanny.-Career:Since 2006, Tom has starred in the IFC original The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman as Tara, an underling at a film production company.Before her fame on The Nanny, she was known for...
as buxom blonde sisters who would crash weddings. Debbie would inevitably throw them out.
Cast
- KaDee StricklandKaDee StricklandKatherine Dee "KaDee" Strickland is an American actress currently known for her role as Charlotte King on the ABC drama Private Practice....
as Annie Bell - 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 Jane Bell - Sarah JonesSarah Jones (screen actor)Sarah Jones is an American actress.Jones has played roles in Huff, Ugly Betty and Big Love. She played the youngest of three sisters who run a wedding planner business in Fox's short-lived dramedy series The Wedding Bells. She will be seen in two upcoming movies, Still Green and The Blue Hour...
as Sammy Bell - Michael LandesMichael LandesMichael Christopher Landes is an American actor. He is known for his roles of Jimmy Olsen in the first season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Detective Nicholas O'Malley in Special Unit 2, Officer Thomas Burke in Final Destination 2, and David Conlon in The Wedding Bells.-Lois...
as David Conlon - Benjamin King as Russell Hawkins
- Chris WilliamsChris Williams (actor)-Career:Williams, a graduate of Georgetown University, has made appearances on numerous television shows such as CSI, JAG, The Shield, Weeds, Reno 911!, Californication, and popularly as fictional rap artist Krazee-Eyez Killa on Curb Your Enthusiasm...
as Ralph Snow - Missi PyleMissi PyleAndrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
as Amanda Pontell - Costas MandylorCostas MandylorCostas Mandylor is a Greek Australian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny in Picket Fences, and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.-Early life:...
as Ernesto - Sherri ShepherdSherri ShepherdSherri Evonne Shepherd is an American comedienne, actress, and television personality. She is one of five co-hosts on the ABC daytime talkshow, The View, as well as being the current host of the Newlywed Game and having a recurring role as Angie Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock...
as Debbie Quill
Season 1: 2007
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original airdate |
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Reception
The first two episodes of The Wedding Bells garnered poor reviews and low ratings. Critics cited the superficial relationships between the sisters as a weakness. Some claim that Kelley lacked the flair to write for women, after his successful run with Ally McBealAlly McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
.