What About Brian
Encyclopedia
What About Brian is an American
comedy-drama
television series created by Dana Stevens
and co-produced by J.J. Abrams' company Bad Robot Productions
. The series premiered on April 16, 2006, on ABC
, as a midseason replacement
and concluded on March 26, 2007. On May 16, 2006, ABC renewed the series for its second season, notably making it the only new series to be picked up by the network from the 2005–2006 television season, despite it being the final new series introduced by ABC during the season. The series returned October 9, 2006, with a full 22-episode season confirmed by November 10, 2006. The second season order was subsequently scaled back to 19 episodes by the network.
What About Brian ended its run after two seasons on March 26, 2007.
An unaired pilot with a completely different structure from the first episode was created, with Polly Shannon
portraying Marjorie instead of Sarah Lancaster
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 created by Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens is a screenwriter and television writer/producer.-Biography:Stevens wrote the screenplays of the films For Love of the Game and City of Angels. She was the creator, head-writer and showrunner of the television dramedy What About Brian?...
and co-produced by J.J. Abrams' company Bad Robot Productions
Bad Robot Productions
Bad Robot Productions is an American film and television production company owned by J. J. Abrams. It is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, What About Brian, Fringe, Six Degrees, Undercovers, Person of Interest and the feature length films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , ...
. The series premiered on April 16, 2006, on 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...
, as a midseason replacement
Midseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
and concluded on March 26, 2007. On May 16, 2006, ABC renewed the series for its second season, notably making it the only new series to be picked up by the network from the 2005–2006 television season, despite it being the final new series introduced by ABC during the season. The series returned October 9, 2006, with a full 22-episode season confirmed by November 10, 2006. The second season order was subsequently scaled back to 19 episodes by the network.
What About Brian ended its run after two seasons on March 26, 2007.
Plot
Thirty-two-year-old Brian Davis is living the life of a single guy in Venice Beach. However, he is the only bachelor left in his group of friends. His best friend, lawyer Adam Hillman, recently got engaged to his long-time girlfriend Marjorie, a girl Brian has secretly long had a crush on and whom Adam was planning to break up with. His other best friend, Dave Greco, who is co-founder with Brian of Zap Monkey, a company that designs and produces video games, cannot wait to welcome Brian into the marriage club, as Dave has been married to Deena for thirteen years and has three daughters. His older sister, record executive Nicole "Nic" Varzi, has recently married and is pregnant with a girl she names Bella, even though she is in her forties. Brian's journey to find romance leads him down a road where the picture-perfect relationships of his friends are tested and revealed for what they truly are.Cast
- Barry WatsonBarry Watson (actor)Michael Barrett "Barry" Watson is an American actor, known for his roles of Dr. Matthew "Matt" Camden on 7th Heaven, Brian Davis in What About Brian and Todd Deepler in Samantha Who?-Early life:...
as Brian Davis - Matthew DavisMatthew DavisMatthew W. Davis is an American actor.-Life and career:Davis was born in Salt Lake City. He attended Woods Cross High School, and the University of Utah....
as Adam Hillman - Sarah LancasterSarah LancasterSarah Lancaster is an American actress. Since the show's inception in 2007, she has co-starred in the NBC comedy-spy series Chuck, as the title character's sister, Ellie Bartowski....
as Marjorie Seaver (Season 1–2 [Episodes 10–18]) - Rick GomezRick GomezRichard Harper "Rick" Gomez is an American actor. He is known for portraying T-4. George Luz, in the HBO television miniseries Band of Brothers, and as "Endless Mike" Hellstrom in the cult hit Nickelodeon TV series The Adventures of Pete and Pete.-Movies:*Love Ranch - Tom Macy*Another Cinderella...
as Dave Greco - Amanda DetmerAmanda DetmerAmanda Jeannette Detmer is an American actress who has appeared in various films and television shows.-Life and career:...
as Deena Greco - Krista AllenKrista AllenKrista Allen is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the television series Days of Our Lives, Baywatch Hawaii, and What About Brian; and in the Hollywood films Liar Liar, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Anger Management, and The Final Destination...
as Bridget Keller (Season 2) - Rosanna ArquetteRosanna ArquetteRosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and producer.-Early life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda Olivia "Mardi" , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Her paternal...
as Nicole Varzi - Raoul BovaRaoul BovaRaoul Bova is an Italian actor.Bova was born in Rome to Calabrian parents. At the age of 16 he became a local champion in the 100 meter backstroke. At the age of 21 he joined the Italian Army and performed his military duty in the Bersaglieri corps...
as Angelo Varzi (Season 1) - Jason George as Jimmy (Season 2)
- Amanda ForemanAmanda Foreman (actress)Amanda Foreman is an American actress who is best known for the role of Meghan Rotundi on the college drama series Felicity.-Early life:...
as Ivy (Season 2) - Tiffani ThiessenTiffani ThiessenTiffani Thiessen is an American actress best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for her role on Fastlane as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers...
as Natasha Drew (Season 2 [Episodes 15–]) - Jessica SzohrJessica SzohrJessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
as Laura (Season 2 [Episodes 19-) - Stacy KeiblerStacy KeiblerStacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
as Stephanie (Season 2 [Episodes 19-) - Jon Hamm as Richard Povich (Season 1)
Other characters
- Amy Jo JohnsonAmy Jo JohnsonAmy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer, songwriter and musician.She is best known for her roles in the televison series as the constable Jules Callaghan in the Canadian CTV television series Flashpoint, the famous jockey Tina Sharp in the ABC Family's original show Wildfire, the rookie cop...
as Karen (Car Girl) - Rachelle LefevreRachelle LefèvreRachelle Lefevre is a Canadian actress. She has starred in the television series Big Wolf on Campus and had recurring roles in What About Brian, Boston Legal, and Swingtown. She played the vampire Victoria in the first two films of the Twilight saga, before being replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Heather - Payton Spencer as Geneva Greco
- Mikaila Baumel as Larissa Greco
- Olivia and Ava White as Carrie Greco
Unaired pilot
Polly Shannon
Polly Shannon is a Canadian actress.She is best known for her portrayal of Margaret Trudeau in the 2002 miniseries Trudeau, a film about the late Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau.Brioux, Bill . , Canadian Online ExplorerShannon was born in Kingston, Ontario, and raised in Aylmer, Quebec...
portraying Marjorie instead of Sarah Lancaster
Sarah Lancaster
Sarah Lancaster is an American actress. Since the show's inception in 2007, she has co-starred in the NBC comedy-spy series Chuck, as the title character's sister, Ellie Bartowski....
.
International broadcasts
| Country | TV Network(s) | Date of Premiere | Weekly Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... 7Two 7Two 7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm.... |
February 18 2007 November 4 2009 |
Sundays, 9.30pm Wednesdays, 10:30pm (repeats) |
|
| ORF eins | December 2007 | ||
| bTV | 2008 | Monday–Thursday, 9.00pm (first run) Monday–Friday, 3.30pm (second run) |
|
| Nelonen Nelonen Nelonen is a Finnish commercial TV channel. It started out as Helsinki's local television channel PTV in 1989 on the HTV cable network, which name was changed first to PTV4 and then to Nelonen. It started on June 1, 1997. Nelonen, in Finnish, means the glyph of the number four. The channel is... |
2008 | Sundays, 4.30pm | |
| TF1 TF1 TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network... |
May 2007 | Saturdays, 4.00pm | |
| Fox Life Greece Fox Life Greece Fox Life Greece is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which launched on 1 December 2008 and is currently available to the subscribers of NOVA Greece, Conn-x TV and On TV.... |
January 7, 2011 | Fridays, 9.50pm | |
| Xtra HOT HOT3 |
December 24, 2006 2007 |
Sundays, 10.00pm Sunday–Thursday, 7.10pm |
|
| Rai Due Rai Due Rai 2 is one of the three main television channels broadcast by Italian public television company RAI alongside with Rai 1 and Rai 3. Rai 2 first started transmissions on November 4, 1961... |
June 3, 2008 | Monday–Friday, 4.15pm | |
| WOWOW WOWOW WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo... |
April 2008 | Sundays | |
| Latin America Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... |
Sony Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America) Sony Entertainment Television, commonly shortened to Canal Sony , is a general entertainment channel co-based in Perú, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil and Miami, Florida, United States. It airs in 26 countries in Latin America, and is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment... |
November 2006 | Mondays, 9.00pm |
| NET 5 NET 5 NET 5 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by Sanoma and Talpa Holding . Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are SBS6 and Veronica.- History :... |
2007 | Tuesdays. 9.30pm | |
| TV2 | 2007 | Fridays, 8.30pm | |
| Vibe | 2009 | Saturday, 7.30pm | |
| TV2 TV 2 (Norway) TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway.... |
2008 | Tuesdays, 11.25pm | |
| STAR World STAR World STAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation... |
September 2008 | Sundays, 9.00pm | |
| RTP2 | February 2007 | Thursdays, 10.40pm | |
| Kanal A Kanal A Kanal A is the first commercial television station in Slovenia. The television program, which has been operating within PRO PLUS d.o.o., has national coverage. In its primary target group of viewers , Kanal A is the second most watched TV programme in Slovenia... |
February 2007 | Thursdays, 10.40pm | |
| January 2009 | Saturdays, 14:40 | ||
| E4 Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel... |
May 2007 |
Tuesdays, 9.00pm Fridays after midnight |
|
| 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... |
April 16, 2006 | Mondays, 10.00pm |
DVD release
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.| DVD name | Ep # | Release date | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete Series | 24 | September 25, 2007 |
|
Music
- Howie DayHowie DayHoward Kern "Howie" Day is an American singer-songwriter. Beginning his career as a solo artist in the late 1990s, Day became known for his extensive touring and in-concert use of samplers and effects pedals in order to accompany himself...
's "Collide" is the song used in the announcement commercials. - The theme song that appears at the beginning of each episode is "Calling All Friends" by Low StarsLow StarsLow Stars is a musical project of Dave Gibbs and Chris Seefried, that captures the sound of classic bands like Crosby, Stills, and Nash and The Eagles.- History :...
. - The 1970 song "Hey Hey What Can I DoHey Hey What Can I Do"Hey Hey What Can I Do" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin released in 1970 as the B-side of "Immigrant Song" outside the United Kingdom. It is Led Zeppelin's only non-album track released during the band's existence. It did however appear on the Atlantic Records UK various artists...
" by Led ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
inspired the theme song and also has lyrics that parallel the show's plot. The lyrics of the song tell of a man's love for a woman that he will never have all to himself; a woman who 'wants to ball all day', 'stays drunk all the time', and who 'won't be true.' The first verse is a declaration of his love and his desire to tell her that she is the only one for him. The second verse describes her infidelity and his jealousy and frustration. In the third verse he comes to the conclusion that he must leave her 'where the guitars play', a sentiment reinforced by the vamp in which the lead singer, Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, is backed by the rest of the band repeating the two lines; 'Hey hey what can I do' and 'Oh Lord what can I say.' - Colin Hay'sColin HayColin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
music has been used in several episodes of What About Brian: - Hay's song "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin" ended the episode "Two in 24" and was also used in the episode "Sex, Lies and Videotape."
- "Beautiful World" ended the episode "Moving Day."
- "Don't Wait Up" ended the episode "The Importance of Being Brian" and was also in the episode "Sex, Lies and Videotape."
- Keith VaronKeith VaronKeith Varon is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and music producer born in San Francisco, California. An independent soft rock musician, several of his songs have been selected to appear on different TV shows, such as MTV's Laguna Beach and its spin-off The Hills as well as Next, ABC's...
has provided songs for the show.