Buddies
DVD cover
GenreSitcom
Created byCarmen Finestra
David McFadzean
Matt Williams
Directed byPaul Lazarus
John Pasquin
Andrew Tsao
StarringDave Chappelle
Christopher Gartin
Tanya Wright
Richard Roundtree
Theme music composerDerrick Perkins
ComposerBrian Bennett
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersCarmen Finestra
David McFadzean
Matt Williams
ProducerGayle S. Maffeo
Production locationBurbank, California
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesWind Dancer Productions
Touchstone Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseMarch 5 (1996-03-05) –
May 29, 1996 (1996-05-29)
Related
Home Improvement

Buddies is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from March 5 to May 29, 1996.[1] It was created by Carmen Finestra, David McFadzean, and Matt Williams and starred Dave Chappelle, Christopher Gartin, Tanya Wright, Jeff Rawluk and Richard Roundtree.

History

Home Improvement connection

Comedians Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer attracted the attention of TV network executives with their guest appearance on the (4th season) March 14, 1995 episode of ABC's highly rated sitcom Home Improvement.[2] The storyline had Chappelle and Breuer play friends who appear together on Tool Time to ask Tim Taylor advice on their girlfriends. The characters' single outing on the episode proved so popular that ABC decided to give Chappelle and Breuer their own half-hour sitcom.

Cast changes

After subsequent rehearsals, Jim Breuer was replaced with Christopher Gartin as Dave Chappelle's "buddy". The unique comic timing and chemistry that Chappelle had with Breuer, his real-life friend, was not present with Gartin, and Breuer's abrupt firing exacerbated ill will. This prevented Chappelle and Gartin from developing the rapport and chemistry necessary for the characters' believability and likeability.[3]

Broadcast

Buddies premiered on Tuesday, March 5, 1996. The show garnered disappointing ratings. Buddies was cancelled on April 3 after airing only five out of the 13 produced episodes.[4][5] Dave Chappelle himself was not proud of his involvement with Buddies in retrospect:

It was a bad show. It was bad. I mean when we were doing it, I could tell this was not gonna work.[6]

Cast

Episode list

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Pilot"Andrew TsaoCarmen Finestra & David McFadzean & Matt WilliamsMarch 5, 1996 (1996-03-05)
2"A Room with a Pyew"John PasquinTrish BakerMarch 13, 1996 (1996-03-13)
3"Regarding Henry"Andrew TsaoSharon D. JohnsonMarch 20, 1996 (1996-03-20)
4"Famous Last Words"John PasquinMark St. GermainMarch 27, 1996 (1996-03-27)
5"Marry Me...Sort Of"Paul LazarusDaphne PollonApril 3, 1996 (1996-04-03)
6"Lights, Camera...Yuck!"Paul LazarusPeter TolanApril 10, 1996 (1996-04-10)
7"Pet Peeves"John PasquinRobert ZappiaApril 17, 1996 (1996-04-17)
8"The Content of Their Character"John PasquinLisa DeBenedictis & Daryl RowlandApril 24, 1996 (1996-04-24)
9"There Goes the Groom"John PasquinRichey Jones & Todd JonesMay 1, 1996 (1996-05-01)
10"The PSA Story"John PasquinBob Burris & Michael WareMay 8, 1996 (1996-05-08)
11"John, I've Been Thinking"John PasquinArt EverettMay 15, 1996 (1996-05-15)
12"Engagement Hell"Andrew TsaoSteve GabrielMay 22, 1996 (1996-05-22)
13"Whack and Blight"Andrew TsaoPeter TolanMay 29, 1996 (1996-05-29)

Home media

Best Buy released an exclusive DVD on May 15, 2005, that contained 10 episodes of Buddies, including all 8 unaired episodes.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 477–478. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.
  2. ^ Home Improvement episode listing for "Talk to Me." IMDB.com.
  3. ^ "Spin Off: Buddies and Home Improvement. Poobala.com. Last accessed November 10, 2007.
  4. ^ Buddies page at TV.com. Last accessed November 14, 2007
  5. ^ Arnold, Thomas (August 26, 2005). "Disney Gifts Wal-Mart Holiday DVD Exclusive". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2005. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  6. ^ "Chappelle: An Act Of Freedom." CBS News December 29, 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2022
  7. ^ "Best Buy to get exclusive release of Dave Chappelle's 1996 series." Archived 2007-12-05 at the Wayback Machine TvShowsOnDVD.com. April 25, 2005.
  8. ^ Best Buy ad for DVD release. Archived 2007-11-23 at the Wayback Machine Best Buy. Last accessed November 10, 2007.

External links

Home Improvement
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