Significant Mother
GenreSitcom
Created by
Written by
  • Erin Cardillo
  • Richard Keith
Creative directorSchuyler Telleen
Starring
ComposerBrian Kim
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producers
ProducerKevin Sullivan
Production locationsPortland, Oregon
CinematographyTyson Wisbrock
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time21 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkThe CW
ReleaseAugust 3 (2015-08-03) –
October 5, 2015 (2015-10-05)

Significant Mother is an American television sitcom created by Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith. Starring Josh Zuckerman, Nathaniel Buzolic and Krista Allen, it premiered on The CW network on August 3 and ended its run on October 5, 2015.

On February 16, 2016, Zuckerman said on his Twitter account that the series would not return for a second season.[1] On February 18, 2016, Keith confirmed that.[2]

Plot

Restaurateur Nate Marlowe (Zuckerman) is shocked to discover that his best friend and roommate, Jimmy Barnes (Buzolic), has had sex with his mother, Lydia (Allen). Nate and his father Harrison (Jonathan Silverman) find that they must face the reality that Lydia and Jimmy plan to pursue their relationship.[3][4][5]

Cast

Main

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Welcome to Bonetown"Tripp Reed & John PutchErin Cardillo & Richard KeithAugust 3, 2015 (2015-08-03)0.84[10]
Budding Portland restaurateur Nate's world is turned upside down when he comes back from a business trip to find his lothario best friend and roommate, Jimmy, is having a fling with his recently separated mother, Lydia. To make matters worse, Nate's previously uninterested father, Harrison, is now determined to win Lydia back and isn't afraid to use Nate to get what he wants. Stuck between his family feud and his best friend's first serious relationship, Nate's "new normal" forever changes his relationships with his parents, and severely handicaps his own dating life.
2"Mixed Doubles"Tripp ReedErin Cardillo & Richard KeithAugust 10, 2015 (2015-08-10)0.73[11]
After Nate suggests they may not be taking their relationship seriously, Lydia and Jimmy decide to prove him wrong by going on a date - in public. Meanwhile, Jimmy calls Nate out for his own lackluster dating style, prompting him to go on a date with notorious cougar Pepper Spinner, whom he meets at the restaurant. Elsewhere, Atticus prepares for his own perfect evening enjoying the equinox with Sam. Finally, things take an uncomfortable turn when Lydia and Jimmy run into Nate on his date with Pepper, who happens to be Lydia's former arch rival. Guest: Richard Keith as Dylan.
3"Who's Your Daddy?"John Putch & Tripp ReedErin Cardillo & Richard KeithAugust 17, 2015 (2015-08-17)0.62[12]
When Lydia suspects that she could be pregnant, she begs Nate to keep it a secret from Jimmy until she can find out for sure. As Nate makes every attempt to avoid Jimmy at all costs, Jimmy begins to suspect that his best friend is hiding something and makes it his mission to find out what. Meanwhile, Harrison makes his intentions to win Lydia back clear to Jimmy, setting off some not-so-friendly competition. Elsewhere, Nate's complicated life gives Emma everything she needs to write the perfect country song. Guest: Robert Picardo as Dr. Robert Richter.
4"Edibles Wrecks"Tripp ReedErin Cardillo & Richard KeithAugust 24, 2015 (2015-08-24)0.68[13]
Nate is anxious that a food blogger is coming to review his restaurant. Lydia is afraid Jimmy is missing doing youthful activities and buys some cannabis-filled gummy bears that Nate eats without realising what they are. Everyone pitches in to get Nate through his special evening.
5"Suffering & Succotash"Tripp ReedErin Cardillo & Richard KeithAugust 31, 2015 (2015-08-31)0.87[14]
When Lydia's mother visits unexpectedly, she tries to hide her relationship with Jimmy by implying he and Nate are boyfriends. Lydia also indicates she is getting back together with Harrison to further complicate things.
6"Get Forked"Jonathan SilvermanKatie SchwartzSeptember 14, 2015 (2015-09-14)0.50[15]
Concerned about Nate's uptight nature, Jimmy and Lydia sign him up on a dating site. After a succession of awful meet ups, Nate connects with Annie. Jimmy then recalls that he has seen Annie before due to her infamous Internet activities.
7"Under Buddy"Tripp ReedAlex Safford & Amanda Pomeroy and Erin Cardillo & Richard KeithSeptember 21, 2015 (2015-09-21)0.47[16]
Lydia asks Nate give Jimmy a busy night off but his replacement as bartender Timmy works out so well, Jimmy feels threatened. As Nate and Timmy start hanging out, Jimmy decides to compete to get his friend back.
8"Home Is Where the Lamp Is"Tripp ReedErin Cardillo & Richard KeithSeptember 28, 2015 (2015-09-28)0.67[17]
Nate freaks out when Lydia decides to sell his childhood home so he enlists his father Harrison and friends to sabotage the open house. Jimmy becomes scared about his future with Lydia after a talk with Nate. Guests: Jerry O'Connell as Bob Babcock and Erin Cardillo as Parker.
9"Not About Bob"Tripp ReedErin Cardillo & Richard KeithOctober 5, 2015 (2015-10-05)0.62[18]
Jimmy falls into a deep depression after his breakup with Lydia and Nate feels responsible. Sam and Atticus help Nate show Jimmy his future if he can't make decisions while Harrison agrees to divorce Lydia.

Casting and production

Created by Cardillo and Keith, the half-hour sitcom was developed for the digital platform CW Seed. Significant Mother was ordered to series for the CW on April 10, 2015, with Zuckerman and Allen attached to star and Silverman, Fitzpatrick and Adams rounding out the cast.[3][4][5] On May 1, 2015, Buzolic was announced in the role of Jimmy.[19]

Later in May 2015, Denise Richards was cast as local "cougar" Pepper Spinner.[6][7] In June 2015, the CW announced guest stars Linda Gray as Gammy, Nate's grandmother and Lydia's conservative southern mother,[8] and Jerry O'Connell as Bob Babcock, a "slick realtor".[9] In August 2015, Terry Kiser, Silverman's costar from Weekend at Bernie's, was cast in a guest role.[20]

Broadcast

Significant Mother premiered on August 3, 2015.[10][21]

Reception

Brian Lowry of Variety wrote that "while the show does possess some energy thanks to the cast, there’s such a numbing sameness to the gags."[22] On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an aggregate score of 25% based on 2 positive and 6 negative critic reviews.[23]

References

  1. ^ Zuckerman, Josh (February 16, 2016). "#SignificantMother won't b gettin a 2ndSeason but we r so grateful 4 ur support & delighted u loved our show as much as we loved sharin it". Twitter. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  2. ^ Keith, Richard (February 18, 2016). "Sad #significantmother isn't getting a second season, but so grateful to @TheCW and our fans for all their support!". Twitter. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (April 10, 2015). "The CW Orders Comedy Series Significant Mother For Summer". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. ^ a b Friedlander, Whitney (April 10, 2015). "CW Orders Comedy Significant Mother to Series". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (April 10, 2015). "CW Orders Comedy Series Significant Mother for Summer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Corriston, Michele (July 24, 2015). "First Look: Denise Richards Plays a 'Notorious Cougar' in CW's New Show Significant Mother". People. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Swift, Andy (May 27, 2015). "Denise Richards Going Full Cougar for New CW Comedy Significant Mother". TVLine. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Couch, Aaron (June 8, 2015). "Linda Gray to Guest Star in CW's Significant Mother". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Lash, Jolie (June 23, 2015). "Jerry O'Connell to Guest Star on The CW's Significant Mother". Access Hollywood. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Bibel, Sara (August 4, 2015). "Monday Final Ratings: American Ninja Warrior Adjusted Up; Running Wild With Bear Grylls Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  11. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 12, 2015). "Monday Final Ratings: American Ninja Warrior Adjusted Up; Significant Mother & Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  12. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 18, 2015). "Monday Final Ratings: American Ninja Warrior Adjusted Up; Penn & Teller Fool Us, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Significant Mother & Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise Adjusted Down". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  13. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 25, 2015). "Monday Final Ratings: Running Wild With Bear Grylls, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise, Whose Line is it Anyway? & Significant Mother Adjusted Down". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  14. ^ "Monday Final Ratings: 'Running Wild With Bear Grylls' Adjusted Down; No Adjustment to 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' - Ratings - TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on September 2, 2015.
  15. ^ "Monday Final Nationals: ESPN Wins Night with 'MNF' Doubleheader, 'DWTS' Returns at Similar Levels, 'Ninja Warrior' Delivers Best Finale Figures - TV Media Insights - TV Ratings & News - Network TV Show Reviews and Daily Ratings". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  16. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 22, 2015). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up; 'Significant Mother', 'Life in Pieces' & 'Penn & Teller' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  17. ^ Dixon, Dani. "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' + 'The Voice' Adjusted Up; 'Castle', 'Life in Pieces' & 'Dancing With the Stars' Adjusted Down". Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  18. ^ Porter, Rick. "Monday final ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'The Voice' adjusted up, 'Blindspot' and 'Castle' adjusted down". Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  19. ^ Highfill, Samantha (May 1, 2015). "Vampire Diaries star Nathaniel Buzolic cast in Significant Mother". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  20. ^ Lash, Jolie (August 13, 2015). "Significant Mother To Pay Homage To Weekend At Bernie's". Access Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  21. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 13, 2015). "The CW Sets Summer 2015 Schedule Including America's Next Top Model & Significant Mother". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  22. ^ Lowry, Brian (July 31, 2015). "TV Review: Significant Mother". Variety. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  23. ^ "Significant Mother". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 5, 2022.

External links

The CW original programming
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