Stark Raving Mad
GenreSitcom
Created bySteven Levitan
Starring
Composers
  • Steve Hampton
  • Korban Kraus
  • John Adair
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22 (4 unaired)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Pamela Grant
  • Richard Levine
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 23, 1999 (1999-09-23) –
July 13, 2000 (2000-07-13)

Stark Raving Mad is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 23, 1999, to July 13, 2000. The series starred Tony Shalhoub and Neil Patrick Harris.

Synopsis

Shalhoub stars as odd horror novelist Ian Stark, who is obsessed with practical jokes, and whose first book Below Ground was a best seller. Neil Patrick Harris is Stark's reluctant editor Henry McNeeley, who has a variety of phobias and possibly obsessive–compulsive disorder.

On January 10, 2000, the sitcom won a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy Series. The sitcom premiered on September 23, 1999, and was officially cancelled by NBC on April 15, 2000, despite being ranked 19th among all programs with an average of 15.5 million viewers,[1] as it held poor retention rates from its lead-in, Frasier, and was consistently beaten by Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the same timeslot.

Cast

Main

Recurring and Guest Stars

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankViewers
(in millions)
First airedLast aired
122[a]September 23, 1999 (1999-09-23)July 13, 2000 (2000-07-13)1915.5
  1. ^ Episodes 19-22 unaired during original run.
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		 Viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"James BurrowsSteven LevitanSeptember 23, 1999 (1999-09-23)1ADM7918.62[2]
Henry McNeely gets a promotion he doesn't want. He's now the editor for the eccentric horror novelist Ian Stark. Ian's practical jokes are done at the expense of Henry.
2"The Man Who Knew Too Much"Ted WassAlan KirschenbaumSeptember 30, 1999 (1999-09-30)1ADM0119.52[3]
Trying to pull another joke on Henry, Ian learns things he did not want to know about Henry's girlfriend.
3"Sometimes a Fritter Is Just a Fritter"Ted WassDavid A. GoodmanOctober 7, 1999 (1999-10-07)1ADM0317.58[4]
Henry's misunderstanding of a change of a name of a character in Ian's manuscript ruins Ian's morning routine of fritters and long walks.
4"Four Colds and a Funeral"Gail MancusoEric ZicklinOctober 14, 1999 (1999-10-14)1ADM0517.03[5]
Henry accidentally kills a man named Professor Huggles (a character obviously inspired by Dr. Seuss)
5"The Lyin' King"Gail MancusoBrian Buckner & Sebastian JonesOctober 21, 1999 (1999-10-21)1ADM0618.38[6]
During Halloween, Ian helps Henry to pay back his cousin Lori for an old prank she pulled on him, while Maddie's date may or may not be a humpback for real.
6"Fish out of Water"Ted WassJeffrey RichmanNovember 4, 1999 (1999-11-04)1ADM0416.17[7]
Everyone is at Audrey's dinner party where a fish needs to be put back into the tank.
7"Engaged to Be Engaged"Gail MancusoGayle AbramsNovember 11, 1999 (1999-11-11)1ADM0715.04[8]
Henry tries to make a commitment to Tess.
8"The Stalker"Ken LevineSteven LevitanNovember 18, 1999 (1999-11-18)1ADM0915.23[9]
Ian's obsessed fan wants to take Henry's place.
9"The Dance"Gail MancusoSteven LevitanDecember 2, 1999 (1999-12-02)1ADM0814.71[10]
Tess attempts to fix up Ian and Maddie.
10"Coffin to Go"Ted WassLynnie Greene & Richard LevineDecember 9, 1999 (1999-12-09)1ADM0216.99[11]
Ian discovers that the funeral place accidentally sold him a coffin with a corpse in it.
11"Christmas Cheerleader"Michael LembeckDavid A. GoodmanDecember 16, 1999 (1999-12-16)1ADM1020.85[12]
Tess tries to cheer up Christmas for a bunch of social outcasts.
12"The Crush"Michael LembeckEric ZicklinJanuary 6, 2000 (2000-01-06)1ADM1118.80[13]
Ian has a crush on a woman, but Jake cannot be trusted with letters.
13"My Bodyguard (a.k.a. Guarding Tess)"Steven LevitanGayle AdamsJanuary 13, 2000 (2000-01-13)1ADM1215.79[14]
Henry, Ian and Tess get mugged. Ian head-butts the mugger and saves the day. Henry soon feels sexually inadequate when he learns that Ian's heroics caused Tess to have an erotic dream about Ian. Ian sets up a similar incident, designed to make Henry look like a hero in Tess' eyes.
14"The Hypnotist"Michael LembeckAlan KirschenbaumFebruary 3, 2000 (2000-02-03)1ADM1515.58[15]
Ian professes to be a hypnotic expert and the situation gets out of hand. Note: Ian claims to have once suffered from OCD, but cured it with hypnosis. Tony Shalhoub would later find success in Monk, playing a detective with OCD.
15"Therapy"Sheldon EppsEric ZicklinMarch 2, 2000 (2000-03-02)1ADM1612.91[16]
Ian and Henry go to a therapist. After the session Henry wants to know what the therapist told about him. Ian lies that she thinks Henry is paranoid.
16"Secrets and Lies"David LeeJeffrey RichmanMarch 9, 2000 (2000-03-09)1ADM1811.66[17]
A Yale student turns up some shocking secrets about where Ian was nearly twenty years ago.
17"The Grade"Steven LevitanBrian Buckner & Sebastian JonesMarch 16, 2000 (2000-03-16)1ADM2112.55[18]
Ian helps Maddie by writing a book report for her, but then is furious when her professor only gives her a "B".
18"The Pigeon"Sheldon EppsJoe Piscatella & Craig A. WilliamsJuly 13, 2000 (2000-07-13)1ADM176.68[19]
Ian accidentally knocks a pigeon's nest filled with eggs off his balcony's ledge. Later he becomes paranoid, thinking the mother pigeon is back with vengeance.
19"He's Gotta Have It"Joyce GittlinLynnie Greene & Richard LevineUnaired (Unaired)1ADM13N/A
Tess' sister visits and Ian becomes uncontrollably attracted to her.
20"Dog Gone"Gail MancusoBrian Buckner & Sebastian JonesUnaired (Unaired)1ADM14N/A
Henry loses Edgar, and when he finds him, new problems arise.
21"The Psychic"Jeff MelmanDana GouldUnaired (Unaired)1ADM19N/A
The gang gets their fortunes read.
22"The Big Finish"Robert EganRichard Levine & Lynnie GreeneUnaired (Unaired)1ADM20N/A
Henry tries to retrieve Ian's latest manuscript.

International airings

In some countries the series was renamed: Loco enloquecido (Latin America),[20] Stark, loco de atar (Spain), Splitter Pine Gal (Norway), Kreisi kynäniekka (Finland) and "En förläggares mardröm" (Sweden).

References

  1. ^ Quotenmeter.de - Das Online-Fernsehmagazin (2002-05-30). "US-Jahrescharts 1999/2000". Quotenmeter.de. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  2. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times. September 29, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  3. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 27–Oct. 3)". The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  4. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 4-10)". The Los Angeles Times. October 13, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  5. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 11-17)". The Los Angeles Times. October 20, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  6. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 18-24)". The Los Angeles Times. October 27, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  7. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. November 10, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  8. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 8-14)". The Los Angeles Times. November 17, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  9. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 15-21)". The Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  10. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 29-Dec. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. December 8, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 6-12)". The Los Angeles Times. December 15, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. December 22, 1999. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. January 12, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  14. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. January 19, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  15. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 31-Feb. 6)". The Los Angeles Times. February 9, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  16. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 28-March 5)". The Los Angeles Times. March 8, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  17. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 6–12)". The Los Angeles Times. March 15, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  18. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times. March 22, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  19. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (July 10–16)". The Los Angeles Times. July 19, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  20. ^ Canal Fox - Tandas Comerciales (6 feb. 2000) https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=WL48F336ACFA093FBB&feature=player_detailpage#t=422 at 7:07

External links

People's Choice Awards for Favorite New TV Comedy
Categories