The Greatest Event in Television History
GenreMockumentary
Created byAdam Scott
Naomi Scott
Directed byLance Bangs
Adam Scott
Presented byJeff Probst
Starring
Narrated byAmanda Anka (Opening)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Adam Scott
  • Naomi Scott
  • Paul Scheer
  • Hend Baghdady (Ep. 1 only)
CinematographyLance Bangs
Editors
  • Jeff Buchanan (Eps. 1–2 & 4)
  • Daniel Gray Longino (Eps, 2–3)
Running time11–18 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAdult Swim
ReleaseOctober 12, 2012 (2012-10-12) –
January 23, 2014 (2014-01-23)

The Greatest Event in Television History is a mockumentary TV special series created by Adam Scott and Naomi Scott. The series premiered on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim on October 12, 2012, and ended on January 23, 2014, with a total of four episodes. Each episode originally aired independently as a "special presentation", several months apart.

Format

The format of each special is a brief mockumentary about the shot-for-shot remake of a 1980s TV series opening credits sequence, followed by the remake itself. Series co-creator Adam Scott says the specials are at least in part motivated by his own memories of watching 1980s TV as a kid.[1] Each episode is hosted by Jeff Probst with actors portraying fictional versions of themselves or others. After each episode, the original opening credit scene is shown.

Production

Four episodes were produced during the show's run; the series finale aired on January 23, 2014. In an interview with Splitsider, Scott explained the conclusion of the series: "It's a lot of work for such a short, stupid thing... they're really fun and they're fun to make, but we're ready to move on."[2]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Simon & Simon"October 12, 2012 (2012-10-12)1.673[4]
Adam Scott and Jon Hamm reenact the opening sequence from Simon & Simon.[3]
2"Hart to Hart"June 6, 2013 (2013-06-06)1.43[6]
Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, and Horatio Sanz reenact the opening sequence from Hart to Hart.[5]
3"Too Close for Comfort"November 7, 2013 (2013-11-07)1.420[8]
Adam Scott, Catherine O'Hara, Chelsea Peretti, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Glaser and Jason Mantzoukas reenact the opening sequence from Too Close for Comfort.[7]
4"Bosom Buddies"January 23, 2014 (2014-01-23)1.546[10]

Adam Scott, Paul Rudd, Gillian Jacobs, Mo Collins, Aisha Muharrar, Helen Slayton-Hughes, and Aidy Bryant reenact the opening sequence from Bosom Buddies. Cameos by Peter Scolari, Tom Hanks, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Billy Joel, who actually performed "My Life", which he wrote and originally recorded but was covered by another artist for the original series.

June Diane Raphael plays Adam's fictional wife Emily Scott.[9]

References

  1. ^ Evans, Bradford. "Talking to Adam Scott About 'The Greatest Event in Television History' and Other Stuff". Splitsider. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  2. ^ Evans, Bradford. "Talking to Adam Scott About 'A.C.O.D.', 'Parks and Rec', and 'The Greatest Event in TV History'". Splitsider. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  3. ^ Zakarin, Jordan (October 11, 2012). "'The Greatest Event in Television History': Adam Scott and Jon Hamm are 'Simon & Simon' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  4. ^ "Adult Swim ratings (October 8-14, 2012)". South of the Bronx. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  5. ^ Sellers, John; Sarah Frank (June 6, 2013). "Watch Adam Scott and Amy Poehler's Hart to Hart Remake Side by Side With the Original Opening Credits". Vulture. New York Media, LLC. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  6. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (2013-06-07). "Thursday Cable Ratings: 'Pawn Stars' Wins Night + 'Burn Notice', 'Swamp People', 'Graceland', 'Men at Work', NHL Hockey & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  7. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (November 8, 2013). "Adam Scott's 'Greatest Event in Television History' Takes on 'Too Close for Comfort'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  8. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda. "Thursday Cable Ratings: Thursday Night Football Tops Night + NBA Basketball, 'Pawn Stars', 'Beyond Scared Straight' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  9. ^ Busis, Hillary (January 24, 2014). "The latest 'Greatest Event in Television History': Adam Scott and Paul Rudd in 'Bosom Buddies' -- VIDEO". Entertainment Weekly. CNN. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  10. ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-01-24). "Thursday Cable Ratings: 'Pawn Stars' Wins Night, 'Appalachian Outlaws', 'White Collar', 'Mob Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2014-01-27. Retrieved 19 October 2014.

External links

Adult Swim original programming
Adult Swim pilots, films, and specials
Williams Street
Categories