- Watching Ellie
Infobox Television
show_name = Watching Ellie
caption = Cast photo from season 1
format =Comedy (sitcom )
camera = Single (Season 1), Multiple (Season 2)
runtime = 22 min.
creator =Brad Hall
executive_producer =
starring =Julia Louis-Dreyfus Steve Carell Don Lake Lauren Bowles Peter Stormare Darren Boyd
narrated =
country =USA
network =NBC
first_aired =February 26 ,2002
last_aired =May 20 ,2003
num_episodes =19
website =
imdb_id =0306410
tv_com_id =5810"Watching Ellie" is an American
sitcom that starredJulia Louis-Dreyfus and was created by her husband,Brad Hall . It aired onNBC fromFebruary 2002 toMay 2003 , though only sixteen episodes were broadcast before it was cancelled due to low ratings.Premise and formats
There were two incarnations of "Watching Ellie", neither of which met with any success. Both focused on the character of cabaret singer Ellie Riggs (Louis-Dreyfus), with markedly different approaches.
The first was directed by
Ken Kwapis , known for his innovative work in single-camera sitcoms such as "The Larry Sanders Show ", "Malcolm in the Middle " and "The Bernie Mac Show ". Each 22-minute episode was meant to portray a 22-minute slice of Ellie's life, in real-time. In the earliest episodes, a clock was even shown in the corner of the screen. Thirteen episodes were filmed but only ten aired before the series was put on indefinite hiatus (the remaning first-season episodes have never aired).Nearly a full year later, the show reappeared as a more traditional sitcom, with multiple cameras and a live studio audience (plus an added
laugh track ). This version fared even worse than its predecessor and was cancelled after six episodes.The show also cast
Lauren Bowles as Ellie's sister Susan. Bowles also had a minor role on "Seinfeld " as one of the waitresses atMonk's Cafe . In real life, Bowles is Louis-Dreyfus' half-sister (they have the same mother).Cast
*
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Ellie Riggs
*Lauren Bowles - Susan
*Steve Carell - Edgar
*Darren Boyd - Ben
*Peter Stormare - Ingvar
*Don Lake - Dr. Zimmerman.Ratings
Season 1
*Episode 1: Pilot (2/26/02) - Viewers: 16.7 million
*Episode 2: Wedding (3/05/02) - Viewers: 12.5 million
*Episode 3: Dinner Party (3/12/02) - Viewers: 11.1 million
*Episode 4: Aftershockes (3/19/02) - Viewers: 9.5 million
*Episode 5: Cheetos (3/26/02) - Viewers: 9.7 million
*Episode 6: Tango (4/02/02) - Viewers: 9.6 million
*Episode 7: Gift (4/02/02) - Viewers: 10.4 million
*Episode 8: Medicated (4/09/02) - Viewers: 7.6 million
*Episode 9: Weekend (4/16/02) - Viewers: 8.0 million
*Episode 10: Zimmerman (4/23/02) - Viewers: 6.9 millionSeason 2
*Episode 1: Shrink (4/15/03) - Viewers: 9.8 million
*Episode 2: TV (4/22/03) - Viewers: 7.4 million
*Episode 3: Date (4/29/03) - Viewers: 8.7 million
*Episode 4: Buskers (5/06/03) - Viewers: 8.3 million
*Episode 5: Fruit Shots (5/13/03) - Viewers: 7.5 million
*Episode 6: Feud (5/20/03) - Viewers: 8.4 million"Seinfeld" curse
"Watching Ellie" is seen as evidence of a "Seinfeld curse", as it is one of multiple sitcom vehicles for former "
Seinfeld " stars that was quickly cancelled. Other instances include "The Michael Richards Show ", "Bob Patterson" and "Listen Up! ". However, the early success of Louis-Dreyfus' next sitcom, "The New Adventures of Old Christine " (debuted 2006), suggests the "curse" may have been broken.External links
*imdb title|id=0306410|title=Watching Ellie
* [http://www.tv.com/watching-ellie/show/5810/summary.html?q=watching+ellie Watching Ellie in TV.com]
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