Action (TV series)

Last updated

Action
Action TV Title.jpg
Genre Sitcom
Created by Chris Thompson
Starring
Opening theme"Even A Dog Can Shake Hands" performed by Warren Zevon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (5 unaired)
Production
Executive producers
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Fox
ReleaseSeptember 16 (1999-09-16) 
December 2, 1999 (1999-12-02)

Action is an American dark comedy series about a Hollywood producer named Peter Dragon, who is trying to recover from his last box-office failure. It aired on Fox from September 16 to December 2, 1999. The series was critically praised for its irreverent and sometimes hostile look at Hollywood culture. Thirteen episodes were produced. The show was created by Chris Thompson and the show runner was Don Reo. Future Saturday Night Live cast member Will Forte was the story editor for twelve episodes, and wrote three.

Contents

Characters

Main

Supporting

Action also frequently used celebrities playing themselves in cameo appearance, including Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Salma Hayek, and David Hasselhoff. [2] [3]

Theme song

The song in the opening credits, "Even A Dog Can Shake Hands", was performed by Warren Zevon from his album Sentimental Hygiene . [4]

Episodes

No.
overall
DVD
order
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd.
code
11"Pilot" Ted Demme Chris ThompsonSeptember 16, 1999 (1999-09-16)100
22"Re-Enter the Dragon" John Whitesell Chris ThompsonSeptember 16, 1999 (1999-09-16)101
33"Blood Money" Bryan Gordon Don Reo September 23, 1999 (1999-09-23)102
44"Blowhard"John Whitesell Don Reo September 30, 1999 (1999-09-30)103
55"Mr. Dragon Goes to Washington" Danny Leiner Ron ZimmermanOctober 21, 1999 (1999-10-21)108
66"Twelfth Step to Hell" Gil Junger Will Forte October 28, 1999 (1999-10-28)104
79"Strong Sexual Content" John Fortenberry Don ReoDecember 2, 1999 (1999-12-02)110
810"Lights, Camera, Action" James D. Parriott Adam Hamburger & David HamburgerDecember 2, 1999 (1999-12-02)107
97"Dragon's Blood" Adam Bernstein Adam Hamburger & David HamburgerUnaired105
108"Love Sucks"John Fortenberry Jim Vallely Unaired106
1111"Dead Man Floating" Larry Shaw Dave Jeser & Matt Silverstein Unaired109
1213"Last Ride of the Elephant Princess"Vahan MoosekianJim Vallely & Ron ZimmermanUnaired111
1312"One Easy Piece"Don ReoWill ForteUnaired112

Reception

Caryn James of The New York Times said "the show is truly subversive and daring in its scabrous attitude". [5] Tom Shales of The Washington Post called it "the most daring and outrageous new comedy of the season", [6] and The Seattle Times called it "a dead-on satire of lost souls in the entertainment biz, with enough boldness to qualify for cable viewing". [7] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a grade of B, saying, "Action shreds Hollywood corporate culture more viciously than current big-screen spoofs like Bowfinger and The Muse . The difference is, Action's acid heartlessness renders it a more artful but ultimately less likable piece of work." [8]

David Zurawik of The Baltimore Sun found the series insulting and the pilot episode in particular to be culturally insensitive. [9] He wondered whether audiences are supposed to identify with or despise Peter Dragon. [9]

Broadcast and syndication

Fox canceled it due to ratings. [10] Of the 13 produced episodes, only 8 ran on Fox in 1999. The remaining five episodes were eventually broadcast on other networks such as FX and Comedy Central. This is the first Fox series to receive a TV-MA rating.

The show reran on IFC from 2012 to 2013.

Home media

On February 21, 2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1. [11]

On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various series from the Sony Pictures Television library including Action. [12] The complete series was subsequently re-released on April 1, 2014. [13]

As of March 2009, the show can be purchased on iTunes.

References

  1. Higgins, Bill (June 22, 2019). "Hollywood Flashback: 'Action' Skewered a "Gross, Cynical" Hollywood in 1999". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  2. Fujishima, Kenji (September 16, 2016). "Before BoJack Horseman and Entourage, there was Action". AV Club. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  3. Leeman, Zachary (February 6, 2023). "Jay Mohr's 'Action' Flipped Bird to Hollywood, Inc". Hollywood in Toto. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  4. Frazier, Preston (August 29, 2022). "How 'Sentimental Hygiene' Bolstered Warren Zevon's Considerable Legend". Something Else!. Retrieved January 4, 2024. "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands," written by Zevon and R.E.M. sans Stipe, growls with fury and swagger. The song was a fitting theme song to the short-lived TV show, Action.
  5. James, Caryn (September 16, 1999). "Television Review – Forget the Good Guy. It's a Hollywood Satire, and It's Out for Shock". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  6. Shales, Tom (September 16, 1999). "Fox's 'Action': A Tart Take On Tinseltown". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  7. McFadden, Kay (July 23, 1999). "Kay In L.A.: FOX For Fall - The Naked Truth". The Seattle Times . Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  8. Tucker, Ken (September 17, 1999). "TV Show Review: 'Action'". EW.com . Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Zurawik, David (September 16, 1999). "Fox should wrap 'Action'; Review: Forget the buzz: This series is unfunny and insulting. Let's hope it's rendered inactive -- soon". The Baltimore Sun . Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  10. "UPN and Fox Rise From Their Own Programming Ashes". Chicago Tribune . May 3, 2000. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  11. "Action DVD news: Check out AA (Action Artwork) - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  12. "Site News DVD news: Mill Creek Licenses 52 TV Shows from Sony for Low-Cost DVD Release - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  13. "Action DVD news: Announcement for Action - The Complete Series: Uncut and Unbleeped! - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.