Living with Fran

Last updated
Living with Fran
Living with Fran (The WB sitcom) logo.svg
Genre Sitcom
Created by
Starring
ComposerPaul Buckley
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (6 unaired)
Production
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network The WB
ReleaseApril 8, 2005 (2005-04-08) 
March 24, 2006 (2006-03-24)

Living with Fran is an American television sitcom that aired on The WB. It starred Fran Drescher and Ryan McPartlin, and was co-created by Jamie Kennedy. [1] The series debuted on April 8, 2005, [2] and ran two seasons before ending on March 24, 2006.

Contents

Premise

Fran Reeves is an interior designer and divorced mother of two. Her son, Josh, recently dropped out of medical school and now lives at home with his younger sister, Allison, his mother and her young boyfriend, Riley Martin. Fran deals with the visits of her sleazy ex-husband, Ted, and her divorced cousin, Merrill. Fran also must deal with the fact that others, including her son, disapprove of the relationship she has with her much younger boyfriend. In the episode "Dreaming with Fran", Fran breaks up with Riley because of the age difference but in the next episode, Riley proposes to Fran.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Production

The series was originally titled Shacking Up, and was ordered to series by The WB for the 2004–05 television season, [4] though it ultimately did not premiere in fall 2004 and was held for midseason. [5] The early tapings of the show frustrated star Fran Drescher, and the series' original showrunners were replaced before the show ever aired. [2] It was not renamed until very close to its premiere; episodes of television entertainment shows like Extra can be found on the internet discussing the show with the cast and previewing clips while still calling it Shacking Up.

The series was executive produced by actor and comedian Jamie Kennedy, known for his roles in the Scream film series. He also appeared on an episode of the first season as a flamboyant, stripper-coach Fran hires to surprise Riley for their anniversary.

On October 18, 2005, The WB removed Living with Fran from its Friday night schedule, replacing with the new series Twins , indicating that the series was just being put on hiatus and that the remaining nine episodes of the second season would air at a later date. [6] The show returned Friday, January 13, 2006, at 8:30 p.m. [7] The second-season finale aired on Friday, March 24, 2006. In the episode, Riley proposed to Fran; the episode was a cliffhanger, and Fran's answer was not revealed. On May 17, 2006, one day before the upfronts, it was announced that Living with Fran would not be returning for a third season in fall 2006 on the new CW network, which was the result of the merger of the former WB and UPN networks. [8]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 13April 8, 2005 (2005-04-08)May 13, 2005 (2005-05-13)
2 13September 16, 2005 (2005-09-16)March 24, 2006 (2006-03-24)

Season 1 (2005)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code [9]
11"Pilot" Jeff Melman Jamie Kennedy & Josh Etting & David Garrett & Jason WardApril 8, 2005 (2005-04-08)CBR100
22"Riley's Parents" Wil Shriner David Garrett & Jason WardApril 8, 2005 (2005-04-08)CBR110
33"The Ex Factor" Steve Zuckerman Frank Lombardi & Tim KelleherApril 15, 2005 (2005-04-15)CBR111
44"The Reunion"Steve ZuckermanDavid Regal & Cindy CaponeraApril 22, 2005 (2005-04-22)CBR112
55"Oh, Baby" Leonard R. Garner Jr. Cindy Caponera & Mike LangworthyApril 29, 2005 (2005-04-29)CBR109
66"Who's the Parent?" Gerry Cohen Frank LombardiMay 6, 2005 (2005-05-06)CBR101
77"Carriage Ride" Gail Mancuso Tom Burkhard May 13, 2005 (2005-05-13)CBR108
88"The Concert"Gail MancusoFrank LombardiUnairedCBR107
99"Josh Works for Riley"Gerry CohenDavid RegalUnairedCBR102
1010"Riley's Ex"Gerry CohenJosh Etting & Jamie KennedyUnairedCBR103
1111"School Ties"Wil ShrinerMaria A. BrownUnairedCBR105
1212"Girl Talk" Peter Bonerz Cindy CaponeraUnairedCBR104
1313"Plastered"Peter BonerzDavid RegalUnairedCBR106

Season 2 (2005–06)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code [9]
141"A Year of Living with Fran" Lee Shallat Chemel Frank Lombardi & Tim KelleherSeptember 16, 2005 (2005-09-16)CBR205
152"Going to the Bar Mitzvah with Fran" Barnet Kellman Diane WilkSeptember 23, 2005 (2005-09-23)CBR201
163"Sweet Sixteen Again with Fran"Barnet KellmanFrank Lombardi & Tim KelleherSeptember 30, 2005 (2005-09-30)CBR202
174"Learning with Fran"Barnet KellmanDavid RegalOctober 7, 2005 (2005-10-07)CBR203
185"Ahead of the Plan with Fran"Lee Shallat-ChemelAllison M. GibsonOctober 14, 2005 (2005-10-14)CBR204
196"Going Crazy with Fran" Bob Koherr Josh Etting & Mike LangworthyJanuary 13, 2006 (2006-01-13)CBR212
207"Coupling with Fran" Ken Whittingham Mike Langworthy & Diane WilkJanuary 20, 2006 (2006-01-20)CBR208
218"Healing with Fran"Ken WhittinghamTim Kelleher & Frank LombardiJanuary 27, 2006 (2006-01-27)CBR209
229"The Whole Clan with Fran" Katy Garretson Yoni Berkovits & Drew LevinFebruary 3, 2006 (2006-02-03)CBR210
2310"Masquerading with Fran" Mary Lou Belli Allison M. Gibson & David RegalFebruary 17, 2006 (2006-02-17)CBR207
2411"Going to Bed with Fran"Mary Lou BelliDavid Garrett & Jason WardFebruary 24, 2006 (2006-02-24)CBR206
2512"Dreaming with Fran"Bob KoherrDavis Baldy & David RegalMarch 17, 2006 (2006-03-17)CBR211
2613"Reuniting with Fran"Peter BeytBob MyerMarch 24, 2006 (2006-03-24)CBR213

Ratings

The premiere episode of Living with Fran airing at 8:30 p.m. on April 8, 2005, drew 3.1 million viewers and a 1.3 rating/5 share in adults 18–49 in preliminary ratings, improving on the ratings of its lead-in What I Like About You , while the followup episode of the show that the same evening at 9:30 p.m. retained approximately 90% of the audience from its lead-in Reba . [3] The series was considered a "solid" performer in its first season according to Variety 's Rick Kissell. [10]

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References

  1. Steven Zeitchik (July 23, 2008). "Jamie Kennedy to produce 'Northwood'". The Hollywood Reporter . Associated Press . Retrieved 2022-05-26. [Kennedy] wrote and starred in but didn't produce 2003's "Malibu's Most Wanted," created the Fran Drescher sitcom "Living With Fran" and created and starred on WB Network's "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment."
  2. 1 2 Nicholas Fonseca (April 4, 2005). "Fran Drescher returns to network TV". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  3. 1 2 3 Rick Kissell (April 10, 2005). "Frog's 'Fran' feeling fine after solid bow". Variety . Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  4. Rick Kissell (May 9, 2004). "Frog, UPN face season of challenges". Variety . Retrieved 2017-06-15. And promising half-hours include family laffers "Shacking Up" with Fran Drescher...
  5. Michael Schneider (May 18, 2004). "Frog, Alphabet tell lessons learned". Variety . Retrieved 2017-06-15. For midseason, net has Fran Drescher comedy "Shacking Up"...
  6. Josef Adalian (October 18, 2005). "Frog's sked heavy on deja view". Variety . Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  7. Brian Ford Sullivan (January 3, 2006). "The WB Revises 'Geek' Plans, Gives 'Fran' Last-Minute Return". The Futon Critic . Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  8. Brian Ford Sullivan (May 17, 2006). "The CW Unveils New Logo, Sets Pickups". The Futon Critic . Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  9. 1 2 From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Living with Fran"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  10. Rick Kissell (May 22, 2005). "Drama queen of season". Variety . Retrieved 2017-06-15. The WB's "Living With Fran" and Fox's "Stacked" are two midseason preems that still look solid...