Melissa & Joey

Last updated

Melissa & Joey
Melissa & Joey logo1.png
Genre Sitcom
Created by
Starring
Theme music composerJoey Lawrence &
Matthew Gerrard
Opening theme"Stuck with Me", performed by Joey Lawrence
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes104 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • David Kendall
  • Bob Young
  • Melissa Joan Hart
  • Joey Lawrence
  • Paula Hart
  • John Ziffren
  • Seth Kurland
Producers
  • Ken Ornstein
  • Sarah Jane Cunningham
  • Suzie V. Freeman
  • David Hartle
  • Brenda Hsueh
CinematographyJim Roberson
Editors
  • Peter Beyt
  • Andrew Chulack
  • Stuart Bass
  • Mark West
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time22 minutes [1]
Production companies
  • Hartbreak Films
  • JL Veritas
Original release
Network ABC Family
ReleaseAugust 17, 2010 (2010-08-17) 
August 5, 2015 (2015-08-05)

Melissa & Joey is an American television sitcom created by David Kendall and Bob Young, and starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. It aired for four seasons between 2010 and 2015 on ABC Family (now Freeform). The series title reflects the actors' names, not their characters', as it follows local politician Melanie "Mel" Burke (Hart) and Joseph "Joe" Longo (Lawrence), whom Mel hires to look after her niece Lennox Scanlon (Taylor Spreitler) and nephew Ryder Scanlon (Nick Robinson) after a Ponzi scheme run by Mel's sister and brother-in-law leaves Joe broke.

Contents

The series was picked up originally for a pilot and season one containing 12 episodes – this premiered August 17, 2010. Then, due to the success of the show, ABC Family renewed it for 18 more episodes on October 8, 2010, which premiered June 29, 2011. The series was renewed by ABC Family for a second season of fifteen episodes, which began airing on May 30, 2012, and ended on August 29, 2012. [2] During the second season, Melissa & Joey ranked as cable television's #1 telecast at 8 o'clock across target audiences 18–34, 18–49 and 12–34 demographics. [3] [4]

On August 17, 2012, ABC Family renewed Melissa & Joey for a third season, [5] set to premiere on May 29, 2013. [6] On May 28, 2013, ABC Family announced that the third season would be expanded by 20 episodes, and that the show had also been renewed for a fourth season, bringing the series total to 100 episodes. [7]

The show proved to be quite successful for ABC Family as, in its third season, it established a 13-week high in total viewers, an eight-week high in viewers between the ages of 18–34 and 18–49 and a 15-week high in female viewers between the ages of 12–34. [8] During the fourth season, the show reached a milestone of 100 episodes for syndication purposes but declined in the ratings. [9] [10] Along with most ABC Family shows, the declining number of viewers watching Melissa & Joey occurred in tandem with a general trend of reduced numbers of television network subscribers. [11] [12] [13] Looking to marginalize these declines, the show accelerated the availability of its episodes to non-provider-authenticated ABC Family subscribers with Hulu Plus to three weeks post broadcast. [14] On February 9, 2015, ABC Family announced its decision to end the series after four seasons. [15] The series finale aired on August 5, 2015. [16]

Series overview

Mel is a local politician from a political family. When a family scandal leaves her niece, Lennox, and nephew, Ryder, without their parents, Mel takes them in. Meanwhile, Joe is a former commodities trader left bankrupt after a Ponzi scheme, and finds himself searching for a job. [17] So when Mel finds it hard to handle an instant family and her own life, she hires Joe to become the family's nanny.

The show stars two former teen idols who were notable for roles they played in popular 1990s sitcoms, Lawrence for Blossom and Hart for Sabrina, the Teenage Witch . Hart and Lawrence are both listed as executive producers of the series, and have each directed individual episodes.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 3012August 17, 2010 (2010-08-17)October 26, 2010 (2010-10-26)
18June 29, 2011 (2011-06-29)September 14, 2011 (2011-09-14)
2 15May 30, 2012 (2012-05-30)August 29, 2012 (2012-08-29)
3 37May 29, 2013 (2013-05-29)June 18, 2014 (2014-06-18)
4 2212October 22, 2014 (2014-10-22)March 18, 2015 (2015-03-18)
10June 3, 2015 (2015-06-03)August 5, 2015 (2015-08-05)

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Development and production

The cast and crew of Melissa & Joey Melissa & Joey cast and crew at Paley Center.jpg
The cast and crew of Melissa & Joey

The series marks the second time Hart and Lawrence have co-starred together in an ABC Family production; their first was the 2009 television film, My Fake Fiance . Melissa & Joey was criticized early on for lacking sufficient chemistry between the leads and a "will they, won't they" theme present in their earlier project, My Fake Fiance. [24]

On October 8, 2010, ABC Family announced their order of an additional 20 episodes for the first season, creating a season of 30 episodes. [25] The mid-season finale for season one aired on October 26, 2010. [26] The second half of the first season began airing on June 29, 2011. [27] On July 11, 2011, ABC Family announced that Melissa & Joey had been picked up for a second season. [28] On August 17, 2012, ABC Family announced that Melissa & Joey had been picked up for a third season. [29]

Both Lawrence and Hart directed episodes in season two. Lawrence's episode is called "Wherefore Art Thou Lennox" and Hart was the first woman to direct an episode of the series. [30]

The series was filmed before a live studio audience at CBS Studio Center stage 14. [31] The house used for exteriors is located in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. [32]

On February 9, 2015, ABC Family announced its decision to end the series after four seasons. [33]

Broadcast

Melissa & Joey premiered on STAR World India on October 6, 2011. [34] In Southeast Asia, it premiered on STAR World in 2011. [35] In the United Kingdom, all episodes were put on Sky On Demand on July 1, 2014 [36] and began airing on E4 on July 28, 2014. [37]

Home media

On May 24, 2011, Shout! Factory released Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part One on DVD in Region 1. [38] Special features include a sneak peek of the remaining season 1 episodes, bloopers, and featurettes with Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. On October 4, 2011, Shout! Factory released Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part Two on DVD in Region 1, collecting the final 18 episodes of season one in a 2-disc set. [39]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, first season holds an approval rating of 45% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 6.50/10. [40] On Metacritic, the first season of the show holds a score 53 out of 100 based on reviews from 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [41]

Ratings

The show stood as Wednesday's #1 cable TV telecast at 8 o'clock in Adults 18–34, Women 18–34, Women 18–49 and Females 12–34 Demographics. The show continued to dominate its cable time period during its second season, ranking #1 across key measures Adults 18–34, Women 18–34, Adults 18–49, Women 18–49, Viewers 12–34 and Females 12–34. [3] [4]

The following is a table with the average estimated number of viewers per episode, each season of Melissa & Joey on ABC Family.

SeasonTimeslot (ET/PT)No. of
episodes
PremiereFinale
DatePremiere viewers
(in millions)
18–49
rating
DateFinale viewers
(in millions)
18–49
Rating
1 Tuesday 8:00PM12August 17, 20102.15 [42] 1.0October 26, 20101.38 [43] 0.6
Wednesday 8:00PM18June 29, 20111.54 [44] 0.6September 14, 20111.39 [45] 0.7
2 15May 30, 20121.21 [46] 0.7August 29, 20121.50 [47] 0.7
3 37May 29, 20130.97 [48] 0.5June 18, 20141.29 [49] 0.6
4 22October 22, 20141.19 [50] 0.6August 5, 20150.94 [51] 0.4
Melissa & Joey: U.S. viewers per episode (millions)
Audience measurement performed by Nielsen Media Research [52] [ citation needed ]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2013 People's Choice Awards Favorite Cable TV ComedyMelissa & JoeyNominated [53]
2014 People's Choice Awards Nominated [54]
2015 People's Choice Awards Won [55]
Women's Image Network Awards Outstanding Actress Comedy Series Melissa Joan Hart Nominated [56]
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actress 14 - 16Johnnie LaddWon [57]

References

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  2. "(#2001/2002) "I Can Manage/If You Can't Stand the Heat"". Listings – Melissa & Joey on ABC Family. the Futon Critic. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  3. 1 2 ""Melissa & Joey" Ranks as Cable TV's #1 Telecast at 8 O'Clock Across Target 18–34, 18–49 and 12–34 Demographics". FutonCritic. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "'Melissa & Joey' Ranks as Cable TV's #1 Telecast at 8 O'Clock for the 11th Consecutive Week in Women 18–34". TVbytheNumbers. August 16, 2012. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
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  7. Goldberg, Lesley (May 28, 2013). "'Melissa and Joey' Renewed for Season 4 at ABC Family". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
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  20. "The Perfect Storm".
  21. "Young Love". Melissa & Joey. Season 1. Episode 21. August 17, 2011. 04:48 minutes in. ABC Family.
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    For the third season, see "Melissa & Joey: Season Three Ratings". TV Series Finale. June 20, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
    For the fourth season, see "Melissa & Joey : Season Four Ratings". TV Series Finale. August 6, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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