"Enjoy The Show" by Joseph M. Saba and Stewart J. Winter (Seasons 1-12, 15) "The Knockout" by Janos Fulop, Adam Brostoff, and Darin MacEachern (Season 14)
Country of origin
United States
No. of seasons
15 web seasons 1 podcast season 1 limited event (video series)
On Cinema (also called On Cinema at the Cinema) is an American comedyweb series and podcast starring Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington as amateur film critics. The duo appear as fictionalized versions of themselves. The show started as an independently released podcast from 2011 to 2013, before being picked up as a professionally produced web video series by Thing X in 2012, continuing after the site merged with Adult Swim's website in 2013.[1] The show moved to HEI Network, an independent service, in 2021, with funding given by user subscriptions and special event ticket purchases.[2][1]
On Cinema at the Cinema is the hub of a metafictional 'fictional universe', including the original podcast, 15 seasons of the web video series,[3] yearly live Oscar specials, a spin-off limited series entitled "The Trial",[4] the spin-off series Decker, a movie review app, an On Cinema Live! tour,[5][6][7][8] and a film entitled Mister America.
On Cinema also features guest actors, some of whom play fictionalized versions of themselves, most notably actors Joe Estevez and Mark Proksch. The show and fictional universe have a dedicated cult following of fans who play along with the storylines via social media, often taking sides as "Timheads" or "Greggheads", or "Unityheads" for those that do not take a side.[9] Heidecker and Turkington also started Decker-Con, where they appear in character and interact with fans.[10]
Premise
Early podcast episodes of On Cinema were usually no longer than one or two minutes. Heidecker and Turkington would "review" films without actually providing any meaningful information or critical insight. With the video series, Heidecker and Turkington start using a rating scale of "bags of popcorn" ranging from 0–5.[1] While Turkington respects the limit of five, Heidecker often goes overboard giving "6 bags" or dozens more, creating tension with Gregg. Almost every film gets a score of "5 bags"—known as a 'five-bagger'—or higher from both reviewers.[1]
Major characters
Tim Heidecker
Played by Tim Heidecker as a fictionalized version of himself, Heidecker is the creator and host of On Cinema. Despite being host, he appears to know very little about the films he is discussing, although he is a fan of Tom Cruise and Jack Reacher. Heidecker often uses his show to discuss his conservative views and personal problems, or to promote his other projects, like his action series Decker, his band Dekkar or his company HEI Inc. Heidecker is an aggressive and egomaniacal alcoholic, constantly drinking and berating his costars during the Oscar specials.
Heidecker has faced multiple family problems throughout the show. Heidecker has an estranged teenage son from his first marriage, which ended after he underwent brain surgery against the wishes of his wife. He then met Ayaka while she was staying with his family as a foreign exchange student. The two eventually marry and have a child called Tom Cruise Jr. Heidecker. Tom Cruise Jr. died shortly after birth after Heidecker refused to have him vaccinated, and his death led to their marriage rapidly spiraling apart. After they divorced, Heidecker married Juliana, the sister of fellow Dekkar band member Axiom, which was short-lived. Heidecker then began a relationship with Toni Newman, the sole juror who refused to find Heidecker guilty and Heidecker's aide for his political campaign. They married twice, but following an affair and a trip to rehab, a newly sober Toni divorced Heidecker. Later, after Toni’s son Matt is shot and killed, they reconcile, with Heidecker taking the name of "Newman Heidecker" owing to a misunderstanding while getting his marriage license certified.[citation needed]
Gregg Turkington
Played by Gregg Turkington as a fictionalized version of himself, Turkington is a frequent guest of On Cinema, sometimes acting as host when Heidecker is away. Turkington is a film buff and self-described movie expert, with a large amount of unimportant, uninteresting and often incorrect trivia to share about films discussed on the show. Despite his obvious lack of critical insight Turkington believes that On Cinema should be devoted exclusively to "the movies" rather than Heidecker's personal life and views. Turkington has an extensive collection of VHS cassettes located in Victorville, California, which he refers to as the Victorville Film Archives, boasting that it's one of the largest film archives in North America, though its exact size is unknown and has been destroyed on multiple occasions by Turkington. Turkington's favorite film is The Hobbit and he describes himself as a "Hobbithead", campaigning every year for the Academy Awards to recognize Peter Jackson and give the Best Picture award to The Hobbit trilogy, believing that the academy has "a write-in section". Turkington produces many of the show's recurring segments, including "Popcorn Classics" and "On Cinema On Location", and plays Special Agent Jonathan Kington on Decker. Despite his clear antipathy towards Tim, as well as the constant abuse he suffers under him, Turkington repeatedly returns to On Cinema in the hopes that he will be made co-host.[citation needed]
Recurring characters
Joe Estevez (as himself): Joe is a prolific actor and close friend of both Heidecker and Turkington and the second most regular guest on On Cinema. He portrays President Davidson and President Davidson Jr. on Decker. He is often friendly and forbearing, and often helps both Tim and Gregg out with their projects and personal problems. He staged Tim's intervention in season 8 and was the only person to visit him while in jail in season 9.
Mark Proksch (as himself): Mark is an aspiring comedian and impersonator, having been hired by Tim and Gregg to do impersonations of famous actors, such as W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, and the Three Stooges, for the Oscar specials. He also played various roles in Decker, most notably the Taliban terrorist Abdul. Mark is a poor impressionist, reciting biographic information instead of imitating his subjects and doing a similar voice for every impression. He has taken various odd jobs related to Tim and Gregg's projects, and frequently faces verbal and physical abuse from Tim.
Ayaka Ohtani (portrayed by Ayaka Ohwaki): Ayaka was a foreign exchange student who stayed with Tim's family. She dated Tim briefly before being deported back to Japan, giving birth to their son, Tom Cruise Jr. They later reunited after a heartfelt plea by Tim during an episode. During Tim's trial, Ayaka called Tim a cold, abusive husband and revealed that Tim forced her to abort their second child. This ended their relationship, and Ayaka returned to Japan and married a new man.
Luther Sanchez (portrayed by Zac Holtzman): Commonly referred to as "Dr. San", he was a practitioner of alternative medicine, serving first as Tim's acupuncturist and later as his family physician with the birth of Tom Cruise Jr. A con-man, Dr. San tricked Tim out of large sums of money for sub-standard acupuncture with dirty needles, convinced him not to vaccinate his child, and provided him with toxic vape pens that poisoned him and later resulted in the death of 19 people at Tim's music festival. He was arrested along with Tim and committed suicide while in custody.
Tom Cruise Jr. Heidecker (portrayed by an unknown child actor): Tim and Ayaka's son, named by Ayaka after Tim's favorite actor Tom Cruise. He died of an undisclosed illness after his father, under the supervision of Dr. San, refused to vaccinate him. Tim hotly contests this, claiming that Tom Cruise Jr.'s death was caused by a fatal buildup of black mold at Gregg's beach house. Tim later 'resurrects' Tom Cruise Jr. as a fully-grown CGI mannequin on both the fourth and seventh Oscar specials, with 'Tom' taking a stance against vaccination like his father.
Alessandro "Axiom" Serradimigni (as himself): Axiom is an Italian guitar player who became the second member of Dekkar after meeting Tim at Guitar Center. Loyal to Tim, Axiom at one point donates his hand to Tim via a hand transplant. At Tim's trial, it is revealed that he originally wrote the song that became Tim's "Empty Bottle", despite not being given a writing credit. He and Tim have had multiple fallings-out, such as after Tim dissolves Dekkar and after Axiom has an affair with Tim's wife Toni. He has a sister, Julianna, who Tim was briefly married to.
Manuel Giusti (as himself): Manuel is the third member of Dekkar, having joined in the fourth Oscar special, and is also a friend of Axiom. Overwhelmingly loyal to Tim, Manuel donates skin from his buttocks to repair Tim's burned face and perjured himself at Tim's trial by presenting a falsified suicide note that Tim wrote and had Manuel claim came from Dr. San. He has never cut ties with the band, throughout its multiple rebrands and new members. He is hospitalized when Tim crashes the VFA Tour Bus in season 13, and briefly forgets how to speak English.
Toni Newman (portrayed by Terri Parks): Toni first appeared in Mister America as Tim's campaign manager for his district attorney campaign. Toni was the sole juror in Tim's trial who refused to vote guilty, resulting in the mistrial. While Toni was more competent than Tim in some areas, she was often equally disorganized and didn't hesitate to employ illegal tactics to achieve her ends. She later joined HEI Inc. as the CFO. They married at the end of season 11 and again during the seventh Oscar Special. During season 12, Toni has a drunken affair with Axiom. She goes to rehab and returns sober, revealing that she was constantly under the influence of alcohol the entire time she knew Tim, and admitting that she knew he was guilty. She kicks Tim out of her house and files for divorce, though later reconciles with Tim after the death of Matt during season 14.
Matt Newman (portrayed by Tobias Icasatti): Matt is Toni's son from a previous marriage. As a step-dad, Tim tried to bond with Matt in both the seventh and eighth Oscar special, mainly talking about video games. Matt doesn't show much love for Tim, and didn't give a toast at the wedding reception. Matt even messes with Tim, leading him to believe that Dr. San has been talking to him from beyond the grave. Matt was shot and killed during a botched home invasion during the events of season 14.
Michael "LaRue" Matthews: LaRue originally appeared as a bit actor from Decker, and was later hired by Tim as his bodyguard and private detective. Michael is a right-wing militant who believes in various right-wing conspiracies theories typically found on the Internet and is regularly sent by Tim on errands to obtain personal information on his supposed enemies. He's also a gun enthusiast, the host of Xposed on the HEI Network, and an amateur rapper that performed with Tim's band DEK4R. Since Gregg ran him over during the eighth Oscar special, LaRue uses an electric mobility aid vehicle.
Hank Friedmann: Hank is a restaurateur who has worked for many franchises catering the Oscar specials over the years. In the third special, he runs Chaplin's Chili, serving chef Tom Chaplin's chili. In the fourth special, he now runs Chaplin's Soup and Subs, having split from Tom Chaplin after the brand was acquired. In the fifth special, he runs Chaplin's X-press, now a gas station restaurant. In the sixth special, he runs QwikBite, having legally been forced to drop the Chaplin name. In the ninth special, he runs Tim's HEI Ranch Grub Shack. In the tenth special, he runs Tom's Original Chili and serves chili flavored popcorn.
John Aprea (as himself): An actor best known for appearing on The Godfather Part II, John first appears on the first Oscar special and later serves as a guest host of On Cinema. He also appears on Decker as General Jeffrey Cotter. John tends to maintain a professional composure lacked by many of the other characters.
James Dean (portrayed by Ralph Lucas): A famous actor that many believed died in 1955, until Gregg revealed in 2015 that he had faked his death, bringing him out as a guest in the third Oscar special. Tim refused to believe it was him and got Dr. San to perform a DNA test in the fourth Oscar special, which confirmed he was in fact James Dean. He plays Dracula on Decker.
Wendy Kerby (portrayed by Jessica Ruth Bell): Wendy is a singer who frequents Tim and Toni's church and first appeared in the eighth Oscar special. She joins Tim's band, D4, replacing Axiom. She appears as co-host in the Wendy Kerby Valentines Day Special, but after an awkward attempt by Tim to stage a kiss between her and Manuel, she runs off set and doesn't return.
G. Amato (portrayed by Carlos Barbouth): G. Amato is a mysterious investor and owner of The Amato Group, which funds production of On Cinema from season 13 onward. He was introduced in the ninth Oscar special as the person with the most HEI Points. He has been using Tim's HEI Ranch to mine lithium. He unofficially adopts Tim as a son in the tenth Oscar special.
Kaili Amato (portrayed by Marie Gibeault): Kaili is the daughter-in-law of G. Amato. From On Cinema season 13 onwards, she co-hosts and provides updates on Hollywood gossip. She is a widow, after her husband Chris Amato was suspiciously killed. In On Cinema season 14, Gregg develops an unrequited attraction towards her, culminating in a failed marriage proposal during AmatoCon.
Joey Patrocelli (portrayed by Eddie Alfano): Joey is an employee of The Amato Group and co-host of On Cinema on Demand during season 14. Joey is an athletic, composed, and well spoken man with a fondness for mafia movies. He often comes into conflict with Gregg over his pre-recorded segment, "Joey's Take," and his use of a four star rating system, as opposed to Gregg's five bags.
Dudley Moore (portrayed by Richárd Bernard): "Dudley" is an impersonator of the late actor, introduced in the seventh Oscar special as part of Gregg's celebration of Arthur. He later returns, with CGI, in Deck of Cards as the Two of Diamonds, and pays tribute to Gregg in the tenth Oscar special.
Corwin Allard is an actor and national level high school baseball player who originally appeared in “Decker: Unclassified” as Young Decker, Jr. at the age of nine. Corwin also appeared as himself in the 10th Annual Oscar Special and was brought in by Axiom and Manuel to replace Tim in Dekkar and appears in the “Ride With the Devil” music video.
The On Cinema podcast was produced independently by Heidecker and Gregg. The podcast consists of Heidecker, along with Gregg as a "special guest" for almost every episode, covering movies poorly and with little insight, and often engaging in arguments. Gregg later developed a more pretentious "film buff" persona, and Tim took a turn to being obnoxiously political, sometimes devoting entire episodes to conspiracy theories, much to the chagrin of Gregg.
Production
Heidecker has stated that On Cinema was started out of a desire to mock the podcasting community.[11] The first episode was recorded on the set of The Comedy, where Heidecker and Turkington were working together, after Heidecker proposed the idea between takes.[10] In April 2017, On Cinema initiated a Patreon page for funding, most of it going to the Oscar specials, with some of the higher options including receiving producer credits, walk-on roles for the Oscar specials, or live custom Skype reviews from Gregg Turkington.[12]
In 2013, the On Cinema Film Guide app was released, featuring the voices of Turkington and Heidecker reviewing over 17,000 films.[13]
The series moved premieres to Adult Swim's online live streams in 2017, with the series continuing to be posted on YouTube on a delay. The Adult Swim streams later picked up a fan-show series, Big Unhappy Family, in 2019, as a companion to season 11 and Mister America. However, in late 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic and layoffs that shuttered the Adult Swim streams, it was announced that the show would move from Adult Swim's platforms to HEI Network, an independent streaming service created for the series.[1]
Reception
The show has a dedicated cult following of fans who interact with the storylines via social media, often taking sides as "GreggHeads" or "TimHeads" in the frequent personal conflicts between the hosts which are often only tangentially, if at all, related to films or cinema.[10] During the annual live Oscar special, Tim and Gregg both frequently provide interactive elements via online polls for fans to vote on. This cult following is especially found on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, the latter through Gregg and Tim's respective profiles, of which Gregg has completely devoted to the persona of his alter-ego. Heidecker and Turkington have also appeared in character on the podcasts Kreative Kontrol with Vish Khanna and The Best Show in 2015 and 2017.
Heidecker and Turkington also started Decker-Con, where new episodes of Decker are shown to fans and the cast appears as their On Cinema characters to field questions.[10]
For "The Trial", Heidecker and Turkington upended the traditional review aspect of the series, and staged a mock event where Tim's character was on trial for murder, which lasted over a week. It received acclaim from observers, some of whom called it "brilliant" and "ambitious."[14][15][16][17]
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