Listen Up (TV series)

*Listen Up*
Listen Up
Genre	Sitcom
Developed by	Jeff Martin
Starring	Jason Alexander; Wendy Makkena; Daniella Monet; Will Rothhaar; Malcolm-Jamal Warner;
Composer	Brian Kirk
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	22
Production
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Production companies	Regency Television; CBS Productions; Fox Television Studios;
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 20, 2004 –; April 25, 2005

Listen Up is an American sitcom television series created by Jeff Martin, that aired on CBS from September 20, 2004, until April 25, 2005. The sitcom was based loosely on the life and exploits of the popular sportswriter and sports-media personality Tony Kornheiser. Its principal executive producer was Jason Alexander, who was also the lead actor. Despite decent-to-good ratings, the show was canceled by CBS on May 18, 2005; "rising production costs" was the major reason officially given for the cancellation.

Premise

Tony Kleinman is a Philadelphia based sports show host whose sidekick is Bernie Widmer, a former NFL player; together they host the TV show Listen Up. While Tony does talk about sports on the show and in his newspaper column, he strays away occasionally to talk about the daily exploits of his family: his wife, Dana, a fund-raiser coordinator; his son, Mickey, a 15-year-old golf prodigy, and Megan, his 14-year-old, know-it-all, smart-mouthed, soccer-playing daughter.

Cast and characters

Jason Alexander as Tony Kleinman, a co-host of Listen Up, a sports talk show
Wendy Makkena as Dana Kleinman, an administrator at Philadelphia Zoo
Daniella Monet as Megan Kleinman, the teenage daughter of Tony
Will Rothhaar as Mickey Kleinman, the teenage son of Tony
Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Bernie Widmer, a retired NFL player and a co-host of Listen Up

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Pilot"	Andy Ackerman	Jeff Martin	September 20, 2004 (2004-09-20)
2	"Hammer Time"	Andy Ackerman	Linda Videtti Figueiredo	September 27, 2004 (2004-09-27)
3	"Grandmaster of the Wolfhunt"	Mark Cendrowski	Kenya Barris	October 4, 2004 (2004-10-04)
4	"Cool Jerk"	Andrew D. Weyman	David Litt	October 11, 2004 (2004-10-11)
5	"Quest for Fire"	John Whitesell	Dan O'Keefe	October 18, 2004 (2004-10-18)
6	"Mickey Swallows a Bee"	Barnet Kellman	Dan Kopelman	October 25, 2004 (2004-10-25)
7	"The Gift of the Ton-i"	Terry Hughes	Dan Kopelman	October 25, 2004 (2004-10-25)
8	"Sweet Charity"	Andy Cadiff	David Litt	November 15, 2004 (2004-11-15)
9	"Thanksgiving"	Bob Koherr	Daphne Pollon	November 22, 2004 (2004-11-22)
10	"Mickey Without a Cause"	Andy Ackerman	Dan O'Keefe	November 29, 2004 (2004-11-29)
11	"Enemy at the Gates"	Terry Hughes	Daphne Pollon	December 13, 2004 (2004-12-13)
12	"Tony the Tiger"	Rob Schiller	Dan Kopelman	January 3, 2005 (2005-01-03)
13	"Snub Thy Neighbor"	Bob Koherr	Linda Videtti Figueiredo	January 17, 2005 (2005-01-17)
14	"Weekend with Bernie"	Bob Koherr	Erika Kaestle & Patrick McCarthy & Jamie Rhonheimer	January 31, 2005 (2005-01-31)
15	"Inky Dinky Don't"	Bob Koherr	Dan Kopelman	February 7, 2005 (2005-02-07)
16	"Colon-Oopscopy"	Lynn McCracken	Jamie Rhonheimer	February 14, 2005 (2005-02-14)
17	"Tony Whine-Man"	Gerry Cohen	Erika Kaestle & Patrick McCarthy	February 21, 2005 (2005-02-21)
18	"Couch Potato"	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	Dan O'Keefe	March 7, 2005 (2005-03-07)
19	"Waiting for Kleinman"	Rob Schiller	Kenya Barris	March 21, 2005 (2005-03-21)
20	"Check Mates"	Bob Koherr	Linda Videtti Figueiredo	April 11, 2005 (2005-04-11)
21	"Ebony and Irony"	Bob Koherr	Dan Kopelman & Jamie Rhonheimer	April 18, 2005 (2005-04-18)
22	"Last Vegas"	Bob Koherr	Erika Kaestle & Patrick McCarthy	April 25, 2005 (2005-04-25)

Reception

Critical response

Critical reaction was largely negative. USA Today's Robert Bianco wrote that the show makes the "mistake of trying to build a star vehicle around a second banana".^[1] A New York Times review called it "a rickety vehicle for Jason Alexander".^[2] Critics disagreed on the supporting cast – while USA Today noted, "When 'Listen Up' focuses on its supporting cast, the show works", The New York Times referred to a "stiff supporting cast".^[3] Matt Rouse of TV Guide wrote, "Forget about the 'Seinfeld' curse, this is just mediocre material and bad casting."^[4]

Ratings

The premiere episode drew 11.8 million viewers, while the final episode drew 8.9 million viewers.^[5]

References

^ Bianco, Robert (September 19, 2004). "Witless 'Listen Up' has a tin ear for comedy". USA Today.
^ Heffernan, Virginia (September 20, 2004). "A Celebrity on TV, a Schlemiel at Home". The New York Times.
^ Goodman, Tim (September 20, 2004). "Jason Alexander sitcom chalks one up for the 'Seinfeld' curse". San Francisco Chronicle.
^ "Listen Up!". TV Guide. September 12–18, 2004. p. 41.
^ Haber, Matt (March 26, 2006). "Sorry, Newman: There May Not Be a Seinfeld Curse". The New York Times.

External links

Listen Up at IMDb
Listen Up at epguides.com

[1] Bianco, Robert (September 19, 2004). "Witless 'Listen Up' has a tin ear for comedy". USA Today.

[2] Heffernan, Virginia (September 20, 2004). "A Celebrity on TV, a Schlemiel at Home". The New York Times.

[3] Goodman, Tim (September 20, 2004). "Jason Alexander sitcom chalks one up for the 'Seinfeld' curse". San Francisco Chronicle.

[4] "Listen Up!". TV Guide. September 12–18, 2004. p. 41.

[5] Haber, Matt (March 26, 2006). "Sorry, Newman: There May Not Be a Seinfeld Curse". The New York Times.

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