Rude Awakening (1998–2001)

Billie Frank, an out of work alcoholic actress, used to be somewhat of a star in her day, but now she's all washed up. With the help of her mother, Trudy, Billie tries to pick up the pieces... See full summary »

Creator:

Claudia Lonow

Stars:

Sherilyn Fenn, Jonathan Penner, Lynn Redgrave

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Billie Frank (55 episodes, 1998-2001)
Jonathan Penner	...	Dave Parelli (55 episodes, 1998-2001)
Lynn Redgrave	...	Trudy Frank (55 episodes, 1998-2001)
Rain Pryor	...	Jackie Garcia (30 episodes, 1998-1999)

Storyline

Billie Frank, an out of work alcoholic actress, used to be somewhat of a star in her day, but now she's all washed up. With the help of her mother, Trudy, Billie tries to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. Billie meets Dave, a guy who lives in her apartment building, and is also an alcoholic. The show is based upon their relationship, along with all the others in AA with them.

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Plot Keywords:

alcoholic | actress | sex | sexual obsession | drug addict | 

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Taglines:

... perfect for Showtime.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Príserná kocovina

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia TriStar Television, Mandalay Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min 22 min (55 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Billie Frank is based upon Claudia Lonow's experience. Billie is an ex-soap actress who is famous for portraying a character called Diana Gateway in a series called "Emerald Bluff". Claudia Lonow is famous for portraying Diana Fairgate in Knots Landing.

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Quotes

Billie Frank: Hi, I'm Billie, but all my friends call me "Oh Crap, Here Comes Billie."

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Connections

Featured in The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn: Episode dated 12 August 1999 (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Another Rude Awakening"
(Title Theme: 1998-2000)
Theme by Claudia Lonow, Chuck E. Weiss & Tony Gilkyson
Performed by Alana Davis

User Reviews

Dark comedy at its finest

I haven't seen this show for ages now and must admit I stumbled upon it by accident when I was watching wrestling on TV and was too lazy to get up and turn it off,so I kept watching.Before it began,the consumer advice stated it contained coarse language,nudity and adult themes.That's what convinced me to watch it no matter what.But it wasn't the nudity that made it good,it was the wickedly funny and almost surreal way the show is set out.But my favorite thing about it was the first thing you noticeas soon as it starts-no audience.I thought this allowed the viewer to laugh when THEY found something funny,instead of being told when to laugh by the constantly annoying laugh lines.The themes of the show were also very daring,with things like homosexuality,sex toys women talking very openly about their bodies and so on.A great comedy show,one of the best ever made.