"Good Morning, Miami" (2002) TV series 2002-2004

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Creators:

David Kohan
Max Mutchnick
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

26 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

He had every reason to go... until came the one reason to stay...

Plot:

A talented young TV producer arrives in Miami to revamp the lowest-rated morning show in the country.

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Constance Zimmer	...	Penelope 'Penny' Barnes Barrington (39 episodes, 2002-2004)
Mark Feuerstein	...	Jake Silver (39 episodes, 2002-2004)
Ashley Williams	...	Dylan Messinger (39 episodes, 2002-2004)
Matt Letscher	...	Gavin Stone (26 episodes, 2002-2004)

(more)

Series Directed by
Peter Bonerz		(13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Steve Zuckerman		(10 episodes, 2003-2004)
David Trainer		(7 episodes, 2002-2003)
Terry Hughes		(2 episodes, 2002)
Max Mutchnick		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
David Kohan		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Max Mutchnick		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Richard Day		(3 episodes, 2002-2003)
David Babcock		(unknown episodes)
Jeanette Collins		(unknown episodes)
Mimi Friedman		(unknown episodes)
Jonathan M. Goldstein		(unknown episodes)
Darlene Hunt		(unknown episodes)
Amanda Lasher		(unknown episodes)
Steve Leff		(unknown episodes)
Jim Patterson		(unknown episodes)
Bill Prady		(unknown episodes)
John Quaintance		(unknown episodes)
Tad Quill		(unknown episodes)
David S. Rosenthal		(unknown episodes)
Kirk J. Rudell		(unknown episodes)
Kathy Ann Stumpe		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Bruce Alden	....	associate producer (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Richard Day	....	co-executive producer (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
Tim Kaiser	....	producer (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
David Kohan	....	executive producer (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
Max Mutchnick	....	executive producer (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
Tad Quill	....	supervising producer (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
Kirk J. Rudell	....	supervising producer (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
Steve Leff	....	co-producer (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Jim Patterson	....	co-producer (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Jeanette Collins	....	consulting producer (2 episodes, 2002)
Mimi Friedman	....	consulting producer (2 episodes, 2002)
Kathy Ann Stumpe	....	co-executive producer (2 episodes, 2002)
Bill Prady	....	executive producer (unknown episodes, 2003)
David Babcock	....	consulting producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Rich Ragsdale		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Jonathan Wolff		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Cinematography by
Jerry Workman		(4 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Film Editing by
John Fuller		(13 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Casting by
Tracy Lilienfield		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Mary V. Buck		(unknown episodes)

Series Production Design by
Glenda Rovello		(35 episodes, 2002-2004)

Series Art Direction by
Glenda Rovello		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Set Decoration by
Melinda Ritz		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Costume Design by
Lori Eskowitz		(5 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Makeup Department
Patricia Bunch	....	makeup artist (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Mary Guerrero	....	hair stylist (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Arrick Anderson	....	hair stylist (unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Jay O'Connell	....	unit production manager (5 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stephanie Scott	....	second assistant director (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Doug Tobin	....	first assistant director (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Richard Silva	....	second second assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Tim Schultz	....	property master (40 episodes, 2002-2004)
Conny Boettger	....	set designer (38 episodes, 2002-2004)
Jim Landis	....	assistant property master (38 episodes, 2002-2004)
David L. Bell	....	on-set dresser (unknown episodes)
Billy Campbell	....	on-set dresser (unknown episodes)
Suzette Ervin	....	substitute art director (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Kathy Oldham	....	sound re-recording mixer (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Craig Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Larry Stephens	....	sound mixer (5 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Visual Effects by
Daniel Carrington	....	Flame artist (6 episodes, 2002-2004)
Steve Kullback	....	visual effects supervisor (unknown episodes)
Scott Milne	....	visual effects supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Charlie Brewer	....	stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)
Dina L. Margolin	....	stunt double (unknown episodes)
Kevin Scott	....	assistant stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Jason Griffiths	....	grip (22 episodes, 2002-2003)
David Tolsky	....	assistant camera (19 episodes, 2002-2003)
Adrian Licciardi	....	first assistant camera (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Michael R. Marquette	....	first assistant camera (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Katherine Eckert	....	casting associate (5 episodes, 2002-2003)
Toni Magon	....	casting assistant (unknown episodes)
Bryan Riley	....	casting assistant (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Craig Ames	....	costume supervisor (40 episodes, 2002-2004)
Therese McDonough	....	costume supervisor (4 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Editorial Department
Becky Opp	....	post-production assistant (20 episodes, 2002-2003)
Andrew Ortner	....	post-production assistant (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Johnny Rzeznik	....	composer: theme (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Kaz Kim	....	music coordinator (unknown episodes)

Series Transportation Department
Bill Cresant	....	transportation coordinator (unknown episodes)
Darrell Dubovsky	....	driver (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Colin Ebeling	....	production assistant / assistant to writers (38 episodes, 2002-2004)
Jason Richert	....	first assistant production accountant (33 episodes, 2002-2004)
Genessa Davis	....	assistant accountant (5 episodes, 2003)
Marilyn Bagley	....	script supervisor (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
Ronna Spencer	....	production coordinator (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Jeffrey Wheat	....	associate director / technical coordinator (2 episodes, 2002)
Bruce Alden	....	executive story editor (unknown episodes)
Jamie French	....	publicist (unknown episodes)
Astrid Kemnitz	....	first assistant accountant (unknown episodes)
Amanda Kowalsky	....	assistant to producer (unknown episodes)
Michael Lacey	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Roger Lundblade	....	audience warm-up (unknown episodes)
Lesley Robins	....	assistant production coordinator (unknown episodes)
Erin Rose	....	second assistant accountant (unknown episodes)
Jim Wheelan	....	craft service assistant (unknown episodes)
Kerry Wilker	....	publicist (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• KoMut Entertainment
• Warner Bros. Television

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
• CanWest Global Communications

Other Companies

• MFX  visual effects
• Panavision  camera equipment provided by
• Technicolor Creative Services  post-production services
• Warner Bros. Studio Facilities  post-production sound

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

KoMut Entertainment

Trivia:

After the first few epsiodes, the characters of Lucia and Sister Brenda Trogman were phased out and eventually cut out, to simplify the ensemble.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first season finale, the yellow clipboard Dylan holds in the first few minutes jumps from her hands to her bag during her talk with Jake.

Quotes:

Jake Silver: Do you not know what boinking is?
Claire: Yes, it's what you aren't doing.

Soundtrack:

Once in a Lifetime

Mismanaged by NBC from the very beginning, "Miami" is the cute little sitcom that wasn't

Network: NBC; Genre: Sitcom; Content Rating: TV-14 (for language and sexual content); Classification: contemporary (Star range: 1 - 4);

Season Reviewed: Complete series (2 seasons)

Good Morning, Miami' was not a great sitcom, it deserved every bit of the critical thrashing it got after the pilot episode aired. However, based on the turns it took and the results of the final few episodes in the first season, as well as several in the abbreviated 2nd, it looked like it was heading down the road to being quite good. And, despite some shameless unoriginal qualifications, it was quite funny. Which puts it a peg above most shows. It's a classic, now all too common, example of a network playing poker with a TV show due to behind-the-scenes politics and also the uselessness of TV critics who watch only the first few episodes of a series in the package they receive and don't update or follow up on the show as it changes.

The show was recklessly mismanaged and falsely advertised by NBC – specifically Jeff Zucker (to name names) – from the very beginning. 'Miami', the latest series from David Kohan and Max Mutchnick ('Will & Grace', the cult 'Boston Common'), was, from the look of it, shoved on the air a year before it was ready to make way for NBC's remake of 'Coupling' . 'Coupling' was the show Zucker expected to be greeted with rousing ovations and easily slide into the 'Friends' timeslot without missing a beat when that show left the air the next year. Despite this, it was Zucker who stood up at his press convention and loudly touted that 'Miami' was going to have a will-they-or-won't-they relationship "to even surpass Ross and Rachael" (much to the cheers of pre-teen girls everywhere I'm sure). So, 'Miami' was put out there and forced to iron out it's kinks while everyone watched. That pilot is bogged down in so much Don't Be Alone preaching from Suzanne Pleshette that I shouldn't have given the show a second look.

For those that don't know, it follows Jake Silver (Mark Feuerstein, 'Caroline in the City') a TV producer who moves to Miami to save the bottom-of-the-ratings challenged title morning show. Instead of ditching this uphill climb he decides to stick around, help the show and in the process try to win over show hairstylist Dylan (Ashley Williams), whom he supposedly falls for after she runs her hands through his hair in the first episode. I must admit a failing: Ashley Williams is just too searingly hot to ignore. In this case, her lack of real acting chops doesn't really matter. She is kept sparingly from us in the first season, left an open book for the viewer to fill in. She has the perfect cute-girl-next-door looks that make for a believable muse.

As I watched the show changed and improved before my eyes. I slowly began to not only take it off mute, but become engaged in it. Then it did something that most time-slot hit sitcoms never do – it made me laugh. Genuine belly laughs. They canned their more obnoxious characters and eventually, it found a groove. The writing sharpened (as if it grabbed writers that just jumped ship from 'Futurama' at the time) and the cast became more comfortable. Despite NBC's relentless false advertising, the stories stayed away from the kind of relationship melodrama that makes 'Friends' so insufferable. The stories became more loosely constructed once the humorous dynamics in the cast where found and the show was more of a character comedy than a strict relationship series. Much of the credit for the show's success lies with the impeccable deadpan comic delivery of Constance Zimmer and Matt Letscher. These are pretty stock characters (calling back to 'Newsradio') but a great performance is still a great performance. When asked where his maid is, Letscher knows exactly how long to hold the pause while looking around at the junk piled up in his apartment before dryly responding "She's under here somewhere". Zimmer wins the Most Likely to Get Her Own Show award.

More changes where made in the re-tooled 2nd season. Another anchor babe was added, Suzanne Pleshette (a pistol of energy at the end of the first season) left for '8 Simple Rules' leaving a fun dynamic between her character and the otherwise annoying Jere Burns twisting in the wind. But mostly the show looked to be heading in the right direction. A villain (Tiffani Amber-Thessen) was wisely added. They raced out Jake and Dylan sleeping together in the season premiere to pop that bubble and shift the focus from relationship drama to free-wheeling jokes. Zimmer and Letscher remained the stars though. A story point in which Gavin gets hooked on coffee shop punch cards is Kramer-esquire - and I mean that in a good way.

This was a cute, stupidly funny pure sitcom with some high wattage talent behind it (veteran directors like James Burrows and David Trainer), It was worth a look and deserved a chance. After 'Coupling' flamed out Zucker should have realized the potential he had with it. Instead he used it as leverage after Kohen and Mutnick filed a breach of contract lawsuit against NBC. Like the innocent daughter of an action movie hero, 'Miami' had a gun pointed at it's head because of who it knew and where was. Without any input from the audience the show was cancelled. Just the fact that I kept up with all this is the biggest compliment. 'Miami' was the best in NBC's long recent roster of time-slot hits. Remember 'Caroline in the City', 'Veronica's Closet', 'Fired Up' or the wretched 'Suddenly Susan'? Exactly. This is the one relationship show I would have watched. A fluffy, light-weight, entertaining guilty pleasure. And Ashley Williams is adorable.

* * ½