"Wonderfalls" (2004) TV series

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Creators:

Todd Holland
Bryan Fuller

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

12 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Brother Sister Relationship | Eccentric | Inanimate Object | Sister Sister Relationship | Niagara Falls

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Caroline Dhavernas	...	Jaye Tyler (14 episodes, 2004)
Katie Finneran	...	Sharon Tyler (14 episodes, 2004)
Tyron Leitso	...	Eric Gotts (14 episodes, 2004)
William Sadler	...	Darrin Tyler (14 episodes, 2004)
Diana Scarwid	...	Karen Tyler (14 episodes, 2004)
Lee Pace	...	Aaron Tyler (13 episodes, 2004)
Tracie Thoms	...	Mahandra McGinty (12 episodes, 2004)
Jeffrey R. Smith	...	Muse Voice / ... (11 episodes, 2004)
Neil Grayston	...	Alec (8 episodes, 2004)
Scotch Ellis Loring	...	Muse Voice / ... (8 episodes, 2004)
Ted Dykstra	...	Muse Voice (7 episodes, 2004)

Also Known As:

"Maid of the Mist" (USA) (working title)
"Touched by a Crazy Person" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:60 min (including commercials) (13 episodes)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Canada:14 | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Living Dead Guy Productions

Trivia:

The shot of "Heidi Gotts", Eric's Wife, in "Wax Lion" was played by (Corry Carpf), not (Jewel Staite) who played "Heidi Gotts" towards the end of the series. The producers credit shot angles and the similarity of appearances of the actresses for the reason the audience didn't notice the change in actress.

Quotes:

Eric: I'd like to return these.
Jaye: Are they broken? 'Cause we sell a lot of crap here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: North by North Quahog (#4.1)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

I Wonder Why The Wonder Falls

"Touched By a Crazy Person"

I have not laughed so hard at a TV show in weeks. Especially since I didn't expect this to be a comedy. I figured at best it would be a slightly quirkier version of TRU CALLING and JOAN OF ARCADIA, but I had no idea how quirky!

This is not the life-or-death struggle of TRU or the adolescent angst meets philosophical growth of JOAN. It's definitely more light-hearted. But then, Jaye isn't dealing with a god, just a headstrong Indian maiden who's shacking up with a god under Niagara / Horseshoe Falls.

The dialogue is hysterical. As I'm typing, I'm rewatching the pilot. Discussing Jaye's suddenly odd behavior, her sister suggests "I think we should put her down." Her brother agrees "It is just like going to sleep."

Or when she notices the bartender's cell phone is ringing in his back pocket--- "Your ass is ringing." Bartender: "My ass rings a lot." Jaye: "Have you ever thought of setting it on vibrate? Bartender: "I'm not sure I'm secure enough with my manhood to do that." Jaye: "So, why do you have an ass if you don't answer it?"

Caroline Dhavernas is great. She's got the subtle comic skills to pull off a role that could so easily have been a burlesque. Her reactions to the inanimate objects' demands are priceless, as is her portrayal of Jaye's incredible boredom at her mind-numbing job.

The rest of the cast-- well, we haven't seen much of them but I'm impressed. William Sadler was great and he only had five or so lines. And Diana Scarwid as Mom is great at casually tossing off lines like "I don't want her talking to my therapist. She might give him ideas!" Katie Finneran as sister Sharon is much more engaging than Dru's sister or Joan's brothers.

The visuals are neatly done. The animated lampshade, the flashbacks, the talking knicknacks.... I love the use of a 3D Viewmaster as a motif for changing scenes!

One odd note-- this seems to be hiding it's Canadian setting. Jaye mentions in the narration "the greater Buffalo New York area." And of course American quarters get extreme closeups a few times. But the Wonderfalls shop is definitely on the Canadian side. You can't see Horseshoe Falls from the NY side.