Spin City 

Mike Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New York City, and his team of half-wits must constantly save the Mayor from embarrassment and the media. Mike is later succeeded by Charlie Crawford.

Creators:

Gary David Goldberg, Bill Lawrence

Stars:

Michael J. Fox, Charlie Sheen, Heather Locklear

Won 4 Golden Globes. Another 10 wins & 38 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard Kind	...	Paul Lassiter 145 episodes, 1996-2002
Alan Ruck	...	Stuart Bondek 145 episodes, 1996-2002
Michael Boatman	...	Carter Heywood / ... 145 episodes, 1996-2002
Barry Bostwick	...	The Mayor 145 episodes, 1996-2002
Michael J. Fox	...	Mike Flaherty 103 episodes, 1996-2001
Connie Britton	...	Nikki Faber 100 episodes, 1996-2000
Alexander Chaplin	...	James Hobert 100 episodes, 1996-2000
Victoria Dillard	...	Janelle Cooper / ... 91 episodes, 1996-2000
Heather Locklear	...	Caitlin Moore 71 episodes, 1999-2002

Storyline

In this sitcom, Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty (Fox) and his City Hall staff must stop the dim-witted Mayor (Bostwick) of New York City from embarrassing himself in front of the media and the voters. The staff consists of Caitlin Moore (Locklear) the Communications Director, Carter Haywood (Boatman) the head of Minority Affairs,Stuart Bondack (Ruck) the Chief of Staff, Paul Lassiter (Kind) the Press Secretary, James Hobert (Gaberman/Chaplin)the Mayor's Speech Writer, and Nikki Faber (Britton) accountant. In the final two seasons of the show, Mike is replaced by Charlie Crawford (Sheen).

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Plot Keywords:

20th century | 21st century | 1990s | 2000s | mayor | 

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Taglines:

Slur campaigns. Cheap shots. Smear tactics. Just another day at the office.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

ABC

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spin

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Lottery Hill Entertainment, Ubu Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (145 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carter was the first non-stereotyped openly gay African-American character to appear regularly on a prime time television series.

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Quotes

Mayor Winston: Mike, look out that window. We preside over the greatest city in the world.
Mike: Sir, that's New Jersey.

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Alternate Versions

In the episode "A Star is Born" [1.6], there are 2 different primetime versions, one with a storyline involving Ashley Shaffer trying out to be a televion anchor and a second verson completely without her. The differences between these 2 versions are as follows:

• The original opening sequence features Ashley on a Sunday talk show. In the second version, the footage is replaced with Mike, Nicki and Carter betting on the Super Bowl.
• The second version's press conference sequence replaces Ashley's lines with those of a different reporter's.
• The original version has a sequence in which Ashley talks with Mike while walking down the hallway. In the second version, she's replaced with Stuart.
• The original version contains a sequence where Mike and Ashley are in their apartment watching television, followed by a closing sequence where they make out off camera. In the second version, all of the footage is replaced with a completely different storyline in which Nicki and Carter interview a guy named "Guy" at a focus group meeting, whom both Nicki and Carter develop feelings for. They argue over what Guy's sexual preference is and ask him back to find out for sure, to which he replies that he is gay, but not interested in Carter.

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Connections

Referenced in The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story (2015)

User Reviews

A barrel of laughs!

Another one of the few sitcoms on TV I find very funny and quite witty. The cast is packed with talented performers. Now, don't get me wrong, Michael J. Fox was great in the role of Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty, but Charlie Sheen does just as good a job at replacing the lead role as Deputy Mayor Charlie Crawford. Rarely, do I watch a show where a lead character is replaced by another actor, and that actor is just as good as his/her predecessor. I have nothing against Charlie Sheen, I really appreciate him as an actor. But I was very pessimistic about him filling Fox's shoes. Well, he succeeded with flying colors!

Anyone who has seen "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (one of my all-time favorites) should be familiar with Alan Ruck--who played Cameron Frye, Ferris's anal retentive best friend. He pretty steals the show as the witty, perverted Stuart Bondek. I guess I would say he's my favorite on the show. He definitely brings in the biggest laughs! That episode was classic where he was hired as a screenwriter for porno films. Every time someone would utter any sort of sexual innuendo, he would jot it down on his typewriter. Ruck is a superbly talented comic actor. His facial expressions alone, which reveal exactly what he's thinking, just make you want to crack up.

Michael Boatman is funny in sort of straight role--which is a very ironic statement, being that he's playing a gay character. He never tries too hard for a laugh, yet knows exactly the right timing and delivery. But I did notice a plot hole, concerning his character. In one episode, he's trying desperately to quit smoking. Yet they never showed him smoking in previous episodes. That should be listed in the "goofs" section.

Richard Kind has the goofiest role as Paul, the bumbling speechwriter. I can't imagine anyone playing the part better than him.

Barry Bostwick is also quite funny as the Mayor. His deadpan delivery makes his dialogue all the more funnier.

I have to admit, sometimes the show gets too farcical and out of control. Virtually all sitcoms suffer from this--the characters end up saying or doing something ironic for a cheap laugh, even if it doesn't make sense.

But even though the show has its share of lame gags, I'm often dying with laughter every episode. As goofy as it gets, as senseless as it gets, "Spin City" never fails to make me laugh. The cast is excellent and the writing is often sharp. There's not much more I can ask for. I hope the show continues to be a success and lasts about five more seasons!

My score: 8 (out of 10)