Oliver Beene 

Set in 1962, this show follows the hilarious misadventures of an eleven year old boy and his wacky family.

Creator:

Howard Gewirtz

Stars:

Grant Shaud, Wendy Makkena, Grant Rosenmeyer

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Grant Shaud	...	Dr. Jerrimiah 'Jerry' Beene 24 episodes, 2003-2004
Wendy Makkena	...	Charlotte Caraline Beene 24 episodes, 2003-2004
Grant Rosenmeyer	...	Oliver David Beene 24 episodes, 2003-2004
Andrew Lawrence	...	Tayler 'Ted' Mark Beene 24 episodes, 2003-2004
Taylor Emerson	...	Michael 24 episodes, 2003-2004
Daveigh Chase	...	Joyce 23 episodes, 2003-2004
Ben Bookbinder	...	Neal 23 episodes, 2003-2004
Annie Korzen	...	Mrs. Heller 23 episodes, 2003-2004

Storyline

Set in 1962, this show follows the hilarious misadventures of an eleven year old boy and his wacky family.

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Plot Keywords:

voice over narration | queens new york city | new york city | family relationships | sitcom | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Adventure

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Details

Official Sites:

Fox

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks Television,20th Century Fox Television,(ge.wirtz) Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (24 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After FOX renewed the show for a second season, sixteen episodes were made, but only fourteen were aired.

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Quotes

Jerry: You dropped out of junior college.
Charlotte: To have your baby.
Jerry: Oh sure blame it on Ted.

User Reviews

So what? It's a good show!

Ok, it DOES seem like 'Oliver Beene' is 'Malcolm' meets 'The Wonder Years', but so what? In a world of scarily crappy reality shows, and 50+ years of TV history, isn't better to venture 2 GOOD TV shows, rather than extend ideas from bad ones?

I agree that this show will probably be canned shortly, only because producers don't give shows enough of a chance to improve ratings anymore. I loved Family Guy, and wish it was still on, but it is like the original Star Trek was 35 years ago: a mass cult following formed, but not enough of an overall appeal, like American Idol (joy).

Comedies are a dying breed outside of FOX. CBS focuses on dramas, ABC invokes reality shows and 'family comedies' (which is producer slang for targeted middle-aged audience). WB wants the teenagers, and NBC rounds up the 'intellectual 18-29 who live in New York' (Is Fraiser even funny anymore, or was it REALLY EVER? I mean if you're gonna spin-off Cheers, get George Wendt or John Ratzenberger, not Fraiser Crane). Friends is still funny, but not fresh. And their 'target' audience is not ethnic, so we don't see any NBC leading roles filled by etnicity, only supporting. What happened to Cosby, Fresh Prince, Different World?

Is UPN still even a prime-time station??

But at least FOX, albeit focusing on the dyfunctional slice-of-life, has funny comedies. The Simpsons. Malcolm. That 70's Show. Bernie Mac. King Of The Hill. Family Guy (defunct). Futurama (soon-to-be defunct). Oliver Beene.

And hey, we'd be able to give all these new shows half a fighting chance if they weren't being filled with reality shows (which producers LOVE because they're short, and by now, a guaranteed lock in viewership) like Married By America (the most degrading yet) or until Mr. Personality airs. One day, reality shows will be so ugly, we'll see a televised version of Russian Roulette. I swear we will.

And while Grant Rosenmeyer is no Frankie Muniz, he tries to be real. After all, we all can't be scary bullsh*t like V.I.C.I. in Small Wonder can we?

So to sum up, Oliver Beene is cool. Cherish it now, because you might miss it when it's gone, kinda like Family Guy. And for whoever earlier said Family Guy is much better than The Simpsons, he obviously haven't seen more than 2 episodes. Simpsons still rule.