The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – ABC

Created by Kenya Barris

Theme music composed by Transcenders

• 001. Pilot – 9/24/2014
  • Andre “Dre” Johnson (Anthony Anderson) is a wealthy Los Angeles advertising executive for Stevens & Lido, who despite his surrounding in an upper middle-class neighborhood that is largely white, struggles to cling to his African-American culture and values. His wife is Rainbow “Bow” (Tracee Ellis Ross) is an anesthesiologist who comes from a mixed family with a white father and black mother. They have four children: teenagers Zoey (Yara Shahidi) and the somewhat nerdy Andre “Junior” (Marcus Scribner), and fraternal twins Jackson “Jack” (Miles Brown) and Diane (Marsai Martin). Dre’s father Earl “Pops” (Laurence Fishburne) also lives with the family. Dre expects to receive a promotion at his firm to Senior Vice President, but during the meeting where it is announced, he is told by his boss Leslie Stevens (Peter Mackenzie) informs him that he is indeed promoted to that position, but of the newly formed Urban Division, which offends him. He is also struggling with relating to his son who seems to have no sense of black culture and wants to join the field hockey team with his white best friend Zach (Nick Carson), and also wants to become Jewish so that he can have a bar mitzvah. Dre sits his family down and tells them that they are going to work harder to embrace their culture and tells Junior that he is going to throw him an African rites of passage ceremony for his 13th birthday instead. Dre completes his first assignment to show the diversity of L.A. for the tourism account using footage from various violent interracial encounters in the city, which nearly get him fired. Rainbow and Pops both talks some sense into him about his going overboard with his ‘keeping it real’ attitude. Junior admits to him that he’d like to play basketball but that he sucks, and he only joined the field hockey team so that the girls will like him. He also assures him that he’s not trying to be white, but just trying to be himself. Dre re-thinks his tourism campaign and creates a dynamic video presentation around the idea of keeping L.A. ‘colorful’. He also throws Junior a hip-hop party for his birthday, which appeals to everyone. Jeff Meacham is his adversarial co-worker Josh Oppenhol. Jacob Kemp is his assistant Kris, who Dre considers an honorary brother. Michelle Meredith is the tour guide. 7/24/20

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SEASON 1 – Fox (1-9) FX (10-13)

Created by Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely, and Will Arnett

Theme song by David Schwartz

• 001. Pilot – 9/21/2010
  • A young girl named Puddle Kadubic (Stefania LaVie Owen) narrates the store of her mother Emmy (Keri Russell) and her ex-boyfriend from high school, the rich and spoiled Steven Wilde (Will Arnett), who is the heir to the Wilde Oil company. He is about to be honored at a party where he will be named Humanitarian of the Fiscal Year. Steve keeps himself surrounded by his sycophantic lifelong secretary Mr. Lunt (Robert Michael Morris), driver Migo Salazar (Mel Rodriguez), his lazy, rich, and completive neighbor and friend Fa’ad Shaoulian (Peter Serafinowicz). Steve tells Lunt to make sure that Emmy is invited to his party, even though she is currently working in the Amazon jungle with Ticunan tribesmen along with her boyfriend Andy Weeks (David Cross). The tribe is under threat of losing their tribal lands to Wilde Oil. Puddle doesn’t like life in the jungle, so for the past six months, she has refused to speak. Emmy tells Andy that they need to watch their step with the Wilde family, as she had once dated the spoiled rich kid Steve. Migo is able to track down Emmy and sends them an invitation to the party and reception for Steve Puddle sees this as a way back to civilization, so she is excited to go along. Steve arrives late and drunk to his reception and has an awkward reunion with Emmy. She begs him to ask his father to stop drilling where the tribe lives, but he tells her that he relies on his father for his trust fund. She tells him that he is supposed to do ‘good for nothing’ and not for an award, which she suddenly realizes he is giving to himself. Steve tells Lunt that he doesn’t want the award, but only wants Emmy, although the award is so big, he is sure it will make Fa’ad jealous. As Steve is telling Migo how he met Emmy, she is telling Puddle the same story. A young Emmy (Claire Robertson) was the daughter of one of young Steve’s (Tyler Johnston) father’s housekeepers. Emmy refused to go into the house, so Steve built her a treehouse where she could hang out. Migo reminds him that it was actually he who built the house for him. When Emmsy’s mother got fired, Emmy pleads with him to tell his father to re-hire her. Steve says he will demand that his father hire her back, but when his father bribes him with his first speedboat, Emmy never saw him again. In the present, Puddle realizes that her mother still has a thing for Steve, and she shows it by agreeing to give him another chance to do something good. They go to Steve’s house and he tells Emmy that she makes him want to be a better man. He shows her that he flew down to Peru and brought back the entire tribe and moved them into a fancy hotel, where they are currently using the pool. Emmy gets upset that he destroyed their 2000-year-old culture that she has worked six years to preserve all in one swift relocation. She tells Steve that she has to sacrifice for everything she’s worked for, while he has never sacrificed. She tells him that she is taking Puddle and going back to the jungle. Puddle hides in Steve’s car and tells him that she can really talk, although he is drunk and thinks he is reading her mind. She asks him to lie to her mother, so he gets Fa-ad to pose as a doctor and diagnose Puddle. He tells Emmy that Puddle cannot be moved and that she needs to go to an American school. Steve invites Emmy and Puddle to move in with him so she can attend a good local school. Since she doesn’t want Puddle to live in a ‘shrine of excess’, so he offers to let them live in the old treehouse. She agrees to stay, but then Steve accidentally gives away that his friend Fa’ad never worked a day in his life, giving up the ruse with the doctor. She storms out and tells Migo that everyone always sticks up for Steve and he has never stuck up for anyone. Puddle then speaks to her mother for the first time since she stopped and tells her that Steve stuck up for her and never told on her that the whole ruse was her idea. Emmy realizes that Steve did in fact do something “good for nothing.” She thinks that her good influence on him kept him from letting Emmy get into trouble. She decides to stay in the treehouse, undo every selfish impulse Steve ever had, and then together do good for the world. Ethan Trani is Migo’s son Carlos. Emanuel Fappas is Migo’s father. Daniel Perianu is young Migo. Sebastian Navarro is the band member. Rustin Gresiuk is the flirtatious boy. 7/1/23

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SEASON 1 – NBC

Created by Hal Kanter

Theme music composed by Jeff Alexander

• 001. By Way of Introduction – 9/19/1971
  • Professor James “Jimmy” K. Howard (Jimmy Stewart) is an Anthropology professor at the Josiah Kessel College in Easy Valley, California, which was named after Howard’s grandfather. Jimmy lives with his wife Martha (Julie Adams) and his young son Jake (Kirby Furlong). He also has an adult son named Peter (Jonathan Daly) who has a wife Wendy (Ellen Geer) and son Theodore “Teddy” (Dennis Larson) of his own. Teddy, despite being Jake’s uncle, is actually five days younger than him. His best friend is his co-worker, Nobel Prize winning chemist Luther Quince (John McGiver). Through flashback to the 1890’s we see Josiah Kessel (Jimmy Stewart) discussing with his wife (Gloria Stewart) his decision to donate his home and money to start a college in Easy Valley. On the night that Peter and Wendy head to the opera, Martha works on painting Luther, while Jimmy goes over to Peter’s house to babysit Teddy. When Jimmy falls asleep while smoking, he burns the house down. Despite Peter’s objections, his family has no choice but to move in with his parents while Peter plans the building of a new house. It soon becomes apparent that combining the families will present many challenges. Richard Annis is Karpopolis, and Melissa Newman is Ida Levin, both students of Jimmy’s. Lou Manor is Norman Lansworth. 6/30/16

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SEASON 1 – ABC

Theme music composed by Neil Hefti

NOTE: This series is based on the 1965 stage play of the same name by Neil Simon. The play was followed up by a film adaptation with the same title in 1968

• 001. The Laundry Orgy – 9/24/1970
  • The fastidious photographer Felix Unger (Tony Randall) and the perpetual slob sportswriter Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) are divorcees living together in an apartment in Manhattan. Oscar has arranged a double date with their neighbors the Pigeon sisters Gwendolyn (Carole Shelley) and Cecily (Monica Evans), but Felix doesn’t want to disappoint their friends Vinnie Barella (Larry Gelman), police officer Murray Greshler (Al Molinaro), Homer “Speed” Deegan (Gary Walberg), and Roy (Ryan MacDonald) by cancelling their poker game that night. They agree to play for a while before their date, and despite Oscar’s best efforts to get the fellows to leave, they continue playing, even when he cranks up the heat in the apartment. Eventually the girls show up, but Felix feels they should let the boys finish their game, so they all head down to the laundry room to play music and do laundry. The friends then vote to let Oscar and Felix have their place back, but even when they get the sisters alone, Felix can’t help but get them involved in the cleaning of the apartment. The sisters eventually wear themselves out from working and head home. Oscar is irate and Felix is ready to move out… but they end up making up and realizing they need each other to help each other with their flaws. William Woodson is the lead-in narrator. 6/29/16

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SEASON 1 – ABC

Created by Adam F. Goldberg

Theme song: “Rewind” by I Fight Dragons

• 001. The Circle of Driving – 9/24/2013
  • Adam Goldberg (voiced by Patton Oswalt) narrates tales of his family from the 1980’s in their hometown of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania where as an 11-year old (Sean Giambrone) he lived with his gruff father Murray (Jeff Garlin), overprotective mother Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covery), sister Erica (Hayley Orrantia), and brother Barry (Troy Gentile) and used his camcorder to document various events in their lives. Barry is turning sixteen and is disappointed to get a locket with his mother’s picture in it and an REO Speedwagon cassette rather than a car. Beverly’s father Albert “Pops” Solomon (George Segal) gets himself a new Firebird an intends to give Barry his old car… but Beverly thinks he is too unreliable. Erica feels she is entitled to the car. Adam has a great relationship with Pops who takes him to a diner to help teach him about life and girls, particularly Zoe McIntosh (Brec Bassinger) who works at the diner. Adam is impressed that she calls him “Alan” since it is close to his actual name. Pops wrecks his new car, and Beverly and Murray demand that he hand in his keys and stop driving. Murray finally agrees to give Barry driving lessons, but freaks out in the middle of town and demands that he turn the car over to him. Barry ends up sitting in the car for twenty minutes until it is towed away with him in it. Beverly embarrasses Adam in front of Zoe. Pops gives his Firebird keys to Erica. Murray convinces Beverly that sometimes one has to let go of their children. She gives Barry the keys to the station wagon, but on their first outing, he crashes it through the garage. Troy Winbush is Officer Puchinski. 6/29/16

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