The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – NBC

Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman

Theme song: “I’ll be There for You” by The Rembrandts

• 001. The Pilot (Friends) (aka The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate) – 9/22/1994
  • Somewhat goofy paleontologist Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) hangs out in the Central Perk coffee shop in West Village area of Manhattan with his sister Monica (Courtney Cox), a rather uptight chef, his old college roommate Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), a sarcastic and witty young businessman, Chandler’s roommate Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), an obtuse aspiring actor, and Monica’s former roommate Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), a flighty message therapist and occasional singer. Joey and Chandler’s apartment is across the hall from Monica. As they discuss Ross’ recent divorce from Carol, who has become a lesbian, Monica’s high school friend Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) comes into the coffee shop, having left her fiancee Barry at the altar. Rachel has been under the thumb of her rich father and struggles to give up her credit card lifestyle, and ends up moving in with Monica and getting a job at Central Perk. Meanwhile Monica gets a date with Paul the “Wine Guy” (John Allen Nelson), who convinces her that he has been impotent for the last two years. He leads Monica to believe that she has cured him until she finds out that her co-worker Franny (Clea Lewis) has the exact same story about him. Monica smashes his watch in retaliation. Joey and Chandler help Ross put together replacement furniture to replace what Carol has taken. Ross tells Rachel that he’s always had a crush on her, and asks if he could ask her out, to which she agrees. Cynthia Mann appears as Jasmine the waitress. NOTE: This episode is also known as The One Where It All Began, The One Where Monica Gets a New Roommate, and The First One. 6/21/15

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SEASON 1 – ABC

Created by Ozzie Nelson.

NOTE: This series is a spin-off of the radio program of the same name that aired between 1944-1954, itself being a spin-off of the radio program “The Red Skelton Show” on which the Nelson family regularly appeared

Theme music composed by William Loose and Emil Kadkin (or possibly by Basil George Adlam with Ozzie Nelson). NOTE: “Mary (I’m in Love with You)”, the same song heard on the radio program, by Fred Coots and Ozzie Nelson, was reportedly heard during the original airings, and is heard over the closing credits. Verne Smith is the show’s announcer. 

• 001. The Rivals – 10/3/1952
  • Hotpoint presents the adventures of the Nelson family, Ozzie Nelson (himself) and Harriet Nelson (herself), and their sons 15-year old David Nelson (himself) and 12-year old Ricky Nelson (himself). Ricky and David bicker because Ricky thinks that David is acting smug about winning out over their neighbor Will. When Harriet tells Ozzie that David’s classmate Nancy Baker (Eilene Janssen) has phoned and wants to come visit David, Ozzie starts worrying that Will and David are going to compete over her affections. Will’s father Erskin “Thorny” Thornberry (Don DeFore) and Ozzie discuss this and each think that their son takes after themselves as far as being ladies’ men. They also discuss their sons’ futures and end up feeling old when they start talking about grandchildren. Nancy comes to visit and awkwardly asks David to the dance amidst interruptions from Ozzie and Ricky. Later David is excited that he has beaten out Will… for captain of the football team. Neither David nor Will can take Nancy to the dance because it is the same day as their first football game. Ricky ends up being Nancy’s date. Carl Greyson is the announcer. 6/21/15

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SEASON 1 – CBS

Created by Barton Dean. 

Theme song by Frank Fitzpatrick

• 001. The More Things Change, the More They Stay Insane – 7/9/1994
  • In rural Michigan, eighteen-year-old Madeline Drego (Jennifer Aniston) works at Drego’s Oasis, a combination diner and motel, that had previously been run by her parents. One day, her mother Connie (Stephanie Hodge) returns to the diner, having been in prison for the past three years for shooting her ex-husband Sonny (D. David Morin) in the rear end after finding him sleeping with a pair of twins in a local motel. As surprised as Madeline is to see her, Connie is more surprised when she finds out that the arresting officer Trooper Duane Cooper (Scott Waara), who also testified against her, is now married to Madeline. Connie’s youngest daughter Kerri (Aimee Brooks), who is now under the legal custody of Madeline and Duane, is seemingly following in her mother’s footsteps and is dating men dressed in leather and frequently skipping school. Furthermore, Connie is dealt one additional surprise when she finds out that Sonny has returned home and is living in one of the motel cabins. Connie pays him a visit and demands that he leaves the property. Duane is nervous about Connie staying in the house with him and keeps his gun close to him. Madeline is furious that her mother forced her father out and reminds her that she is getting a second chance and that he deserves the same. Connie catches Sonny getting into the diner’s cash register to get bus fare, but she tells him that she is going to leave, so he can stay. She tells him that the way she pictured things was very different, and it is clear that the kids don’t need her. Sonny tells her that since Kerri is of control, she might need Connie to keep her from making the same mistakes that she did. When Duane returns home from his shift, he busts into the diner and knocks out Sonny with the door. He thinks that Connie has shot him, but she explains that Duane hit him. Both Duane and Madeline are just thrilled that Connie called him Duane. Kerri returns home after a date with her teacher Mr. Johnson, and Madeline points out that they are having a family reunion. Connie tells Kerri that she did in fact kill her father because he was okay with her skipping school and staying out all night, which she hopes will scare her onto a straight path. Connie then puts some ice on Sonny’s head… and some down his pants. Among the regular customers at Drego’s Oasis are Gidney Pace (Hal Landon Jr.), Lyle (Hank Underwood), and Zane Whitman (Forry Smith). Ted Kalinowski and Phyllis Flax are the couple in the diner. 6/13/24

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SEASON 1 – FOX

Created by Elizabeth Meriwether

Theme song: “Hey Girl” written by Michael Andrews, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Meriwether, Dave Finkel, and Bret Baer. Performed by Zooey Deschanel. 

• Pilot – 9/20/2011
  • Bubbly schoolteacher Jessica “Jess” Day (Zooey Deschanel) discovers her boyfriend Spencer (Ian Wolterstorff) cheating on her with a girl named Rochelle (Ashton Swinford), so she immediately moves out, and answer an ad on Craigslist for an apartment with three female roommates. However upon arrival, she finds that the roommates are actually men: Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), a bartender who has just broken up with his girlfriend Caroline (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), a successful marketing associate and wannabe ladies man, and Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.), Schmidt’s personal trainer. Jess loves the apartment and trusts the dynamic between the guys – who have started a ‘Douchbag Jar’ to call each other out when one acts like a jerk, and wants to move in. The decision is split amongst them, but they decide to allow her in, despite the warnings from Jess’s best friend, fashion model Cece Parikh (Hannah Simone). The guys nearly regret it when Jess spends all her days crying from her breakup and watching Dirty Dancing. The try to help get her back out in the dating world, and after Schmidt runs into two of his ‘frenemies’ Benjamin (David Neher) and Peter (Jack Yang), Jess secures a rebound date with Peter. While the guys finagle an invite through Caroline to a big party, they are taken aback when Peter shows up at the party, stating that Jess seemed too needy so they stood her up. Despite an offer from Caroline to get a drink, Nick and the others decides to abandon the party to meet up with Jess to cheer her up, showing that they can be true friends. Gillian Vigman is Schmidt’s boss Kim. Lauren Dair Owens in young Jess. Hayley Marie Norman is the hot hostess. Steve Bannos is the cab driver. 6/9/18

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TELEVISION SPECIALS

Peanuts theme music: “Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi

NOTE: The Peanuts television specials were based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles Schultz that was published between 1950-2000, which had its origins in Schultz’s previous comic strip “Li’l Folks” between 1947-1950

• 001. A Charlie Brown Christmas – 12/9/1965
  • Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) is feeling depressed around the holiday. Not getting Christmas cards, his sister Sally’s (Kathy Steinberg) greedy wish list for Santa, and Snoopy’s (Bill Melendez) entry into a decoration contest all contribute to his downtrodden feeling. Lucy Van Pelt (Tracy Stratford) offers him psychiatric advice and appoints him director of the school Christmas play. Charlie can’t get anyone to take the play seriously and takes a break to go pick out a Christmas tree, coming back with the most meager tree imaginable. He gets chastised for the tree and has a meltdown, demanding that someone tells him what Christmas is really all about. Lucy’s brother Linus (Christopher Shea) recites Luke, Chapter 2, Verses 8-14. Charlie leaves the auditorium to go decorate the tree, plucking an ornament from Snoopy’s dog house – which has one first prize in the contest. The tree nearly collapses under the weight of one ornament and Charlie has another breakdown. The kids go behind him and fully decorate the tree from the doghouse, then wish Charlie Brown a Merry Christmas, and break into Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Ann Altieri is the voice of Frieda, Chris Doran of Schroeder and Shermy, Geoffrey Ornstein as Pigpen, Sally Dryer of Violet, Karen Mendelson as Patty. 6/8/14

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