''Dead Grandma'' is a 10-episode comedy

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created by Will Kindrick. It is written by Kindrick, Courtney Branning, Matt Heder and is produced by Mummy Space Island Productions. The series follows the life of a hapless young college student Andy (Matt Heder), whose grandma (Beverly Welsh) comes back from the dead to help him find love. The series is hosted by

Jon Heder Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor, best known for his role as the title character of the 2004 comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite''. He has also appeared in the films '' Just Like Heaven'', '' The Benchwarmers'', '' ...

who begins each episode with a campy intro reminiscent of the openings of nostalgic shows such as Masterpiece Theater and

The Wonderful World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

. Each episode follows a two-act structure split up by the opening title sequence and theme song. The series is often abruptly interrupted by parody commercial breaks. A PSA starring a Dead Grandma cast member is also featured after the end credits of every episode.

Production

Dead Grandma combines live action with an animated sky and cloud background. The production took place over the course of two weekends in March & April 2010. Filming locations included

Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California. History ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School. In 1935, Fred ...

, Pasadena City College, Cafe 50's, Big Mama's Rib Shack and various locations in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

and

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

. The series was mentored by television and film director Jeremiah Chechick.

Inspiration

The writers often referred to the protagonist Andy as a

self-deprecating Self-deprecation is the act of reprimanding oneself by belittling, undervaluing, disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest. It can be used as a way to make complaints, express modesty, invoke optimal reactions or add humour. It may also be u ...

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...

-type character from ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...

'' since he is consistently bullied and fails and nearly everything he attempts. The tone of the series was heavily influenced by 1990s sitcoms such as ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers, ...

'', ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best ...

'', ''

Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...

'', ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...

'', and ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

''.

Setting

Dead Grandma takes place in the fictional city of Notpasadena where Andy and his classmates attend the shady Notpasadena Community College.

Characters

Main Characters * Series Host (

) * Andy (Matt Heder) * Dead Grandma (Beverly Welsh) * Judy (Shannon Mary Dixon) * Meathead (Nicholas Zaharias) * Wiseguy #1 (Chase Bingham) * Wiseguy #2 (Will Kindrick) * Fabrizio (Umberto Riva) Reoccurring Characters * Professor Hoskins (Michael Coady) * Mr Flugelmen (Don Lucas) * Stoner (Tony Hello) * Gus Gus (Conner Dean) * Mean Nerd ( Erin Pearce) * The Fabrizihoes

Episodes

Reception

Reviews The Knife Fight praised the show as being "one of the more polished creations on the web today, boasting high production value as well as a hilariously original concept." The trailer currently has a 92% rating on

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. Awards & nominations

Soundtrack

Original Score

The score was written and performed by Garrick Hargrove and heavily features

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

, chimes and shakers. The theme song melody is often revisited and reprised throughout the score. Several other original songs were written for specific episodes including "Delicious Creamy Sweets" written & performed by Ben Lazarus and "Super Exciting Pirate Adventure Explosion the Move 2" written & performed by Amos Watene, Aaron Watene, Matt Heder, Will Kindrick and Ryan Augustine.

Theme Song

The theme song pays homage to classic campy 1950's-60's television series. The song was written by Will Kindrick and performed, arranged and recorded by the Brea California based a cappella group, "Soundstage".

Benefit Show

A benefit fundraiser concert was held July 30, 2010 on the roof top of the Fox Theater in Pomona CA to raise proceeds for the series. The show featured musical acts GOGO13, Digital Unicorn and Eyes Lips Eyes.

References

{{Reflist

External links

American comedy web series