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''Bunheads '' is an American
comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
television series created by
Amy Sherman-Palladino Amy Sherman-Palladino (born January 17, 1966) is an American television writer, Television director, director, and producer. She is the creator of the comedy drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), ''Bunheads'' (2012–2013), and ''The Marv ...
and Lamar Damon that aired on
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
from June 11, 2012, to February 25, 2013. Starring
Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...
, the show centers on a
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
showgirl who gets married on a whim and winds up teaching alongside her new mother-in-law at her
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
school. On July 22, 2013, ABC Family canceled the series after one season.


Premise

''Bunheads'' is the tale of Michelle Simms, a former 'bunhead' (slang for ballerina) who wound up as a Las Vegas showgirl. Seeing her life and career at a dead end, she impulsively takes up the offer of marriage from her persistent admirer, Hubbell Flowers, and moves to his sleepy coastal town, the fictional town of Paradise, California, halfway between Ojai and
Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California, United States. On California's Central Coast (California), Central Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the List of largest California cities by populati ...
(unlike the real-world town by that name). Once there, Hubbell is killed in a car accident and Michelle struggles to adjust to life in a small town and teaching alongside her mother-in-law, Fanny Flowers, at her ballet school, Paradise Dance Academy.


Cast and characters


Main

*
Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...
as Michelle Simms Flowers: A
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
chorus girl who reluctantly marries kindly Hubbell Flowers to escape her life. Soon, though, she realizes that he is actually a good person and begins to enjoy her new life until the latter's death. * Kelly Bishop as Fanny Flowers, Hubbell's mother * Kaitlyn Jenkins as Bettina "Boo" Jordan * Julia Goldani Telles as Sasha Torres * Bailey Buntain as Virginia "Ginny" Thompson * Nick Dumont as Melanie "Mel" Segal


Recurring

* Stacey Oristano as Truly Stone, Hubbell's former girlfriend * Liza Weil as Millicent "Milly" Stone * Gregg Henry as Rico * Dendrie Taylor as Nina * Moises Parra as Moises * Rose Abdoo as Sam * Julie Claire as Anastasia Torres *
Ellen Greene Ellen Greene is an American actress and singer. She has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actress and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many ...
as Fanny's Friend * RaJahnae Patterson as RaJahnae * Casey J. Adler as Carl Cramer * Paul James Jordan as Dez * Zak Henri as Charlie Segal * Matisse Love as Matisse * Richard Gant as Michael * Angelina McCoy as Talia, Michelle's friend who is a dancer in Las Vegas * Jennifer Hasty as Nanette * Brad Ellis as Brad *
Alan Ruck Alan Douglas Ruck (born July 1, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Cameron Frye in John Hughes' film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), as well as television roles as Stuart Bondek on the ABC sitcom '' Spin City'' (1996� ...
as Hubbell Flowers, Michelle's persistent admirer *
Nathan Parsons Nathan Dean Parsons (born June 16, 1988) is an American actor known for his work in daytime television on the ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' as the character of Ethan Lovett.''Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'': Perfect Collection, ...
as Godot * Garrett Coffey as Roman * Hunter Foster as Scotty Simms * Jeanine Mason as Cozette * Niko Pepaj as Frankie * Kent Boyd as Jordan * Victoria Park as Aubrey * Gabriel Notarangelo as Josh * Kiersten Warren as Claire Thompson * Steven Eckholdt as Grant * Jayden Maddux as Dougie


Cameos

In addition to recurring actors that carried over from ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'', including Kelly Bishop, Liza Weil, Gregg Henry, and Rose Abdoo, numerous other known actors, as well as Broadway actors, also appeared in episodes of Bunheads. * Alex Borstein, who played Drella the harpist and Miss Celine, as Michelle's landlord in episode 1 and as Carl's Mother in episode 12. * Alex Ko, who played Alex, a dancer in episode 3. * Michael DeLuise, who played "TJ", as the magician "Jo Jo Deline" in episode 11. *
Sean Gunn Sean Gunn (born May 22, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Kirk Gleason on The WB series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), and Kraglin Obfonteri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this role, he has been in the films '' ...
, who played Kirk Gleason, as the over-zealous barista Bash in episodes 9 and 17. *
Chris Eigeman Christopher Eigeman (born March 1, 1965) is an American actor and film director. Eigeman is best known for roles in films written and directed by Whit Stillman: '' Metropolitan'' (1990), ''Barcelona'' (1994), and '' The Last Days of Disco'' (19 ...
, who played Jason Stiles, as actor/director Conor in episode 8. * Todd Lowe, who played Zach van Gerbig, as the one-eyed plumber Davis in episode 7. * Biff Yeager, who played Tom the contractor, as Bob the hardware store owner in episodes 4 and 15. * Linda Porter, who played Fran Westin, as Sasha's neighbor Mrs. Weidemeyer in episode 15. * Jon Polito, who played Pete, owner of Pete's Pizza, as Sal Russano in episodes 5, 9, and 16. * Kalani Hilliker, who played a dancer


Episodes


Production


Development

''Bunheads'' first appeared on the development slate at
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
in September 2010, under the title ''Strut'', when the show received a cast-contingent pilot order. Lamar Damon wrote the script, and production was originally expected to begin in fall 2010. In September 2011, it was reported that the series was being retooled by
Amy Sherman-Palladino Amy Sherman-Palladino (born January 17, 1966) is an American television writer, Television director, director, and producer. She is the creator of the comedy drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), ''Bunheads'' (2012–2013), and ''The Marv ...
, who would serve as executive producer. Originally ABC had been looking for their own answer to the musical series ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
'' but Palladino suggested going in another direction and doing a series in the world of ballet. The series was given a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
order under the new name ''Bunheads''.


Casting

On September 28, 2011, it was announced that Broadway star
Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...
was set to star in the lead role as Michelle. On February 11, 2012, ABC Family ordered the pilot to series with a ten episode order. Following shortly, on February 15, 2012, it was announced that Kelly Bishop would join the show playing the recurring role of Fanny Flowers, the mother-in-law to Michelle.


Filming

Filming took place in November with creator Amy Sherman-Palladino writing and directing.


Music

It was announced on June 9, 2012, that singer-songwriter and ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'' composer
Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...
would score the music to ''Bunheads''.


Renewal and cancellation

On August 17, 2012, ''Bunheads'' received a renewal for the "back end" of the first season (eight additional episodes). ''Bunheads'' returned on January 7, 2013, after '' Switched at Birth''. On June 4, 2013, it was announced that Bunheads was one of 31 selected productions to receive California's Film and Television Tax Credit. Earning $5.82 million, the money would help fund a second season should the show be renewed. On July 4, 2013, it was announced that the sets were torn down, leading some reporters to speculate that the show would be canceled. ABC Family later confirmed that it was officially cancelled on July 22, 2013.


Reception


Critical response

Critics gave a very positive reception to the show, specifically praising Amy Sherman-Palladino's distinct writing and the performances of leading ladies
Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...
and Kelly Bishop. Robert Lloyd of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' thought "
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
's ''Bunheads'' a cute summer treat. Amy Sherman-Palladino strikes again with that ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'' charm in ''Bunheads'', with Tony-winning Sutton Foster as a former showgirl mentoring budding ballerinas." '' Variety''s Geoff Berkshire said "Sherman-Palladino's snappy banter and slightly melancholic characters only enrich the texture of a series perfectly pitched between comedy and drama." ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
''s Maureen Ryan recommended the show saying "the pilot for ''Bunheads'' moves at a brisk, refreshing clip and it even packs an emotional wallop or two. The relationships that are sketched out in the first hour are promising. Sherman-Palladino has long been interested in characters who are dancing as fast as they can, and in this show, she has a whole new set to play with." '' Vanity Fair''s James Wolcott titled the show a "knockout charmer" and singled out particular praise for lead Sutton Foster "revealing a knowing
Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, singer and writer. Burnett has played dramatic and comedic roles on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Carol Burnett, nu ...
-ish clowning flair that works beautifully on camera." ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' critic Diane Werts noted that "''Bunheads'' set multigenerational tone," and praised Sherman-Palladino's style. "Think they've all got a way with words? Some attitude? Smart pop-culture shout-outs? You betcha. ''Bunheads'' is from ''Gilmore Girls'' auteur Amy Sherman-Palladino, so it chatters just as giddily, from Gadhafi to
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
to
Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, once owned by American singer Elvis Presley. Presley is buried there, as are his parents Vernon and Gladys, paternal grandmother Minnie Mae, grandson Benjamin, and daugh ...
."
HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
's Alan Sepinwall called "ABC Family's ''Bunheads'' a return to form for Amy Sherman-Palladino." and ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
''s James Poniewozik, though showing some minor concern for the series plot going forward, suggested, "What matters is its voice, and the spring in its step, and its first hour was just so damn enjoyable that I'll gladly season-pass this and see where the season takes it. Out of the gate, ''Bunheads'' had some impressive moves; I look forward to trying to keep up." Ken Tucker of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' said in his review of the pilot, "Summer TV just got dreamier, dancier...Sherman-Palladino has constructed ''Bunheads'' cannily to both fit into and transcend ABC Family's programming." On the mixed front, David Wiegand of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' thought ''Bunheads'' "will take some work and it could just as easily become either annoying or likable." Popular entertainment website
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
ranked Bunheads number 15 on their annual "The Best TV of 2012" list writing "At its best, Bunheads scavenges real heart out of its flea-market approach to plot and character. When Foster breathes “The re-usable tote!” and Kelly Bishop replies with satisfaction, “The re-usable tote,” it's time to be thankful Sherman-Palladino is back in business."
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
's Emily Nussbaum included Bunheads among her favorite television shows of 2012, listing the
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, Ottomans. The lyrics humorously refer to th ...
dance number closing episode six as the year's most memorable TV moment, saying: "1. This. Television is always the best when it takes you by surprise. Following the season one finale,
TIME Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
's James Poniewozik wrote a piece on the show titled "On the Importance of Bunheads." In it he details Bunheads as a necessity in the TV landscape. "Over its first season, it’s been a joy to watch, funny, charming and bittersweet, and that’s reason enough for me to want it to stay on the air, despite not-great-even-for-ABC-Family ratings. But TV also needs this show to stay on the air, to prove that there are different kinds of stories worth telling outside the usual genres." Alyssa Rosenberg of
ThinkProgress ''ThinkProgress'' was an American Progressivism in the United States, progressive news website that was active from 2005 to 2019. It was a project of the Center for American Progress#Center for American Progress Action Fund, Center for America ...
asked "ABC Family, Save Bunheads!" She wrote: "All of this would be enough to make a specific, brilliant, rare show. But Bunheads is something more. Its characters have pop culture addictions that rival Community‘s. It’s the unusual show about women that has good male characters—Carl, Michelle’s maybe-boyfriend bartender Godot, Michelle’s hilariously shiftless brother—but that hasn’t subverted its female characters to their development, creating an unusual degree of gender balance. And it’s a show that’s not afraid of real sadness, but that doesn’t need to beat up on its characters to let them fail: when Michelle accidentally pepper-sprayed her students on the eve of a critically important performance for the school’s financial health, we were allowed to feel the weight of her accumulated past missteps without being disgusted by or feeling distanced from her. That’s a deft balance. And if ABC Family wants to level up on its brand, to be something more than the network where Shailene Woodley worked before she got famous, it should keep it up, and renew Bunheads."
Slate magazine ''Slate'' is an online magazine that covers current affairs, politics, and culture in the United States. It was created in 1996 by former ''The New Republic, New Republic'' editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as ...
's
David Weigel David Weigel (born September 26, 1981) is an American journalist and columnist at the news website Semafor (website), ''Semafor''. Weigel previously covered politics for ''The Washington Post,'' ''Slate (magazine), Slate,'' and ''Bloomberg Poli ...
explained "Why Bunheads is the best show on TV." In his article, he wrote: "The New York Times has said it on the front page of the Style section, and regular Slate-ster Alyssa Rosenberg has said it eloquently at ThinkProgress. I’ll add my voice: ABC Family needs to renew Amy Sherman-Palladino’s fantastic ballet dramedy Bunheads, the best original, scripted show on TV." Nearing a decision regarding renewal, on July 17, 2013, several critics dedicated individual articles urging ABC Family to renew ''Bunheads''. Emily St. James of the AV Club wrote an article titled: "Hey, ABC Family: Just renew Bunheads already". In the article she wrote "Fortunately, the qualitative argument is very easy to make for Bunheads. It’s by several orders of magnitude the best show ABC Family has ever aired, and it’s not like that’s an easy task or anything." On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
season 1 has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 26 critics. On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
season 1 has a score of 74 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics.


Awards and nominations

* 2012 Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Star for
Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...
(nominated) * 2013 Thalo's Critics' Choice Inspiration Award for ''Bunheads'' (won) * 2013 Dorian Award for Unsung TV Show of the Year for ''Bunheads'' (nominated) * 2013 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for
Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...
(nominated) * 2013 TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming for ''Bunheads'' (won) * 2013 Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role for
Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...
(won)


References


External links

*
Interview with Sutton Foster: From Broadway to "Bunheads"

Bunheads Music from Season One
{{TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2010s American teen drama television series 2012 American television series debuts 2013 American television series endings ABC Family original programming American English-language television shows American television series about teenagers Dance television shows Television series about ballet Television shows set in Ventura County, California Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television Television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino