''The Loop'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

that aired on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

from March 15, 2006, to July 1, 2007. The series stars

Bret Harrison Bret Michael Harrison (born April 6, 1982) is an American actor. He is known predominantly for his work on comedy television series such as ''Grounded for Life'', '' The Loop'', ''Reaper'', and '' Breaking In''. Early life Harrison was born in ...

as Sam Sullivan, a young professional trying to balance the needs of his social life with the pressures of working at the corporate headquarters of TransAlliance Airways, a major U.S. airline.

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

's downtown loop area was the setting for most of the show.

Premise

''The Loop'' focuses on the life of its main character, Sam Sullivan (

). The show is shot with a

single-camera setup In filmmaking, television production and video production, the single-camera setup or single-camera mode of production (also known as portable single crew, portable single camera or single-cam) is a method in which all of the various shots and c ...

instead of a

multiple-camera setup The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, multi-camera or simply multicam is a method of filmmaking, television production and video production. Several cameras—either film cameras, film or professional video cameras—are ...

more typical for

situation comedies A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home ...

. The series follows Sam, his friends, and his co-workers as they try to survive both their personal and professional lives. A complete script is written for each episode but actors are also given opportunities to improvise their lines during the shooting process.

Cast

Main

as Sam "Thesis" Sullivan: A young professional trying to balance the needs of his social life with the pressures of working at the corporate headquarters of TransAlliance Airways. *

Philip Baker Hall Philip Baker Hall (September 10, 1931 – June 12, 2022) was an American character actor. He is known for his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, including '' Hard Eight'' (1996), ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), and ''Magnolia'' (1999). He also ...

as Russ McDonald: Head executive of TransAlliance Airways and one of Sam's bosses. He's lived a wild life in aviation, from Air Force pilot to head of the company, which occasionally comes back to haunt him. *

Eric Christian Olsen Eric Christian Olsen (born May 31, 1977) is an American actor, writer and producer. He is known for his portrayals of Investigator Marty Deeks on the CBS television series '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', Austin in the film '' Not Another Teen Movie'', ...

as Sully Sullivan: Sam's goofy, carefree and jobless older brother and roommate. * Amanda Loncar as Piper (season 1): One of Sam's friends, whom he has had a crush on since they met freshman year of college. She is also his roommate. In the first season. she was studying to become a doctor. * Sarah Mason as Lizzy (season 1): One of Sam's friends and roommate. Her job in the first season was a bartender. *

Mimi Rogers Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are '' Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), '' Desperate Hours'' (1990), and '' Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the g ...

as Meryl: Sexually adventurous, she is an executive at TransAlliance Airways, and one of Sam's bosses. *

Joy Osmanski Joy Osmanski (born October 29, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her wide range of comedic roles on the TV shows '' The Loop'', ''Samantha Who?'', '' True Jackson, VP'' and ''Devious Maids''. Joy is also known for her recurrin ...

as Darcy: Sam's personal assistant and former student at MIT. She frequently laments that most of her classmates are in space, suggesting she couldn't get security clearance, because a colorful past, which she's hiding from.

Recurring

* Ian Reed Kesler as Derek Rene Tricolli: An obnoxious businessman for

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...

, who works in the same building and constantly gets under Sam's skin. In the second season, it's suggested that he's omnisexual. In an episode of the second season, he makes a deal to trade business contacts with Sam, for a night of passion with Darcy; and she readily agrees to hi
pimping her out
* Howard Miller as DeKeyser: Executive of TransAlliance Airways * Michael D. Roberts as Hibbert: Executive of TransAlliance Airways

Development and production

''The Loop'' lasted only two seasons. Season 1 was 7 episodes. The show was renewed for a second season consisting of 13 episodes on May 12 by

. It was one of only two live-action

sitcoms A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home ...

renewed for the 2006–2007 season on Fox, along with '' The War at Home''. ''The Loops second season took place mainly in the workplace, and less of it with Sam's friends. The producers stated they "found most of the comedy to be with Sam and his co-workers and they wanted to expand on that." On November 28, 2006, it was announced that the show's second-season episode order had been reduced from thirteen to ten, with Fox's crowded spring schedule believed to be the main reason for the reduction. The show was cancelled on May 17, 2007, before the second season was even broadcast. Fox eventually burned off the remaining episodes on Sundays beginning June 10, 2007.

Series overview

Episodes

Season 1 (2006)

Season 2 (2007)

U.S. television ratings

Below is a table of the seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of ''The Loop'' on

. : ''Note: Each U.S.

network television A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or, in the United ...

season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May

sweeps Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...

.''

Home media

The first season of ''The Loop'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on March 6, 2007. Bonus features included a featurette with interviews from the cast and crew.

International airdates

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loop (American TV series), The 2006 American television series debuts 2007 American television series endings 2000s American single-camera sitcoms 2000s American workplace comedy television series American aviation television series Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television series created by Pam Brady Television shows set in Chicago Fox Broadcasting Company sitcoms