''The Lot'' 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 that aired for two seasons on

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

from 1999 to 2001. It profiled the fictional studio Sylver Screen Pictures during the 1930s and the pursuits of its classic stars (such as

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

and

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...

). The show was not met with popular success but

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...

Rue McClanahan Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles on television sitcoms, including Maude (TV series)#Characters, Vivian Cavender Harmon on ''Maude (TV series), Maude'' (1972–78), ...

Linda Cardellini Linda Edna Cardellini (born June 25, 1975) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles in the teen drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), the medical drama ''ER (TV series), ER'' (2003–2009), and the thriller ...

and

Michael York Michael York (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television, and stage actor. After performing on stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Romeo ...

all had notable recurring roles. The two seasons had two different plotlines. The first season (four episodes) detailed the rise and fall of young starlet June Parker (

). Cardellini left to star in ''

Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near ...

'', forcing a premature end to the first season. The second season (thirteen episodes) revolved around a new main character.

Cast

Sara Botsford Sara Botsford (born August 4, 1951) is a Canadian television and film actress. She starred in the CTV drama series ''E.N.G.'' (1989–1994) for which received Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. Career S ...

as Norma St. Claire, an aging actress and faded star *

Allen Garfield Allen Garfield (born Allen Goorwitz; November 22, 1939 – April 7, 2020) was an American film and television actor. Early life Garfield was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family, the son of Alice (née Lavroff) and Philip Goorwitz. He ...

as Harry Sylver (season 1), owner of Sylver Studios *

as June Parker (season 1), a rising starlet *Steven Petrarca as Charlie Patterson, a young screenwriter *

Stephanie Faracy Stephanie Faracy is an American actress. She is known for playing supporting roles in films including '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978), ''Scavenger Hunt'' (1979), ''Blind Date'' (1987), '' The Great Outdoors'' (1988), '' Hocus Pocus'' (1993), ''Sidewa ...

as Mary Parker, a makeup artist, mother to June, and Norma's friend *Francois Giroday as Fabian, a

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for LGBTQ people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior. This metaphor is associated and sometime ...

designer *

Holland Taylor Holland Taylor (born January 14, 1943) is an American actress. She won the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Judge Roberta Kittleson on ABC's ''The Practice'' (1998–2003) and she ...

as Letitia DeVine, a high-powered Hollywood gossip columnist *

Perry Stephens Perry Stephens (February 14, 1958 – September 8, 2005), born Perry Stephens Moody in Frankfurt, Germany, was an American actor known primarily for his roles on daytime soap operas, including the role of Jack Forbes on '' Loving'' from 1983 to 1 ...

as Jack Sweeney, an unscrupulous studio publicist *

Jonathan Frakes Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of William Riker in the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and subsequent films and series. He has also hosted th ...

as Roland White, a playboy movie mogul

Episodes

Season 1 (1999)

Season 2 (2001)

Historical references

The characters of Priscilla Tremaine (

) and Letitia DeVine (

) were based on gossip columnists

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

and

Louella Parsons Louella Rose Oettinger, (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) known by the pen name Louella Parsons, was an American gossip columnist and a screenwriter. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide. She ...

, respectively. A running end-credits gag had Letitia DeVine reporting ironic news items about period stars on her radio show, then insulting them ''sotto voce'' when the broadcast was over. Roland White (

) is based on millionaire

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

and movie mogul

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

, who was known for his relationships with redheaded Hollywood starlets. A movie being made by Sylver Studios refers to '' The Moon Is Blue'', a movie famously censored for having

Maggie McNamara Marguerite McNamara (June 18, 1928 – February 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actress and model from the United States.Obituary '' Variety'', March 22, 1978, page 46. McNamara began her career as a teenage fashion model. ...

say the word "virgin" in one of her lines. Sylver Studios was a stand-in for

Samuel Goldwyn Productions Samuel Goldwyn Productions was an American film production company founded by Samuel Goldwyn in 1923, and active through 1959. Personally controlled by Goldwyn and focused on production rather than distribution, the company developed into the m ...

. The title ''The Lot'' also refers to the famed Pickford-Fairbanks Studios lot in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

, which rented out production space to multiple film studios.

Critical reception

Hal Boedeker of the ''Orlando Sentinel'' called ''The Lot'' "an acid satire on the Golden Age of Hollywood" that is "a clever blend of humor and Tinseltown lore". He added, "''The Lot'' has been made with flair and affection, but it also has a clear-eyed view of Hollywood folly, ambition and back-biting. It's like ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...

'' without the music and without the love." Cardellini received praise for her performance as June Parker. In ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Ray Richmond wrote, "The fact that 'The Lot' is cartoonishly overacted adds juice to the show’s camp irreverence, whether or not the scenery-chewing is intentional. Regardless, its creator-writer-exec producer Rick Mitz has clear affection for — and a sure grasp of — his subject."

Awards and nominations

References

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lot, The 1999 American television series debuts 2001 American television series endings American English-language television shows 1990s American comedy-drama television series 2000s American comedy-drama television series AMC (TV channel) television dramas Television series set in the 1930s Television series about show business Television shows set in Los Angeles