| Two Guys, a girl and a Pizza Place | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Danny Jacobson Kenny Schwartz |
| Starring | Ryan Reynolds Richard Ruccolo Traylor Howard Nathan Fillion Suzanne Cryer Jillian Bach |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 81 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Danny Jacobson Kenny Schwartz Rick Wiener |
| Location(s) | Boston (setting) CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA. (filming location) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes (approximate) |
| Production company(s) | In Front Productions Fox Television Studios |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | March 10, 1998 – May 16, 2001 |
| Status | cancelled/ended |
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (retitled Two Guys and a Girl in its third season) is a sitcom created by Kenny Schwartz and Danny Jacobson. It ran on ABC for four seasons from 1998–2001. The series starred Ryan Reynolds, Traylor Howard and Richard Ruccolo as the primary characters. Season 2 saw the arrival of two recurring characters, Johnny Donnelly (Nathan Fillion) and Ashley Walker (Suzanne Cryer). Even though the show has had renewed popularity on both TV.com and the imdb, 20th Century Fox and ABC have yet to release the show onto DVD.
ABC bounced the sitcom from midweek to Friday night, leading to a steep drop in ratings. After the show moved back to Wednesday to try to revive the show's flagging support for a two-week trial, the plug was pulled. The show ended on May 16, 2001. The series finale was titled "The Internet Show", an hour-long episode in which the fans of the show voted on the outcome online. In the end, they chose to have Ashley become pregnant with Pete's child, as opposed to either of the other two female characters, or nobody, becoming pregnant.
Contents |
Plot
Plot Summary
The lives and loves of three close friends - Pete, a neurotic architecture student, Berg, the laid-back pre-med, and Sharon, a tough girl with a soft center. Pete and Berg are roommates and students at a local Boston university, while Sharon struggles with her work and relationships.
Plot Synopsis
Seasons 1 and 2
The series starred Ryan Reynolds as Michael Leslie "Berg" Bergen, and Richard Ruccolo as Peter "Pete" Dunville. The titular Two Guys were joined by Traylor Howard, who played Sharon Carter (later Carter-Donnelly). For the first two seasons, the series centered around the lives of Berg, an aimless graduate student, who was working at a Boston pizza parlor, Beacon Street Pizza, with Pete. They both attended graduate school together at Tufts University, unlike their college roommate, Sharon, who worked as the spokesperson (or apologist) for Immaculate Chemicals.
The format of the initial season varied considerably from that of subsequent seasons. The first season featured Jennifer Westfeldt, appearing as Melissa, Pete's girlfriend, and David Ogden Stiers as Mr. Bauer, an insane old man who frequented the pizza place, pretending that experiences from films were his own. The second season abandoned these two characters, and focused more on the interplay between Pete and Berg, and their relationship with Sharon, who lived in the apartment above them. Berg eventually decided to attend medical school and become a doctor, while Pete dropped out of architecture classes to become a career counselor. The second season also introduced Johnny (Nathan Fillion), a jukebox repairman who started dating Sharon, and Ashley (Suzanne Cryer), a medical school classmate of Berg's who competed with him to be at the top of the class.
Seasons 3 and 4
By season three, the pizza place had been abandoned entirely (hence the change in the show's title at this time), and Berg began his medical residency. Pete became a Vice President of a cosmetics company, and then a firefighter. Johnny and Sharon married and became the superintendents of the apartment building they lived in. Berg would go on to date Irene (Jillian Bach), the insane roommate across the hall, and Pete began dating a fellow firefighter named Marti (Tiffani Thiessen).
Series finale
The Internet Show
The series finale was titled "The Internet Show", an hour-long episode in which the fans of the show voted on the outcome online. In the end, they chose to have Ashley become pregnant with Pete's child, as opposed to either of the other two female characters, or nobody, becoming pregnant. The episode aired on May 16, 2001. It was written by Donald Beck & Vince Calandra and directed by Michael Lembeck. For the 2000-01 season finale, four different endings were filmed for viewers to vote online and decide which of the central female characters (Sharon, Ashley, or Irene) should become pregnant, while a fourth possible ending had no pregnancies at all. The plan was to have the pregnant one (which ultimately ended up being Ashley) give birth at the end of the proposed fifth season. However, a fifth season of the show never materialized; by the time the fourth season finale aired in May 2001, the show had just been cancelled because of low ratings.
Plot summary
Sharon thinks she may be pregnant and Ashley realises she could be too. She goes into denial, despite showing the symptoms but agrees to take a pregnancy test with Sharon. When Berg finds out from a news report that a glow in the dark condom he used was defective he thinks Irene could be pregnant. Not wanting to worry her, he tries to get a urine sample from her without telling her. Pete is still annoyed at Ashley for giving up on their relationship to go to Stanford.
Awards and nominations
The show had 2 wins and 1 nomination during its four year run.
Teen Choice Award
- Nomination - TV - choice comedy (1999)
BMI TV Music Award
- Won - TV show - Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place (1998)
American Choreography Award
- Won - Outstanding Achievement in Television - For the episode "The One without Dialogue" (2001)
Theme song and opening sequences
The title sequence for the first two years consisted of a short collection of images of the three, a few cartoon images of them drinking and then the title. The music is often mistaken to be a sample from the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun",[1] but it is actually an original composition. For the third season, the music and titles were changed to a more refined opening of the three in suits and dresses, dancing around a more generic piece of theme music.
The first two seasons involved cartoons of the main characters a long with the cast eating pizza at the pizza place. This was alternated with a logo saying "Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place".
Seasons 3 and 4 showed Pete, Berg and Sharon dancing around infront of a plain, white backdrop. They are seen wearnig suits and dresses and dancing a long to a more modern piece of music. The newly adapted logo, due to the show's name being changed, is seen overlaying the footage as the three dance and laugh infront of the backdrop.
Show background
Based on the lives of Pete Dunville, Michael Bergen and Sharon Carter, the show was originally based on the life of its creator. The fictional "Beacon Street Pizza" is based on a real pizza restaurant named Theo's Pizza in Teele Square, Somerville, Massachusetts. It was where show creator Kenny Schwartz worked delivering pizzas while attending nearby Tufts University. The show was set in Boston and filmed at CBS Studio Center, in Studio City, Los Angeles, California.
Production
Crew behind production of Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place include;[2]
Directors
Actors
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Writers
Producers
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Cast and characters
Main characters
- Michael Eugene Leslie "Berg" Bergen (1998-2001) Played by Ryan Reynolds. Berg was the ditzy pretty boy who always managed to create chaos in the lives of his best friends, particularly Pete. While in college, he has difficulty settling on what he wants to do in life. Eventually he decides on becoming a doctor, where he meets Ashley, a worthy competitor at medical school. They begin a relationship, but he eventually breaks it off with her, due to her inability to reciprocate his feelings. Near the end of the show, he and Irene, Pete's former stalker, form a relationship.
- Peter "Pete" Dunville (1998-2001) Played by Richard Ruccolo. Pete is often frantic and worried over what may occur with his professional and romantic life. Early in the show, he is conflicted with what he wants to do in life. He switches from his dreams of becoming an architect to becoming a fire fighter. He holds a very brief romance with Sharon. Later, near the end of the show he begins a lust-based relationship with Berg's ex-girlfriend, Ashley.
- Sharon Carter-Donnelly (1998-2001) Played by Traylor Howard. Sharon is a complex woman who, strangely, manages to fit in with her best friends Pete and Berg. She is known for her confidence, yet inability to commit to relationships. Eventually, she manages to move past her fears and marries her boyfriend Johnny Donnelly.
- Johnny Donnelly (1999-2001) Played by Nathan Fillion. Johnny arrived in the second season as a jukebox repair man with eyes for Sharon. He and Sharon began dating with the occasional break-up due to Johnny's long-time friend Shaun, an attractive female who often got in the way of their relationship. The couple marry during the third season finale. Johnny's role as the super is embelished when he decides to become a fireman, against Sharon's wishes. Eventually, Sharon and Johnny decide that they're ready for children, as seen in the series finale.
- Ashley Walker (1999-2001) Played by Suzanne Cryer. Ashley also didn't arrive until the second season where she constantly rejected Berg, hoping to keep her long distance relationship with Justin (Jon Cryer) fresh. Ashley has hopes of becoming a dcotor, which is where her and Berg meet. They become worthy competitors at the hopsital and eventually start dating until Berg calls it off. At the end of the fourth season, she starts a sexual relationship with Pete and becomes pregnant in the series finale. This shocked viewers as they were unable to know what Ashley would do with the baby due to the show's cancellation.
- Irene (1999-2001) Played by Jillian Bach. Irene arrives mid-season during the second series where she is Pete's stalker. She continues stalking Pete until she forms a sexual relationship with Berg, whilst maintaining her love for Pete. Towards the end of the series, she and Berg start dating but nevertheless break-up due to Berg's other love interest, Katie Connor.
Recurring and minor characters
- Germ (2000-2001) Played by Giuseppe Andrews. Germ is the helper at Tufts Hospital who is recognized for his sluggish and premature attitude. He first appears in "Au Revoir Pizza Place", season 3 episode 2, but doesn't return until later on in the series where he becomes a close aquataince of Pete, Berg, Sharon and Ashley.
- Bill (1998) Played by Julius Carry. Bill is the smart-mouth owner of Beacon Street Pizza. He only portrays his role durng the first season.
- Mr. Bauer (1998) Played by David Ogden Stiers. Mr. Bauer hangs about the pizza place telling stories that are from movies which he claims to be his own experiences. The M*A*S*H star only occurred in the first season.
- Melissa (1998) Played by Jennifer Westfeldt. Melissa is Pete's love interest during the first season. She arrives numerous times after "Two Guys, A Girl And An Apartment", where her and Pete break-up, which suggests that the episodes aired in the wrong order.
- Marti (2000) Played by Tiffani Thiessen. Marti is another love interest of Pete's who continually sasses him at the firestation. Her and Pete start dating, to Irene's dislike. She broke up with Pete during the fourth season for a baseball star. Tiffani Thiessen and Richard Ruccolo began dating after they met on set and became engaged. They ended their engagement in 2004.
- Nomar Garciaparra (2000) Played by himself. He becomes a love interest of Ashley's until he falls for Pete's girlfriend Marti.
Guest appearances
- Carmen Electra (1998) She portrayed Isabella. She is the love interest of Pete and and gets in the way of him and Berg. When Pete constantly feels he must dump on Melissa to go to 845 Arlington, Berg tries to stop him. ("Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Delivery")
- Jon Cryer (1999) He portrayed Justin. Justin is Ashley's long-distance boyfriend who moves to Boston to give the relationship a chance. The Two And A Half Men star only appeared in 1 episode. ("Two Guys, A Girl And Thanksgiving")
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | First airdate | Last airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | March 10, 1998 | July 22, 1998 |
| Season 2 | 22 | September 23, 1998 | May 26, 1999 |
| Season 3 | 24 | September 27, 1999 | April 26, 2000 |
| Season 4 | 22 | October 6, 2000 | May 16, 2001 |
Syndication
- United States: ABC (Originally), WE: Women's Entertainment (most recently)
United Kingdom: Trouble (cancellation), LIVING (irregularly)
Australia: Seven Network (Originally), Network Ten (2004), The Comedy Channel (2005 and 2006). Final Appearance on the 26th of February 2006.
Turkey: CNBC-e (2004, 20007) Digiturk and ComedyMax (re-runs)
New Zealand: TV2 (Originally), SKY 1 (repeats)
India: Star World (Originally).
Netherlands: Veronica (Originally)
Estonia: Kanal 2
Norway: TV 2
Hungary: Viasat 3
Reception
"Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place" was very successful during its run on ABC. The first series premiere entitled "The Pilot" was watched by 17.94 million viewers, preceding the second highest rated episode of The Drew Carrey Show.[3] The episode was given a 15.61 Nielsen rating and won its 18-49 adult demographic. This was ABC's biggest opening since Spin City.[3]. The show continued to have success during the first few seasons but never reached the high rating of "The Pilot". On May 28, an episode known as "Two Guys, A Girl And How They Met" was given a 6.7 Nielsen rating [4], a big drop from the series premiere. The estimated number of viewers was roughly 7.69 million.
Ratings
The episode "Two Guys, A Girl And A Guy" was given a 9.4 Nielsen rating and was watched by roughly 10 million viewers. This never reached the standards of "The Pilot" but was still had a very successful rating. Episodes from the series had substantually high and low Nielsen ratings.[4]
- "Two Guys, A Girl And A Wedding" (Aired: November 11, 1998) - Nielsen rating = 9.0
- "Two Guys, A Girl And A Limo" (Aired: December 9th, 1998) - Nielsen rating = 8.1
- "Two Guys, A Girl And A Christmas Story" (Aired: December 16, 1998) - Nielsen rating = 7.3
- "Two Guys, A Girl And The Storm of The Century" (Aired: February 17, 1999) - Nielsen rating = 9.6
- "Two Guys, A Girl And An Engagement" (Aired: May 26, 1999) - Nielsen rating = 7.5 [4]
The show had strong ratings success during its run. The show peaked in season 2, averaging an impressive 12.7 million viewers. Its key adult 18-49 audience was prevalently female (55%). It was Ranked #1 in its time period with Total Viewers, outperforming Beverly Hills 90210, The Nanny and Dawson’s Creek. It was also #1 in its time period with key Adults 18-49 and all male demos. Finally, it was the #3 sitcom on ABC with key Adults 18-34. This is a huge achievement for the show that was originally rejected by 20th Century Fox. [5].
The Friday Night Curse
In the fall of 2000, ABC tried to reverse the curse of Friday nights by putting some of its top-rated shows into a programming block aimed at older viewers. Network execs took Wednesday night ratings winners Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (at this point retitled Two Guys and a Girl) and The Norm Show (starring SNL alum Norm MacDonald), and paired them with Madigan Men and The Trouble with Normal. All four shows would be gone before the end of the season. Two Guys held on the longest, even moving back to Wednesdays on television life support for a two-week trial to see if it could be revived. The season finale, "The Internet Show", was filmed with four different endings, with fans voting online to decide which female character would get pregnant. But the fifth season baby was never born. The show was canceled before the online vote was tabulated. [6].
References
- ^ "IMDB Triva". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137330/trivia. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ "Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place Production". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137330/fullcredits#writers. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ a b "Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place Nielsen rating March 10th". mrpopculture.com. http://www.mrpopculture.com/files/html/mar15-1998/. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place Nielsen rating May 28th". sfgate.com. http://www.sfgate.com/e/a/1998/05/28/STYLE8260.dtl. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ "Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place Nielsen rating and demographic presentation". http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:X8gGhrjBw5IJ:www.foxformats.com/scripted/two-guys-and-a-girl/Two-Guys-And-A-Girl-International-Format-Presentation.ppt+Two+Guys+a+girl+and+a+pizza+place+million+viewers&cd=62&hl=en&ct=clnk. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ "Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place Friday Night Curse". http://www.getback.com/gallery/the-friday-night-curse/3004897/7/. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
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