Impastor

Impastor
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Christopher Vane
Starring	Michael Rosenbaum Sara Rue Mircea Monroe David Rasche Mike Kosinski
Composer(s)	Danny Lux
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Christopher Vane Rob Greenberg Eric Tannenbaum Kim Tannenbaum Michael Rosenbaum
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	TV Land Original Productions CBS Television Studios The Tannenbaum Company All In Vane
Distributor	CBS Television Distribution Viacom Media Networks
Release
Original network	TV Land
Original release	July 15, 2015 – present
External links
Website

Impastor is an American sitcom created by Christopher Vane. The series stars Michael Rosenbaum, who also serves as executive producer alongside Vane, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum. Impastor premiered on July 15, 2015, on TV Land.^[1] On August 31, 2015, TV Land confirmed that Impastor was renewed for a second season.^[2]

Plot

Impastor follows Buddy Dobbs (Michael Rosenbaum), a fugitive and hard-core gambling addict who, in order to hide from a pair of loan sharks, ends up stealing the identity of a recently deceased gay Lutheran pastor who was relocating to Ladner, a local small-town community.

Cast

Main cast

• Michael Rosenbaum as Buddy Dobbs, a slacker and gambling addict who fakes his own death and is posing as gay Lutheran pastor Jonathan Barlow to hide from loan sharks. Upon assuming this identity, Buddy asks the citizens of Ladner to informally address him as "Buddy," lying and stating that it is a nickname.
• Sara Rue as Dora Winston, Buddy's conservative, perpetually cheerful assistant. She hides her feelings, choosing to acquiesce to others, saying of herself, "My face says nothing about my feelings." She admits she is a pushover.
• David Rasche as Alden Schmidt, president of Ladner Trinity Lutheran Church who often opposes Buddy's unconventional means of managing the congregation. He finds his marriage to his long-time wife has become "bland" and wishes to pursue a relationship with Ashlee, whom he's unaware is a prostitute.
• Mircea Monroe as Alexa Cummings, the beautiful and highly intelligent treasurer of Ladner Trinity Lutheran Church and owner of a local fashion boutique. She rivals Russell for Buddy's romantic attention. In "Ex Communication", it is revealed that she was born Christina Burke. She was a runaway in Boston, and she was taken in by Kenny. The pair robbed a bank twelve years before the series' start, while Alexa was still a teenager. After Kenny's arrest, she moved to Ladner for a "fresh start."
• Mike Kosinski as Russell Kerry, secretary of Ladner Trinity Lutheran Church. He is gay and rivals Alexa for Buddy's romantic attention. His parents are unaware that he is gay until Buddy inadvertently outs him in "Honor Thy Boyfriend's Mother and Father". Despite Russell's fears, his parents ultimately accept the revelation with minimal conflict and express their happiness when Russell pretends he and Buddy are in a monogamous relationship.

Recurring cast

• Aimee Garcia as Leeane, a bartender and Buddy's ex-girlfriend. She believes he committed suicide. Though she admits at his memorial service that she loves Buddy, she believes that the pair are still not right for one another.
• Matthew Kevin Anderson and Jonathon Young as Detectives Lovello and Hyde, two officers investigating Buddy's disappearance and apparent suicide. They are unsuccessful in their dealings with Leeane; Lovello is more interested in flirting, and Hyde is tactless and unskilled as he is an officer through nepotism.
• Lindsey Gort as Ashlee, a prostitute hired by Buddy who later captures Alden's affection.
• Hal Ozsan as Kenny Banderas, Alexa's ex-boyfriend^[3] described by Alexa as "violent" and "mentally unstable." He and Alexa met in Boston. They robbed a bank, and Kenny was arrested and served twelve years in prison before receiving parole. He hoped Alexa would wait for him and feels betrayed she has not. In "Honor Thy Boyfriend's Mother and Father", he is shot and killed after pulling a gun on Buddy, who hides the body in a local lake. Though Kenny's body is found a week later, Buddy and Alexa convince the town that his death was a suicide.
• Bonita Friedericy as Hilva Schmidt, Alden's cold and overbearing wife.

Development and production

On April 15, 2014, TV Land placed a cast-contingent pilot order on Impastor, with Christopher Vane attached to pen the script and executive produce alongside Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum via The Tannenbaum Company and CBS Television Studios.^[4]

Casting announcements began in June 2014, with Michael Rosenbaum first to be cast, in the role of Buddy Dobbs, the gambling, pot-smoking protagonist.^[5] Sara Rue was the next actor cast in the series regular role of Dora, a gossip and the assistant to the pastor.^[6] Shortly afterwards, Mircea Monroe and Aimee Garcia were cast in the series, with Monroe cast in the role of Alexa Cummings, the gorgeous treasurer who finds herself attracted to Buddy. Garcia was tapped to play the role of LeeAnne, Buddy's bartender ex-girlfriend, that he left behind.^[7] David Rasche then joined the series as Alden Schmidt, the church president who is suspicious of Buddy.^[8] Mike Kosinski was the last actor cast in the series regular role of Russell Kerry, the young secretary who is excited about the arrival of a gay pastor.^[1]

On October 1, 2014, TV Land placed a 10-episode series order on Impastor, which premiered on July 15, 2015.^[1]

Episodes

Season 1 (2015)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Genesis"	Rob Greenberg	Christopher Vane	July 15, 2015	1.15[9]
Threatened by loan sharks and having been dumped by his girlfriend Leeane, slacker and gambling addict Buddy Dobbs decides to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. A passing motorist, Jonathan Barlow (Michael Bean), tries to intervene, but winds up falling to his own death. Buddy gets in the man's car and decides to assume Jonathan's identity. He finds out the man was on his way to a new job in a small town. When he arrives, Buddy learns Jonathan was not only supposed to be the new pastor at the town's Lutheran church but also was gay. Buddy hopes to keep up the ruse only long enough to empty Jonathan's bank account. However, he is inspired to stay after helping both a local mom and the son of Alden Schmidt, the skeptical church president.
2	"On The Third Day..."	Rob Greenberg	Christopher Vane	July 22, 2015	1.06[10]
As a storm brews outside, two thugs show up at the pastor's house and throw Buddy into the trunk of a car. After Buddy prays for help, a tree is blown over and falls on the car, killing the thugs. Alden's suspicions are raised when a cop shows up saying there was a scrap of paper in the crushed car with the pastor's address on it. Later, Buddy learns that Leeane is holding a memorial service for him, and he sneaks in to see who attends.
3	"Bird of Pray"	Rob Greenberg	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	July 29, 2015	1.02[11]
Dora catches Buddy in bed with someone she assumes is a man under the covers, and Buddy lets her believe it, even though it is really a female prostitute, Ashlee (Lindsey Gort). Unprepared for his first sermon, Buddy improvises with some bits he learned while watching late-night TV evangelists. Alden is not pleased, and calls in the area bishop. Meanwhile, Anderson and Lovello, the detectives working on Buddy's disappearance case, discover through DNA that the faceless body they found in the river is not Buddy's.
4	"Thou Shalt Not Steal"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Tod Himmel	August 5, 2015	0.96[12]
Buddy steals a ruby necklace from a woman's casket to pay off a gambling debt and, upon learning the ruby is fake, gifts it to Dora. However, the woman's family recognizes it, and he must return it to the casket by morning. Alden becomes smitten with Ashlee, raising tensions in his stagnant marriage. Alexa holds her annual charity fashion show and hurts Dora by mistaking her hand-knit ponchos for tablecloths. To Alexa's dismay, Kenny (Hal Ozsan), a man from her past, reenters her life.
5	"Ex Communication"	Clark Mathis	Christopher Vane	August 12, 2015	0.97[13]
Kenny is upset Alexa did not wait for him while he was imprisoned for 12 years and demands she pay back the money he left behind. Alexa insists she did not take any money. Dora prepares a wedding dress for her ex-fiance's wedding. Because she fears she will never have her dream wedding, Buddy suggests she go to a bar to meet someone. She returns home drunk and ruins the dress. Buddy and Alexa are forced to hide in a motel for a night after Buddy enrages Kenny. Alexa admits she and Kenny robbed a bank 12 years ago and says her real name is Christina Burke. In the morning, they lure Kenny to the motel, where Buddy lies and says he called Kenny's parole officer. Buddy gives him two choices: stay and get arrested or leave town now and outrun the police. Kenny takes a third option; a single gunshot goes off.
6	"Honor Thy Boyfriend's Father and Mother"	Clark Mathis	Ryan Raddatz	August 19, 2015	0.97[14]
Kenny pulls a gun on Buddy and is shot and killed in the ensuing struggle. Unable to simply leave the body, Buddy dumps Kenny in a local lake. While doing so, Alden spots him from a distance, and Buddy pretends he is performing a baptism. Buddy later inadvertently outs Russell to Russell's parents. To help the parents adjust to the revelation, Buddy agrees to have dinner with them, only to learn Russell told them he and Buddy are in a monogamous relationship. Though Russell's parents are happy about the relationship, his father, a retired FBI agent, scares Buddy by running a background check on Barlow, forcing Buddy to break up the fake relationship and thus negate the need for the check. When a book that opens with a vividly-detailed female masturbation scene becomes popular, Alexa learns that Dora has never masturbated. On Alexa's advice, Dora buys a Bluetooth-operated vibrator, which Alden inadvertently turns on during a book club meeting. Fishermen discover Kenny's body.
7	"The Body of Kenny Compels You"	Jay Karas	Rob Sheridan	August 26, 2015	0.99
An eleven-year-old boy takes a photo of Buddy having sex with Ashlee and uses it to blackmail Buddy into helping him fondle Dora's breasts. Ashlee leaves her phone number on the note Alden wrote to her. Alden buys a burner phone, but struggles to contact her without alerting anyone to his attempt at an affair. The discovery of Kenny's body has Alden suspicious of Buddy. However, Buddy points out to Alden that his presence at the lake at the time of the murder, lack of a strong alibi, and a burner phone may make him a person of interest should he go to police. Buddy and Alexa then convince Alden that Kenny committed suicide. Buddy plants Kenny's gun in the lake, Alden anonymously tips the police, and the police reach the same conclusion. Lovello and Hyde, through dental records, identify Barlow's body. They still believe the death a suicide.
8	"Bingo Tell It On The Mountain"	Jay Karas	Gracie Glassmeyer	September 2, 2015	0.45[15]
Dora asks Buddy to help her overcome her bingo addiction, but she winds up fueling Buddy's addiction in the process. Alden spends more time with Ashlee. A rich couple from Barlow's previous parish moves to Ladner. Russell and Alexa try to woo the couple away from a rival church, and arrange a meeting with Buddy at Ladner Trinity. Buddy has to pretend to be the church janitor and manages to talk the couple out of becoming members of his church. Damien, a loan shark who is owed $32,000 from Buddy, sends a mysterious woman on a mission to find Buddy.
9	"Flings & Arrows"	Clark Mathis	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	September 9, 2015	0.80[16]
Alexa learns that Buddy visited a strip club. Buddy says he went there to "save souls", but Alexa makes it known that she's available if he is secretly interested in women. Hilva becomes convinced that her husband Alden is having an affair with Dora after seeing him coach Dora in archery. A box of Barlow's personal items arrives, and Buddy learns from an itemized list that Barlow's passport is in a jacket he has just given to Russell. When Russell says he gave the jacket to a seamstress, Buddy breaks into the old woman's house wearing a mask, which causes concerns in Ladner that a serial rapist is on the loose. Dora is afraid and stays with Buddy that night, but Buddy sneaks out to visit Alexa when he learns that she may have Barlow's passport. The woman sent by Damien breaks into Buddy's home wearing a mask, but only Dora is there.
10	"Exodus"	Clark Mathis	Adam Barr	September 16, 2015	0.91[17]
Buddy learns that Dora shot an intruder in his house with an arrow, but the intruder escaped. The woman is shown stopped in her car with the arrow in her chest, only to be shot and killed by Damien. Dora is hailed as a town hero but does not enjoy the attention. Buddy realizes Damien is probably behind the incident, and pays Ashlee to get a fake passport made for him. Buddy also inadvertently helps Alden's daughter realize her fiancée is not right for her, which inspires Alden to tell Hilva about Ashlee. During Buddy's next sermon, Damien shows up in the back of the church. While Russell creates a distraction, Buddy rushes home to collect his passport and some personal items before fleeing the country. He is met at the door by Lovello and Hyde who, acting on information that Barlow's credit card was recently used, place Buddy under arrest.

Reception

Impastor has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the series has a rating of 33%, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Impastor wastes a talented cast on a story that feels like one long, badly written joke straining for controversy without delivering a decent punchline."^[18] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 49 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[19]

References

1. "TV Land Picks Up ‘Impastor’ & ‘Teachers’ To Series". Deadline.com. October 1, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
2. Andreeva, Nellie (August 31, 2015). "‘The Jim Gaffigan Show’ & ‘Impastor’ Renewed For Season 2 By TV Land". Deadline.
3. "Impastor: The Wrong Pastor". TV Land. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
4. "Development Update: Tuesday, April 15". The Futon Critic. April 15, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
5. Bucksbaum, Sydney (June 18, 2014). "'Smallville's' Michael Rosenbaum returning to TV with comedy 'Impastor'". Zap2it.com. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
6. "Sara Rue To Co-Star In TV Land Comedy Pilot ‘Impastor’". Deadline.com. July 2, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
7. Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 23, 2014). "Mircea Monroe, Aimee Garcia Join Michael Rosenbaum in TV Land Pilot". TV Line. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
8. "Development Update: Thursday, August 7". The Futon Critic. August 7, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
9. Metcalf, Mitch (July 16, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.15.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
10. Metcalf, Mitch (July 23, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.22.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
11. Metcalf, Mitch (July 29, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.29.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
12. Metcalf, Mitch (August 6, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 8.5.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
13. Metcalf, Mitch (August 12, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 8.12.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
14. "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 8.19.2015". showbuzzdaily.com.
15. Metcalf, Mitch (July 29, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.2.2015". Showbuzz Daily.
16. "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.9.2015". showbuzzdaily.com.
17. "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.16.2015". showbuzzdaily.com.
18. "Impastor (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
19. "Impastor: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 27, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Impastor at the Internet Movie Database
• Impastor at TVGuide.com