Lone Star (TV series)
| Lone Star | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Midland |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Kyle Killen |
| Starring |
James Wolk Adrianne Palicki Bryce Johnson David Keith Eloise Mumford Alexandra Doke Jon Voight Mark Deklin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (4 unaired)[1] (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Amy Lippman Chris Keyser Kerry Kohansky Roberts Kyle Killen Paul Weitz |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production company(s) | 20th Century Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Picture format | 720p 16:9 (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | September 20 – September 27, 2010 |
Lone Star is an American drama television series which originally ran on Fox from September 20, 2010 to September 27, 2010, airing Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.[2] Fox announced Lone Star's cancellation on September 28, 2010 after two low-rated episodes.[1]
Premise
Robert Allen (James Wolk), a Texan con-man, leads a secret double life. As "Bob", he is married to Cat and living in Houston while working for his oil-tycoon father-in-law. Four hundred miles away in Midland, he is "Robert" in a second life with girlfriend Lindsey. As he schemes to take control of the oil business and finds himself torn between the love of two women, he must fight to keep his web of lies from falling apart.[3]
Development and production
In October 2009, Fox made a script-plus-penalty commitment with writer Kyle Killen.[4][5] In mid-January 2010, Fox placed a cast-contingent pilot order under the working title Midland.[6] Marc Webb was signed to direct the pilot episode.[7] In early February, Amy Lippman, Chris Keyser, Kerry Kohansky Roberts, and Paul Weitz were all named as executive producers.[8]
Casting announcements began in mid-February 2010. James Wolk was the first actor cast, in the lead role of Robert Allen.[8] Next to sign on was Eloise Mumford, as Allen's girlfriend, Lindsay.[9] In March, Adrianne Palicki and Bryce Johnson were cast as siblings Cat and Drew Thatcher. Cat is married to Robert.[10] Jon Voight was cast as Clint Thatcher, and David Keith cast as John Allen, to portray the patriarchs of their respective families.[11] Mark Deklin and Hannah Leigh rounded out the main cast at the end of March.[12] Deklin filled the role of Trammell, an elder brother to Cat and Drew, while Leigh played Cat's daughter, Grace.
The pilot was filmed in Dallas, Texas, during the second half of March 2010.[13][14] Fox green-lit the project to series in mid-May under the new name Lone Star.[15] At the network's upfront presentation, Fox announced that the series would be part of the Fall 2010 television schedule, airing on Mondays at 9 pm.[3] The series was filmed in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.[16] Lippman and Keyser served as showrunners for the series,[15] which began filming additional episodes in late July 2010.[17][18][19]
In August 2010, it was reported that Andie MacDowell and Rosa Blasi would join the cast.[20] Neither appeared in the two episodes broadcast on Fox.
Cast
Main
- James Wolk as Robert "Bob" Allen, a Texas con man married to Cat, the daughter of one of his marks in Houston, while simultaneously maintaining a relationship with Lindsay in Midland, Texas. He is in love with both women and begins to wish for a normal life.
- Adrianne Palicki as Cat Thatcher, Clint's daughter. At a young age, she married her boyfriend from high school and had a daughter with him. Their marriage ended in divorce. She later married Bob Allen, seeing in him the qualities that were lacking in her ex.[21]
- Eloise Mumford as Lindsay, Robert Allen's unsuspecting girlfriend in Midland.
- David Keith as John Allen, Robert Allen's father. He raised his son to be a con man.
- Bryce Johnson as Drew Thatcher, the youngest of Clint's three children.[22] He admires his brother-in-law.
- Mark Deklin as Trammell Thatcher, Clint's elder son and Blake's husband. Unlike his brother, he is suspicious of Bob's motives.
- Alexandra Doke as Grace Thatcher, Cat's daughter from her first marriage to Harrison.[23]
- Jon Voight as Clint Thatcher, a Texas oil tycoon and father of Cat, Drew, and Trammell.
Recurring
- Andie MacDowell as Alex, an art appraiser. Clint becomes romantically interested in her; however, she proves more dangerous than anyone realizes.[24]
- Rosa Blasi as Blake, the Lady Macbeth–esque trophy wife of Trammell.[20]
- Chad Faust as Harrison, Cat's ex-husband and her high-school mistake. Roguish and unfaithful, he returns to Houston claiming he has changed.[25]
Reception
As of July 9, 2010, Metacritic reports that "if this isn't the best-received pilot of the season, it's close", with many early reviews suggesting that the show is "unlike anything else currently on TV."[26] The A.V. Club graded its pilot an "A", calling it "the best network pilot of the year", and possibly the best since Friday Night Lights.[27]
In spite of its widespread critical praise, the series premiere only drew 4.1 million viewers, and the future of the show seemed to hang in the balance.[28] Series creator Kyle Killen had stated that:
For us to survive we're going to have to pull off a minor miracle. Statistically, new shows tend to lose viewers in their second week. We're aiming to gain them. In fact, screw it, let's just double our audience. The good news is, our audience was so small that if my Mom AND my Dad watch it we'll pretty much be there.[29]
The show was canceled after its second episode, becoming the first official cancellation of the 2010 television season.[1]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Marc Webb | Kyle Killen | September 20, 2010 | 4.06[30] |
| 2 | "One in Every Family" | Peter Horton | Kyle Killen | September 27, 2010 | 3.2[1] |
| 3 | "Unveiled"[31] | Scott Winant | Chris Black | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | "Small Time"[32] | Steven Robman | Chris Levinson | N/A | N/A |
| 5 | "Near Mrs."[33] | Dan Lerner | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 6 | "Cost of Living"[34] | Billy Gierhart | Kyle Killen | N/A | N/A |
References
- 1 2 3 4 Ausiello, Michael (September 28, 2010). "It's official : Fox cancels 'Lone Star'". The Ausiello Files (Entertainment Weekly). Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ↑ Gorman, Bill (July 13, 2010). "Fox Announces Fall Premiere Dates For 2010-11 Season". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
- 1 2 "Fox Announces Primetime Slate for 2010-2011". The Futon Critic. May 17, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ↑ Schneider, Michael (October 19, 2009). "Fox plots on robbers and polygamists". Variety. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Development Update: Tuesday, October 20". The Futon Critic. October 20, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Pilot season: Fox orders Adam Goldberg comedy, drama "Midland"". Variety. January 15, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 25, 2010). "Fox enlists Marc Webb to helm pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- 1 2 "Development Update: Thursday, February 11". The Futon Critic. February 11, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Development Update: Friday, February 26". The Futon Critic. February 26, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Development Update: Tuesday, March 2". The Futon Critic. March 2, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 11, 2010). "Jon Voight joins Fox's drama pilot 'Midland'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ↑ "Development Update: Friday, March 26". The Futon Critic. March 26, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ O'Connell, Joe (February 10, 2010). "Two more TV pilots set to shoot in Dallas". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Pilot with Jon Voight being shot in Dallas". KTLV website. Raycom Media. March 29, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- 1 2 Schneider, Michael (May 12, 2010). "Fox gives series order to four pilots". Variety. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ O'Connell, Joe (August 24, 2010). "North Texas gets early look at home-grown TV series 'Lone Star'". Dallas News. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
- ↑ Szalai, Georg (May 26, 2010). "Three new broadcast series to shoot in Texas". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ↑ Maurstad, Tom; O'Connell, Joe (May 27, 2010). "TV series discover 'whatever look you need, it's here' in Dallas area". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ O'Connell, Joe (June 3, 2010). "TV series 'Lonestar' to shoot at Las Colinas; 'Chaos' has uncertain future". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- 1 2 Ausiello, Michael (August 5, 2010). "Exclusive:'Lone Star' lassoes Andie MacDowell and Rosa Blasi". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ↑ Reiher, Andrea (August 17, 2010). "'Lone Star': Chad Faust cast as Adrianne Palicki's ex-husband". Zap2it. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- ↑ Hernandez, Greg (August 20, 2010). "Greg In Hollywood chats up Bryce Johnson: from cult fave "Popular" to new FOX drama "Lone Star"". GreginHollywood.com. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
- ↑ Reiher, Andrea (August 18, 2010). "'Lone Star': Alexandra Doke to play Adrianne Palicki's daughter". Zap2it. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- ↑ Fernandez, Maria Elena (August 6, 2010). "Andie MacDowell joins the cast of Fox's new drama 'Lone Star'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (August 17, 2010). "'Lone Star' Exclusive: Ex marks the spot for '4400' alum Chad Faust". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ↑ Dietz, Jason (July 9, 2010). "Fall TV First Look: Pilot Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ↑ VanDerWerff, Todd (September 20, 2010), Lone Star - "Pilot", The A.V. Club, retrieved 2010-09-25.
- ↑ Wallenstein, Andrew (September 21, 2010). "'Lone Star' faces cancellation after one episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ↑ ANDREEVA, NELLIE. "'Lone Star' Creator Rallies Support: 'We're Going To Have To Pull Off A Minor Miracle'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (September 21, 2010). "TV Ratings Monday: Dancing, Castle, Two and a Half Men Up ; Lone Star No Star; + The Event, Hawaii Five-0". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
- ↑ "Episode Info: Unveiled". MSN TV. Microsoft. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ↑ "Episode Info: Small Time". MSN TV. Microsoft. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ↑ "Episode Info: Near Mrs.". MSN TV. Microsoft. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ↑ United States Copyright Registration PAu003517362
External links
- Lone Star at the Internet Movie Database
- Lone Star at TV.com