Pilot (Hot in Cleveland)
| "Pilot (Dead is the New 90)" | |
|---|---|
| Hot in Cleveland episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Michael Lembeck |
| Written by | Suzanne Martin |
| Production code | 101 |
| Original air date | June 16, 2010 |
| Guest actors | |
| |
"Pilot" or also called Dead is the New 90 is the first episode of the TV Land original television series Hot in Cleveland. It originally aired on June 16, 2010. The episode was written by Suzanne Martin and directed by Michael Lembeck.
Plot
Three best friends Melanie Moretti (Valerie Bertinelli), Joy Scroggs (Jane Leeves) and Victoria Chase (Wendie Malick) are flying to Paris because Melanie is an author and wrote a book, 200 Things Every Women Should Do Before She Dies. As they are toasting the plane hits a bit of turbulence and Melanie spills her drink on herself. She goes up to get a paper towel and runs into her now, ex-husband, Anders (Bil Dwyer), whom is now dating a new girl, Kim (Veronica Taylor). Later, Melaine is upset that Anders is dating a younger girl, and her friends try to calm her down. Melanie says "I hope the plane crashes and kills them both." At that moment, ironically, the plane starts hitting some rough turbulence and crash lands in Cleveland.
They walk into a dive bar in the middle of Cleveland. All the men start noticing them as they walk into the bar. As they are ordering at the bar, the waitress, Brianna (Diane Sellers) tells them that the guys over at the table want them to join them. They get excited. The three guys are Hank (John Schneider), Bill (Chris Marrs), and James (Patrick Faucette). They toast to Cleveland.
The next morning they wake up in a hotel room, hungover. Joy calls the front desk to get Melanie's room, and they find out she never checked in. Melanie storms into the room wearing Hanks shirt from the night before, telling her friends that she's moving to Cleveland. Her friends don't want her to move to Cleveland, but she shows them the house for sale.
Later that day, the girls are checking out the house. Melanie wants to buy is because she was going to Paris to find love, but she found it there. The relator, Larry (Tim Bagley). He tries to warn them about something as Elka Ostrovsky (Betty White) walks out asking why is he renting to prostitutes. He tells her that she is the caretaker of this house and lives in the cottage out back. They try to get to know Elka, but for Joy it doesn't go over so well. Melanie gets a call from Hank, whom is going on a date with him tonight at the Windy Highland Marina on his boat. Melanie leaves to go on her date as Joy googles him and finds out he's married!
On Hanks boat, Melanie and Hank are on a date and as Hank is going to tell Melanie about his wife and the girls barge in the room to reveal that he's married. The girls kick him off of his own boat. He returns and apologies for it and they accept it.
On the patio of their house they discuss the events. Melanie is still planning to stay in Cleveland. Victoria and Joy decided to stay with her for two weeks, of course, it will eventually be longer than that. They all go back to the bar, Elka being the driver.
Fun Facts
Character Introductions
- "Anders", Melanie's ex-husband, whom she's in the middle of filling for divorce.
- "Hank", a plumber who falls for Melanie the first afternoon she is in Cleveland
Places
- Airplane
- Dive Bar
- Cleveland Hotel Room
- Cleveland House
- Hanks Boat at the Windy Highland Marina
Episode Firsts
- The first mention of fake ages and weight.
- The first mention of spanx in the series.
- The first mention of LeBron James in the series.
Victoria's Acting Career
- Victoria starred as Honor St. Raven on The Edge of Tomorrow.
- Victoria was up for a part in the movie Sleepless in Seattle.
- Victoria battled Lyme Disease on The Edge of Tomorrow.
- Victoria also played triplets on The Edge of Tomorrow besides Honor St. Raven: Silver St. Raven, and Magnolia St. Raven.
- Victoria's has a long term rivalry with Susan Lucci.
- Victoria gets a call from her agent to audition for the next Transformers movie as Megan Fox's grandmother.
Melanie's Book
- Number 72: Reinvent Yourself.
- Number 122: Cash in your miles and fly to Paris with you best friends.
Other Facts
- Joy did the eyebrows of Oprah, Cher, and Ryan Seacrest.
- The Cleveland house is 7,000 square feet.
- Elka's been the caretaker of the house for 50 years.
- The beginning of Joy and Elka's rivalry.
Continuity
- Joy mentions she never had children; however, that changes in the next episode.
Production
In the original draft of the pilot, Victoria Chase was named Victoria Trousdale and Melanie Moretti was named Melanie Delvecchio. Also The Edge of Tomorrow was called Time and Time Again.
Betty White was only supposed to be a guest role in this episode, but she was so well received that she became a main role.
Director Michael Lembeck starred alongside Valerie Bertinelli in 4 of the last 5 seasons of One Day at a Time.