Whoopi
Whoopi | |
---|---|
Created by |
Bonnie Turner Terry Turner |
Developed by | Whoopi Goldberg |
Starring |
Whoopi Goldberg Wren T. Brown Omid Djalili Elizabeth Regen Gordana Rashovich |
Opening theme | "Whoopi" by Whoopi Goldberg |
Ending theme | "Whoopi" (Instrumental) |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 22 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
Whoopi Goldberg Marcy Carsey Tom Werner Caryn Mandabach |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 9, 2003 – April 20, 2004 |
Whoopi is an American situation comedy, starring Whoopi Goldberg, that aired on Tuesdays from September 9, 2003, on NBC to April 20, 2004. The series revolved around the events and people at her hotel, the Lamont Hotel, in New York City.
Premise
From the creators and executive producers of 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show, Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg starred in this comedy as one-hit wonder Mavis Rae, a cigarette-smoking, alcohol-drinking, menopausal and especially opinionated hotelier. The former one-hit wonder runs her own small hotel in New York City - and does it any way she wants. Goldberg also served as an executive producer on the series.
In 1986 Mavis had one huge, spectacular hit song, the two-time Grammy Award-winning "Don't Hide Love". Quickly realizing that her initial success was a fluke, she parlayed her finances from that hit into purchasing the Lamont Hotel in Manhattan. Mavis operates the hotel on her charm and wit while assisted by Nasim (Omid Djalili), who is a native of Iran. Also in the regular cast were Mavis's brother Courtney (Wren T. Brown), a conservative Republican, and his girlfriend Rita (Elizabeth Regen), who spoke jive and was portrayed with an exaggerated urban black stereotype despite the fact that she was white. Rita and Mavis frequently clashed over the course of the series, leading to many of the conflicts that drove the plot of each episode.
Cast
- Whoopi Goldberg – Mavis Rae
- Omid Djalili – Nasim
- Wren T. Brown – Courtney Rae
- Elizabeth Regen – Rita Nash
- Gordana Rashovich - Jadwiga
Notable guest stars
- Diahann Carroll as Mavis' mother, Viveca Rae (episode: Mother's Little Helper)
- Sheryl Lee Ralph as Mavis' former band mate, Florence Lamarck (episode: She Ain't Heavy, She's My Partner)
- Rue McClanahan as a hotel guest using marijuana with a group of "ill" seniors (episode: American Woman)
- Patrick Swayze as Mavis' former choreographer, Tony (episode: The Last Dance)
- Celeste Holm as an elderly tenant of Mavis', Diana (episode: The Squatter)
- Krysten Ritter as Diana's granddaughter, Brynn (episode: The Squatter)
- Vinny DeGennaro as the Bartender
List of episodes
# | Episode title | Original airdate | Theme |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Pilot" | September 9, 2003 | Mavis vs. Rita |
2 | "Don't Hide Your Bag" | September 16, 2003 | Terrorism |
3 | "Once Bitten" | September 23, 2003 | Mavis vs. Rita |
4 | "Shout TV" | September 30, 2003 | |
5 | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | October 7, 2003 | |
6 | "The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" | October 14, 2003 | Politics |
7 | "She Ain't Heavy, She's My Partner" | October 21, 2003 | |
8 | "Rita Plays Poker" | October 28, 2003 | Mavis vs. Rita |
9 | "Sticky Fingers" | November 11, 2003 | |
10 | "Mother's Little Helper" | November 18, 2003 | |
11 | "The Fat and the Frivolous" | December 9, 2003 | |
12 | "American Woman" | January 6, 2004 | Politics |
13 | "Airplane" | January 13, 2004 | Poker Group |
14 | "Is Rita Pregnant?" | February 3, 2004 | Mavis vs. Rita |
15 | "The Last Dance" | February 24, 2004 | |
16 | "No Sex in the City" | March 2, 2004 | Poker Group |
17 | "What Child is This?" | March 16, 2004 | |
18 | "Don't Hide Love (The Gay Anthem)" | March 23, 2004 | Politics |
19 | "The Squatter" | March 30, 2004 | |
20 | "Identity Crisis" | April 6, 2004 | |
21 | "Strange Bedfellows" | April 13, 2004 | |
22 | "Sins of the Sister" | April 20, 2004 | Politics |
Main crew
- Shannon Fogarty
- Terry Turner
- Larry Wilmore
- David Wyatt
- Chris Alberghini
- Marcy Carsey
- Mike Chessler
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Mike Larsen
- Tom Leonardis
- Caryn Mandabach
- Pat Nugent
- Laurie Parres
- David Regal
- Tom Werner
References
External links
- Whoopi at the Internet Movie Database
- Whoopi at TV.com