Madigan Men: Cast Photo - Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries

Madigan Men aired from October until December 2000 on ABC.

A father and son were both looking for a little " luck of the Irish" with women in this multigenerational sitcom. Ben ( Gabrielle Byrne) was a successful Manhattan architect whose wife had left him for their nutritionist. Back in the dating scene, he was at a loss as to how to proceed. Despite his good looks and " Irish Spring" accent, his low-key, contemplative style ( he even looked over his glasses) didn't exactly attract females. His skirt-chasing teenage son, Luke ( John C. Hensley), offered some advice but it was his colorful dad Seamus( Roy Dotrice), recently arrived from Ireland to live with them, who was a bottomless fount of sage proverbs, usually delivered in a thick brogue. Together the three " Madigan Men" helped each other, tossed wisecracks back and forth, and did some serious male bonding. Alex ( Grant Shaud) was Ben's partner at the firm of Manigan and Rosetti, and Wendy ( Clea Lewis in the pilot and Sabrina Lloyd in the series), their perky secretary. Bailey was Ben's lazy dog.

A Review by Variety

TV Reviews

Posted: Wed., Oct. 4, 2000, 11:00pm PT
Madigan Men
(Series -- ABC, Fri. Oct. 6, 9:30 p.m.)
By Michael Speier

Filmed in New York by Artists Television Group in association with Touchstone TV. Executive producer Cindy Chupack; co-executive producers, Gabriel Byrne, Rick Dresser, Tom Leopold; director, James Burrows; writer, Chupack; camera, Dick Quinlan; production designer, Cabot McMullen; editor, John Michel; casting, Bonnie Finnegan; music, David Kitay. 30 MIN.

Benjamin Madigan - Gabriel Byrne Seamus Madigan - Roy Dotrice Luke Madigan - John C. Hensley Alex Rosetti - Grant Shaud Wendy Lipton - Sabrina Lloyd

ABC's "Madigan Men" plays the Irish card so often it's a surprise that Lucky Charms hasn't paid for product placement. Still, despite the predictable "Riverdance" wisecrack and obligatory pint-o'-lager scene, Gabriel Byrne's series television debut is a light, breezy winner full of solid, single-dad shtick and some quality performances. It's hardly the freshest thing on the fall schedule, but it's a good fit with laffers "Two Guys and a Girl," "The Trouble With Normal" and "Norm" on a night when all the competition is focused on drama.

The main reason "Madigan Men" isn't just another family sitcom is the casting. Byrne and Tony award winner Roy Dotrice (co-stars in Broadway's "A Moon for the Misbegotten") handle the rim shot one-liners with a bit more class than auds may have come to expect on Friday night. And though Byrne's comic timing is a bit off at first, he eventually comes around, appearing comfortable and confident as the cliched plot points fall into place.

Byrne is Benjamin Madigan, a recently separated Manhattan architect who lost his wife to their nutritionist. When he's not sulking over his inability to find a date, he's trying to bond with Luke (John C. Hensley), his teenager, who has an eye on every girl in the building.

There's also Seamus (Dotrice), Benjamin's opinionated father who decides to stay in the States after a short visit. With snide comments about child rearing and his own romantic adventures, the old coot adds a dose of sarcasm and crudeness to the life of a man who is searching for his own direction.

When Benjamin isn't getting zinged at home, he's at work, where his business partner Alex ("Murphy Brown's" Grant Shaud) breaks his chops for being such a sad sack. (Secretary in the pilot has since been replaced by "Sports Night's" Sabrina Lloyd.)

In week one, Benjamin ditches plans with Luke to take a beautiful woman to dinner. Only when he mistakes her genuine friendliness for serious flirting does he realize that raising a teen will be more difficult than planned.

"Madigan Men" feels absolutely dated at times, but rises above stale humor due to Byrne and Dotrice's pleasant deliveries and vet helmer James Burrows' brisk direction. Instead of twentysomethings raising babies or sitting around a coffee house, these guys are sweet gentlemen just looking for some well-earned stability. And like "Frasier," its chief strength lies within the broken relationship between a senior citizen and his middle-aged son.

But not everything clicks. Whenever "Madigan Men" focuses on Luke, the show turns a bit sappy.Its writing staff would do better to keep future segs centered around the men and their "adult" problems and leave the kid stuff alone.

Tech credits, highlighted by Cabot McMullen's stylish production design, are pro.

A Review from The New York Times

TV WEEKEND; Generations Gifted in The Blarney

By JULIE SALAMON
Published: October 6, 2000

Benjamin Madigan, the sitcom character played by the Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, is that rare commodity: a handsome man who is oblivious to his own good looks. ''You have a gift and you're wasting it,'' says a colleague with disgust, when Madigan ignores an attractive women who is ogling him.

The real-life question is whether Mr. Byrne, who recently won kudos for his Broadway performance in Eugene O'Neill's ''Moon for the Misbegotten,'' is wasting his other gift -- as an actor -- on a regular television series.

Not at all, especially when you consider the alternatives. Playing the moodily charming Madigan may be a comedown from O'Neill, but it has to be more fun than the supernatural Sturm und Drang of overwrought nonsense like ''Stigmata'' and ''End of Days,'' two of Mr. Byrne's recent movie gigs.

''Madigan Men'' is hardly groundbreaking television, with its focus on three generations of a family -- all men -- who alternately sass and sentimentalize one another. But it's smartly written and pleasurably played by actors who prefer to tease the comedy from a line rather than punching it.

Mr. Byrne's Ben Madigan, the middle generation, is a recently divorced Manhattan architect trying to find common ground with his teenage son, Luke, who lives with him three days a week. Luke is more interested in girls. Just as Ben sternly asks the boy if it would hurt him to spend time with his father, a voice emerges from his answering machine: ''Hello, Benjy.'' Seamus Madigan, Ben's father, has arrived in New York from Ireland to ask his son that very same question.

Though the show is called ''Madigan Men,'' and there are three of them, there's actually a fourth character, and that's Ireland. Even the music leading in and out of commercials has been given an Irish kick.

As Seamus, the wonderful actor Roy Dotrice pours affection and life into the stereotype of the canny Irish conniver. He bores his grandson with hardscrabble tales, embarrasses his son by hanging his wash on the terrace and spouts indecipherable Celtic proverbs. When Ben's son asks his father to translate one of them, Ben says, ''It's Celtic for guilt, guilt guilt.''

It all could collapse into a heap of blarney, except that even in this first episode the chuckles are so amiable and the interactions so comfortable. This sureness stands out when the pilots of many new shows have the uncertain pacing of a theatrical production still in workshop. The Madigans already seem to have a friendly familiarity. That may be because Mr. Dotrice and Mr. Byrne just spent a few months onstage together in ''A Moon for the Misbegotten,'' for which Mr. Dotrice won a Tony Award.

It helps that the writing, credited to the executive producer Cindy Chupack, shrewdly negotiates the sticky line between affectionate and syrupy, clearing the way with verbal shots of vinegary humor. When Ben expresses dismay at his father's decision to take his underage grandson to a bar, Seamus is unperturbed. ''Don't you remember I took you to pubs in Dublin when you were 6?''

Without hesitation, Ben comments, ''The Irish Head Start program.''

When Ben tells Seamus that he has to cancel plans with Luke because of a conflict, and the conflict is a date with a woman, Seamus snorts, ''What's been going on in Ireland for the past 300 years is a conflict.''

It's the sort of cozy crowd-pleasing comedy that in the theater you might dismiss as too much like a television sitcom. But as a television sitcom, it's mighty easy to watch.

MADIGAN MEN
ABC, tonight at 9:30
(Channel 7 in New York)

Cindy Chupack, creator and executive producer; Gabriel Byrne, co-executive producer; produced by Touchstone Television Productions in association with ATG.

WITH: Gabriel Byrne (Ben Madigan), Roy Dotrice (Seamus Madigan), John C. Hensley (Luke Madigan), Grant Shaud (Alex Rosetti), and Sabrina Lloyd (Wendy).

A Review From TeeVee.org

Fall 2000: "Madigan Men"
by Philip Michaels — October 9, 2000

Two things disappointed me about Madigan Men, the new ABC sitcom starring Gabriel Byrne. The first came early on, before the show even premiered. Because of poor reading comprehension skills, I initially thought the name of the show was Madrigal Men -- the story of four kooky minstrels who wander the countryside singing canticles and ballads and jaunty tunes in four-part harmony and, every now and then, solve crimes.
The show is not called Madrigal Men. And nobody sings. No "I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In." No "It's A Long Way To Tipperary." They don't sing crap.

And my second disappointment? That came when I actually had to sit through Madigan Men.

It's not that Madigan Men is a particularly hateful sitcom. It's not even the worst show ABC airs on its rebuilt Friday night lineup -- although when you share the Friday schedule with Norm, that's hardly a distinction you want to put on your resumé.

But while Madigan Men looks like Emmy fodder alongside the likes of Two Guys and a Girl, that doesn't make it a good show. Instead, Madigan Men is paint-by-the-numbers comedy, nothing you haven't seen before in a thousand other forgettable shows: a newly divorced architect tries to jump back into the dating pool, while raising his teenaged son and enduring advice from his meddlesome father. Madigan Men's twist on this twice-told tale? It's banal with an Irish lilt.

That lilt comes courtesy of Gabriel Byrne, who plays the divorced dad. Byrne, who's made his bones by portraying moody mopes, seems grimly out of place here, eager to wring laughs of Madigan Men's thin material but too gloomy to succeed.

"Since when do you eat hot dogs?" asks best pal Grant Shaud, whose voice has not become any less grating since leaving Murphy Brown.

"Since my wife left me for a nutritionist," replies Byrne in Madigan Men's first joke. "It's payback time."

Payback time for whom? The nutritionist? Or the folks who have to listen to this drivel?

The cast also features John Hensley as Byrne's son -- one of those smart-alecky kids who only exist on TV because if they talked like that in real life, they'd be beaten beyond recognition. There's also Shaud and -- in the pilot, at least -- a woman who gives the former Miles Silverberg a run for his money in the "Voice That Sets Off Car Alarms" competition. Sabrina Lloyd of Sports Night is supposed to join the cast in future episodes, and, hopefully, she'll bring some earplugs.

Roy Dotrice holds down the role of Byrne's father, Seamus -- a name the writers no doubt arrived at after rejecting Paddy O'Mick for its subtlety and nuance. Ever the hammy Mick, Dotrice tackles his role with the Gaelic bluster, firing off aphorisms like "A good horse pulls his own cart," and "The road is always shorter when two people walk it," and "You can't judge a man by the thickness of his brogue, but by the size of his cliché."

OK, he didn't say that last one. But he could have.

You can fill entire library shelves with books devoted to the various travails and tragedies the Irish have had to endure. Famines. Bloodshed. Internecine warfare. Add to that list the TV networks' insistence on portraying the Sons of Erin as a bunch of dim-witted, big-hearted slobs with as much fondness for quaint sayings as they have for the drink. Madigan Men isn't the biggest offender -- not after the Great Irish-Themed Show Epidemic of '98 -- but it still treads the same tired trail blazed by other blarney-filled offerings.

(Being partly Irish myself, I appreciate all of network TV's attention. But where are the shows that exploit my German and Polish heritage for ratings gain? The German show could be about a boisterous, menacingly efficient family where zany Grandpa is always muttering about annexing Czechoslovakia. And the Polish-themed show could be about... I don't know, guys trying to change a lightbulb every week?)

But what's objectionable about Madigan Men isn't the fact that ABC could show a couple of Paddies getting looped in a pub outside Dublin for 30 minutes and treat the Irish with more dignity. It's that I've watched one episode of the show, and I can pretty much guess how it plays out from here. Dad and son will quarrel. Grandpa will meddle. Dad and son and Grandpa will bond. And Dad will have quite the adventures wooing the ladies.

It's somewhat disturbing watching a show co-executive produced by Gabriel Byrne that features the recently divorced Byrne playing a recently divorced man who's constantly being told by everyone what a catch he is. Would that every lovesick man could score his own half-hour show to toot his horn about what a wonderful suitor he'd make if only there was some woman out there sensible enough to give him the chance.

And who knows? Every lovesick man might get his own show. ABC will certainly have holes to fill on its Friday night schedule after a few more weeks of this pabulum.

Of course, if the ghostly specter of Two Guys and a Girl hasn't frightened you away from ABC earlier in the evening, chances are you're going to stick around for Madigan Men at 9:30. God's mercy on you, then. Because like they say back in the old country, bland shows are like homemade whiskey; too much of either and you'll need to get your stomach pumped.

Seamus Madigan didn't say that one, either. But he should have.

A Chat With Sabrina Lloyd in October 2000 from TV Guide Online

TV Guide Online: Tonight we are chatting with Sabrina Lloyd, star of the new series Madigan Men. Hi Sabrina! Thanks for coming!

Lloyd: Hello. Happy to be here.

Question: How did you get cast in Madigan Men?

Lloyd: They sent me a copy of the pilot which had been shot with another actress. They send me a copy of the script about 5 times. I kept passing on it, cause I wasn't interested in doing tv again. I watched the tape, and met with the producer and the writer in NY. And it just kind of went from there.

Question: How much are you like Wendy?

Lloyd: I don't think anything alike. I guess it's kind of hard to read yourself. I think it's the farthest thing from me that I've played. That question would probably be better asked to people who know me.

Question: I love the show. Who created it?

Lloyd: It was created by Cindy Chupack who was one of the Exec Producers of Sex in the City and Gabriel Byrne.

Question: I know your costars have performed on Broadway together. Any aspirations to work on Broadway yourself?

Lloyd: Wow. I would love to work on Broadway. That's one of the reasons I came to NY out of high school. My career just veered toward film and television. Which I'm happy about. I would love the opportunity.

Question: How do you like working with Gabriel Byrne?

Lloyd: He's very nice. It's a wonderful cast all around. Everybody is very nice and very professional. I love doing the show.

Question: How many episodes have you filmed so far?

Lloyd: I have filmed six so far. Right now the pickup is for 13. Hopefully, we'll be picked up for the rest of the season, later on.

Question: What has been your favorite role so far, either film, TV or theatre?

Lloyd: My favorite role so far...probably Natalie on Sports Night.

Question: What kind of music do you like to listen to?

Lloyd: I like everything. I like classical, jazz, rock and roll. Even a little country sometimes.

Question: Do you have any pets?

Lloyd: I have two cats. Both New York street cats.

Question: Have you always wanted to act or was there something else you wanted to do when you were a kid?

Lloyd: I wanted to be an equestrian of some sort, before I discovered acting.

Question: Where do you film the show?

Lloyd: We film the show in Astoria, Queens, in New York.

Question: What do you like to do when you aren't working?

Lloyd: Travel.

Question: What's the last good book you read?

Lloyd: Wow. The last good book I read. I just read Memoirs of a Geisha.

Question: Still keep in touch with any of the cast of Sliders?

Lloyd: I do not. No.

Question: What shows do you like to watch?

Lloyd: The X Files. Big X Files fan, and 60 Minutes. Those are the only two that I watch religiously.

Question: What's your favorite museum to visit when in NYC?

Lloyd: I like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That's my favorite.

Question: Since you're in NY, Mets or Yankees?

Lloyd: I got that question today. Unfortunately, I don't follow baseball. If you had to twist my arm, I'd say the Yankees. Don't hate me for it. And I like the Mets better. (For all the Mets fans)

Question: Are you allowed to give much input on Wendy?

Lloyd: Yes. They are very open to talking about your character. It's great because Gabriel Byrne being one of the creators, is very much into the creative input. I can talk to him and he goes to the writers. I feel that's I can give my voice.

Question: Do you have any charities or special causes you support?

Lloyd: I don't support anything in terms of being actively involved. It's something that I would love to get more involved with in the future. I couldn't choose just one. I want to get more active in the future. Something that I'd be very very interested in.

Question: What can we look forward to on tomorrow night's episode and in the future episodes of Madigan Men?

Lloyd: Unfortunately, I do now know what episode they are showing tomorrow night. In the future, more dating scenarios from all of the people involved in the show.

Question: Hello Sabrina how are you? My name is Kurt and I am a film maker from the Mass. area, I think your work is brilliant and shows so much heart. I fell in love with wade but have since seen you more and all you do is so terrific. Thank you for everything.

Lloyd: Thank you so much. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Question: You are very attractive, I hope you don't mind my saying. Are you single? Smile

Lloyd: Thank you very much, but married. Happily Married.

Question: Was it a difficult transition from Sports Night to doing a comedy like Madigan Men? What are the differences?

Lloyd: Yes. It was very challenging and still is. Sports Night was shot much more like an hour drama. We didn't have an audience. We didn't shoot in one night. Madigan Men is more like a play. We rehearse all week then tape in front of an audience. I feel like I'm doing a show once a week. You go out there and try to make them laugh. It's very challenging.

Question: Congratulations Sabrina, how long have you been married...and is there still any truth to a possible Sliders movie---you know fans and never letting anything die...and that wont for a very long time to come I am sure.

Lloyd: Yes I know. Thank you. I've been married for 5 months. Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to do a movie. At least I've never heard anything like that.

Question: Are tickets for tapings available to the public?

Lloyd: Yes. They are. I don't know how you go about getting them, but I believe you can call Kaufman Astoria in Queens. Or try the production offices. So yes it is open to the public.

Question: What do you find more challenging....doing a drama series or comedy?

Lloyd: They're both challenging in different ways. I'd have to say comedy only because you have the added pressure of having an audience there. With a drama it's much more intimate. With this show, Madigan Men. You have to rush through scenes cause you don't want the audience to get tired. It seems to quicken the pace as well.

Question: When is On Edge getting released?

Lloyd: I don't know. I haven't heard anything in a while, so I wouldn't be able to give you any idea. Hopefully soon.

Question: How long have you been a vegetarian?

Lloyd: I was a vegetarian. I'm actually no longer a vegetarian. I guess I was for six years.

Question: Do you find that as an actor you learn new things from each project you work on.....if so...what have you learned from doing this series so far?

Lloyd: Yes absolutely. You learn things from everything you do. What have I learned from Madigan Men so far...I'm learning the balance between having an audience and being taped. You don't want to play too much to the audience and to the camera. You play more to the camera. If you play too much to the audience, you're too big for the camera. That's an interesting lesson I've been learning on this one.

Question: Is there still a "kind of" role that you wish to challenge yourself to portray that has not yet been offered to you yet. Obviously acting is always to challenge yourself...I just wondered in particular.

Lloyd: Yes. I wouldn't be able to say exactly what that is, but I would know it when I came across it. And yeah, always looking.

Question: Any special guest stars showing up on upcoming episodes?

Lloyd: Margaret Colin was in last week's episode. We have Milo O'Shea. We've had a few people you'd recognize, but my mind is drawing a blank. Sorry.

Question: Sliders and Sports Night both had loyal followings....do you think this show will develop the same sort of audience...or something different?

Lloyd: I don't know. I think this one is different. I don't know in what way, or what that means. But I think this is certainly the most mainstream television show, I've ever been a part of.

Question: Do you have any other projects in the works other than Madigan Men?

Lloyd: Not right now. It's hard to do anything else when you're working on a tv show, cause it's very exhausting work. You're down time is to catch up on your sleep.

Question: Do you have a website or fan club we can write to you at? And if so, do you ever visit them?

Lloyd: I don't ever visit my websites. I don't have a fan club. I usually get my fan mail through work.

Question: I've heard of some actors and actresses who have certain superstitions or certain things that they do or meditative states or etc. that they do before they perform,...do you have any rituals that you think helps you,...humorous or otherwise?

Lloyd: No I don't. I think if I had any, I'd be too neurotic about them. So I just don't let myself.

TV Guide Online: Thank you Sabrina! We had a great time and wish you all the best! Please come back and chat with us soon!

Lloyd: Thank you so much. Thanks everybody for coming on to talk to me. Have a nice evening.

For more on Madigan Men go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madigan_Men

To watch some clips from Madigan Men go to http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=madigan+men+episodes

For a Website dedicated to Madigan Men go to http://www.byrneholics.com/career/television/madigan-men-2000/

For The Official Website of Gabriel Byrne go to http://gabrielbyrnesite.com/

For another Website dedicated to Gabriel Byrne go to http://www.byrneholics.com/

For a Website dedicated to Roy Dotrice go to http://www.roydotrice.com/

For a Sabrina Lloyd Webite go to http://sabrinalloyd.net/

For a Review of Madigan Men go to http://www.popmatters.com/tv/reviews/m/madigan-men.html